PARANORMAL PUB: Grannie in the Grave

An Urban Legend retold by

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

My great-great grandmother, ill for quite some time, finally passed away after lying in a coma for several days. My great-great grandfather was devastated beyond belief, as she was his one true love and they had been married over 50 years. They were married so long it seemed as if they knew each other's innermost thoughts.

After the doctor pronounced her dead, my great-great grandfather insisted that she was not. They had to literally pry him away from his wife's body so they could ready her for burial.

Now, back in those days they had backyard burial plots and did not drain the body of its fluids. They simply prepared a proper coffin and committed the body (in its coffin) to its permanent resting place. Throughout this process, my great-great grandfather protested so fiercely that he had to be sedated and put to bed. His wife was buried and that was that.

That night he woke to a horrific vision of his wife hysterically trying to scratch her way out of the coffin. He phoned the doctor immediately and begged to have his wife's body exhumed. The doctor refused, but my great-great grandfather had this nightmare every night for a week, each time frantically begging to have his wife removed from the grave.

Finally the doctor gave in and, together with local authorities, exhumed the body. The coffin was pried open and to everyone's horror and amazement, my great-great grandmother's nails were bent back and there were obvious scratches on the inside of the coffin.

PARANORMAL PUB: Heartbeat Bridge

There's nothing like a good old summer spooky story being told around the campfire, during an evening bonfire at the beach, or even on the porch after dark. This story is said to have taken place near Heartbeat Bridge, located in Ellicot City, MD. This tale is told by people living in the area to explain why, to this day, a heartbeat can be felt through the pavement by people standing on the bridge. 

 -Marion Pellicano Ambrose

Something was going on. Jason felt it in his bones. Polly was too happy, too cheerful. No woman could be that upbeat and still be faithful to her husband. Jason sat down to a delicious, warm meal every night, and Polly sang to herself as she washed up. What kind of woman could be cheerful doing dishes? Try as he might, Jason never heard anything that hinted of a secret romance. It drove him crazy. Life was not this perfect.

Maybe Polly was seeing the milkman, or the grocer. Jason started getting up early in order to see who it was that delivered the milk. Much to his disappointment, the fellow looked as if he’d been born several centuries ago. Then Jason started doing the food shopping, and checked out every single male employee in the local grocery store. They were either antediluvian relicts—like the milkman—or still in diapers.

Later that month Jason was over at his father-in-law’s house working in the garage when he over heard his father-in-law call to Hank…Polly’s high-school boyfriend. Now he knew! He knew why Polly was so happy all the time. Her parents must have told her that Hank was coming home, and she was planning on running off with him.

Enraged with jealousy, Jason was waiting in the kitchen when Polly got back from church. He was beyond reason. He snatched up a newly sharpened steak knife, howling: “You’ve cut out my heart, now I’ll cut out yours!” Jason leapt around the table and ripped Polly’s still-beating heart out of her chest. Blood streaming everywhere, he sailed out the back door into the dark night and flung her heart, still thumping, over the side of the bridge that spanned the creek next to their home

Jason cleaned up the blood-stained house with extreme care and buried Polly’s body deep in the woods outside of town. Then he wrote several letters, carefully mimicking Polly’s handwriting, and mailed them to himself and her parents. Within a few days, everyone in town believed that Polly had been secretly seeing a man from the next town and that they had run away together.

Late one evening, he went out to the bridge to gloat in triumph over his unfaithful wife. Polly had gotten what she deserved, he thought. As he stood staring down at the water, he became aware of a vibration under his feet. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It floated softly through the air, a simple rhythmic thudding. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Jason’s hands began to tingle as he recognized the soft thudding sound. It was the same beat he had felt when he held Polly’s bleeding heart in his hands. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.

The heartbeat rang in his ears, thundering so loud that he was afraid it would wake the neighbors. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Jason clapped his hands over his ears and ran back to the house. But he could not escape the terrible sound: Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. Even the floorboards seemed to vibrate to the slow, steady rhythm. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum. It sounded like a heart-beat. Polly’s heartbeat. Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.

