"Haunted" or "Is that you Casper?"

 I grew up between my hometown of Gadsden which at the time was a small city in Northeast Alabama and my grandparents home in Altoona. Altoona is a small rural town in Northeast Alabama. As the name implies and as far as I was able to learn. Altoona being a coal mining town has some connection to the Altoona, Pennsylvania town. But I only saw a snippet about the founding so I honestly can't verify town origins.

Anyway, I moved in with my maternal grandparents in Altoona my 10th grade year of high school. I had been back and forth out there most of my young life. I loved ghost stories. One of my earliest memories is my grandmother talking about seeing a "haint" in her childhood. Haint isn't a misprint it's Appalachian for ghost. 

I was terrified and fascinated as her story unfolded. My grandmother was Irish decent as far as I know and had some stories that I wish I had of listened to more. My grandfather was Cherokee on his father's side and Dutch on his mother's. He absolutely couldn't stand to hear an owl at night. Or as he called it a "hoot owl." 

My paternal grandparents lived in Walnut Grove which is a very small town connected to Altoona. They lived in my very early youth in a civil war era home. I had some odd times there on occasion. 

But, back to Altoona. My grandparents house was haunted. It was old and was on a hill (Lawd, now y'all see why I love Stephen King) in the midst of the town. I always felt watched in that house. I wasn't comfortable in it. 

One of my early memories of that house is around my early childhood. I'm outside playing and the adults are hammering and fixing up the porch. A radio is playing and an announcer comes on talking about the Robert Kennedy assassination. 

Now that's not the house's fault. (i don't think) But it adds to the memories of my time there. Of course some people might say my frame of mind and beer and a little toke of wacky terbacky had an affect on my mindset.

But, not as a little kid it didn't. I often dream of that house. It's torn down now and it's been over 40 years since I was last in it. But, over the years whenever I'm troubled or thinking about situations I dream of that house. 

It's bigger in my dreams and really symbolic. Recently I'm able to walk out of it in the dream. Back in my younger years I couldn't get out at all in my dreams.

There is one event that was no dream. I'll never forget it. I was young and in bed in "that house" as I called it. I was really troubled and a little scared. Something in the room was threatening. I prayed a little prayer and a presence came into the room. A very loving light filled presence. An angel. That's how I thought of the presence. All of a sudden I was at peace.

I didn't even roll over to look because I absolutely knew I was being watched over. I fell asleep.

I'm not trying to prove the house was haunted. I'm not trying to prove the Walnut Grove house was haunted either. I understand a little about theories of the collective unconsciousness and the way we process and project. 

I also know that what we experience in our consciousness is all we really know. Everything else is a temporary part of the journey.

The following from the great haunted house novel by Shirley Jackson has always resonated with me. Even though "that house" in my youth was smaller. Except in my dreams. 

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some to dream. Hill House, not sane stands by itself against it's hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for 80 more. 

Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the stone and wood of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone....Shirley Jackson

So remember kiddies. It's mostly in your mind. But then again. What isn't? 

Pleasant dreams.