Stories
My Own Personal 'First Experience' - By Beth Fowler (TAPIS)
My name is B.Fowler- head of investigations and President of TAPIS. I think that I should share with you one of my stories/experiences that got me interested in the truth behind phenomenon - a personal experience of when I was younger.
I just turned 6 years old, and we had just moved outside a small town in Alberta called Onoway. My cousin, who I will call 'Carl' is about 20 some years older than me - and he had moved into a house in the town right across from the original school - built in between 1910 - 1925, with his wife and a 4 year old little girl, we will call this child Carlene.
No matter what time of year it was - it was always cold in this house. I remember having to wear my jacket inside most of the time. Carl, my father and my uncle are were Sheet Metal/Heating and Air conditioning experts, and no matter what any of them did, they could not warm up that house. All the seals around the doors, windows were fine, and they had a brand new furnace. One of the 'cold spots' was Carline's room. Well Carlene and I were playing Lego's in her room, and she had a temper tantrum and came over to me and smashed my house that I was building. I turned around and yelled at her. She went back over and sat on the bed and started talking to thin air and giggled, then turned to me and said 'you are gonna get it now' in a child singing taunting voice. Right beside the bed was a huge barrel, well huge to me at the time. It was about two feet high and very heavy, it was almost half full of pennies. This barrel suddenly tipped over and came rolling at me at high speed, I screamed and jumped out of the way just in time. Carlene did not touch this barrel - and I doubt now a 4 year old could have knocked it over with the weight of the pennies in it. She then turned to thin air again - where she was looking - right where the barrel once stood - and giggled and whispered. Needless to say - I refused to play in her room again.
They also had one of these play horses in a small part just off the living room - one of the ones that had springs on each corner so you could 'ride' it. I remember this thing moving and rocking on its own when no one was there. When you are 6 years old, you are not sure what to think of all this. All I know is I heard my cousins wife state one day she wasn't going to stay another night in that house. I think they stayed there for only 6 months. It was around the age of 8 I started hearing other peoples accounts of the house. Shadows being seen moving across the living room - when no one was in there - then I heard my mom state her account.
She was babysitting Carlene one day, and decided to do some laundry. The washer and dryer were located in the basement - which was a dirt floor - with the furnace, washer and dryer being 'raised' on 2x4s and plywood. Well mom went down there with Carlene, and when mom was getting the drying out of the dryer, she felt very cold all of a sudden and a little spooked. When she looked into the corner of the room - there was Carlene 'talking' to someone. She said 'Auntie - who is that?' and pointed to emptiness. My mom grabbed her hand and headed up the stairs, and didn't go back for the laundry.
Another account I heard, comes from an Aunt. She stated that when they were all over there for coffee visiting at night - she kept going back into the kitchen from the living room for refills for everyone. Well when she went into the kitchen, she noticed the small closet in the kitchen had its light on, so she pulled the string to turn it off, and go back into the living room. When she would go back to the kitchen, it would be on again - and no one was in there since she was. She did this about three times, and she swears on the third time when she came back in to turn off the light again -she screamed because the wallpaper in the closet looked like someone had taken their fingernails and ripped it.
Now as an investigator - I look back at this and look for explanations. The rocking horse - could have been heavy trucks going by at the time and the vibrations would have moved the horse. With what happened to my mom, she hated being in that house and always had a uneasy feeling in it - so maybe her mind played a bit of tricks on her - but how do you explain the little girls question 'aunty who is that?' - could say a child's overactive imagination. Same could be said about talking to thin air and giggling, the fact maybe she had an imaginary friend - but I am still puzzled how that heavy barrel tipped like that and came rushing across a floor that was even. And again, the house for always being cold, and having that many heating experts never being able to warm it up is a little puzzling as well.
I don't know if that house still stands, and I don't know of anyone who has had similar experiences. Would be interesting to find out.