Jason screamed in terror and flung himself out of the house, running toward the bridge as the heartbeat grew louder and louder in his ears. Jason leaned over the railing.

“Curse you, Polly!” he shouted.

Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.

With a wild shriek, Jason flung himself headfirst off the bridge like a diver, and was smashed to death on the rocks below.

Underfoot on the bridge, the pavement still vibrates to the beat of a dead heart. For now and always.

Da-dum. Da-dum. Da-dum.

 

Excerpted from Spooky Maryland by S.E. Schlosser

PARANORMAL PUB: The Fifty Cent Piece

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

This is a tale that has been passed down from generation to generation by the people in the little Upstate New York town where my husband grew up. Folks there swear it is not an urban legend but a true account of one couple’s encounter.

A young man and his wife were traveling in their carriage from a trip to New England back to their home in Albany when a storm came up suddenly and they needed to seek shelter. There was no inn nearby but they saw a light glowing in the distance and followed it to a picturesque little cottage at the top of a hill. It was barely dusk, but because of the storm it seemed like midnight. As they approached, an old man met them at the door with a lantern. “Come in, come in” he called, ”You must be drenched to the skin.” They entered to find a cozy room with a blazing fire. The old man’s wife invited them to sit and have tea and freshly baked cake. “You must spend the night my dears” she said kindly ”You’ll never find your way in this storm.” They gratefully accepted the offer and the woman showed them to a lovely room with a hand stitched quilt on a big brass bed. “I’d like to pay you for your trouble.” The young man told the old man’s wife.” “What? Why we wouldn’t hear of it!” she fussed “It’s been our pleasure to have such fine company. Now you both sleep well.”

In the morning, the young couple rose early and prepared to leave quietly so as not to disturb their hosts. Even though the old woman had refused payment, they decided to thank their hosts by leaving a shiny new fifty cent piece on the table. They climbed into their carriage and headed towards home.

When they reached the town, they stopped to break their fast at a local restaurant. The owner himself waited on them and when they told them where they had spent the night he grew pale. “Where did you say that house was?” he asked. The young man explained that it was the lovely cottage at the top of the hill. “That couldn’t be.” said the owner, ”That cottage burned down three years ago killing the old couple who lived there.” After arguing back and forth, the young man suggested the owner ride back with him to see the house and meet the old couple. The three climbed into the carriage and headed back to the cottage at the top of the hill.

When they arrived, all they found was the burned out shell of a cottage. The road was overgrown with weeds. They approached the scorched rubble and the young man shook his head. “ I must have made a wrong turn somewhere. This couldn’t be the same house.” Just then, his wife let out a scream and pointed to the center of the wreckage. There on the black, charred table was a shiny new half dollar piece.

PARANORMAL PUB : The Silk Dress

Excerpted from Spooky New York

Retold by Marion Pellicano Ambrose

Liza worked in a box factory, and her salary was not large. She made just enough to cover the cost of food, shelter, and the clothes on her back. So when she received an invitation to a fancy-dress party from an old friend, she did not know what she should do. Here was her chance at last to shine a little, to experience how the other half lived, but she had no money to buy a dress, or even the material to make one.

She mentioned her dilemma to a woman at the box factory. “Why not rent a costume?” the woman suggested. “It shouldn’t cost much for just one evening. Try your local pawnshop.”

And so she made her way to a pawnshop near her home after work. At the rear of the store, she found a beautiful satin gown, complete with matching accessories. The owner of the shop was willing to rent the gown to her for a reasonable fee. After paying the fee she took the beautiful gown home with her on the night of the party.

She dressed carefully for the occasion and peered at her reflection in the tiny mirror in her bathroom. She looked radiant, her blue eyes glowing with the excitement of an evening out. As she turned away from the mirror, she thought she heard a whisper: “Give me back my dress.” She froze in the doorway, looking around uncertainly for the speaker, but saw no one. She shrugged, went downstairs, and splurged on the cab fare into Manhattan.

When she arrived, she was quickly inundated with dance partners. She felt like Cinderella at the ball, and the first hour of the party quickly slipped away.

