The Rocking Chair
Object attachment can occur when a spirit wishes to hold onto an object. Whether it was an object beloved to them, or one they come across that reminds them of their mortal life, they will cling to that object and follow it where it goes, trying to hold onto that piece of humanity.
Many people, no matter where they live, have been struggling with the paranormal on their own for decades. Most are too afraid of ridicule to seek help. Thanks to the growing interest in the paranormal and shows that make ghost hunting mainstream, they’re finally speaking up. One such family turned to me for help figuring out what had been happening in their home. Were they going crazy, or were they dealing with something paranormal? With permission to tell their story, due to the sensitivity of the material, they asked to remain anonymous, so their names have been changed. I will call them the “Roberts.” Tom, Mary, and little Bernadette.
The Roberts were a very friendly family. They had been married for five years, and had a two-year-old named Bernadette and another one on the way. They had lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan all their lives. They met at college. They laughed when they found they had practically been neighbors growing up, they even went to the same high school, but never knew it. The backdrop of their engagement was a beautiful waterfall one late spring day in the Upper Peninsula, and they planned on raising their family here as well.
Mary gave birth to Bernadette at a hospital in the great northern woods, proud to have brought another Yooper into the world. They settled in to their quiet life with their little daughter in a small but cozy house. This happy little family enjoyed life for close to two years until Mary and Tom realized they were to become parents again—and the happy little family was about to get a bit bigger. Now, with a new baby on the way, they realized they were outgrowing their small home and needed to upgrade to a house with one extra room. Their current home had a tiny yard, and they also wanted more property. The only other requirement was that the new home be in the Upper Peninsula they loved so much. Tom and Mary started searching for a property before their house was even up for sale, but nothing was striking them as what they needed.
After having their home on the market for two weeks, it already had interested buyers. The push was on to find the perfect house while they were waiting to hear if the buyers were approved for financing. If they were and the deal went through, they would have no place to go without a house of their own to put a bid on. It seemed as if they were never going to find a place that met their needs, until, there it was.
The home with three bedrooms and two full baths was in a quiet part of the Upper Peninsula on about three acres of property. It was a nice little area surrounded by trees, with neighbors on either side. They liked that it was private, but not secluded. The road was a quietly traveled road, which was a nice change from the main thoroughfare they were currently living near. All night long, they could hear traffic buzzing by. Sometimes, late at night, a semi would blare its horn at an inconsiderate driver and wake up little Bernadette. A quiet road would be a good change of pace.
The house was an older structure, but seemed to be well maintained by the previous family. The cabinets were all new and made of oak, which matched the hardwood floors that had been installed the previous year. The roof had been repaired five years earlier and was still under warranty, and the electricity had been upgraded to bring it up to code. Most of the main work was already done, so the house was move-in ready.
It was perfect. It had the extra bedroom they wanted for the new baby; it even had an extra bath. It was on a quiet road, and it had the yard that was large enough to set up a playground area for Bernadette. A slide and swing, maybe a trampoline for when she got older. There was also a nice patio in back for the hot tub they always wanted, and with the reasonable price, they would be able to afford it all. They didn’t even need a second showing—this was the house they wanted, and they were ready to sign the papers.
When they moved in to their new property, they were extremely happy. They had gotten the house for nearly $10,000 under the asking price and sold their old property for just about what they had asked. In the end, they came out with a small profit, which they used to buy the playground set for their daughter, and the hot tub for themselves. They replaced the rose-colored carpeting in the living room with a nice neutral cream-colored carpet, which provided a striking contrast against the red and brown brick, wood-burning fireplace. However, Mary felt like something was amiss in the living room.
After arranging and rearranging the furniture, they realized their couch, love seat, and recliner were too big and bulky for the sophisticated space. They bought new furniture: a sleek brown couch, a chocolate-colored leather chair with matching ottoman, and a chocolate-colored leather rocking recliner. Although the new furniture fit the sophisticated feel of the room, they felt like something was still missing. That’s when Tom realized they were short one seat. Before they had a love seat, which sat two. Instead of a love seat, they opted for a chair. It seemed to Tom and Mary, there was an empty space that needed one more piece of furniture. They just didn’t know what would go with what they had.
For a while, they kept the room as it was. The new furniture didn’t take up nearly as much space, which left room for baby Bernadette to play. One day, not long after moving in, Mary’s parents came from Wisconsin for a visit bearing a special gift.
