The Ghost House – a true story

Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay on Lake Taupō, over 10 metres high and are only accesable by boat or Kayak – Photo Coutesy Abaconda Management Group.

 

Albert Einstein once said – “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

For those who believe in the supernatural, no proof is necessary. For those who do not, no proof is enough.

What I will share with you today is a personal glimpse into this mystery.

Growing up, many summer vacations were spent in my grandfather’s house in Mumbai – it was a big house with one whole room wall to wall with books. This was my own personal heaven. My favourite ones were books on the paranormal – from astral travel, meditation, psychic phenomena to near death experiences. In the days I would read and in the nights I would try to replicate the methods to bring on an out of body experience or develop ESP. I am very sorry to report that I was never successful at these attempts; however that could have more to do with my own levels of excitement and impatience than anything inherently wrong with the techniques.

Looking back at this now, I like to imagine that this has turned me into what my sister calls ‘a magnet for the mysterious’.

Subsequently I have had many many weird experiences throughout the years but I one I want to share with you today happened in New Zealand, in Taupo.

About 2 years ago, my niece was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was just 16. She had a dangerous but successful surgery and while she was recovering, she was given a weekend at a holiday house by a charity that supported children with cancer. Our 2 families made the trip to Taupo on a beautiful bright day and everybody agreed that the house was just great. It had a play area like the ones at Mcdonalds inside the lounge and a tiny room just covered with all kinds of vintage dolls and even a trampoline in the garden.

Once we had settled in we started playing a board game in the lounge and slowly we began registering sounds other than our own. We could hear wood creaking like someone walking over a loose floorboard, things shifting inside cupboards in the kitchen and noises in the roof and in corridors leading to the bedrooms. We made light of this and teased each other about being scared. The noises were not constant and not seemingly related to any wind or weather activity. We soon got used to these and enjoyed a fun afternoon outside. In the evening after dinner we were all gathered again in the lounge. And the noises started up again. But this time, something new was happening as well. The doors of the kitchen cupboards would start slowly opening by themselves, just enough to make you wonder if you are imagining it and lights would be left on in the unused rooms that no one would admit to being in.

That night, I was sleeping in the bedroom at the end of the corridor, and my daughters were in the creepy doll room a few rooms down, with an older cousin. In the middle of the night I awoke – I don’t know why exactly but I could hear little footsteps coming down the corridor towards my room. My first instinct was that one of my girls had woken as well and was trying to find me. There were no nightlights in the room it was completely dark. I could feel the footsteps coming closer and coming inside the room and near my bed. I kept waiting for my daughter to put her arms out to find me or jump into bed with me but nothing happened. I waited, and waited some more – I called out – Nothing. But there was still the chance that it was my daughter just lost in the dark in her sleep. I got up and turned on a light – no one in my room. Now I was scared. I went up to the doll room to check – the girls were fast asleep with their cousin’s arms around each one. So I went back to bed and eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, I noticed an almost sombre mood around the table. I brought up what happened in a light vein to give everyone an opportunity to tease me but instead I was met with strange stares. It turns out that everyone had heard footsteps and also little giggles in the night. We all agreed that the activity we had observed here did not feel at all malicious, in fact the house still had the same air of cheerfulness we felt when we first entered. This made us think – what if there were some children who had holidayed here but lost their battle with cancer and lingered on to relive cherished memories of time spent here?

We made our peace with the invisible occupants of the house and in fact made it a game to observe the creaking and door opening so we could acknowledge & involve them in our good times.

We even said goodbye to them when we left & still look back fondly on that holiday.

This quote from William Shakespeare that perfectly sums up how I feel:

“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Have you ever had any unexplained experiences? I would love to hear your stories……..

 

 

 

• Ghost story
• New Zealand
• paranormal
• taupo
• true story