The owners of Steel Magnolias (a fitness center/beauty salon/candle shop) contacted me recently and asked if I, and the Wabash Paranormal Investigation and Research Group, would be interested in investigating their place of business. Located in the former train depot that served the tiny community of Converse (formerly known as Xenia), this historic landmark has a rich history, and an even more recent history of a different kind... the kind that goes
bump in the night.
An earlier owner of the Depot reported being followed home one night by the sounds of "phantom footsteps". Upon arriving at her house she laid out a blouse she had purchased, intending to wear it after a quick shower. Afterward the blouse was missing, only to be found some months later in the attic.
More recent occurances of possible "paranormal" activity included reports of a light bulb mysteriously being removed from its socket and found elsewhere, the "ghostly" sounds of period music, and other "relocation" type phenomena.
Oddly enough, when I called to confirm our vist, the receptionist took my name and number and left a note for one of the owners. That message disappeared off of the owners desk, only to reappear in another location.
Needless to say, we were intrigued enough to take a look.
We descended on the Depot in the late evening of September 9th. Investigators present were WPIRG founder Jason, his wife Angie, Tim, Chris, Josh, and myself. Also in tow were a half dozen of the co-proprietors that invited us.
Inital readings were sporatic. A few EMF spikes, odd temperature fluxuations... nothing substantial, but enough to maintain our interest for sure.
I had stepped outside to take a cigarette break when I was joined by Josh. He had just come from the "massage room" located in the west loft of the building. He told me that the temperature was outragously warm in the room and that it had seemed to get warmer as he was in there. I told him I'd check it out. When I ascended the loft I felt the warmth immediately. Inside the room was Jason, Angie, Chris, and one of the owners. They were taking readings and curious as to the odd temperatures. Suspecting a preternatural presence, I agreed to try and make contact. The gathering disbanded and I was left alone, in utter darkness, within the massage loft.
I meditated for a few moments and then began. Accessing my Astral Temple, I visualized myself performing the Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, using its power to create a sacred space within the small massage chamber. My intent, confident that something was in my presence, was to ensnare the entity within the space and I could divine its purpose.
The room became unbearably hot. My mind reached out and for the briefest of moments I connected with the troublesome spirit. It was, IMO, what I call a land wight... a natural entity tied to the land. It is not dissimilar to what many people refer to as brownies, pixies, or faeries. In some instances they can be prankish, as was the case with this spirit. Their presence is often marked by a marked increae in temperature, which led to my suspecting the nature of the entity in question.
I released the spell woven to maintain the entity and fled for fresh air. It took me a short while to cool down, but I was somewhat drained. I sat and talk with the shops owners and explained to them that a wight was essentially harmless, if somewhat playful.
Meanwhile, the investigation continued inside. More EMF oddities were recorded and so WPIRG went to work setting up recording equipment to further delve into the mysteries of the depot. After doing some EVP in three locations (the massage chamber, the gym, and the main entry) we took our leave, chatted up the locals, made some contacts for future investigations, and discussed further our findings thus far.
Then it happened.
The security light shut off.
We may have thought little of it if it weren't for the stunned looks on the owners faces. They had changed the light within thelast month, replacing the one that had burnt there for over a year. We all took this as odd, but not unexplainable, per say... but...
After an hour we decided to break down our equipment. As we neared the building, the security light suddenly came back to life, bathing the front doorway in its artificial illumination. We asked the obvious questions, of course. Was it a motion light? No... it was a dusk to dawn light, active based on time, not motion.
Taken aback, we were doubly intrigued by this occurance.
Now, we are faced with the task of mulling over photographs, video tape, and other collected data. As more on this investigation develops I'll be sure to pass the information along.
Personally, I suspect that we are going to find more than just the presence of the land wight. There is more going on than a single land wight can account for... but, only time, and the persistence of the WPIRG team, will tell.
I feel very fortunate to be working with this crew of investigators. They are professional and steadfast... I am proud to be counted among them.
~BF 9/11/06
My wife and I settled down on the couch last night and plopped in The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Allow me to preface this review by stating that I am a sucker for time travel romance films... Somewhere in Time is one of my all-time favorite films, and you can add such chestnuts as Kate & Leopold and The Butterfly Effect.
