by Rick Kueber
Barb laid a crisp, manila file folder on the table in front of her and proceeded to open it up revealing several pages of research she had done. She had a half dozen or so photographs of the original home, the current structure, and different phases of its existence through the past century. The documents included newspaper articles about a prominent area family, the Bettigers, who lived in the home originally until it was purchased by the Owl's in 1922. Barb even had some records from the old Willard Library that was just up the street from the Owl's club, which gave the original owner's (Charles Bettiger) birth and death dates, some of his wife Amelia's information, as well as the names, and birth and death dates of all of his children.
We passed each documents around and briefly scanned over them. Katie paused when she held the records page, and spoke out to all of us in general, and none of us specifically, “Did you notice the dates on the children?” Del and Barb nodded, as did Jenn.
“No, I didn't look that closely at them yet, why?” I asked curiously. “Seems that all of Charles and Amelia's children died by the age of...ummmm...about eight, or younger in most cases... and most of them died in the same year. Now that's just spooky!” Katie elaborated.
“Yes it is!” I responded and then turned to the Heerdinks, “Barb, can we get copies of these documents for our files, and so we can study up on the history and maybe do some digging ourselves?”
“These are actually copies that we had printed off for you to have. So, I guess the answer is yes.” Barb said, and she and Del smiled, knowing they were at least one step ahead of us on this request.
After a brief review of the documents and photos, we left the lower level, following Barb and Del up the steps, through the bar room, and discretely down the hall, being sure we hadn't been followed. We stopped at an area near the front entrance where the hallway suddenly doubled in width.
“These two walls and this door were added in the 1940's to restrict access to the upstairs. It was never really used at all by the Owl's, except for storage.” Del enlightened us about the wall to our right where the hall was notably narrower, as he dug deep into his front pocket for his keys. He fumbled through the numerous keys on the ring, and locating an older looking, yet unworn key, unlocked the door, and pulled it open to reveal an old hard wood set of steps and a spindled, dark oak bannister that ran up the right side, and curved at the top where it was open on three sides at the upper landing.
The darkened stairs creaked and groaned as if they we were pained by our treading on them, or detested our presence. Reaching the precipice, it seemed as if we had almost stepped into another time. The dismal second floor was dank and dust covered, except for a pathway of many past footprints that had ventured into this unchanged space to store, or retrieve items from storage. The paint was chipped and peeling. It was an odd, greenish-blue color, and was dated to a time long before any of us had existed. We entered the room to the right at the top of the stairwell, and slowly browsed the areas. There was a defunct restroom and kitchen, both small, and out of use for decades. The main room was a multifaceted rectangle, with outcroppings near the windows on the left side and two doors on the right.
The first door was halfway down the wall to the right, and oddly enough, also entered into the stairway landing. Past that, the room widened by a few feet and the second door was near the far end of the wall. The ceiling was nearly 12 foot high, and much like the walls, had random spots where the paint was bubbling and peeling away, giving the space the appearance of an old abandoned house one might expect to find in a Hollywood horror film.
Turning the corner, we made our way, single file, through the second door. It was opened with a pop and a high pitched squeal of the hinges. This room was a conundrum. It was a six foot by four foot space, wider than it was deep, and had a door to our right, which, once again, led to the stairs. It felt too large to be a closet, too small and confining for any other obvious purpose. We filed into the room, and other than opening the other door to peek out into the hallway, we circled through and exited swiftly.
We reversed our path through the large room until we found ourselves back in the stairway. Barb took the lead and opened the doorway opposite of where we had been. We curiously followed her into the final upstairs room. With one exception, this was also a rectangular room. Nearly two-thirds of the way through the room, there were one foot thick and deep turnouts on either side of the room that met a bulkhead at the ceiling of the same dimension. The area was very open, but due to the turnouts and bulkhead, felt divided into two distinct and separate spaces.
Unlike the other two levels, the second floor was devoid of life and had a certain sinister air about it. The emptiness called to us stay, but we fought against the desires to wander the desolate abode any longer and ended our tour feeling an irrefutable need to return soon. When we eventually exited the stairway, we found ourselves near the entrance, and it was then and there that we chose to say our good-byes. As we shook hands, or exchanged hugs (as the case may be), Del and Barb let us know they would soon meet with the trustees and officers of the club and choose a Friday or Saturday night when they could close the doors to the public early, and grant us unlimited access to the entire building from midnight until 8am.
It was nearly unbearable, having to wait to find out when we would be given our date to discover what mysteries this captivating treasure might hold. We had no choice but to go on with the humdrum of our daily lives and await the phone call, or email, that would give us a definite point we could prepare for.
The week passed as many do, with work, family, and friends. There were still the random emails from fans, and curious bandwaggoners, and even one or two haters, who were mostly jealous that their limelight was being taken by our tiny paranormal team who was not seeking fame or fortune, but only to help those in need and to attempt to answer the questions that have been asked since the beginning of mankind itself. It was incredibly upsetting to find that people we used to consider our 'paranormal family' were turning their backs on us and letting envy and jealousy feed a growing negativity. If only they could see how obvious it was to those outside of their own close circle of friends, perhaps they would come to their senses, and realize they were creating and growing their own negative shadowy energy from the lies and treachery they had initiated.
