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Table Tipping Aftermath

 

Almost two years ago I submitted a story titled table, Table Tipping. For those interested it can be found at the following link. Https://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=24149

That story took place at a fire hall that was abandoned, as a new one had been built to replace it and was subsequently moved into.

Since that story the old fire hall was demolished and replaced with structures of a higher calling, namely, fast food restaurants.

Part of my job involves some driving from site to site and often enough I would drive by these businesses and wonder if any of them experience any kind of supernatural oddness or even a full blown haunting. Would the spirit (s) attached to the old fire hall have moved on, when it was demolished or would they inhabit the new buildings?

Today I got that answer.

For the first time since they were built I pulled into the fast food parking lot. I was determined to ask at at least one of them if they had any ghostly activities going on. I don't know why I chose the particular restaurant I did, but was fortunate that the single patron was just leaving as I entered. The owner asked me what I wanted to eat but I answered instead with, "actually I have an odd question to ask you, is your store by any chance haunted"?

I could not read the sudden strange look on his face. Then he lowered his head and quietly said, "yes". Still speaking quietly he asked me how I knew and I then explained my history with the building that used to occupy the site.

It got better!

After some discussion he asked me if I wanted to see video of the ghost that his security cameras picked up. Of course I said yes.

The video was taken by a camera in the patron area of the store a few months ago. He logged into it from home, near midnight, before he went to bed. The store was open, there were both customers in the store and an employee but they were not fully in the field of view. Then a "flying" image of a gossamer green/grey thing moved from left to right on his screen It was very Hollywood in that it swooped in a slow undulation. It was somewhat see-through, and had the classic wispy trailing end. A largish front rounded area suggested an oversized featureless head and the "body" was an amorphous flowing shape behind this. It all suggested a large billowy window shear that was stuffed on the one end, tied off with a cord, with the rest left to blow in a soft wind. The thing then parked itself high up on a wall and hung there for a few minutes. Although I did not see the whole two minutes he said that it faded away after this. Neither the employee nor the patrons seemed to notice anything odd.

I asked him for a copy of the video, which he politely refused to do. He felt that to do so would add to his problems.

Although before this he said that he did not believe in the supernatural he said that he could not now deny it. He further claimed that he feels that the entity is slowing down his business as its appearance was coincident with lower patronage at his shop. His sense is that even showing the video may make things worse as well. I told him that I did not think this to be true but to no avail.

The video is not all, he often finds motion detector triggered lights on in the washrooms, when he first opens the empty store in the morning and he hears clattering noises in the kitchen when he is alone as well.

He is somewhat frightened and concerned. I offered to tell the ghost to get along and stop scaring him. He delayed answering so without his permission I did this anyway (we were still alone). I also offered him the services of an acquaintance of mine who has helped my sister with her unpleasant supernatural issues. After some time thinking about it he did want that to happen.

That is all for now but I will follow up with more information as it becomes available.

In conclusion... It seems that some ghosts do indeed hang about after demolition of a building and haunt the next.

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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, Kindly_refrain, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Kindly_refrain (16 stories) (196 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-13)
Hi AugustaM, we do have the classic idea that we should move on after death. There are many reported NDE's in which family and friends are waiting on the other side to help you do just that.

I do believe that there are folks who stay on after death. Since it is possible to do this it must be OK that some do. I also believe that there are other non-human entities hanging about too.

Since this amorphous version of a an entity was not reported by the fire fighters over the years I do wonder whom or what it is. Is it just another representation or something entirely different?

This Mrs. Percival was reported as an eccentric character while alive. A fire fighter that grew up in the areas where she lived would see Mrs. Percival walking down the street reading passages from her bible. If she saw any of the neighborhood children, while reading a passage, she would turn quickly to them and say, "You'd better "effing" well do it too!" They were all afraid of her.
Kindly_refrain (16 stories) (196 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-13)
Hi Cuddlebear, the restaurant has high ceilings and the entity looked to be up pretty high so perhaps that is why they did not see it.

It was dense and large enough, though, that I don't know how you could miss it. You would certainly see a balloon or bird flying by and they are much smaller.

The owner was surprised that an employee did not see it.

I like your EIP take on it.
LuciaJacinta (8 stories) (291 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-13)
It wasn't necessarily just talking to a stranger it was the being shown the tapes that I found weird. But if as you explain someone was showing you a cell phone video of it, then that makes sense. I wasn't picturing that until you clarified. I envisioned you going to a back room where people stored their lunches and hanging out there... Haha.

Ok. Peace to all. 😁
DirtCreature (guest)
+4
6 years ago (2018-11-13)
I love your feedback, Augusta. You always bring something interesting to the table. πŸ€”
AugustaM (7 stories) (996 posts)
+4
6 years ago (2018-11-13)
I know the popular consensus is that after a person dies, their spirit *should* move on - just as a person *should* wear clothes when they leave the house or *should* breathe air, even. As though it is some sort of natural or at least cultural hard and fast law - but what if that isn't the case?

I don't know how many times I have watched a documentary of some sort that goes on at length to describe a barren inhospitable terrain where people simply *should* not desire to or be able to or elect to exist then proceeds to reveal a culture that has existed there for millennia. Some people, regardless of what brought them to that place, do exist and even thrive in environments that most of us would consider plum awful or down right deadly. Could our spirits not be the same?

Perhaps for some spirits, lingering on earth amongst the living for some indefinite period of time really is what they *should* do - perhaps it is right for them.

