Supernatural goings on or a load of mumbo jumbo?

[hibadelic]

Someone told me they've been doing that Most Haunted show from Niddry Street, Blair St and Mary King's Close. Never watched it as I find that Derek Pakora dude a bit off-putting. I'm pretty sceptical about ghosts/possession anyway although I know of two people who swear blind they have been possessed and tell pretty convincing stories about it.

Since it's Halloween, has anyone got any good ghost stories? Or is it just a load of cobblers?

[supastar]

I was stayin over in this hotel in North Berwick 10 years ago. It was an old creepy place owned by a couple (friends of the family).

We were staying there over the weekend and they told us a bit about the history of the house, it used to be a royal hunting lodge in the olden days then it got sold in the 70s or 80s to a company who made it into a old folks home.

The couple bought it in 1994 and we were helping them with the redecorating. Before we arrived they hired a security guard who stayed there over night for two weeks to look after the place. And the security guard kept telling us that the alarm buzzers (instaled in the bedrooms for the residents of the old folks home) kept buzzing at night and he heard dors slamming at early hours of the morning.

Nothing happened on the first night we stayed there but on the second night my cousin swears he heard a knock on his door in the middle of the night.



I didn't know whether to believe him or not.

[Ewan]

Derek Pakora got too big for Most Haunted, and is doing his own thing. Heard a bit of this this morning when my mum was watching it (sky+ed). One guy ended up with cuts on his back after being down in Nicol Edwards cellar/close (wasn't paying overly too much attention so it may have been somewhere completely different). Apparently it was used as a burial chamber, and there was a stone circle for summoning poltergiests (yes, i pished myself laughing at that - though they were talking about the Heart of Mid-Lothian on the High Street).

One ghostly story that i heard was from my Gran's cousin, who grew up down in Peebles. One day she came home from school to see her mother and her upstairs neighbour sitting in the kitchen as was aparently the norm. She said hello to both of them only for her mother to turn around and tell her that the neighbour from upstairs (Mrs Morton i think) had died the night before. Right enough the chair where she'd seen her sitting was empty.

Another one was a mate of mine had been to see a Medium with her Mum, Gran, and Brother. When they were kids they stayed in a 4-in-a-block, and were always hearing noises from the neighbours. To settle her little brother, her folks used to tell him that it was a friendly ghost named George, who was watching over them. Anyhow, when visiting this Medium years later, they were told that she (the medium) was getting a message from a man, named George, who wasn't a relative, but who was looking for them, as he wanted to make sure they were okay. The reason he was looking for them was because they'd moved. That was quite a freaky story.

[egb_hibs]

there's a whole football club that can be witnessed every fortnight at gorgie, even though they're dead.

[Bridie]

When I was a wee bairn I remember lying in bed and feeling someone snuggled up against me. Quite a nice comfoting experience rather than a scarey one.

Told my mum and dad the next day and they moved me out of the room quicker than you could say John Collins.

Turns out that the snuggly thing happened on the anniversary of my granny's death who died in the very bed I was sleeping in.

Funnily enough, even though I never met that granny as she died before I was born, everyone says we are very alike in mannerisms and interests and the resemblance between us in photos is startling.

[snoots]

Never seen anything myself and am pretty sceptical but here's a couple of stories which made me think.

When I was an apprentice I used to meet up with some pals after work in the old Fiddlers bar in the Lawnmarket for pint and a game of pool. A mate and his boss where pretty much regulars and this guys boss was a right mouthy type always moaning and doing crappy wind-ups, an auld c*nt in other words.

Anyway arrived in the bar and the auld guy was sitting on his own, not saying anything - head in his hands and not looking too well. I asked my mate what was up with him and he said "he saw a ghost". The story goes they were working on a freezer which was kept up in a loft and the auld guy came dashing down the stairs screaming his head off. He claimed he was working away and suddenly he "sensed" someone looking at him, he turned round to see and man sitting on an arm-chair which was in the far end of the space, the man was crying and held his hand out then promptly disappeared, which led the moany auld guy running off the job and down to the Fiddlers Arms. My mate went up into the roof space and didn't anyone or anything. Dunno what to beileve but this guy was a cynical f*cker and something had was definately upset.

Also worked up at the High Court loads of times and the cleaners take the "ghosts" there for granted. One time one of the old dears showed me a press clipping featuring her and her work-mate. They had seen a woman dressed 18c style, long skirts big bonnet, coming through a wall time and time again - so many times in fact most people up there got used to the story. After a while some re-fitting was going on and work was required on the wall so the guy in charge of the building and who knew the cleaner's story asked for some plaster to be cleared from the wall. Once off it revealed a bricked up archway which led from the corridor into one the main halls there. They renovated the archway and it's in use today, which was the story in the clipping.

[supastar]

http://www.fugly.com/videos/6411/gho..._on_video.html

Check this out.

