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The Haunted Museum, Graveyard And The Botanical Gardens

 

My grandmother and great-grandmother passed away within a year or two of each other. One is buried in a Graveyard in a town called Hermanus and the other has been cremated and the ashes scattered at her favorite childhood place that is now a public garden. Next to this botanical garden is an old French\ Dutch Museum that has antiques, scrolls and other artifacts from 200+ years ago. Behind the botanical gardens there is a fairly modern graveyard. The Botanical Garden is gorgeous with rows and rows of beautiful flowers of all colors with the only problem being the graveyard and museum that give off bad feelings. I refuse to set foot in that graveyard, because to me it feels like there is something of a very unsavory nature warning me not to go in there and watch my back if I know what is good for me. I constantly find myself looking over my shoulder whenever I'm at the botanical garden, expecting to find someone standing there or looking at me from around a tree or gravestone. My 13 year old cousin and her friends constantly want to go in there and before I can stop myself I find myself yelling at them and warning them to stay the heck out of there. They find this amusing of course and still go in. I can't help but keep an eye on them and feel the apprehension building as I see small dark shadows gliding over the stones after them. One day I fear something might follow them home. I also refuse to go to the bathrooms, that are situated behind some trees very close to the graveyard, alone even if it means dragging my dad along with me to the ladies room.

Moving on to the museum... I will say that the feeling I get in the museum is not of evil, but as if something is trying to warn me to be cautious around the ancient books, scrolls, evening gowns, school books, wooden toys, kitchen utensils and other furniture and things. Almost like an old mother walking after us making sure the "children" don't go about breaking things. I don't like being alone in one of the rooms (the museum is an old house) as I swear that the eyes of the portraits follow you around and hear footsteps directly behind me. I also hear the rustling of paper as if someone is busy looking through the books and scrolls, but the stuff are safely stored in glass display cases to try and preserve it. Also the windows are all closed at all times to prevent anything getting wind damaged. Just to mention, this museum, garden, and graveyard are located in a small town called Franschoek. So any of you that feel like checking it out go ahead, but please be careful. NEVER provoke a spirit no matter how kind you think it may be.

PS: For those of you that wonder about the graveyard at Hermanus - it is absolutely peaceful. I am drawn to it. I feel surrounded by many spirits when I walk through there, but none of them mean any harm. Some of the graves date back to 1801 and I feel a sense of curiosity from these spirits to find someone coming to their graves. Almost like they know and have accepted long ago that their loved ones no longer come to visit or have passed on themselves. I even 'feel' that some of these spirits smile as I look upon their graves and they know I respect them. Of course this part of the graveyard has been closed off by gates and fences since its fully "occupied", but it's all rusted and broken down and as I said I'm drawn to it. But this does not stop me from performing my own little ritual of saying over and over in my mind 'Please don't follow me home. You are not welcome there' whenever I walk through or drive past any graveyard.

Shlain

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

SageWolf (10 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-12-30)
You are right about not provoking spirits no matter no kind they seem. I did that a few years back when I was nine and that was a big mistake... The girl followed me everywhere. It's so weird when in the middle of class some dead girl comes up to you and messes with your pencils. Not. Cool. I'm sorry about you losing your grandmother and the whole sixth sense can be a pain in the rear. Please be careful.
Shlain (13 stories) (246 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2010-04-10)
You've got it wrong vulcan. My grandmothers ashes are scattered at the Gardens, which is why we go there to pay our respects. Literally right behind the Gardens (seperated only by a narrow dirt road) is the graveyard. We don't go there because we are bored. We do it out of respect for my Gran and unfortunately the graveyard AND museum is right there in our faces as their on the same plot. I have never gone into the graveyard, because of the feelings I get and only went into the museum twice, second time because I had to. As for the teen, she could not be bothered less about going to the museum. She and her pals go into the graveyard- as I stated in my story. I have never met a 13 year old who didn't think it cool to go to a graveyard. Once again, we went to pay respect to deceased family member - AS STATED IN THE STORY - and it was not just a joy ride out.
vulcan10 (5 stories) (332 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2010-04-09)
If you don't like it there, why go? If I don't like a place I simply don't go. And a 13 year old who likes to go to a "old French\ Dutch Museum that has antiques"? Thats certainly knew to me. There must not be much going on around there for her to have to resort to that. Not that I don't like museums and the like now, but I'm an adult, I definetly had a good 95 other things I'd rather be doing on my list of 100 things I could do this summer, when I was 13. If they have to go there and they have to have a chaperone then make someone else do it. Just say you have a touch of parvo or something, the 24 hour kind.
Shayliha (4 stories) (12 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2010-04-09)
Thanks for the story! Loved reading it...
Maybe they should consider putting a gate in front of that 'evil' cemetery instead! 😉
Shlain (13 stories) (246 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2010-04-09)
Hey Jennifer. Thanx for reading. Don't you find the feeling of curiosity coming from these spirits strange? I understand loneliness, anger, abandonment, sorrow ect. But not I can't wrap my mind around curiosity. Shlain
Shlain (13 stories) (246 posts)
 
15 years ago (2010-04-09)
Thanx koalagirl. I try to avoid cemeteries if I can eventhough I believe the spirits present there are only visiting their graves. Hospitals however I avoid like the plague even if a loved one is there for doctors care. I always make up an excuse. I just cannot stand the emotional trauma the spirits at hospitals harbor. Hospital spirits find it hard to accept their deaths. Thanx for commenting. Shlain
Jennifer40 (20 stories) (202 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2010-04-08)
Shlain, thanks for sharing. I used to live outside of Boston, MA and would feel the same way when visiting Mt. Auburn cemetery, which is a national landmark. A friend of mine is buried there as well as a few US presidents. I can also sense the curiosity of the spirits and can almost 'feel' them peering at me when passing by.

Jennifer ❤
koalagirl (3 stories) (111 posts)
+1
15 years ago (2010-04-08)
hi sorry about losing your grannys, I found your story very interesting, I do like to visit a graveyard but find it sad when little babies died so young cheers thanks for sharing. Di.xx

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