Dance The Night Away: To Haunt A Home

I grabbed my bag and carried it out to the jeep. Shoved it into the back with Paul's costumes and Michelle's luggage, I went back inside, turned off lights, and locked the doors. Then I petted the dogs and went out to the vehicle, where my family was waiting. 

I got into the jeep.

And then we headed off for Utica.

This is a different kind of story.

"There's supposed to be a ghost around here," I said, turning on my EMF detector. "Town of Owega, New York. A Native American singer named Sa-sa-na Loft was killed by a train, and they say she still sings some nights." I glanced at the detector. I wasn't getting any readings yet.

"Did you hear about the theater we're in, Dad?" Paul asked.

"I checked it out. Why, you look it up?"

"Emma did. There's a cold spot trying to push people out of their seats in the front row, backstage and stage haunted, and the ladies' room is haunted."
"I hadn't heard about the ladies' room. Rylan, you can check that out."

Rylan, Paul's little friend, grinned and nodded at me from the back seat.

"We're going to check that all out," I said. "The Stanley Theater is almost a hundred years old, and it's said to be very haunted. If I get a chance, there's also a haunted high school near where we're staying. It was built on top of a Colonial cemetery."

"You know you can't go in the high school, right, Dad?"

"I know. The last time I went into a high school at one of these things, security was all over me. But I can check outside, which is where the ghosts are likely to be anyway." I looked down at my detector. It had flickered up to a 1.7 for no explainable reason, which was a good start to the weekend.

"Emma texted me," Paul said. "She wanted to know if we can come to the theater when we get there, and look for ghosts."

"I brought your equipment, too. We can."

The Stanley Theater, in downtown Utica, turned out to be a huge, beautiful place, very elaborate. The security guard stopped Michelle on the way in, and searched her bag. He asked,"Is there any outside food in here?"

"No," said Michelle.

I pulled off my shoulder bag and reluctantly handed it over. At least I didn't carry any food in it.

He started looking through it. His partner looked me over and said,"You're an investigator? I thought that there was some sort of communicator."

"You're close. EMF detector."

"Ah, cool." He glanced at the other guy. "He's okay." The guard handed me my bag back, and I slung it over my shoulder. "You looking for anything specific?"

"Well, whatever I can find. I'm sure you know there's stories about this place."

"Yeah, we get custodians overnight who say they see stuff. Haven't seen anything myself, but I don't work nights. Hope you find something."

"Thanks. You're a lot cooler than the last security guard I met at one of these things."

At least nobody had mistaken me for an ICE agent this time.

I walked inside. Paul and Rylan had already linked up with the Emma, and they were exploring the lobby. I got out the EMF detector and started looking around.

"Anything?" asked Rylan.

"Not yet. Place seems to have real good wiring. Which, good news and bad news. The bad news is, no readings yet. The good news is that if I do get something, I know it's probably paranormal."

Paul and the girls went upstairs to get something to eat. A woman asked them to slow down and walk carefully on the stairs, and I continued walking around with the detector for a while. Then I walked over to the woman.

"So I assume you work here?"

"Oh, yes, I have for eight years," she said pleasantly. "You're looking for ghosts?"

"I mean, I'm here because my son is in the competition, but yes,"

"My granddaughter is in the competition," she said. "It's why I agreed to have it here. And, yes, the place is almost a hundred years old, and people say it's haunted."

"Have you ever seen anything?"

"No, but some people have. We've had volunteers say they saw something up on the balcony."

"It's a beautiful old theater."

"Did you know the stairs over there are modeled on the Titanic's?"

"I didn't, but now that you tell me that, I can see it. That's really cool."

I found Paul and the girls upstairs. Paul had ordered a Caesar salad. I asked him,"You see anything?"

He shook his head. "Not yet."

"Well, we just got here. You excited for tomorrow?"

He nodded with a mouthful of salad. "I need to be here by seven, so we should get up at six."

"About my plan, too, yeah."

"And we'll need to steam my outfit for tomorrow."

"We will. I mean, your mom will. Gonna be a good day, buddy."

The place Michelle had gotten us was a nice little apartment with two bedrooms. One had three beds, and the other had one. Paul wanted to have his sleepover with Rylan, and Michelle agreed to take the third bed, leaving me to have the other room to myself, on the other side of the apartment. I didn't tell anyone, but I felt that was preferable.