[FarAwayHibee]

I thought I was a complete sceptic. No way I can explain this, but here goes..
Uni fieldwork, good few years ago. First night staying in an old manse with 5 girls, one poor guy. I was sharing a room with two other girls. One of my roommates fell fast asleep and myself and my other friend were chatting and dozing when we heard multiple men chatting, the front door opening and shutting, steps in the hallway and things being moved. We both heard it and together explored the empty halls, kitchen etc.
Anyway, no-one else reported hearing anything the next morning, but we were 100% sure.
A few days we were on 'shore leave' (this manse was on an island off mull with only 15 inhabitants) and I was flicking through a book in a tourist shop in Tobermory. It was about the Brahan Seer and other such things, and I saw a paragraph which said something along the lines of, 'on the first night in a new home, residents in the highlands often hear the previous residents moving out'
I can't explain it rationally (it was a science-based field trip FFS), but this is what my friend and I heard.
There were no other houses around, only the hardly-ever used church.

[Davy]

My auntie was staying at my grannys house in Balgreen and got up one morning looking really white, says she saw a black figure of a woman at the bottom of her bed. Mt mum then told her that she had saw the same figure on other occassions (as it had been her bed) but had never said anything before.

My granny also worked in a large house in the days of servants, she was a housekeeper. Anyway the staff hated going near one staircase at a certain end of the building and always felt cold there. One maid screamed like mad one day in that wing but my granny never did find out what she saw.

my wife is also convinced that my son saw a ghost on more than one occassion in my old house in Airdrie. He told her there was someonebehind the wardrobe.

Dunno what I think but so many reports makes you think not everyone can be wrong.

[Daddy'O'Hibee]

I'm a sceptic, but here goes. Usual routine, home from 12hr night shift, into shower, into bed, wriggle and squiggle till last annoying noisy shoite leaves the house. Dozed off, then i hear " tap tap Johnnnn" tap tap Johnnnn" looked at the clock, feck it's fookin only 10am, "Johnnnnn" again. Get out of bed to chuck Mrs Dragon' o ' Hibee oot the windae, but no ones at home. Bassas playing tricks on me, searched the hoose upside down, still nae one. Tired and totally dumbfounded i heads back to my bear pit and crash out. Later on i told the Fiery one what happened, she said i was a "piss head and dreamt it" Fair comment, up untill i told the neighbour from downstair, The previous owner was auld John, he died in the bath with the bathroom door locked, his wife was heard tapping at the door shouting "Johnnn Johnnn" even when the neighbour come upstairs to help that's what was said. Emergency services were called and well, RIP auld John, his wife died soon after, the auld house was spooked ? Bath no longer exists, shower in it's place and the voices are gone. I was awake when i heard it. You judge, dreammin pisshead, or real spooky experiance. I know the answer.

[hibadelic]

I'm not sure whether this is an argument for or against the existence of ghosts/whatever but I notice that a lot of ghost stories and ghostly experiences seem to happen when people are waking/trying to sleep/tired.

[Ewan]

Originally Posted by hibadelic

I'm not sure whether this is an argument for or against the existence of ghosts/whatever but I notice that a lot of ghost stories and ghostly experiences seem to happen when people are waking/trying to sleep/tired.

But that may also stem from the perception that ghostly things are expected to happen at night

[CadgeMac]

Before I was born my family lived in Sighthill. They had bought the house after an old man had died. My mum say's that my sister (who was about 2/3) used to see an old man in the house.

[Ewan]

Originally Posted by CadgeMac

Before I was born my family lived in Sighthill. They had bought the house after an old man had died. My mum say's that my sister (who was about 2/3) used to see an old man in the house.

Sighthill seems to be a hotbed for ghostlyness. Or at least that's three i've heard of now. The plot thickens....

[Lix]

Originally Posted by hibadelic

I'm not sure whether this is an argument for or against the existence of ghosts/whatever but I notice that a lot of ghost stories and ghostly experiences seem to happen when people are waking/trying to sleep/tired.

aye ... think you mean hypnogognic hallucinations (I think that's the right spelling) ...

apparently about an hour after you fall asleep you can get these and they can be extremely vivid ... often feeling like you can't breath, someone pressing on you etc ... stories of Alien abductions are often explained in this way ...

I've had them, but it was in the form of night terrors where I was convinced my bed was covered in spiders (so vivid I was terrified and actually would shoot out of bed screaming until I woke myself up)... it was a stress thing and I don't get them now.

I personally think a lot can be explained that way, but there are a lot of stories that tally that make me think there is possibly something in ghost stories ....

it does seem to be that when something particularly emotional has gone on it's like a video tape is left of the person it happens to ....

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by hibadelic

I'm not sure whether this is an argument for or against the existence of ghosts/whatever but I notice that a lot of ghost stories and ghostly experiences seem to happen when people are waking/trying to sleep/tired.

Was woke up by a ghost in a hotel when i was 20. They exist. Trust me..

[Ewan]

Originally Posted by Smurf

Trust me..

I think i'll take my chances

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by Smurf

Was woke up by a ghost in a hotel when i was 20. They exist. Trust me..

Given that you also believe in Tony Blair, you'll forgive me if I view this with caution

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

Given that you also believe in Tony Blair, you'll forgive me if I view this with caution

I don't believe in TB. He's simply been the only real option for someone with a progressive outlook.

I don't think anyone was more suspicous of ghosts than me until i had the pleasure..