“It was a beautiful antique rosewood rocking chair. She found it at an estate sale,” Mary stated. “It was an interesting piece. The details on the back were very intricate. My parents didn’t know much about it, only that it was originally handcrafted fifty years earlier as a gift from the first owner to his wife for their anniversary. I placed it near the fireplace and was immediately in love with it. It was just so romantic looking. I could imagine myself sitting on the rocking chair with Bernadette, reading her a story, rocking the new baby to sleep. I even pictured myself placing my rose-colored crocheted afghan on my lap and snuggling next to the fire with a good book on a cold winter night. It was exactly what we had been missing. It made up for the seat we lost when we chose a chair over a love seat.”
The thrill of the new gift wore off rather quickly. Within a week of the rocker being introduced to the house, odd things started to happen. The first thing the Roberts noticed was Bernadette acting strangely. She kept talking to the rocking chair in her tiny little baby-girl voice. She was having a full conversation with the chair as if something was sitting on it. She had never shown interest in make-believe friends before. At two years, eight months old, they thought she was too young to have that kind of imagination. When asked who she was talking to, Bernadette would only point and say “the man.” They weren’t overly concerned until this became a regular occurrence, usually around the same time at night. Eventually, worried that something may have been wrong with her health or development, they went to her pediatrician.
The pediatrician was less concerned. He stated most children have imaginary friends starting at the age of three, and she was just four months shy. She was developmentally normal for her age. She was starting to count and say the ABCs, and she knew how to use certain words in ways that wasn’t merely mimicking. When she said “I” or “me,” she knew it was in reference to herself and something she wanted or did or said. She knew how to ask for what she wanted. Of course, she also babbled at times and it was hard to understand her when she began talking a million miles an hour, but that was also normal. Everything was normal, but it wasn’t. Bernadette kept talking to the rocking chair and would only say “the man” when asked. They chalked it up to an imaginary friend. As the pediatrician stated, around age three is when imaginary friends first start to emerge. But why a man? Most little girls dream up talking ponies or fairy princesses; who was “the man?”
One night, Bernadette was staying at Tom’s parents’ house. They had started taking Bernadette for overnight visits as Mary’s due date approached, in case they had to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night. She was due any day. Mary couldn’t sleep as she was having a case of acid reflux, something she frequently had during her pregnancy. She got a small glass of ginger ale and a book, and sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. She was a few chapters in when she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Did Tom just walk by? She looked around but didn’t see anyone. She listened carefully and could still hear his snores coming from the bedroom. She passed it off as nothing and continued reading.
Suddenly, Mary heard a squeaking sound. She looked around and noticed the rocking chair was rocking. She got up and walked over to it. She felt how cold it was around the chair. Maybe there was a pocket of air that came through the fireplace and caused the chair to start rocking? It would have to be a strong pocket because the room was carpeted. Rocking chairs don’t normally rock on carpeted floors from a small breath of air. She walked over to the fireplace, but even the brick was warm. There was no air coming in.
She didn’t think much of it and simply moved the rocking chair away from the fireplace. She went back to the couch and started reading again. After a few minutes, she heard was the same squeaking sound. She looked up—the rocking chair was rocking again! She moved the chair again and went back to sit down and watched it. It was completely still. After a few minutes it started rocking again. Now she was getting scared. Rocking chairs just don’t rock like that on carpet unless someone is sitting in it, rocking. Frightened, all she could do was say “Stop it,” and the rocking ceased. She ran into the bedroom crying to her husband.
Ever since, the chair rocked on its own no matter where it was, and Bernadette always talked to the chair in the evening as if there was someone in the chair. They didn’t know what to do. It was one thing for the daughter to have an imaginary friend, but what about Mary? Tom was seeing the chair move on its own as well. Like Mary, he moved the chair from place to place, but it always seemed to start rocking.
A few days after Mary first noticed the chair rocking by itself, they welcomed baby Daniel into their family. Things seemed quiet for a while. Then, one night, Daniel got up crying. It wasn’t unusual. It was around the time of night he needed a change or feeding. Since he had already been fed, it must have been potty time. So Mary woke Tom up to take his turn getting the baby back to sleep. As Tom wiped the sleep from his eyes, the baby stopped crying. Did he go back to sleep? Tom got up and went to check in on the baby just in case.
