The conclusion drawn by both Kammie and I when we unearthed those items that afternoon seemed to put all the events we had experienced to rest. The mystery remained as to what the important message was located on page five of the newspapers that had materialized. The appearance of the large nail in our bedroom may have been meant as a warning that our wedding portrait would need better support or it would fall off the wall. Perhaps the appearance of the newspapers and the significance of the message on page five were also intended as a warning, and the true significance would only be revealed in time.
Although the spirits had appeared to leave when I followed Dennise’s advice and directed them to the Light, the process had seemed incomplete. We may have helped them to get where they needed to go, but, until that afternoon, we had not understood what they had been trying to tell us or why they were there in the first place.
When we had decided that there was nothing more of import to be found in the pile of earth regarding the property’s former occupants, Kammie and I dug a hole beside the “angel bush,” as we had
come to call the special rose bush in our garden. We gently placed the bottle, lace, hair tuft, picture frame, and school books back into the earth. We said a prayer for them to all rest in peace now and assured them they would never be forgotten. Finally a very real and lasting calm settled upon our home.
We may not have learned their names, but we knew that they had lived there, and possibly even how they had died there, a very long time ago. Perhaps that was all they had needed and wanted us to know. Perhaps that was all they had ever wanted anyone to know who had moved into, and then very quickly out of, that house, decade after decade throughout the century.
Inkwell, button, and cream jar: found buried in the backyard while the additional room was being constructed. As directed by psychic, we replaced these objects back into the ground in an attempt to halt the increased paranormal activity.
Large piece of quartz containing Fool’s Gold found buried in the backyard, which was also eventually replaced.
Large rusty nail that seemed to drop out of thin air.
Mail and Empire Toronto newspaper from August 17, 1933 which suddenly appeared spread open to page five on our front lawn. It was in perfect condition when originally found, but by the time the photograph was taken three months later it was starting to show signs of yellowing due to its actual age.
The Toronto Daily Star from November 28, 1934 which appeared behind the lattice on the front porch. The newspaper was in pristine condition when it was first discovered. When the photograph was taken three months later rampant deterioration had already taken place.
Copyright © Dorah L. Williams, 2002
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency..
Publisher: Anthony Hawke
Copy-editor: Elizabeth Phinney
Designer: Jennifer Scott
Printer: Transcontinental
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data
Williams, Dorah L.
Haunted: the incredible true story of a Canadian family’s experience living in a haunted house
ISBN 978-1-45970-943-0
1. Haunted houses — Canada. I. Title.
BF1472.C3W54 2002 133.1’2971 C2002-901063-2
1 2 3 4 5 06 05 04 03 02
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program.
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J. Kirk Howard, President
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The events in this story are true.
The names of characters and some dates have been changed to protect the everyone’s privacy.
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