I just turned 6 years old, and we had just moved outside a small town in Alberta called Onoway. My cousin, who I will call 'Carl' is about 20 some years older than me - and he had moved into a house in the town right across from the original school - built in between 1910 - 1925, with his wife and a 4 year old little girl, we will call this child Carlene.
No matter what time of year it was - it was always cold in this house. I remember having to wear my jacket inside most of the time. Carl, my father and my uncle are were Sheet Metal/Heating and Air conditioning experts, and no matter what any of them did, they could not warm up that house. All the seals around the doors, windows were fine, and they had a brand new furnace. One of the 'cold spots' was Carline's room. Well Carlene and I were playing Lego's in her room, and she had a temper tantrum and came over to me and smashed my house that I was building. I turned around and yelled at her. She went back over and sat on the bed and started talking to thin air and giggled, then turned to me and said 'you are gonna get it now' in a child singing taunting voice. Right beside the bed was a huge barrel, well huge to me at the time. It was about two feet high and very heavy, it was almost half full of pennies. This barrel suddenly tipped over and came rolling at me at high speed, I screamed and jumped out of the way just in time. Carlene did not touch this barrel - and I doubt now a 4 year old could have knocked it over with the weight of the pennies in it. She then turned to thin air again - where she was looking - right where the barrel once stood - and giggled and whispered. Needless to say - I refused to play in her room again.
They also had one of these play horses in a small part just off the living room - one of the ones that had springs on each corner so you could 'ride' it. I remember this thing moving and rocking on its own when no one was there. When you are 6 years old, you are not sure what to think of all this. All I know is I heard my cousins wife state one day she wasn't going to stay another night in that house. I think they stayed there for only 6 months. It was around the age of 8 I started hearing other peoples accounts of the house. Shadows being seen moving across the living room - when no one was in there - then I heard my mom state her account.
She was babysitting Carlene one day, and decided to do some laundry. The washer and dryer were located in the basement - which was a dirt floor - with the furnace, washer and dryer being 'raised' on 2x4s and plywood. Well mom went down there with Carlene, and when mom was getting the drying out of the dryer, she felt very cold all of a sudden and a little spooked. When she looked into the corner of the room - there was Carlene 'talking' to someone. She said 'Auntie - who is that?' and pointed to emptiness. My mom grabbed her hand and headed up the stairs, and didn't go back for the laundry.
Another account I heard, comes from an Aunt. She stated that when they were all over there for coffee visiting at night - she kept going back into the kitchen from the living room for refills for everyone. Well when she went into the kitchen, she noticed the small closet in the kitchen had its light on, so she pulled the string to turn it off, and go back into the living room. When she would go back to the kitchen, it would be on again - and no one was in there since she was. She did this about three times, and she swears on the third time when she came back in to turn off the light again -she screamed because the wallpaper in the closet looked like someone had taken their fingernails and ripped it.
Now as an investigator - I look back at this and look for explanations. The rocking horse - could have been heavy trucks going by at the time and the vibrations would have moved the horse. With what happened to my mom, she hated being in that house and always had a uneasy feeling in it - so maybe her mind played a bit of tricks on her - but how do you explain the little girls question 'aunty who is that?' - could say a child's overactive imagination. Same could be said about talking to thin air and giggling, the fact maybe she had an imaginary friend - but I am still puzzled how that heavy barrel tipped like that and came rushing across a floor that was even. And again, the house for always being cold, and having that many heating experts never being able to warm it up is a little puzzling as well.
I don't know if that house still stands, and I don't know of anyone who has had similar experiences. Would be interesting to find out.
The Phantom in Stony Plain
Hi my name is Brian when I was about thirteen or fourteen years old we lived in Stony Plain just west of Edmonton. We lived on the same street as the RCMP station, right across as a matter of fact. Our neighbors to the west were an elderly couple for whom I mowed their lawn during the summer. Our neighbors to the east were a younger couple with a couple of kids although we never actually knew them.