Tom quietly peeked into the nursery. He saw the mobile above the crib swaying back and forth. It was unusual. The mobile spun around and played music when it was on—but the mobile wasn’t on. It looked as if someone was tugging on it to make it move. The baby was calm and just cooed in the crib with big, wide eyes staring up at the mobile. Tom picked the baby up and felt the diaper. It was wet. As he changed Daniel, he wondered what would have made Daniel stop crying. Normally when Daniel had a wet diaper, he would cry before and during the changing, and calm down once he was dry and being cuddled. He also couldn’t explain why the mobile was moving. It felt like someone was in the room. That is when they felt it was time to do something. That is how I came to meet the family.
One of their friends was into paranormal investigations. I had met her and her husband at the Paulding Lights when my mother and I first went to investigate the phenomenon. We had stayed in touch via email, when they wrote to me and asked if I would like to tag along to see the house. I agreed and met them at the residence one late afternoon. The Roberts told me the whole story before heading out to Tom’s parents’ house to sleep for the evening, leaving the house empty for the investigation. The husband and wife team and I quickly began setting up the equipment. I had my K-II and audio recorders. They introduced me to the Mel meter; the first time I had encountered the equipment. Shortly after, I purchased one for myself. A Mel meter is an interesting paranormal investigative tool; it is one of the few pieces of equipment created by an investigator specifically for the purpose of paranormal research. It reads electromagnetic fields as well as fluctuations in temperature. It alerts you when there is a major change in either.
Much like we believe a spirit can manipulate EMF to communicate, it is also believed when a spirit is nearby, it draws in energy to move objects, to speak whether audibly or to be heard via recording, and to move about. This can cause sensations of wandering cold spots. A Mel meter can detect a sudden drop in temperature that could indicate a spirit is trying to manifest.
Once we were set up for the night, we divided up. I stayed in the living room with my recorders and the rocking chair. The couple covered the nursery and the little girl’s room. No activity was found in Bernadette’s room, but we felt it was a good idea to do an investigation since Bernadette seemed to frequently speak to “the man.”
I started my own investigation by waiting and not speaking. I just looked at the rocking chair and waited for it to rock on its own. I walked around and touched the walls, the fireplace, and the walls inside the fireplace. I walked by the windows. I couldn’t feel any drafts or pockets of air anywhere. The walls felt normal for the temperature inside the house. The chair did nothing.
I looked for the vents where the heat and central air would come through. I found the thermometer and turned it up a bit to get the air to kick on, after making sure the other two knew what I was about to do. I heard the air whirring, I felt the registers and air was coming through strong and cold, still the chair did not move. I turned the air off and investigated the chair itself. I pulled it back, and let go. It rocked once and then stopped. The soft carpeting prevented the chair from getting enough momentum to rock back and forth as it would on a hard surface. I could not explain what the owners had experienced based on what they described. I could not get it to reenact using natural means. I also could not experience what they described since the chair would not move for me.
I decided to do an EVP session. I asked a number of questions. “Is there anyone here?” “Who is rocking the chair?” “Are you the one talking to the little girl?” “Do you realize you’re scaring the parents of the little girl you’re talking to?” “Why are you here in this house?” “Was this your house at one time?” Do you need help—is that why you’re reaching out to the family?”
I waited after each question to give time for a response. The K-II meter didn’t light up during the session at all. The chair hadn’t moved either. After a period of silence, I asked if the spirit could move the chair for me. The K-II lit up, but nothing happened. I once again asked if the spirit could move the rocking chair even a little. The K-II lit up again, however, the chair still did not move. “Are you afraid to move the chair for me?” I asked. The K-II lit up and stayed lit for a second. “You don’t need to be afraid,” I stated. “We’re not here because anyone is upset. We just want to know you’re here and find out why.” Still nothing happened.
I started another EVP session turning off my K-II. My thought was, perhaps the energy the spirit is using to light up the K-II caused him to not have enough energy to move the chair. Whenever a spirit interacts with us, whether it is moving something, touching, speaking, it takes energy. Removing the K-II gives the spirit the opportunity to focus the energy elsewhere.
“I hear you like to talk to the little girl. What do you talk about?” I paused to allow for a response. “The little girl doesn’t seem to be afraid of you like her parents are.” As I spoke, I noticed the chair twitch. It wasn’t a rock, but it did move. I continued to talk about Bernadette. “Bernadette has a nice play set outside. Do you go out to play with her? What is your favorite game to play with the little girl?” The chair moved again. This time it was a bigger swing.