It was, technically, in New Hartford, a small suburb of Utica. I'd checked the maps, and discovered that not only was it right on the New Hartford town limits, but the entire house wasn't even inside the line. The corner that had my room extended over the line and out of the municipality, so while everyone else was staying in New Hartford, I was sleeping in Oneida County.

I woke up in the morning before everyone else, which was about right. I got out of bed in my Bigfoot pajamas, and started making coffee. I took a mug and sat down by the window, looking out at the sunrise. It was going to be a busy morning.

Paul and I walked into the theater, and he immediately veered off to find his team. I found some of the prop dads talking with a few other parents in the lobby, and joined them.

"Any ghosts yet?" asked Jason, the leader of the prop dads.

"A few flickers on the EMF detector," I said. "Nothing too conclusive yet, but I got all my stuff. I'll be checking today."

"Do ghosts really hang out in cemeteries?"
"Some, it seems. Probably not as may as people think, but some."

One of the balloons decorating the lobby popped. Everyone jumped, and then a couple of the moms turned to me. "Lou!"

"I know. Probably just a balloon, but I'll check it out." I got out the EMF detector and walked over to the balloons. The place was well-wired, so nothing at first. Then I got a little bit of a jump, and said,"Yeah, maybe something here."

I walked upstairs and found Paul sitting at the table with Lilli. He said,"Dad, can you get me something to eat?"

"They're doing breakfast right now. They have bagels."

"A bagel, please. Butter."

"You got it."

As I walked across the upper level, some of the girls were practicing. There are always kids doing their dance moves all over the place at these events; I've learned to get good at dodging them. A few of them said,"Lou! Are there ghosts in here?"

"That's what they say," I said. "There's supposed to be some onstage, and backstage. So I need you guys to be my eyes and ears. If you see anything, you let me know."

"Cool," said Tall Addie.

Juliet looked over at the balcony. "I'm a little afraid of heights," she told me. "I get nervous up here."

"Well, it's a good thing you're so short."

I got Paul his bagel and walked back to the table with it. He took a bite from the edge. I pulled a chair over and sat down; I enjoy these moments I get with my kid. He said,"I hate these body tights."
"You're offstage in less than an hour," I said. "Hang in there."
The EMF detector went off. Spiking to red, it went to 2.0 for five solid seconds. Paul and I both looked at it. Lilli asked,"Was that....?"
"Yeah," I said. "Might have been a ghost."

"Don't forget to check for wires and outlets, Dad," advised Paul.

They grow up so fast.

"There is a house....Built out of stone...."

I stood backstage wth the prop dads, watching the kids dance on stage. It really was amazing. In between shows, I sometimes started to forget just how talented and professional these kids were. Watching them, it always came back to me just how incredible this whole thing was.

The EMF detector beeped. Red light. I looked at it, then turned it off and put it in my pouch. The ghosts, for a change, could wait five minutes. They were all dead and not going anywhere. I wanted to watch my son.

"Cause I built....A home....For you....For me....."

The routine was really cool; they started with some furniture onstage, and danced around it, assembling it as they went into an entire living room. I'd helped get the furniture out there, but I was really unneccessary. It was about them, the kids.

 The kids came off into the wings. Paul ran straight to me and threw his arms around me. He was crying. I hugged him back, tight. Pain? Stress? I didn't know, and it didn't matter. My son needed me.

"You're doing great," I whispered. "It's okay. I love you. You're doing great."

He held on for a moment. I asked,"Do you want to talk later?"

He shook his head, and I hugged him. "I love you, buddy. Proud of you. You're doing great."

After a moment, he released me and rejoined the team. The girls all gathered around and hugged Paul. They'd all been through backstage breakdowns before. He dried his tears, and then a moment later, was back out on stage with the others, all of them dancing their hearts out. Everything feels better when you're with your team; I understand that. It was beautiful. For the rest of my life, I'll cry every time I think of it.

I'm crying now.

This is a different kind of story. It's the story of my son, how he's still growing, becoming the person he will one day be. How in some ways, he'll be like his father, and in other ways, he'll be his own person. And that's a good thing.

Last year, this story ended with Paul and I sharing a moment on the lobby floor of a hotel in Lancaster, sitting peaceably together. 

This year, it ended with my morning coffee. I woke up earlier than everyone else again, and I walked across the county line to get a shower and get started. There are advantages to not sleeping well. I got dressed and made a pot of coffee, and sat down to begin the final day in Utica.