Day by day, our lives went on despite the hate and the love we received. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... ahhhh... Wednesday, and at the end of the work day, I found various ways to keep myself busy, thinking if I could get through 'hump day', I could get through the rest of the week.
*** The trustees of the Owl's Nest #30 met on Wednesday evening, and I received an email late that same night. They offered us either of the next two weekends to do our investigation (Saturday, June 12th or 19th). I sent a text message to Jenn and Katie as soon as I read the email. It wasn't until the following evening that I received their responses, and the date of June the 12th was chosen, which only gave us two days to test and recalibrate our equipment, and double check out ever dwindling battery inventory. (I could always count on Jenn and Katie to have the spare batteries I was lacking.)
The day arrived, and passed quickly with the enthusiasm and expectations of exploring a new, potentially haunted location. We met at a local steakhouse for dinner and to discuss a possible 'plan of attack' for the evening, and because we couldn't wait until midnight to get started. It was a productive meeting, and I always felt better going into a new place knowing we were all on the same page, to some degree.
We finally decided to leave the restaurant at just after 9, and drove the short distance to the Starbucks, inside the east side Barnes & Noble Bookstore, to kill a bit more time. As we sat and filled ourselves with a dose of much needed caffeine, we rambled on about everything from past investigations, to personal anecdotes, and the future of the team.
“I almost hate to bring this up...” I wasn't sure how to start.
“Then, by all means, don't bring it up.” Jenn cut me off w
ith her humorous sarcasm. “Well, I really think it's something you may want to know, even if you really don't want to know.” I confounded them, and had almost confused myself.
“I don't know what the heck you are trying to say, so, just spit it out.” Katie laughed as she spoke. “Okay, here's the thing... When we left the Doc's house, what was it...a few weeks ago, on my way home I drove my car off of the road and into a cornfield.” I gathered my thoughts trying to decide how to finish the story.
“Oh my gosh! Were you alright?” Jenn asked. “Why didn't you call one of us... we were obviously still awake. We would have come to get you.” Katie responded. “I didn't want to bother you, and my car was okay, mostly. I just drove it back onto the road and then home.” I continued.
“Did you fall asleep or something?” Jenn asked.
“Yeah, what happened?” Katie slid her question in. “I was getting to that... you see, just as I was passing this corn field I saw a little girl step out to the edge of the field.” They gave me looks of bewilderment, wondering why a girl would be in a corn field in the middle of the night. “That little girl was Ashley. I'm sure of it. But when my car came to a stop, and I got out, she was gone. I don't know why she was there, or if it was some sort of a hallucination, but I don't think it was. I just thought you might want to know... she may be at peace, but she isn't necessarily gone.”
“So that's what that text message you sent was about.” Jenn said, putting the pieces together. “I was waiting for another text from you explaining it, but when it didn't come, I thought I'd just leave it alone.”
Katie nodded in agreement with Jenn's deduction and staring down at her coffee cup, not making eye contact, said, “Alright, now I'm officially freaked out.” We could feel the fear in her quiet voice that cracked in the middle of her statement.
“Sorry, that was not my intent, but I thought it was only fair to tell you.” I said to them both. “I don't want you to be scared, but I just wanted to let you know, we haven't seen the last of her... I don't think.” I falsely half smiled and shrugged my shoulders.
Hall of Presidents
Barb gets a chill.
Chapter 3 SHADOWSof the PAST
The conversation ran on for almost an hour when we decided we should head to the north side of town. I pulled into the parking lot of The Owl's Nest on First Avenue at twenty minutes before midnight and found both Jenn and Katie had beaten me there. Walking up to the door alone, I met Del and Barb who were waiting, anticipating our arrival. After a brief discussion, I returned to the girls, who were eagerly awaiting my return in the parking lot. The sky was starless and the wind was warm, growing stronger from the southwest when we began the tiresome task of unloading and carrying in all of our equipment.
“Rain's coming.” I said, as I carried a couple of the cases through the dimly lit, empty sea of striped asphalt.
“I can smell it in the air.” replied Katie. “Yep. We had better get a move on if we don't want to be packing this stuff in wet.” Jenn added, and we all instinctively quickened our pace.
It was just before midnight when we gathered in the bar on the main floor of the Owl's Nest. A storm had been brewing to the west when we arrived, and occasionally we heard the distant rolling thunder. Del and Barb were the only ones in the entire building besides Jenn, Katie and myself, which gave the typically lively atmosphere a dark and desolate tone.
“If you can give us a few minutes, we have to get everything turned off here and downstairs.” Del said. “Is it okay if we take a look around upstairs and you two can join us when you finish up down here?” I asked. “Sure, just be careful. There's a lot of boxes and things upstairs, so you might want to keep your flashlights on.” Barb answered me.