It was probably the middle of summer vacation, second or third week of July I had spent the afternoon mowing our lawn and the neighbors. Went inside for dinner around eight o'clock in the evening and had left the clippings on the lawns. I decided that after dinner I was going to rake em up and put the bags in the garbage. By the time I had both lawns raked and bagged it had already turned dark, just after twilight. It was probably a good 25 degrees out still and I was pretty sweaty from all the raking. The alley behind the houses wasn't lit the best but there was a light standard about two houses east of ours. I had put out about half the bags when I turned to go back out front and I suddenly felt a chill. I thought maybe it was just a breeze cooling my skin covered in sweat so I dismissed it. I returned with the rest of the bags a couple minutes later and paid attention to what was going on around me I didn't notice any wind or cars in the alley or anything else that could possibly create a breeze. Again when I turned around after dropping the bags in the garbage I felt a chill and it was even more intense than the first time. I turned toward the east where the closest light was to see if I could catch anything in the light and nothing. I had one more bag to bring but I really didn't want to. After two "experiences" in the same place I wasn't looking forward to seeing and feeling it again. I think being young and having already had an experience after my grandfather died I was sure in my heart that I believed in something just wasn't sure what.
I sucked it up and went back for the last bag of clippings from the neighbors yard. I took it to their garbage and dropped it in the can, I turned to go back into my yard from the alley and right around our garbage enclosure I saw it. I don't know what "it" was. The best way I can describe the object is about three feet high not very wide, like a small child. No discernable legs or arms but very faint in the back light from the standard down the alley. It seemed to turn and look right at me although I couldn't say if it had a face, I just saw it move in a way towards me and I freaked! I ran screaming into our yard and into the house where my mother was doing the dishes. The window above the sinks looked out into the back yard and she saw and heard me running into the yard. When I got into the kitchen she asked me what was wrong. I told her there was something outside next to the garbage cans, she turned off the kitchen lights to see out better but couldn't see anything there except for the wooden enclosure that held our garbage cans.
I never did see it again for the next three years when we moved out of that house. It wasn't until three years later that I had a visit at the foot of my bed by my grandfather who had passed away from Alzheimer's four years earlier. He never said anything, I didn't know him very well and only met him a few times that I remember. I was twelve when he died, he was the first person whose funeral I had gone to. I saw him at the foot of my bed, he only smiled and nodded his head and vanished. I don't know if it was a dream or if I actually saw him or what it was. I never told anyone until I started dating my first love, Jane. I wrote a letter to my grandfather asking him why he had come to visit. Was he doing well, was he happy the usual kind of things a young man would likely ask the grandfather he never got to know. Jane had read that letter at my request, it took her ten minutes to stop crying. She said she felt something reading the letter over her shoulder. She told me she looked to see if it was me and she felt a really intense shiver go down her back like someone had run an ice cube down pushing fairly hard on it.
So there you go, I've had one other paranormal kind of experience when I was really young and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was four, we had recently moved to Mallorca Spain following dad working in the oil fields of Northern Africa. We had only been in the new house about two weeks. It was only a three bedroom house so my two older brothers shared a room and I had my own. It was right after bedtime and I still had to have a light on during the night. I was staring out the window at the trees waving back and forth in the wind when out of nowhere an apparition floated by my window. It wasn't human it wasn't animal it was just a white cloud like object that just floated by it didn't stop and take a look or anything. It had somewhere to go and it was on it's way.
Thanks for listening, have a great day.
