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Second Investigation

December

Peter, Paul, and I arrived early and met with the property owner to go over some of the early history of the house and the property.

As we stood in the kitchen talking, I looked out the back window and could see that a storm was brewing: the wind was now carrying leaves, dirt, and debris, and the sky was charcoal. I noticed right away that inside the house was virtually silent, probably attributed to the heavy construction of the old place with its eighteen-inch-thick walls. Paul showed the owner a few photos that we had taken in the barn on our last visit.

[Peter’s digital voice recorder captures a gruff male voice saying, “Me, have a see.”]

The owner departed, wishing us luck in our search. The three of us went out to the vehicle to bring in the equipment; Peter laid his digital recorder down in a small alcove at the base of the stairs. [As we exit, the recorder captures a click and subtle movements.] We set up our surveillance equipment as we had during our previous visit and went outside to wait for the rest of the team to arrive.

Victoria and her twin sister, Stephanie, who was joining us for the night, arrived and we all entered the house together.

The team split up and Peter set up his E. Probes as Victoria took her sister upstairs for a tour of the house. Paul and I took random photos.

The girls came back down to the main floor. “I got a different feeling up there this time. A very comforting feeling, but that little room at the top of the stairs, which was fine last time, was very uncomfortable,” Victoria reported.

“Which room did you go into first?” Peter asked.

“The big one at the back, where the camera is.”

Paul started to lay talcum powder in strategic locations around the house. He placed a large black garbage bag down on the floor and generously shook out the powder to cover the bag in the hopes that we would get an imprint of a footprint in the powder.

Peter’s E. Probe went off, and as he reset it he explained how it worked to Victoria and Stephanie.

[Peter’s digital recorder captures a female sighing.]

We decided to go outside and tour the exterior of the house and examine the front porch. Peter placed his digital recorder on a chair in the northeast room near the window and we all headed outside.

[After a few minutes of silence there are sounds of movement caught on the recorder and then the persistent squeaking like that of small wheels.

The sounds of movement are very close to the camera — rustling sounds — then a male voice calling, “Jimmy.”]

The E. Probe went off and Peter went back in to check it.

As we were standing outside, Paul saw a black shadow pass the upper window facing the driveway. I immediately thought it might be Peter, but at that exact moment Peter pulled the back door closed. Paul suggested that the camera set up on the second floor may have captured something. After watching the second-floor windows for a few more minutes and seeing nothing further, we all headed off to the barn.

[Inside the cottage there are still sounds being recorded by the main-floor camera.

Rustling of material.

Male EVP: “Miriam.”

No reply.]

The team entered the barn and spread out, taking photos and using their digital recorders in an attempt to capture any activity.

Victoria headed down into the root cellar of the barn. She heard walking and as she glanced up, she saw two legs passing the open door heading deeper into the interior of the barn. She immediately came up and found the rest of the team in the loft taking photos.

“I just saw someone walk past the cellar door on the main floor,” she called up to the rest of us.

Paul looked down through the open hatch at her, “There was no one down there.”

I climbed down and joined her. We walked the main floor and found nothing.

As we descended the stairs into the depths of the barn we noticed the mummified remains of the cat Peter had mentioned. A bare bulb hung from the centre of the ceiling. There was a well-defined hump in the dirt floor three feet wide and approximately six feet long.

“So who’s buried here?” Paul asked, standing on the hump.

Everyone was thinking the same thing about this mound it seemed, but Paul was the only one who said it out loud. “So, when do we dig?”

“We would need permission first,” I replied.

“We could talk with the owners,” Peter said.

I nodded my head yes and the team moved up the stairs to the main floor of the barn.

The team left the barn and we were now standing around in the driveway next to the house. [Inside there is the sound of a heavy object being dropped to the floor and Peter’s E. Probe goes off.]

[The camera captures the sound of loud knocking, the snapping of fingers, tapping, and movement on the floor. Then a male’s voice calls, “Henry.”]

Peter led the way back into the house as he wanted to check the E. Probe on the main floor. The rest of the team headed upstairs.

[Indecipherable talking is recorded by the camera’s microphone and then a male’s voice saying, “Ya.”]

Peter started up the stairs.

[A heavy breath next to him, like an exhale, is captured on his digital voice recorder.]