“Thanks.” I said to her, and then I turned to the girls, “Grab a few things and let’s get this investigation started!” One by one, the rooms went dark, and the hush of the enchanted blackness before us brought goose bumps and chills as we prepared ourselves for what may lie ahead. There was a spellbinding and magical allure to the utter darkness, silence and emptiness that we had not anticipated. With flashlights, meters and cameras in hand, we found the stairway and headed up to the second level. At the top of the stairs there were three options. There was a door to our left, an open doorway to the right, and the short corridor that ran to the right of the stairway, next to the banister that held two doors at its end. We chose the open doorway to the right.
We entered the room with caution. Lacking the incandescent lighting, the second story of the home had a worrisome overtone, spine-tingling and ominous. Looking around with our flashlights, we located the stockpile of decorations and business supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, and other miscellaneous boxed sundries and took note, so as not to stumble over them in the pitch black when our lights went out.
We hadn't brought our DVR and infra-red camera system, but Jennifer did have her hand held night vision Sony camcorder. Once we had all of our meters on and recorders running, our flashlights were extinguished. We had taken a semi-circled seat on the floor near the doorway we had entered, and began to casually whisper to each other as our eyes adjusted to the near pitch-blackness of the room.
“Do you think this place is really haunted?” Katie asked. “I don't know, but I really hope so.” I answered back. “It sure has that weird feeling in the air, ya' know? I'm already on edge.”
“I have a really strong feeling about this place, and with the history of the children and the patrons that have died here, I think we may have some activity.” Jenn added.
Thunder rumbled again, now closer than before. “And then there's that...” I joked, referring to the brewing storm outside, and its connection to our last investigation and Ashley Sue.
The oppressive darkness was suddenly overwhelming and the air in the room grew heavy. Our conversations had come to an abrupt end and we sat in silence staring into the darkness at the other end of the room. There was a building energy in the air that none of us could deny.
“What is that?” Jenn asked. “There's something over there by that boarded up window.”
“Yeah, I swear I thought I saw something move.” whispered Katie. I could feel the fear trembling in her voice. I strained my eyes to see through the dark, attempting to focus on something that I had yet to see, and then there it was, a shadow moved at the other end of the room, no wait, there were several shadows. I studied and thought, and tried not to speculate, but the longer I looked, the more positive I became that there were several shadows, three to four feet in height moving independent of any possible light source.
I depressed the on button of my flashlight, and it flickered for only a fraction of a second, and in a brief moment of pale, electric light we all saw them. There were four shadowy child figures holding hands, two on either side of a taller female child who was less shadowy, with more definite features. They all stood there hand in hand, staring back in our direction. And a split second later, the lightning flashed through the cracks in the boarded up windows, and they were gone.
I didn't do it mean to, but intentional or not, I blurted out, “Ashley!” Katie sucked in her breath hard and reflexively scooted her butt backwards across the floor, away from the now empty space.
“What the hell is she doing here?” Jenn reacted and didn't bother to whisper. “Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap...” Katie muttered over and over. I moved back to where she was and placed my arm around her shoulder.
“It's alright. If you aren't comfortable, you just say the word. Del will let you out.” I squeezed her shoulder. She drew a couple of deep breaths and with a shaky voice, said, “No, I'm okay for now. If it gets too bad, I'll go, but not yet.” She paused for only a moment to catch her breath and continued with, “I'm sure that was her, wasn't it?”
“Yeah, I'm pretty damn sure it was. I just hope she's here to help. We don't need another case like the last one.” Jenn said and drew back memories to us all about the terrible experiences of being burned to death
that we had experienced when we were trying to help the spirit of young Ashley Sue. Now that Katie was pregnant, neither she, nor the team wanted her to be in any kind of situation that could have a negative effect of any kind on her or her unborn child. The mere possibilities caused me to physically shudder. Jennifer and I were stunned when Katie jumped to her feet.
“Well come on, guys!” She said with a rekindled spark in her tone. “Let's go... they're still here somewhere, and I bet we can find them!”
Clumsily standing up, I turned to Jenn. “You heard her, let’s go see if we can drum up some activity. I don't think we need to question if the place is really haunted.”
“Well, duh!” Jenn regurgitated her sarcasm. “Maybe we should keep it quiet about Ash being here.”
“Agreed.” I said.
“Come on!” Katie pleaded. We took our meters to the other end of the room, checking high and low, slowly moving from side to side. There were random e.m.f. fluctuations that we couldn't explain. Random bursts of free moving energy were caught by our meters and quickly vanished until we would catch up with them again. Though the apparitions were now invisible to us, we felt their presence. An uneasy feeling had overtaken the three of us, and while the apparitions may have appeared as children, a foul and ghoulish fog had filled the space we occupied. I had the distinct feeling we were not the only ones occupying this place, not tonight.
We stood frozen in our tracks for a moment, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. A cold breeze came from nowhere and crossed my neck and face, chilling me to the point of a physical shiver. I had been monitoring my MEL-Meter and while the e.m.f. range was at a 0.0, I watched as the temperature reading quickly dropped from 74 degrees Fahrenheit to 69. Then as if on cue, the e.m.f. spiked to a 2.1 and immediately declined.