Brian Petersen
Edmonton, AB
It was probably the middle of summer vacation, second or third week of July I had spent the afternoon mowing our lawn and the neighbors. Went inside for dinner around eight o'clock in the evening and had left the clippings on the lawns. I decided that after dinner I was going to rake em up and put the bags in the garbage. By the time I had both lawns raked and bagged it had already turned dark, just after twilight. It was probably a good 25 degrees out still and I was pretty sweaty from all the raking. The alley behind the houses wasn't lit the best but there was a light standard about two houses east of ours. I had put out about half the bags when I turned to go back out front and I suddenly felt a chill. I thought maybe it was just a breeze cooling my skin covered in sweat so I dismissed it. I returned with the rest of the bags a couple minutes later and paid attention to what was going on around me I didn't notice any wind or cars in the alley or anything else that could possibly create a breeze. Again when I turned around after dropping the bags in the garbage I felt a chill and it was even more intense than the first time. I turned toward the east where the closest light was to see if I could catch anything in the light and nothing. I had one more bag to bring but I really didn't want to. After two "experiences" in the same place I wasn't looking forward to seeing and feeling it again. I think being young and having already had an experience after my grandfather died I was sure in my heart that I believed in something just wasn't sure what.
I sucked it up and went back for the last bag of clippings from the neighbors yard. I took it to their garbage and dropped it in the can, I turned to go back into my yard from the alley and right around our garbage enclosure I saw it. I don't know what "it" was. The best way I can describe the object is about three feet high not very wide, like a small child. No discernable legs or arms but very faint in the back light from the standard down the alley. It seemed to turn and look right at me although I couldn't say if it had a face, I just saw it move in a way towards me and I freaked! I ran screaming into our yard and into the house where my mother was doing the dishes. The window above the sinks looked out into the back yard and she saw and heard me running into the yard. When I got into the kitchen she asked me what was wrong. I told her there was something outside next to the garbage cans, she turned off the kitchen lights to see out better but couldn't see anything there except for the wooden enclosure that held our garbage cans.
I never did see it again for the next three years when we moved out of that house. It wasn't until three years later that I had a visit at the foot of my bed by my grandfather who had passed away from Alzheimer's four years earlier. He never said anything, I didn't know him very well and only met him a few times that I remember. I was twelve when he died, he was the first person whose funeral I had gone to. I saw him at the foot of my bed, he only smiled and nodded his head and vanished. I don't know if it was a dream or if I actually saw him or what it was. I never told anyone until I started dating my first love, Jane. I wrote a letter to my grandfather asking him why he had come to visit. Was he doing well, was he happy the usual kind of things a young man would likely ask the grandfather he never got to know. Jane had read that letter at my request, it took her ten minutes to stop crying. She said she felt something reading the letter over her shoulder. She told me she looked to see if it was me and she felt a really intense shiver go down her back like someone had run an ice cube down pushing fairly hard on it.
So there you go, I've had one other paranormal kind of experience when I was really young and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was four, we had recently moved to Mallorca Spain following dad working in the oil fields of Northern Africa. We had only been in the new house about two weeks. It was only a three bedroom house so my two older brothers shared a room and I had my own. It was right after bedtime and I still had to have a light on during the night. I was staring out the window at the trees waving back and forth in the wind when out of nowhere an apparition floated by my window. It wasn't human it wasn't animal it was just a white cloud like object that just floated by it didn't stop and take a look or anything. It had somewhere to go and it was on it's way.
Thanks for listening, have a great day.
Brian Petersen
Edmonton, AB
Man Ghost
Firstly let me tell you that I was raised a "spiritualist" and ghosts are not a surprise to me nor do they scare me.
I have been involved in a spiritual rescue once and I am comfortable with this subject.
I have been living in the Edmonton area for almost 4 yrs now and I live in a house that was built in 1940 and has a "spirit" or maybe two.
I have lived in the same house for all that time by myself.
The spirits are not bothersome at all, but they like to let me know that they are there.
The house is so old that when someone comes up the front stairs, you can hear them coming up or going down them.
While in the house, I know when someone is coming up or down the stairs.
One day during the spring of 2007, I was sitting on the couch, I had just finished dinner and was watching TV when I heard 3 loud bangs on my screen door. I thought, that's funny I didn't hear anyone come up the stairs.
I went to the door and there was no one there. And I did not hear any one go down the stairs.
So I put it off, thinking maybe it was kids playing knocky knocky nine doors (Like I did when I was young!!)