I walked around, got everything packed up, The temperatures had dropped and, unbelievably, it was snowing outside. I sat down and read a book for a while.

Paul emerged from the bedroom. Paul is not exactly famous for waking up in the morning. I looked up at him as he stumbled through the room, bleary-eyed, on his way to the bathroom.

"Love you, buddy," I said.

Sometimes it's all I really want to say.

"Love you, too," he said.

Sometimes, it's all I really need to hear.

Happy Birthday, Jay

"So you're a paranormal investigator," said the cashier at the grocery store.

"I am," I said. "I write about this stuff a lot."

"Have you ever investigated the Conjuring House?"

"Well, no," I said,"Because it's bullshit."
She frowned. "Really? How is it bullshit?"

"The Cojuring House and everything in that movie universe comes from Ed and Lorraine Warren." I explained. "And the Warrens were child molestors who pretended to be psychic so they could get famous. And that is the kindest way I can manage to put that."

"Oh, wow. I never knew. Is there anything you've investigated? Like, anything famous?"

"Well, the more famous it is, the less likely it is to be accurate."

"How about the Blair Witch?"

"No, that one is fictional."

"Really?"

"I thought everyone knew that. Yeah, that's a fictional movie."

"Have you ever investigated that hill with the railroad tracks in McElhattan?"

"Ah, Lizze, you're killing me here. Tha's an old urban legend, and I've explained to a lot of people that this isn't real. Gravity hills aren't."

"But they say there was a bus load of kids that got killed by a train there."
"They say a lot of things. Look, every place in McElhattan where the train tracks run across the road is on top of a hill. If you don't realize your car will roll downhill, I can't help you."

"I've heard there's a monument with the names of the dead kids there...."

"I'll give you a thousand dollars if you can bring me a picture of it."

"Wow. I'm learning a lot here. So what stories are real?"

"Well, anything I write about, I can tell you that." I picked up my bags. "Have a good day, Lizze."

When I got home from work, there were several children bouncing on the trampoline.

"Dad!" Paul said. "Did you bring me anything?"

"Brought you that Sprite you asked for."

"Can we have Sprite?" asked little Mia.

"Maybe. If it's okay with your mom."

"Do you still have your investigation tonight?" Paul asked me,

"Yeah, Ashlin's picking me up in two hours."

"Can we come?" asked Sekiyah.

"Not on this one, honey. It's a professional investigation with the LHPS team."

"I want to come!" said Mia.

"You'd be scared," Love told her.

"I wouldn't!"

"This one's just for the adults, anyway," I said, "I'll find a good investigation for you guys sometime soon."

It's procedure to meet at a neutral point, and all go to the investigation together. It looks more professional than everyone arriving at different times. When Ashlin and I got out of the car, I gave Jay a hug. 

"Happy birthday," I told her.

She smiled. "Thanks. Twenty-five now."

"I'll give you and Lex a birthday tour tomorrow," I said. "Pull out all the stops."

"I'm looking forward to that."

"Look, I know tonight is a little rough for you," I said. "I know we're investigating the RV where your father died. If you need anything---If you need to take a break, extra support---Let me know, okay? We're all here for you."

"I think I'll be allright," she said. "But thanks. I appreciate that."

"Everyone ready?"

The ride out to Crawford Township was about twenty minutes. Jay likes to drive, so we usually just let her drive us out. Ashlin and I sat in the back.

"I'm twenty-five today," said Jay. "It feels weird. Assuming I live to be a hundred, my life is a quarter over."

"You get used to that," I said. "I'm pretty far past the halfway point, myself."

"Yeah, it just feels weird. I'm twenty-five."

"Hey, I just turned thirty-four last week," pointed out Lex.

"I'll be fifty-seven this summer," I added. "I'm more than twice your age."

"There it is," said Jay. "The RV."

We turned into a yard with a small house and an RV sitting in the driveway. Jay said,"My step-mom is selling it. We should buy it, Lex. I don't know where we'd keep it, but...."

"No," said Lex.

"But it'd be cool! We could own and RV!"

"Jay, no."

"Well, now, don't decide too quick, Lex," I said. "Wouldn't it be cool to have our own mobile headquarters? A haunted RV, at that. Keep our equipment in it, and take it to investigations...."

Jay added,"We could go to Gettysburg in it."