[Directly behind the camera on the main floor, the door handle turns several times. It sounds like the door opens, although there isn’t enough room as the camera is positioned there. Then the sound of movement behind the camera.

Male EVP: “They’re all alive.”]

The team settled into the large master bedroom on the second floor. Besides the camera and two folding chairs, there was nothing else in the room. Some of the team sat on the floor as we prepared to conduct a Spirit Box session.

After ten minutes of Spirit Box session without any noticeable results, the team took a break on the main floor.

Peter checked his equipment in the kitchen. [His digital recorder captures the sound of the catch on the equipment box clicking, banging against the side of the case; no one was near the case at the time.]

The team re-assembled in the northwest room on the main floor for a second try at a Spirit Box session.

I set the box for 100-millisecond sweep FM channels in reverse. As the team waited and listened, there was a faint “Hello” heard over the speaker.

There was a pause.

Me: “Did that say, ‘Hello’?”

Victoria: “That’s what it sounded like, yeah.”

Me: “Yeah.”

Spirit Box: “Yeah!”

Me: “Hello?”

Spirit Box: “Hello.”

Peter: “Was that ‘Hello’ again?”

Me: “How are you?”

Spirit Box — a female voice, pleasant-sounding: “Fine.”

Sprit Box — a gruff male voice: “Go to Hell!”

Peter: “Pardon?”

Me: “How are you today?”

Spirit Box: “Well.”

Me: “My name’s Richard. What’s your name?”

Spirit Box — a male voice, immediately: “Chris.”

Spirit Box: “We heard them.”

Spirit Box — a young male, possibly with a Scottish accent: “That’s enough!”

Spirit Box— young female: “Jesus!”

Spirit Box: “Alena!”

Peter: “What is your name?”

Spirit Box — young female, immediately: “David!”

Spirit Box — a gruff male voice: “Alena!”

Spirit Box: A loud burst of static that sounds like china breaking. Then a woman’s shriek.

Spirit Box: “Go!”

Me: “Do you mind that we’re visiting today?”

A twelve-second pause.

[The camera captures a male voice saying, “Get out.”]

Victoria: “Is it okay that we’re here?”

There was a long pause.

Spirit Box — a young male, timid-sounding: “Yup.”

Spirit Box — a female voice: “Honey!”

Spirit Box — a male, deep voice: “Yeah.”

Victoria: “Yeah. Yeah, it’s okay.”

Peter: “What’s your name, sir?”

Spirit Box — a young female voice cuts Peter off: “Horton.”

There was a long pause as Paul fired up his camera, then …

Spirit Box — shouting: “Alena!”

Spirit Box — a young female voice: “Oui?”

Peter: “Laila …?”

Spirit Box — the same gruff male voice, shouting: “AAUGH!”

Spirit Box — a female voice with a French accent: “David.”

Spirit Box — a young male yelled: “AAAIGH!”

Peter: “Laila, are you here?”

Spirit Box: “Go away!”

There are a pair of impact sounds, then …

Spirit Box — the gruff, male voice, shouting: “Alena!”

Victoria: “I keep feeling like, vibrations on the floor, but that doesn’t make any sense.”

[The camera captures a male voice saying, “Danny.”]

Peter: “The Spirit Box shouldn’t be doing that much!”

Me: “No.”

Victoria: “Anybody else feel vibrations in the floor?”

Peter: “No. Are you, Stephanie?”

Stephanie: “No.”

Peter: “And you … should be in line with those floor boards.”

Victoria/Stephanie, looking down at themselves: “Yeah. Yeah.”

Peter: “Ma’am, are you here with us in the room?”

Spirit Box — a female voice, cautiously: “No …”

Spirit Box — a young or high-pitched elderly female voice: “Oh!”

Spirit Box — a male, matter-of-factly: “Doom.”

Peter: “Yes …?”

Spirit Box — a young male voice: “Uncle?”

Spirit Box — an older male, hesitant, slightly impatient-sounding: “Yes?”

Peter: “Please don’t—”

Spirit Box — a high-pitched, young male voice: “Roger …! Won’t ya …?”

Peter: “Please don’t be afraid.”

Spirit Box — a male voice, possible Scottish accent: “Take my niece.”

Spirit Box — a female voice (punctuated by another blast of static): “Today?”

Victoria: “Someone appear?”

Spirit Box: A loud blast of dual-frequency static, like a shout.

Spirit Box — a male, sounding like a warning: “I mean it …!”