She slowly became aware of growing nausea when she paused between dances. She felt light-headed, and the room was spinning for a moment. Once again Liza heard a ghostly whisper in her ear: “Give me back my dress.”

PARANORMAL PUB: THE TERMINAL BREWERY

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

On a dark Chattanooga night, the glow of the lights and the sound of music beckons you. As you approach the old brick building, the aroma of sizzling steaks, crusty calzones and the enticing bouquet of micro brewed beer fills the air.  You’ve come to The Terminal Brewhouse for a fantastic meal and a fun evening, but you may find much more. You might find spirits of a different kind!

The building was built in 1909 as a hotel to serve the Terminal Station across the street, during the golden age of rail travel. Many important people rode the “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and stayed at the hotel. After travel by automobile became popular, the train station closed and the hotel failed.  It was used at one time or another as a speak easy, illegal gambling establishment, and even a bordello. Some say even more “unspeakable” activities went on behind closed doors. . Sometime in the 1940’s an enterprising luggage handler at the station named Chester Davis, had saved his tips and eventually purchased the building.

Eventually, the building fell into disrepair. Its metal stairways and cold brick walls were covered in dust and shadows. No one wanted to enter the building because of the eerie sounds and shadows within. Finally in 2006, a local raconteur began restoring the property. Two friends became interested in the Historic building and the three of them entered the building together. The walls and the rafters seemed to cry out to the men. They felt the presence of those spirits who had lived and died there, and wanted the building to come to life once more. As a result, the men decided to create a Brewhouse and restaurant. The eerie sounds continue, especially at night when the brewer is alone and brewing the many fine ales and beers served at The Terminal.  I spoke to one waitress who believes that the building is definitely haunted and reports that the wait staff have seen or heard mysterious things, but they all feel that the spirits are content and friendly. Visitors to the Brewery sometime sense the “residents”, but it doesn’t take away from the pleasure of a fabulous meal, great music and some of the best beer you’ll ever taste.

If you’re ever in Chattanooga, stop by The Terminal Brewery at No.6 East 14^th Street, right across from the Chattanooga Choo Choo. Who knows who you might meet!

CHILLIN' IN CHATTANOOGA.

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

Well, here I am in Chattanooga, Tennessee! My husband is driving his 1961 MG midget in the Coker Challenge this week so I get to come along and see the sights! We arrived Tuesday afternoon and had to go directly to Hooters for dinner. My husband helps one of our local Hooter’s girls to collect Hooters shirts from all over. She gives him a Melbourne one and he trades it where ever he goes. We went back to the hotel and got a good night’s sleep. Wednesday we rode on the Incline Railway. We’re talking STRAIGHT up the side of Lookout Mountain!

 What a view! We got to visit the National Park which showed all about the Battle Above the Clouds of the Civil War. We also got to see amazing views of the Tennessee River. From there we went to have lunch aboard the Southern Belle as we toured the Tennessee River. It was beautiful and we had the good fortune of meeting an older gentleman who knew all about the area and its history. After that, we rode up the mountain to Rock City. Thy have a lookout spot where you can actually see 7 states! There’s also a “lovers leap” and beautiful rock formations with waterfalls.

As if that wasn’t enough for one day, we went back to the hotel, met our friends from Virginia, and went to the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We celebrated our friend’s anniversary at the Station House Restaurant where the waiters and waitresses sing. The food, the atmosphere and the entertainment were all top notch.

Tomorrow the boys have inspection for the car bit afterwards we plan to visit the Aquarium or a local brewery. Once the rally starts, the guys will be busy so we girls plan to hit the quilt shop and the other sites in the area! There’s still Ruby Falls, The Tennessee Valley Railroad, Raccoon Mountain,  museums, shops and so much more!

All in all I have to say, Chattanooga is a fun filled destination!  Oh, and I won’t forget to go on a ghost tour so I can write the tales up for Paranormal Pub!

PARANORMAL PUB -THE VISIT: A TRUE IRISH GHOST TALE

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

This week’s Paranormal Pub is dedicated to our friends in the UK!