Maybe that is the case with your Mrs. Percival (as an aside... I actually have an ancestor by that name ☺️ she was a truly lovely person and I would welcome her ghost any day ❀). Perhaps she lingers because it is right for her and/or her desire to do so. Maybe that's why cleansings often do not "work" on positive entities. Maybe "the light" isn't right for al of us.

Anyway, sorry to have gotten off on a bit of a tangent but the idea of the spirits of individuals whose homes have been destroyed by flames following the trucks back to haunt the fire thouse just got my mind to whirring... Maybe Mrs. Percival acts as a den mother or ferryman for them...
Cuddlebear (4 stories) (173 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-13)
KR Salutations!

LuciaJacinta - My wife too has the ability to get perfect strangers to open up to her. Every time it happens I am amazed at what she can get people to tell her. I'm glad she doesn't use this power for evil -she'd make a great con-woman.

KR - I find it odd that no one in the establishment saw the phantom or apparition. So instead of an EVP you have an EIP (Electronic Image Phenomena).
Kindly_refrain (16 stories) (196 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hi DeliverDawn, I had been intending on asking at one of the restaurants for some time. I am glad I finally did. One day I will ask at one (or more) of the other four restaurants on the site of the old fire hall.

The fellow who ran the table tipping with us in the other story, told of a similar incident with a table flying. He was with his wife and two other people doing a table tipping at, of all places, a local cemetery. When nothing much happened they were about to pack up when his wife asked for a big final show. The table leapt from between them and crashed about 20 feet away.
DeliverDawn (5 stories) (45 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hi Kindly_refrain,

This is truly fascinating! My mother's cousins participated in table tipping years ago, back when she (my mother) was just a girl. If their story is true, and I believe it is, they must have angered a spirit... The table flew across the room and slammed into the fridge 😨

Anywho, I think it's awesome that you went and were able to talk to someone there! And that you were able to see the video, too. I can't wait to here more about what goes on 😁
Kindly_refrain (16 stories) (196 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Greetings LuciaJacinta, there were no other patrons in the restaurant when I asked my question about the haunting. I was standing on the customer side of the counter and he on the business owner's side. He went to the back to get his cell phone to show me the recording. As odd as this exchange sounds, strangers tell me the most intimate details of their lives with little prompting. My wife marvels at the instant rapport I have with strangers and the questions I can ask as well as the things I am told.

Several of the fire halls I work at are reported to be haunted. Since these accounts are strictly second hand I have not submitted any of those stories. I do, as well, recall that there was a fire hall story told by someone else.

I also believed that a spirit would leave once its "home" was demolished but I see now that this is not necessarily always the case.
Kindly_refrain (16 stories) (196 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hi CuriousDee, I am familiar with the phenomenon you describe as Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board, but I had never heard a name for it.

Another variant of this was to have four people push down, for a minute, on a person who is seated in a chair and then easily lift the chair and person with just finger tips.

My cousin did this as a high school demonstration, in front of the entire school, but it did not go well. The four of them pushed down on the head of the person sitting in the chair causing him to rupture a disc in his neck.

The show did not go on.
Kindly_refrain (16 stories) (196 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hello RCRuskin, the fire fighters believed the ghost that was seen was a Mrs Percival. She lived in a house on the site where, later, the fire hall was built.

She was recognized when she appeared, at least once, as a see through figure one night in the dorm. Other phenomena were seen there as well that were not identifiable as her.

It makes me wonder if this entity, that I saw on the cell phone, is another representation of Mrs. Percival, still hanging around, or something else attached to the property.
LuciaJacinta (8 stories) (291 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hi. I read over this and the other submission and comments. Very interesting. I do find it odd though that the fast food person would show you the tapes. Weren't they busy there? Was it in a back room? That all seems strange that you could as a regular person just walk into the store and be shown the tapes.

Anyway, as a teenager I also partook in the Light as A Feather Stiff as a board stuff. Silly me, thought my friends made it up. I didn't know it was a thing.

I also typically thought that once a building was demolished that the spirits were released but I guess not. More for me to ponder. I guess in this case the grounds were "haunted".

Is it something with fire halls? I think there was another story on here about a haunted fire hall.
CuriousDee (8 stories) (631 posts)
+4
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hi Kindly_refrain,

Great follow up. I remember reading your original account around the time I joined YGS. The photos you shared (in the original story), were intriguing. I admit, I used to believe this phenomenon was a myth. What changed my mind was a story my 87 year old grandmother told me, which involved herself and two friends who attempted a similar version of table tipping as teenagers successfully. Have you ever heard of the 'game'; Light as a feather, stiff as a board? Apparently, one person lies down, while several people place the tips of the fingers underneath the one laying down. Then they chant "light as a feather, stiff as a board" repeatedly, and focus on the intent to levitate the prone individual. My grandmother and her friends did this with a table instead of a person. It might be called something else, but this is the best I can explain it.

She is not the type to make things up at all, and told the story in all seriousness. She is still razor sharp and quite active. I was amazed to say the least. 😊

I'm not surprised a business built over the old fire hall is experiencing activity. That's very kind of you to offer help. Hopefully, the manager does something to help any earthbound spirits. Perhaps a simple cleansing while the store is closed would be sufficient?

Thanks for the update 😊
Dee
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-11-11)
Hi, Kindly.

This experience calls to mind a question I asked, I think on another story here but can't recall which one now.

Does a haunted building count as a haunted object? If ghosts are tied to a place, anything built on that place is only a temporary thing. There existed a time when the building was not, and there will be a time again when the building was not.

Based on this, I think the answer is yes. The ground is haunted, and whatever haunts does not care that the old building no longer exists.

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