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A Voice from the Grave

 

I'm reluctant to give too many details about these events because there was a crime involved, my father was (briefly) a suspect, and they eventually apprehended a perpetrator who is still alive and in prison. Additionally, as a professional, any misinterpretation of events could, however unlikely, conceivably be used to harm my career.

These events occurred in the early 1980's in the northwest U.S. I was 10 at the time, and lived with my father, mother and sister. As unlikely as it may seem, at age 10, I was already a skeptic, and rather well read (ok, I was a geek). As such, I haven't really been able to explain this away by simply saying I was too young to grasp what was happening.

It started when I awoke one morning to find that my next-door neighbor's home had been roped off with crime scene tape, surrounded by police cars, and overrun with reporters. There had been a murder. As I looked out my upstairs bedroom window, the mother of the victim looked up at me with scathing eyes. The victim was a girl in her late teens/early twenties, whom I will refer to as "Sara". I learned that Sara had been murdered some time in the previous 12 hours, shot in the head.

Soon thereafter, my sister's upstairs bedroom became a place to avoid. She would often awaken, screaming in the middle of the night that there was someone in her room. Years later, my mother admitted that even she became reluctant to go into my sister's room to change the sheets or clean. I couldn't walk past the room without the hairs standing up on my head. The cold in the room was very distinct, and omnipresent. You felt watched. The best I can describe it is as a palpable 'cloud of anger' that you could walk through.

I mentioned Sara's mother, because at some point in the investigation, my father was implicated. Sara's mother had reason to suspect this, and as an adult these many years later, I suppose I would have too. The legal aspect of things, however, meant we couldn't divulge the events of our upcoming Ouija board experience to the police or anyone else.

My mother told me that they bought the board out of ignorance, believing its labeling as a "game" (obviously a bad idea in retrospect, but it wasn't exactly like you could look up the topic on the internet and get a sense that using the board was not wise). Thus, as our family activity one night not too long after the murder, my mother, father, sister, and I sat down to the Ouija board.

It started off innocently enough, with everyone laughing and accusing everyone else of moving the plastic Ouija piece. We didn't make the connection between the board and the recent murder until after a couple of silly 'yes', 'no' questions (I don't remember what we asked initially). It didn't take long for the endeavor to take on ominous tones. Whatever was moving the piece quickly made it known that 'her' name was "S-a-r-a", and that she had been murdered. The piece made rapid, violent movements across the board, occasionally moving so erratically that it would pull away from everyone's hands (though it would stop moving at that point).

I distinctly remember that the chill we'd all felt in my sister's room was now with us around the dining room table. I suppose most parents would have sent the kids out to the room as soon as the implications were apparent, but we were all operating in a sense of shock. Thus, we continued with the questions. I don't remember who asked, but one of us hit on the thought to ask Sara to describe her murderer. She described a man with curly black hair. Next, one of us asked what type of car he drove... and the answer was that it was a gold VW Bug. It was at that point that the gravity of the situation really became apparent to all, and my sister and I were sent upstairs to bed (needless to say, my sister slept with the light on that night).

Soon thereafter (I don't recall exactly how long, but I remember it being a few weeks), my father took me to the barbershop for a haircut. As I sat in the chair waiting to start, I watched the overhead television. My father sat off to my side, waiting for me. It was at that moment that the police mug shot of a man with curly black hair was flashed on screen during a local news broadcast. The man had been arrested on suspicion of a series of murders in the area the announcer explained. Then footage from the outside of the home where Sara was killed came on. That footage was soon followed by the picture of a gold VW Bug in the driveway of a one-story home. Needless to say, with events from the 'Ouija-night' still fresh in my head, I turned to look at my father. He looked at me at that moment. Neither of us said a word to each other, but we both realized this was the man Sara described.

But the eerie occurrences in our home only worsened. My room became equally uncomfortable to be alone in. Objects in my closet would occasionally move on their own accord (clothes would swing or rustle...in a closed room). A friend once stood in my room looking at my fish tank while I got something out of the closet (about 8-10 feet away) when we heard a voice in between us. We turned to each other to ask if the other had heard the voice... neither of us had spoken though.