From the time I was a little girl, I remember my father’s relatives talking about “visits”.  These visits were appearances of relatives or friends at the time of a death or shortly after. Apparently, this is not unusual in Irish families.

A tale is told as a  personal experience by the Archdeacon of Limerick, Very Rev. J. A. Haydn, LL.D.
"In the year 1879 there lived in the picturesque village of Adare, at a distance of about eight or nine miles from my residence, a District Inspector, with whom I enjoyed a friendship of the most intimate and fraternal kind. At the time I write of, his good wife was expecting the arrival of their third child. She was a particularly tiny and fragile woman, and much anxiety was felt as to the result of the impending event. He and she had very frequently spent pleasant days at my house, with all the apartments of which they were thoroughly acquainted—a fact of importance in this narrative.


On Wednesday, October 17, 1879, I had a very jubilant letter from my friend, announcing that the expected event had successfully happened on the previous day, and that all was progressing satisfactorily. On the night of the following Wednesday, October 22, I retired to bed at about ten o'clock. My wife, the children, and two maid-servants were all sleeping upstairs, and I had a small bed in my study, which was on the ground floor. The house was shrouded in darkness, and the only sound that broke the silence was the ticking of the hall-clock.


I was quietly preparing to go to sleep, when I was much surprised at hearing, with the most unquestionable distinctness, the sound of light, hurried footsteps, exactly suggestive of those of an active, restless young female, coming in from the hall door and traversing the hall. They then, apparently with some hesitation, followed the passage leading to the study door, on arriving at which they stopped. I then heard the sound of a light, agitated hand apparently searching for the handle of the door. By this time, being quite sure that my wife had come down and wanted to speak to me, I sat up in bed, and called to her by name, asking what was the matter. “I must go” I heard. “Go where ?” I asked, still believing it to be my wife. “Farewell, farewell” was the last sound I heard. I struck a match, lighted a candle, and opened the door. No one was visible or audible. I went upstairs, found all the doors shut and everyone asleep. Greatly puzzled, I returned to the study and went to bed, leaving the candle alight. Immediately the whole performance was circumstantially repeated, but this time the handle of the door was grasped by the invisible hand, and partly turned, then relinquished. I started out of bed and renewed my previous search, with equally futile results. The clock struck eleven, and from that time all disturbances ceased.
On Friday morning I received a letter stating that my friend’s wife had died at about midnight on the previous Wednesday. I hastened off to Adare and had an interview with my bereaved friend. With one item of our conversation I will close. He told me that his wife sank rapidly on Wednesday, until when night came on she became delirious. She spoke incoherently, as if revisiting scenes and places once familiar. 'She thought she was in your house,' he said, 'and was apparently holding a conversation with you, as she used to keep silence at intervals as if listening to your replies.' I asked him if he could possibly remember the hour at which the imaginary conversation took place. He replied that, curiously enough, he could tell it accurately, as he had looked at his watch, and found the time between half-past ten and eleven o'clock—the exact time of the mysterious manifestations heard by me."


Adapted from True Irish Ghost Stories, by St. John D. Seymour and Harry L. Neligan, [1914],

PARANORMAL PUB - GHOSTS IN THE WHITE HOUSE PART II

MARION AMBROSE PELLICANO

When John F. Kennedy was elected as our 35^th president, on November 8, 1960, no one dreamed that his presidency would end in such tragedy. The same was true when Abraham Lincoln was elected November 5, 1860. Both men have much more in common than being US Presidents who were assassinated. The ghosts of both presidents have been reported to be seen, on occasion, staring out the window of the Oval Office. But this is only the beginning of the similarities and coincidences. Here is a list that has been compiled. Some of the items have been questioned as to their accuracy, but most are documented facts.

PARANORMAL PUB - WHITE HOUSE GHOSTS

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

When I started my research, I had in my mind to write about the Ghosts of the White House.  I thought, instead of all Washington DC, I’d concentrate on the most famous address there, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As you’ll soon see, I wound up narrowing my topic even further because as I read about the White House ghosts, there was one that totally amazed and intrigued me. The most seen, most documented and most famous ghost of the White House is, of course, Abraham Lincoln, our 16^th President.

Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd were both believers in the paranormal. After the death of their son Willie, in the White House, many séances were held in attempt to contact his spirit. The President was in attendance in at least 2 of these events. It is also documented that Lincoln had premonitions of his own assassination 3 days before his death. It was immediately after his death in April of 1865, that reports of his ghost appearing at the White House began, although they weren’t formally documented at first.

Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge (1923-29), was the first to formally report seeing the ghost of Lincoln. She reported seeing him looking out the window of the Oval Office, hands clenched behind his back, towards the Potomac River and the area where Civil War battle grounds once stood. Another first lady to admit that Lincoln haunted the White House was Lady Bird Johnson. She felt his presence while watching television one night.

SHAKE, RATTLE, ROLL and the "TRUFFLE SHUFFLE"

The Case of the Crazy Corgi

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

If you’ve ever had a Corgi, you know that they have teeny, tiny legs and a BIG, BIG heart! Our Dudley is no exception. He’s fiercely loyal and adores my husband and me. He loves to play fetch with his squeaky raccoon and adores having his belly rubbed. Sounds like a pretty normal, happy go lucky, little pup, wouldn’t you say?

Dudley always got along with our other dogs, and even our cat, Piper (RIP). He and our Sheltie, Gracie would run around the yard, snuggle and even eat from the same bowl, at the same time! Life was beautiful. One of Dudley’s favorite occurrences was when Grandma came to visit. He’d follow her around, lay on her feet and eat up all the granmotherly love she showered on him. Then, out of the blue it happened. Dudley turned into the crazy Corgi!

LUNCH TIME POLL

Dawn Boyle

We have discussed Ghosts in Paranormal Pub and you have taken the poll which leads us to believe that you DO think there are Ghosts and other paranormal phenomena. Today's Lunch Time Poll, we ask you if you believe in U.F.O's and aliens.

It would be naive of us to think we are ALONE and that there isn't anybody out there! There are a number of sites on the web that are dedicated to sightings. They talk about an influx of sightings since the Tsunami last month.

Below are two YouTube video's. Take a look and let us know what you think...

Do you believe in U.F.O's and Aliens?

Have you ever seen one?

http://youtu.be/hKdvBidbwnQ

http://youtu.be/up5jmbSjWkw

Paranormal Pub Survey: Do You Believe in Ghosts?

We’re happy to publish the results of our Paranormal Pub Survey. Apparently, most of us have strong beliefs about the supernatural and have first hand experience to back it up! Feel free to write us at DelayedReactionLounge@gmail.com to tell us some of your personal encounters with the paranormal!

1. Do you believe in ghosts?                               Yes 76.5%        no 17.6%      not sure 5.9%

  2. Have you ever had a paranormal                     Yes 70.6%       no  23.5%     not sure 5.9%
     experience?

  3. Have you ever seen a Psychic/                        Yes 64.7%        no 35.3%
      Medium?

  4.Have you ever seen or communicated               Yes 47.1%        no 52.9%
     with a departed loved one?

  5.Do you believe in Tarot cards or                       Yes 29.4%       no 41.2%      not sure 29.4%
     other devices that supposedly
     fortel the future?

  6. Do you believe in the afterlife?                        Yes 94.1%       no 0%    no answer  5.9%

  7. Do you believe that dreams can fortel the future? Yes 58%         no 17.6%    not sure 23.5%

  8. Do you have any memory of a past life?          Yes 11.8%     no 88.2%    

  9. Do you believe in past lives?                          Yes 41.2%     no 23.5%     not sure 35.3%

 10.Do you regularly watch TV shows about        Yes 41.2%      no 17.6%     not sure 41.2%
  the paranormal?

Thank you to all who participated in our survey. We hope you will continue to enjoy our features in The Paranormal Pub. Please feel free to comment and tell us what you would like to see more of, any ideas you want explored or any comments/suggestions for our writers.