And Now A Word From 676 Lisbon Rd...

WARNING: The following contains actual voices from the dead.  Do not read this blog alone at night.  We will not be responsible for any soilage of underwear.

 Click Play to listen:

I had to admit, I was intrigued when my daughter called me up and gave me the breathless details of the latest goings-on at 676 Lisbon Rd.  I had moved out of that house a few years previously, but she was still there off and on while she went to college upstate.  Apparently, some vandalism had occurred to some of her photographs, and she was upset.  At first she thought that some of her dorm mates at college had marred a photo of her that she had posted in the lobby by making a scratch on it across her throat.  She took that photo down, with a rather low regard for any of her classmates who would do such a thing.  When she came home to visit, another damaged photo of her caught her attention.  This one was pasted on her bedroom armoire door.  It had a scratch.  Directly across her throat.  Intrigued, and alarmed, she searched around her bedroom for more  pictures that had been tampered with, finding another.  This one was of her and her friends, and even though her image in the photo was tiny, across her throat was yet another scratch.  So when she called me, she was beside herself with fear over what could possibly be doing this to her photographs, and why?  I went right over.

When I got to the house, she brought me up to her room to show me the pictures.  Except for the one she had back at school, the ones that were damaged were on her armoire door as part of a typical teenage girls picture collage.  While I believe in ghosts, and if you read my last blog you'll know why, I always tried to find a rational explanation for those occurrences.  "Well," I said in my most reassuring Father-Knows-Best voice, "these pictures are all at shoulder level.  Do you think that you may have scratched them by rubbing against them as you walked by?"  (Far-fetched, I know, but hey--I had to calm my frightened girl down)  But always the guy to ruin a good thing, I said, "Now, if something was up high, it would be a different story."  So we both looked around for more pictures.  I spotted one of her and her friends that was up over her closet door.  It's the one posted at the top of this blog.  I had to pull quite hard to get the photo down, as it had been glued above the door for years.  My jaw dropped.  Imagine the shock I felt when I saw it-- A deep gash ran right across her throat!

I contacted a paranormal investigation team.  No, not the guys from Rhode Island; we have more than enough ghosts in Maine to keep our own ghost hunters happy.  The investigators toured around the house for about a hour or two, snapping pictures, and asking questions into their little digital recorders.  It was a delightfully sunny August afternoon, not exactly the middle of a dark and stormy night.  They said they'd get back to us later with what they may have found.  Well, it turned out the other residents of 676 Lisbon Rd are a talkative bunch.

For those who may be new to this ghost thing, EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomena) are voices picked up on audio (digital or tape) recorders that weren't heard when the recording was being made.  There are differing theories as to how these voices may have manifested.  Some think that a spirit actually talked into the microphone.  Others surmise that the ghosts manipulated the electronics of the recorder to imprint a voice.  Hard to say, because some EVP's sound incredibly metallic, while others sound like a regular voice.  The main problem with an EVP is that they can be difficult to translate.  Not all of them are saying, "Get out!"

(Although if there is a ghosts rallying cry, that would be it!)  But two people listening to the same sound can come up with two different interpretations as to what was said.

In my daughters room, the question was asked  about the pictures.  This was a response:

If that voice doesn't give you the creeps...  Did you hear it the way I did?  But why did Joseph do that?  Only Joseph knows, and he didn't say. 

I mentioned yesterday about the Dark Man.  One ornery cuss.  I'm sure that's his voice you heard in the audio clip at the top of this page.  In response to this question, "Do you have any messages for the family?"  He snarled:

You know, I can just see him in my mind's eye leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, waiting for the "jerks" to leave.  But you know, if ghosts are really just people who are dead, then in my opinion they sure weren't the best and the brightest!

The investigation team came up with dozens of EVP's.  It's like the ghosts were lined up at the mic like it was Karaoke Night down to the VFW!  I'll leave you with with a sad one, though.  Remember, I mentioned a young child I had seen in the house.  He seemed to be an inquisitive little soul.  I have heard him playing in the hallway when no one visible was there.  I spotted him going through my bureau.  My daughter caught him playing with her toys.  I think it's his white legs darting up and down the stairway.  Who was he?  What was his name?

What did Jason want?  What was keeping him at 676 Lisbon Rd?



This Sunday night for Halloween, the living little ghouls and goblins will stop by 676 Lisbon Rd, never knowing that maybe from an upstairs window, a young boy is looking down on them, just wanting them to stay and play with him. 

Forever.