Luckily, we had to move out of state for my father's work soon thereafter. I have since driven past the old home, but I've never stopped, and certainly never gone back inside. I'm not sure why I feel compelled to tell this story other than to say that in the twenty five years since it happened, it has never been far from my mind. It's hard to explain away the physical description of a murderer and his car as secondary to some sort of 'group-think' or over-active imagination. The events were profound enough that they shaped my willingness to consider the reality of a realm beyond the physical and pay attention to things spiritual (however you might define them). In the end, I suppose I'm mostly just interested in whether anyone else has ever had such a specific, verifiable experience.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Astropithicus, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

marshall (2 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-02-19)
Hi Astropithicus,

This is a VERY intriguing story that we might be interested in covering for a possible TV show about ghost stories relating to crimes. Would you be able to email me at ghost.stories.research [at] gmail.com and talk about it more?

Thanks,
Marshall
babygirlacm (2 stories) (19 posts)
 
15 years ago (2008-11-04)
thanks for sharing the story it caught my attention hope sara is in a better place now.

God bless!
ghost_of_ann_frank (2 posts)
 
16 years ago (2008-03-16)
i am happy you choose to share this story. I am sure it was tough. I hopw SARA ca fid peace.

Love Peace And God Bless ❤ 😊
KimSouthO (27 stories) (1960 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-11)
Thank you for sharing your story, I am certain it was a difficult descion to do so.

As far as verifiable stories to add credence to yours, you do not need them. You where there, you know what occured and how it occured. But, if you read even just a few of the accounts that others have shared on this site, there are DEFINITELY verifible accounts of spiritual 'paranormal' activities that have happened.

I do hope Sara has been able to find peace. It is obvious with the events described in your story, she was reaching out for the capture of the person who did this horrible thing to her. Once apprehended, I hope some how she was able to pass to the other side.

God Bless !
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
 
17 years ago (2007-06-21)
Each individuals experiences are just that, their experiences. I too am glad that you had a positive out come from your use of the Ouija board, but at the same time it also sounds like something else may have slipped into this realm while you were using it. You stated you didn't know why you felt compeled to tell your story, once reason is that maybe you need to validate it for yourself. Sort of a therapy you might say. Better to let it out than to hold it in. Thanks for sharing your story with us, it was very well told.

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.
Abby (710 posts)
 
17 years ago (2007-06-21)
Dear Astropithicus,

Well, in this case the Ouija board may have helped more than caused the users grief. Though it is still dependent upon your family members and your perspective, if it was a help or not, especially since the result of the use of the Ouija board obviously still haunts you today after 25 years. If anything, it was an opening, enlightenment to there being something more that exists than this 3D physical world in which we as human beings live in. It is another story of proof of the paranormal.

It was obvious to me that Sara had not crossed over, because she had to deliver a message to you and your family about who had murdered her and others. It is my hope your neighbor, Sara has now crossed over to the other side and is at peace.

It may have been helpful for the police to have had this information before, but since you state your father was briefly considered as a suspect, it was probably better to do as you all chose to do and keep it to yourselves. Not to mention, perhaps at that time period, the police were less open and would have been quite skeptical about receiving messages from a murdered dead girl via a Ouija board. I believe you did the right thing as best to your ability for the time that it happened.

Anytime, we first experience something within our lives that does not fit the box we label "normal", we as humans will file it as an emotional imprint to our "first time" memory life file and not forget it. This was a very traumatic, emotional imprint for you and your family, as well as what seems to be the first of such major paranormal events. I am certain, it will be something you and your family will continue to recall even 25 years from today.

Thank you for sharing your story, as well as Sara's story with us here on this site.

Yes, I am sure these events were very profound for you and your family, and have certainly changed your minds about the possiblilty of life after death and that there are other realms outside of this one we now all reside within.

Once you are aware, you cannot go back.
Blessings, Abby

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