Spirit Box: An identical loud blast of dual-frequency static, like a shout.

Peter: “Is Alexander with us?”

Paul, to Victoria and Stephanie: “What do you think?”

Spirit Box: A loud blast of dual-frequency static, like a shout.

Peter: “Is that him, yelling?”

Victoria: “Sounds like …”

Peter: “Alexander?”

No reply.

Peter: “Is that your first name?”

No reply.

Peter: “Are you angry that we’re here?”

Spirit Box — a male voice, confident: “I’ll leave!”

Peter: “Pardon?”

Spirit Box — a male voice, abrupt: “No.”

Spirit Box — a young female voice, clear and reassuring: “I’m not angry.”

Spirit Box — a young male voice, possibly with a French or Spanish accent: “Don’t go!”

Spirit Box, sound of a door slamming shut: “Wait!”

Peter: “Are you wondering why we’re here?”

Spirit Box — a male voice, interrupting Peter: “No!”

Spirit Box — a burst of male-sounding static, shouting: “Alena!”

Spirit Box — a male voice: “We’re leaving!”

Spirit Box — a young female voice: “AAIGH!”

Me: “How many people live in this house?”

There was a long pause and some breaks in the white noise static.

Me: “Can you tell me what year it is?”

Spirit Box — a low male voice heard under a high-pitched static blast: “Go away.”

Paul: “Miriam. Ask for Miriam.”

Spirit Box — a young female voice: “Go, bye … sweetheart!”

Paul: “I heard ‘Miriam.’”

Spirit Box: “You didn’t!”

Spirit Box: “Go down!”

Me: “Miriam?”

Spirit Box — young female voice: “Goodbye!”

Me: “Can you tell me what year it is, please?”

Spirit Box — a young female voice: “No!”

Spirit Box — a grumpy, older-sounding male voice, shouting: “Forget it!”

There was a long pause in the white noise static.

Me: “I heard that. I don’t know.”

Another long pause in the white noise static, then …

Spirit Box — a young, male-sounding voice: “Head home.…”

I turned the Spirit Box off. Instead of the team dispersing everyone remained in the room. Victoria was using the parabolic microphone.

I called for Miriam and asked, “There’s a young gentleman that helps you. He’s very nice; he wears glasses. Can you tell us his name, please?”

Immediately, static was heard through the parabolic microphone Victoria was pointing into the main-floor studio.

After a long pause, Paul asked, “Give us your last name?” Again, static interference “pulses” via the parabolic microphone immediately followed the question.

Peter asked, “Isabella, are you here instead?” All was quiet until more static from the parabolic microphone was heard.

I noted that I had placed my digital voice recorder on the wicker chair and it had turned off by itself.

“Isabella? Are you sitting in that chair?” Peter asked.

No reply.

“I beg your pardon, may I call you Isabella?” There were some crinkling sounds and a light knock that came from outside the northwest room.

“What the hell’s moving out there?” I asked.

“Leaves blowing,” Peter replied.

“That’s not leaves,” I stated.

“No. It’s in here,” Paul added.

“That’s inside,” I said, convinced of what I had heard.

“Plastic?” Peter noted.

“Yeah, it didn’t sound like leaves to me,” Victoria said.

“It wasn’t. It was inside, right?” Paul said, moving to the doorway.

“Could be the plastic bag … crinkling,” Peter said.

[The camera’s audio captures a male voice, “Ya.”

Male: “Henry.”

Whispering.

There is a sound as if someone heavy is getting up from an old chair, with a squeak from wooden dowels.

Male voice: “Damn it.”]

The team broke for lunch and prepared to leave the house for a local restaurant.

The audio/video surveillance systems were still operating and Peter left his digital voice recorder on the kitchen counter facing the front of the house. Peter closed the back door behind him.

“We don’t have the key today so we have to have someone remain here,” I stated.

Paul volunteered to stay behind.

We took his food order and headed out. Paul remained outside for about ten minutes.

[The main floor camera records a strange light moving up the wall along the stair banister.

Peter’s digital voice recorder captures activity in the kitchen: A single hollow-sounding pop, movement culminating in a tap on the counter, then multiple pops, and ending with a sound like someone’s arm falling to rest on a countertop.]

