27: Unanswered Questions
2009
With the kids out of the house, Wes and I had more time to pursue our interest in ghosts. With the use of e-mail, I continued my studies with Carroll Heath. As a clairvoyant, his methods of studying the paranormal were very different from the mainstream “ghost hunters.” While these groups depended on their electronic equipment to detect the presence of ghosts, Carroll relied only on his senses.
Wes and I were interested in learning more about both methods. We read a lot of books, and continued to attend Ken and Carroll’s yearly seminars. We found that by practicing meditation as they suggested, we were more sensitive to the presence of ghosts. However, being unsure of ourselves, we also found utilizing the digital camera and voice recorder often gave our experiences the validation we desired.
We decided to purchase an EMF detector to add to our equipment. EMF stands for electromagnetic field. With this instrument, it is possible to locate and track energy sources. Many people believe the presence of a ghost will disrupt this field and cause the meter to show higher-than-normal readings.
The EMF detector we purchased was specifically designed for paranormal investigators. The difference between this one and one an electrician might use is that the meter can be set to sound an alarm and/or blink if high-energy fields are detected.
After becoming familiar with the detector, we decided to take it with us on an upcoming trip. Wes and I were going to team up with Don and Susan to conduct an informal investigation of the Basin Springs Hotel. Like the Crescent, this historical hotel is also located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and is rumored to be haunted.
We arrived at the Basin with our digital cameras, voice recorders, and EMF detector. The four of us met in the room Wes and I were staying in for the night. As we talked, we noticed a large cold spot move through the room. Wes, anxious to use the EMF detector, held it in the center of the cold spot. The meter shrieked its alarm. When he moved it away from the cold spot, it fell silent. We couldn’t find any electrical sources that might cause this, but the alarm continued to sound. Approximately thirty minutes into the investigation, the cold spot disappeared and the detector fell silent.
After investigating other areas of the hotel, Wes and I finally got into bed about one o’clock in the morning. Quickly falling asleep, I was jolted awake less than an hour later by feeling a sharp tug on my blanket. Wes was sleeping peacefully beside me. I felt a second and then a third tug on my blanket. I smelled the faint fragrance of perfume. I slipped out of bed and got the EMF detector. I put it on silent mode and laid it on the bedside table. It blinked, signifying a high reading. It stopped, and then started again. I watched the meter continue to blink for about twenty minutes with no discernable pattern. The meter stopped and the fragrance of perfume disappeared.
Our investigation of the Basin Hotel had been an exciting one. We all encountered the cold spot in the hotel room, my blanket was tugged, and we all heard unexplainable noises throughout the investigation. We all agreed that it was more than a rumor that the hotel was haunted.
I was moderately impressed with the EMF detector and I hoped it could be equally useful at home. The computer room was getting a lot of attention from at least one of our ghosts, which meant the room had our attention as well. At night, we would hear the sound of someone typing on the keyboard and drawers opening and closing. Walking into the room, we’d sometimes find the computer logged on to the Internet and occasionally we’d see blank sheets of paper shooting out of the printer. At first, I thought we must have a computer glitch, but when we started finding that the chair had moved to the opposite side of the room, I knew a ghost must have been responsible. I tried taking pictures and had spent countless hours trying to capture EVPs, all with no success.
Since the computer room served as a home office, I spent a lot of time in there during the day. Usually the only sign of paranormal activity was the feeling of being watched. At night, it was a different story. The noises would start and often continued until early morning. Since our bedroom was located right down the hall, this sometimes made sleep impossible.
Lying awake and listening to the noise coming from the computer room, I got the EMF detector. As I walked in, the room grew quiet. I could see the chair had been moved and even though the printer was off, there were several blank pieces of paper lying on the printer tray.
I turned the meter on and placed it on the desk. I sat quietly and waited. Nothing happened; the meter showed no activity and the room remained quiet. I’d learned that living with ghosts had its ups and downs. On the up side, our curiosity about their existence is continually being fed. On the down side, this feeding takes place on their schedule—not ours. With the meter still not showing any activity, it seemed as though this was going to be another failed attempt. Disappointed, I left the meter turned on and went back to bed.
I awoke about two hours later to the sound of the EMF detector sounding its alarm. I jumped up and ran into the computer room. I saw the red light flashing as the alarm continued to shriek. Looking at the meter, I saw the needle was showing its highest reading of five milligauss. As I stood staring at the meter, it dropped to a reading of zero and the alarm and flashing light stopped.
Witnessing this gave me even more confidence in the EMF detector, but in the end, it was just one more experience to go along with countless others. After living with ghosts for twenty-five years, I wanted more. I wanted to understand why the ghosts were here and I wanted to know why we had so much activity. Even though Wes and I tried to educate ourselves concerning ghosts, it seemed we still had more questions than answers.