I called the other investigators into the living room. They used their Mel meter, which showed a change of temperature. Around me, the room was a warm 70.2 degrees. On the chair, it was shy of 7 degrees cooler. We all backed away from the rocking chair and gave whatever may have been in the room with us extra space. “Was this your chair?” I asked. I thought back to what Mary Roberts had stated. The activity didn’t start until her parents gave her the rocking chair. It is a shared belief in the paranormal field that spirits can attach themselves to items as much as to a place, even going so far as to travel with the item. Perhaps there was a spirit attached to the chair. The rocking chair rocked again. This time we all witnessed it. It was ever so slight of a move, but it was a move.
“Why are you hanging on to the chair?” I asked. After a while longer, the chair stopped moving again, and the Mel meter showed that the temperature near the chair was starting to even out with the rest of the room. It was after two a.m. and it was time to wrap up. We locked up the house as the Roberts requested, and the family friends took the spare keys home with them. Since we promised to share the findings as soon as possible, I got straight to work on uploading the audio and listening to what I may have collected.
The first few questions went unanswered. There was nothing happening until I started talking about little Bernadette. I asked what he talked about with the little girl. There was a male voice that very clearly stated “Stories.” When I mentioned that it seemed the little girl wasn’t afraid of him, there was a quiet, but audible sounding chuckle. When asked about if he plays with the little girl outside, I got two EVPs: “Swings too high” and “Not safe.” When asked about the chair, there was an EVP that was audible, but not as clear as the first EVPs. It sounded as if a man was saying, “My wife’s.” They were only a few small potential EVPs, but it gave me some insight about what was happening, and perhaps why.
I learned a few things that I was able to bring to the family. The chair may have belonged to the spirit’s wife. Mary did tell me that her parents said the chair was handmade as an anniversary gift. Perhaps this was the man who made the chair, and when his wife passed, he clung to it as a way to be close to her. Since I did not know who owned the chair previously, it was just a guess. If it belonged to his wife, the chair must have been important to her, and she must have been important to him. This wasn’t a spirit who was there to scare them or hurt them. Perhaps he was attached to the chair, followed the chair to their house, saw Mary was pregnant, and thought he was being helpful by looking out for Bernadette and the baby.
I let them listen to the audio. They were shaken up when I told them I had experiences and heard some electronic voice phenomenon, but once they heard the EVPs for themselves, they seemed to relax. They understood what I meant when I said that it didn’t seem the spirit meant harm. I asked about what they thought of the EVP that Bernadette swings too high.
“Tom sometimes puts Bernadette in his lap on the swing and swings with her. I always tell him he’s going too high and if he falls off or if the swing breaks (since it’s meant for kids not a big man), she’s going to get hurt.”
“It’s obvious your guest thinks so too.” I played the audio for her. “He thinks it’s unsafe. It seems he worries about Bernadette. The experience your husband had in the baby’s nursery may have been the spirit trying to calm the baby until daddy got there.” When asked what they should do, I thought for a second. “It’s going to be up to you. If you are still bothered by the haunting, talk to the spirit. He obviously was once a person like you and me. Try reasoning with him and tell him that it is scaring you. If you are having issues, feel free to call me again and I can further direct you to other options.”
I did receive a call several weeks later from the Roberts. They wanted to give me an update. Tom told me:
“We did as you said. We spoke to the spirit and told him we were afraid when we saw what was happening and didn’t know why. Now that we know he wanted to look after us, we wanted to thank him, and tell him that we appreciated his kindness. But we stated that if his wife, who owned the rocking chair, passed away, she was probably lonely waiting for him to cross over and be with her again. The kids would miss him, but it was okay to go if he wanted to be with his wife. After a few days, nothing seemed to happen. Bernadette didn’t talk to the chair, the chair didn’t rock, and when Daniel started crying to be changed or fed in the middle of the night, he cried until he was clean and had a full belly. It’s now been two weeks since anything has happened at all. I think the spirit may have left. I just wanted to say thanks for taking us seriously.”
I spoke to the friends of the Roberts family by email and they stated they had been back to the house to do an investigation; they had no reason to believe there was any spirit lingering in the house. It has been quiet ever since. Perhaps that was what the spirit needed—a chance to do something good for someone else, to feel useful, and then be told it was okay to join his beloved wife and be happy. It was also nice that they made the transition easier by thanking him for wanting to help the family while he was there with them. The story started out like a scary ghost story, and ended with a touching, “And they lived happily ever after,” paranormal style.