[The surveillance camera on the upper floor captures audio activity on its microphone as well as a shadow that moves quickly from the corner of the room toward the hallway. It then crosses the room toward the bathroom in front of the camera, and as it passes the camera there is a buzzing sound, like high-energy static. There is the sound of either small Christmas bells or bells on a cat’s collar and then there is a bang next to the camera.]

Paul re-entered the house through the back door to warm up and remained in the kitchen, looking from time-to-time through the doorway into the studio.

Paul slammed the back door shut as he stepped outside again.

[Immediately in the upstairs bedroom there is heavy walking in the room, even though there is carpet, the footfalls sound like they are on hardwood]

[On Peter’s digital voice recorder, there is a definite rustle of clothing followed by taps and more movement, close to the recorder, then away from it. Something is rattled; sounds like something toppling and wooden spoons rattling together. Like someone is searching through a kitchen cupboard.]

We arrived back at the house and found Paul waiting outside in the cold. Everyone entered the house. [Peter’s digital recorder immediately captures a deep male voice yelling nothing but nonsense, sounding like “Yagobbity!”

A young woman or boy’s voice follows, saying, “He’ll go.”]

On the upstairs camera there is a bright flash toward the camera. There is no one on that floor at the time.

The team spread out in the kitchen and dug into the food.

[The camera positioned by the front door captures audio sounding like either someone having sex or possibly that of someone giving birth.]

After lunch, the team moved off into the main floor, taking up positions in the various rooms. As Paul stood in the studio he saw someone outside.

“Somebody outside?” Paul called out.

“I don’t know, why?” I asked.

“That window right there”— he indicated the southeast window — “something just passed, it looked black, going up the driveway to the back door,” Paul said.

“Pete?”

“Yeah?” Peter replied from the kitchen.

“Anybody in the back?” I asked.

Peter looked out the kitchen window. “Don’t see anything.”

“It was black, like somebody wearing a black coat …?” Paul said.

“Could’ve been somebody,” I said.

Peter went out to investigate. When he re-entered the house he reported that he hadn’t see anyone outside.

Peter started activating and placing EM Pumps around the ground floor. (These pumps create a small electromagnetic field, which provide energy for spirits to manifest.)

Victoria reported feeling pressure in the northeast room, once the EM Pumps were activated, almost to the point of feeling dizzy.

Peter started turning the EM Pumps off one-by-one. As he did, he asked out loud, “Would anybody like to talk to us?”

[Peter’s digital voice recorder gets a reply: “About what?”]

Victoria said, “I still feel pressure in my head.”

Peter asked, “Is it as intense as it was before, with the boxes on, or ...?”

“Uh ... comes and goes. Not as intense as that, because I was feeling like, almost dizzy, but I definitely feel it across my forehead,” Victoria reported.

I headed upstairs to check the surveillance system. As I knelt next to it, I saw a black orb approximately the size of a golf ball come out of thin air and spin past me before diving down into the floor and vanishing. The sight almost caused me to fall backwards and I scanned the room.

[The camera catches a black shadow dart from the small room and vanish down the stairs.]

I passed Peter heading upstairs alone with the parabolic microphone as I headed back down to the studio. Peter settled in the large northwest upstairs room.

Peter started asking questions. “Is there another male in the room with me?”

[Male voice on his digital recorder replies, “No.”]

“Is there anybody upstairs with me?”

[A female throat-clearing sound is recorded.]

Peter noticed a chill envelop him from his spine outward as he sat against the northwestern-most corner of the room. He also recognized the possibility of a draft associated with sitting against an outer wall. However, this was the first time since he had been sitting against this wall that the cold had been felt.

After visiting the second-floor landing, then the smaller bedroom, Peter descended the stairs.

[With no one on the second floor the surveillance microphone records a male saying, “Baruba, Baruba.” Its meaning unknown.

Then a male calling for “Henry.”]

The team packed up and we called it a night. It would be a few days before we discovered what we had captured in our recordings.

Conclusions:

 It became evident to me that the spirits in the cottage were divided. One camp seemed friendly and willing to help and communicate with us. The other camp seemed aggressive toward us, and it appeared that they knew they had an upper hand on us as we were not able to see and/or hear them. It was as though they were taunting us.

 The property owners had told us that the place had never been investigated prior to us coming on-site; however, it seemed like some of these spirits were old hands at dealing with paranormal investigators, like they had been through this many times before. This certainly put me on guard.