About 45 mins later....same thing, same 3 loud bangs (not knocks) on the screen door.
I thought the same thing again.....kids? But why did I not hear them on the stairs?
I opened the front door, no one there again!
I was starting to become a little nervous and trying to convince myself that it is not kids at all.
I was also getting this tingling up the back of my spine and an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. I only get these "feelings" when spirit is around me.
At about 10:15pm that night, the 3 loud bangs on the screen door happened again, with no front stairs creaking.
And I got the same "feelings" again. After sitting back on the couch, I started getting mad and It was then that I asked spirit....
"why are you doing this to me? I'm not scared of you, in fact you are really pissing me off now and I want to know what you want."
Just then I heard a scratching sound against the wall where the couch is and a mans' deep voice say.... "get out"
I have encountered "spirits" before but this one gave me shivers.
I asked him why he wanted me to leave?
I got no answer, but the same scratching against the wall where I was sitting on the couch.
Since I moved in to this house I have heard people walking across the floor late at night or very early in the am. (because it is original hardwood floors and they creek at certain spots)
I have heard someone going up and down the stairs to the basement.
This man spirit has not talked to me again, but the scratching on the wall is often heard.
I hope that you find this interesting enough to maybe investigate it and find out why this "spirit" wants me out of his house.. Maybe he is trapped and can not get to the other side and needs help to do that?
The people that own the house are the ones that built it in 1940 and I have asked if maybe a man died in this house and they tell me no. No one has died while living in this house.
Thanks for your time in reading my story.
Sincerely,
Dayna Kent
I have been involved in a spiritual rescue once and I am comfortable with this subject.
I have been living in the Edmonton area for almost 4 yrs now and I live in a house that was built in 1940 and has a "spirit" or maybe two.
I have lived in the same house for all that time by myself.
The spirits are not bothersome at all, but they like to let me know that they are there.
The house is so old that when someone comes up the front stairs, you can hear them coming up or going down them.
While in the house, I know when someone is coming up or down the stairs.
One day during the spring of 2007, I was sitting on the couch, I had just finished dinner and was watching TV when I heard 3 loud bangs on my screen door. I thought, that's funny I didn't hear anyone come up the stairs.
I went to the door and there was no one there. And I did not hear any one go down the stairs.
So I put it off, thinking maybe it was kids playing knocky knocky nine doors (Like I did when I was young!!)
About 45 mins later....same thing, same 3 loud bangs (not knocks) on the screen door.
I thought the same thing again.....kids? But why did I not hear them on the stairs?
I opened the front door, no one there again!
I was starting to become a little nervous and trying to convince myself that it is not kids at all.
I was also getting this tingling up the back of my spine and an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. I only get these "feelings" when spirit is around me.
At about 10:15pm that night, the 3 loud bangs on the screen door happened again, with no front stairs creaking.
And I got the same "feelings" again. After sitting back on the couch, I started getting mad and It was then that I asked spirit....
"why are you doing this to me? I'm not scared of you, in fact you are really pissing me off now and I want to know what you want."
Just then I heard a scratching sound against the wall where the couch is and a mans' deep voice say.... "get out"
I have encountered "spirits" before but this one gave me shivers.
I asked him why he wanted me to leave?
I got no answer, but the same scratching against the wall where I was sitting on the couch.
Since I moved in to this house I have heard people walking across the floor late at night or very early in the am. (because it is original hardwood floors and they creek at certain spots)
I have heard someone going up and down the stairs to the basement.
This man spirit has not talked to me again, but the scratching on the wall is often heard.
I hope that you find this interesting enough to maybe investigate it and find out why this "spirit" wants me out of his house.. Maybe he is trapped and can not get to the other side and needs help to do that?
The people that own the house are the ones that built it in 1940 and I have asked if maybe a man died in this house and they tell me no. No one has died while living in this house.
Thanks for your time in reading my story.
Sincerely,
Dayna Kent