Odd Finding

A couple of weeks ago, Kenny was out to give a quote for fixing the door. While we were talking, he asked, "So have you ever found any Indian stuff here?"

"Nope. Not a thing."

"Years ago, before all these houses were here, a friend of mine came up here to do some hunting. He said there was stuff all over the place up here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, this creek," Kenny said pointing to the creek behind our house, "is year-round. They were up here all the time. If you go down the creek a ways and past the waterfall, he said there were caves. He said the floors of them are covered in arrow heads, hatched, and spear tips."

"Wow."

"I asked him if caught anything when he got back, and he said, 'no.' I asked him if was gonna come up here again and he said, 'hell no, there Indian stuff all over, I ain't goin' near it,'" Kenny said.
We talked a bit more, but I never got a straight answer about it. The conclusion I came away with is that the Indian stuff is cursed or bad mojo, and no one with any sense would mess with it. A lot of the people in Pope County, particularly the long time residents (4+ generations) are at least a little Indian (Cherokee for the most part), which could have a lot to do with it. Something to think about, a cursed house on cursed land.

Someone Is At The Door

I thought it was just me.

For the last year or so, I've had this reoccurring dream. I never remember the dream, but I will suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding. The last thing I remember before waking is the sound of someone violently pounding on a door's glass pane. The sound of their hand beating on the glass is very distinct, the tempo of the fist-falls are fast. Urgent.

I look at the clock. It's usually between three and three-thirty in the morning. Other times, I wake with no memory of anything at all, but it is at roughly the same time. 3:12 AM. 3:23 AM. 3:33 AM. Restless sleep and waking.

The house is invariably silent. Nothing stirs. I drift into a fit-full sleep.

I mention my insomnia to Scarlet. She jokes it's the Devil's Hour and tells me I ought to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Thank you, but no.

A month or more ago, Scarlet was dreaming. Gideon was in the dream, and he suddenly turns to her and says, "There's someone at the door."

Scarlet wakes up. The house is silent. Then, someone starts beating on the Devil Queen's front door. It's loud and sharp. Scarlet is worried they'll break the glass they are beating so hard. The door rattles in its frame. It's urgent, insistent in a way that says something is wrong. Fire. Death. Disaster.

The house is quite. There are no footfalls on the porch. There is no sound of someone running away from the house on the gravel driveway. No one is there. Scarlet lays awake for a little and falls back to sleep.

Over breakfast Scarlet says, "I think we have another ghost. Have you heard the knocking on the front door?"

I tell her yes, but that I thought it was a dream. She tells me about her experience.

She sips her coffee. "How do you sleep here all the time?" she asks. "After a weekend here, I'm more tired than after a full week of work."

"You get use to it," I shrug, "but a lot of times I don't."

Sharing a Bed With the Restless Dead?

Is your house haunted? Two things (see below and this) I've seen recently have me thinking about this today. I think I may have already asked this once upon a time, but I thought I'd ask since I can't remember. Too many fumes I guess.

Is your house haunted?
	No.
	No, I don't believe in crap like that.
	Maybe, but I can't prove it.
	Not sure, but I'm beginning to think so.
	Probably.
	Yes.
	Yes, I live in the Shining. Please send a priest.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

As you long-time readers know, we definately believe the Devil Queen is haunted by it's builder, Mr. Boswell, and some of his family, so I'm voting "yes." If your house is haunted, I'd love to hear about it. Stories, links to blog posts, et cetera. Thanks!

Categorically Unfit For Human Society, Reason 332

Here is a little secret for you. My neurosis, paranoia, and general misanthropy are pretty well known at this point, but I have a nagging, secret fear. I don’t know why it has been on my mind so much recently. Maybe it was everyone wanting to sell me life insurance when we refinanced the house and bought a new car?

Lately, I’m worried if I meet an untimely end in the near future that my soul will be trapped in the Devil Queen. Forever. Putting your blood, sweat, and tears into a house renovation is one thing, but wandering its halls until Doomsday is way too much. So, if I fall and snap my stupid head off, stop the clocks, cover the mirrors, and throw all the windows open. If that doesn’t work (believe me, you’ll know), do it like the Navaho and tear some holes in the walls and abandon the house. And, if that doesn’t do it, burn it down. Really. This house has been hell enough already.

"Go Away"

For a long time now, the restless dead have been quiet at the Devil Queen. No sounds of footsteps in the hall or phantom crying babies. Then, we cleaned out the bay window room (parlor/bedroom) at the front of the house and things started to happen.

One weekend a couple of weeks ago, Liz, Fidge, and Jack came over to help us paint in our run up to the appraisal. Jack was painting the exterior trim on the master bathroom window when I happened to walk by looking for some errant tool.

"I hear someone talking to me out here," he said without looking up from his work. "I looked around but didn't see anyone."

"Really, what did they say?"

"It was like, 'ooo away,'" he said. "Had trouble hearing the first part."

"'Go away' maybe?'

Jack shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe. I don't think so though."

"Okay."

A couple of days later I was talking to Fidge and she told me that she heard a voice in the bay window room while she was painting in there.

"What did it say?" I asked.

"Go away."


Scarlet and I our irritated. We don't much appreciate folks, living or dead, trying to run off our free, volunteer help. Why couldn't they have run of the SOB's who came and took $2000 in tools a couple years ago?

It is so hard to find good help.