Ghost In The Parlour

This is my one and only experience with the paranormal.

This happened approximately 23 years ago. At the time I was dating a girl who originally came from a farming community about 2 1/2 hours from where I lived. I accompanied her to her family home several times to attend weddings of her local friends and we usually spent the weekend.

The family farm home was well over 100 years old. It was fairly large, two storey, all brick with a quite a few rooms. The main floor had a kitchen, dining room, two small side rooms, and large entrance way and a little used parlour. Apparently several generations of her family had lived there.

One time, it was the middle of July or August, we were at the farm and there were about 15 people there, mostly family and relatives of hers and a few friends. Everyone was sitting out on the back deck enjoying a drink and barbecue. I excused myself and went into the house to use the washroom. The house was empty as everyone was outside. When I went into the house I had to pass down a hallway, and to the right was the parlour which had a rounded arch entrance way. As I passed the parlour I noticed an older lady sitting in a chair in the parlour. She appeared to be just sitting there with her hands folded across her lap. I had never seen her before but figured I didn't know everyone who was there so never thought much about it. I smiled briefly and continued on my way. I returned a couple of minutes later and passing by the parlour noticed it was empty.

When I went back outside to the party, I asked my girlfriend "who was the older lady I saw in the side room"? She gave me a rather funny look. He mother heard my comment, and she too, turned and gave me a funny look. My girlfriend seemed rather serious and said "You saw her?" I shrugged, and at first thought maybe they had some crazy Aunt or relative that they didn't want people to know about. It happens. I thought that maybe I had brought up some taboo subject or something. Finally the mother said "That's Mrs. Parker." I said I was just curious as I didn't see her at the party. "Mrs. Parker sort of lives here," she said. Finally they told me the whole story.

'Mrs. Parker' was just a name they had given her. She is some type of apparition that appears in the house occasionally. Usually she is seen in the parlour but has also been seen in the kitchen and in the entrance way. She has been in the house for a long long time, and they are just accustomed to her being there. They have no idea who she is or why she appears in the house. They never really tell anyone about her. It's something they live with. For me, she looked quite real, but they tell me that when she is usually seen she will suddenly vanish. She never acknowledges anyone, and it\'s as if she is in her own world. I'm not sure what you call it but I never felt the same again when I was in that house.