Child's Play



The boys using an EMF detector to look for ghosts


On Saturday night, the folks from Grimstone Inc. made their second visit to our haunted abode.  This time, they brought different equipment and a slightly different investigation team.  This time, we did something we’ve never, ever done before…..we let our kids stay home during the investigation.  (Not all four of them, though- the two youngest are afraid of their own shadows, so it’s definitely not something they could have handled.)

The boys were quiet, watching with wide eyes as the investigators brought in case after case of equipment.  We updated them on everything that’s happened in the house since the last investigation, including the fact that it’s been well over a month since anyone has slept upstairs.  They talked to the boys a bit about that, and then decided to begin the investigation upstairs.  As they got out different pieces of equipment, they took their time explaining to the kids how each one worked.  They even gave them an EMF detector to carry with them, and told them what to look for and when to call for help.

Austin checking readings on the EMF detector

Ethan thinks he found somethin'!

An investigator from Grimstone showing Ethan how the EMF detector works

 

The investigators: Kara, Barbara, Josh, and Shannon, performed an EVP session in E-Man’s bedroom while we stayed downstairs in the living room.  Then they got out a device called a Frank’s Box (also known as a spirit box, or ghost box.)  That’s when the real fun began.  The Frank’s Box is essentially a modified radio that scans through radio stations very quickly, creating a steady stream of white noise.  The thought is that spirits can speak through that white noise.  The thing that’s different about the Frank’s Box from other equipment is that the results are instant.  Whereas most evidence has to be reviewed, a Frank’s Box produces instant results- you can hear the activity as it occurs.

Needless to say, the boys were fascinated by this.  They stood at the bottom of the stairs listening intently as the investigators asked questions.  At one point, one of the investigators asked, “Can you tell us your name?”  The response was loud and clear: “Bobby.”  I thought the boys would be afraid, but they weren’t.  A little freaked out, maybe, but not afraid.  They got the green light from the investigator manning surveillance to go upstairs and join the party, so we all headed up to E’s bedroom to witness the investigation close up.  One of the questions asked by investigators was “Whose room is this?”  The voice that came through the Frank’s Box said, “Ethan.”  (Ding, ding, ding!)  Someone asked “it” to name someone in the room.  Over the next few minutes, we heard “Kara,” “Shannon” and “Barb” all spoken separately.  (Correct again!)  It was really, really freaky.  We then headed downstairs to the master bedroom for an EVP session and a Frank’s Box session.  The boys asked some questions, made some jokes, and got some responses through the box to yes and no questions.

Ethan helping to run surveillance

 

And that was about all the ghost hunting the boys could handle.  It was nearly midnight, after all.  We returned to our campout in the living room, and the investigators returned to their investigating.  The boys quickly fell asleep.  The Hubs played on his phone (Candy Crush, I’m sure.)  I spent a little time listening to the live broadcast of the 97.5 Paranormal Investigation, which was coincidentally on the same night, and then talked with Shannon, the investigator running the last surveillance shift, until the lights came back on.

Some things I overheard/found out over the course of the evening, but have not been shared as “official” investigation findings at this time:  One of the new investigators got an overwhelming sense that something tragic had happened in the house immediately upon entering.  She was very uncomfortable upstairs, and felt like she shouldn’t be there.  Another of the investigators, while in one of the upstairs bedrooms, could feel someone watching him from  the hallway.

 

During a Frank’s Box session in the downstairs bathroom, investigators heard the word, “dead.”  When they asked, “Who’s dead?,” the voice responded, “Me.”  At one point, I was in the kitchen getting a drink when I heard a commotion downstairs, where the investigators had convened.  All night, they’d been asking “it” to turn a flashlight on and off, and from the sounds of it, they achieved success in the basement.

The investigators left around 1:30 or so in the morning.  The Hubs and I went to bed.  At 2:20, we were awoken by a loud crash outside our door, where a picture had somehow fallen off the wall.  I wasn’t afraid or upset, I’m becoming an old hat at these paranormal investigations.  But I was restless and couldn’t sleep at all.  I was nauseous, and came down with a serious migraine that lasted well into Sunday.  Not sure if it was related to the investigation, or just a coincidence.

When the boys woke up the morning after the investigation, they were bummed that they’d fallen asleep before it was over.  They didn’t seem scared or traumatized or any worse for the wear.  But  my 10-year-old did inform me that he’s never, ever, ever sleeping upstairs again.  Sooo….there’s that.



Ghost hunting is exhauting!