"Damn it," admitted Lex. "That would be cool."

Jay's stepmother came out to meet us, and Jay gave her a hug. "I see you're selling the RV," she said.

"No," said Lex.

A small, furry, roly-poly little puppy ran out and began sniffing our feet. Jay's step-mom smiled and said,"That's Diva."

I knelt down to pet the puppy. "I love Diva and she is my new best friend."

"You guys want to start in the RV?" Jay asked.

I nodded. "Let's get in there, and see what we can find. Bring the equipment."

The inside of the RV was tight, like most of them. I could immediately see that we weren't going to need the comlinks I'd brought---There was no way for us to be more than the feet from each other the whole time. There was a small kitchen area with a couple of seats, and a small bedroom in the back. We spread out as far as we could. Ashlin sat down by the table, and Jay said,"That was my dad's favorite seat. He used to like to sit there. He died back on the bed."

"We'll check both places," I said. "Let's start with the EMFs."

We all had our EMF detectors. It's like the first thing you buy when you become a paranormal investigator. Jay went back and put one on the bed with a couple of cat balls. I got out my all-in-one model and did a sweep of the main area.

"Does this thing run on battery power?" I asked.

"There's a battery, yeah," said Jay's step-mom. "It's up in the engine. Most of this stuff is off right now."

I nodded. "I'm going to do a sweep of the outside, just to check on things."

I went down the steps and out into the lawn. I walked around the RV, checking with the EMF detector, and found a surge up front, where the battery was, and another toward the back passenger side, where I could see an outlet for connecting cables. There was a ladder to the roof on the back, and I started climbing up it, discovering that the bottom part was disconnected. 

Jay came outside. "Are you cimbing that ladder?"
"Oh. Yeah. Thought I'd see how it worked. You know this bottom part is loose? If someone tried climbing up this for no reason at all, say, they could get hurt." I climbed to the bottom and jump down to the grass. "How are you doing? How you holding up?"

She nodded toward the inside of the RV, where her step-mom was. "I hope this helps. I hope it brings her closure."

And that was typical Jay. i'd been working with her for months now, and I'd never once heard her ask for anything for herself. It was typical of her to be more concerned with someone else.

We walked back inside. Ashlin asked,"Should we start an EVP session?"
"Yeah, let's do it. Who's got their recorders?"

We turned them on, and Lex ran through the standard introduction monologue. Jay asked,"Are you mad that Ashlin's in your spot?"

The bell went off. Ashlin grinned. "I can move."

"Are you glad we're here?" asked Jay.

"Are you upset that Lou looks like a cop?" Lex asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I've been trying to change that lately. Chloe suggested I add some color to the uniform, which is why the purple shoulder pad and blue gloves."

"It works," said Jay. "You look better."

"We just got a flicker on the EMF detector in the bedroom," Lex said. "I saw it go to yellow."
"I'll try back there." Jay moved back to the bed and lay down, setting off the cat balls for a moment. "Dad? Are you here?"

A flicker to yellow. I walked back beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at me.

"How you doing?" Lex called back.

"Starting to get a little bit of a headache," she said. "Using up a lot of energy here."
"I got some painkillers in my pack," I told her. "It's in the car, Give me a minute."

"Oh, Lou, you don't have to---I'm"

"It's no problem; it's why I carry them. Back in a minute."
"I'll come along," said Lex.

We walked outside. It was beginning to rain a little. Lex and I walked companionably over to the car together.

"How do you think she's holding up?" I asked her.

Lex nodded toward the RV. "I think she needed this. It'll be good for her to check this out, maybe feel better about things."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too."

I got the painkillers out of my first aid kit and walked them back in to Jay. She smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime. How's it going?"

"Some activity. More on the bell. A lot of activity at the table, less back here on the bed."

I nodded. "That might suggest that he's happy. He's more active in the place he liked being, as opposed to the place where he died. It makes sense."
Jay smiled.

"Good."

"You're driving home," Jay informed Lex.

We got in the car and started off. I said,"Good investigation. I never checked out a haunted RV before."
"What do you think?" Jay asked. "Class Five haunted place?"

"It only goes up to four," Lex told her.

"Oh, right. Class Four then?"
"Based on tonight, that sounds about right. Wouldn't mind going back for another round sometime."

"I had fun," said Jay. "And I think it helped. I had a good birthday."

I reached up and patted her on the shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Jay. We love you."