Investigating My Ghost Story

Ch. 1

I'm in my childhood home. Its in ruins now. I remember my Nan came over and she took me away one afternoon.

Seeing the flashbacks of the last day being here came flooding back.

My parents were arguing and my little self was drawn to the basement.

I remember peering through the open door before I was picked up and carried away. Still staring at the darkness, I heard a woman's voice pulling me out of my trance. It was my Nan.

"If they won't listen for your safety then I might as well take you out of here before it takes you." My Nan said these words as if I was in danger. I watched my Nan leave with my younger self and drive away. I went to the basement and proceed down the stairs. Once reaching the bottom I see a brick fire place ten feet from me that still has burning embers. In front I see are objects I can't quite make out in the darkness. 

I ascend forward only to see this wooden chair by the fire place and under it was a black mass with red eyes staring at me. 

Too scared to move I tried screaming but I all I could do was muffled out a whimper.

I wake up in a sweat and see my roommate Maria standing over me with her hands on my shoulders.

"Aria?! Aria?!"

"I'm awake!" I told her as I sit up and she scoots back to give me room.

"Is it that dream again?"

"Yes. This time I was entirely down in the basement. What I saw was a black mass with red eyes. I couldn't scream I couldn't move." As I grew up my Nan had finally told me that my childhood home was haunted and wouldn't say any thing more about it.

Asking her about it was off limits, I tried a couple of times asking her spirit and all she did was her disappearing act and wouldn't speak to me for a week. But what are my dreams trying to tell me.

I was deep in thought I didn't realize Maria was trying to get my attention.

"Hey talk to me. I'm here for you girl. Have you tried talking to your Nan?" Maria asked with concern on her face.

"I tried but she disappears when I ask her and looking up information about my chidhood home is pointless. I'm at a loss Maria."

"It's almost dawn. Why don't we get an early start on packing our things."

We had both graduated college she got a degree in history and I got a degree in culinary.

We are living in one of the dorm apartments and today was the end of our lease. Most of our belongings are packed and ready to transport to this little house we found that's within the city limits but also in the country.

I had finished getting myself ready for the day in a purple tank top, skinny jeans and black converse I brushed my hair and made two pig tail braids I started my packing. I only had the items in my closet and the bulky stuff in my room that was left.

I removed the last box from my closet that held photos. The photos that contain my real family that I found among Nan's belongings when I was twelve. She passed away that Christmas and shortly after I was put into foster care.

I had been with a foster family after my Nan had passed on. The Sullivan's are a good family to me but I always felt like a loner around them, because I could speak to ghosts.

I opened the box because I wanted to see my Nan's face. To my surprise there's a picture on top of the photos. As many times I went through these pictures I never seen this one. I was with my Nan and Pops I was between them and she was holding me on her right hip. Behind my Nan was a woman but this woman wasn't alive I never seen this person before. She looked at the three of us with hatred.

"Hey girl my brother is here with the truck. What's with the picture?"

Maria pulled me from my thoughts about this new photo I discovered.

"It was laying on top of the other ones, can you see this angry woman behind my Nan?" I showed her a closer view of the picture before saying she didn't see anything. I look back at the photo and she was gone.

"I promise you Maria she was there!"

"Aria I believe you. You don't need to get worked up over it. Never think I won't believe you, I got your back. Lets start getting our stuff in the truck so we can be in our new home before dinner." She left me in my room and I couldn't believe my mind was playing tricks on me or a ghost decided to play games.

I was placing the photo back in the box and upon doing so this time the angry woman in the photo was staring at me.

"Whomever you are if you need help with unfinished business tell me so I may help you. What has my family done to cause you so much anger?"

After speaking to her she vanished, I really want to know who she was and how I could help her move on.

I closed the box of photos and placed it in another box that contain my desk lamp, a couple of books and a blanket and taped it up. I wrote my name on it after picking it up I head out of my room and I'm met with the same angry woman from the photo.

I drop the box and gasp for air as I was caught off guard by her spirit.

"Who are you? What unfinished business do you have?" I asked her and she just stared then her head start shaking before looking at me again.

She started speaking in a harsh whisper with looks like blood dripping from her mouth.

"You were born of evil. I was sacrificed for you to be conceived. Your father is a Satanist. It is you who has unfinished business. Free yourself and you free me."

"Where do I begin?" I ask her as she starts fading away.

"Where you were born."

My mind was racing of the thoughts I had about the house I grew up in, I promised my Nan I would never go back there no matter the costs. The dreams I been having to this ghost visiting me I had to. I need to find out even if it meant my Nan turning in her grave, I know she will forgive me. I had to finally know.

We finished unloading the truck as we can carried the last piece of furniture in the house while "Well Maria, I say we have our boxes in the house before dinner. Any ideas of what we can have for dinner tonight?" I looked over to her as she thought for a moment before responding.

"Cooking in or going out?" I asked giving her a option in case she wasn't in the mood for a home cooked meal. We did just moved in and our boxes still unpacked.

"I want to go out, Cajun Aves?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"I was thinking about them yesterday, we do owe Joeseph for taking time out of his day to help us."

Speaking of Joeseph he comes around the corner with the last big box that Maria packed of her stuff.

"I heard my name what do you have plan now? I should have you know if its another heavy box you will have to wait until tomorrow when father is available-" he was cut off by Maria and I laughing.

"No we don't have any more boxes but Aria and I are hungry for Cajun Aves. Care to join us? We are buying and we have gas money for your truck." Luckily he agreed to eat at Cajun Aves so we locked up the house and loaded up in his truck and left out for Cajun Aves.

We are sitting at Cajun Aves and we decided on the family seafood boil that came with crawfish, lobster tails, shrimp, crab legs anduoille sausage, corn on the cob and red skin potatoes. The owner knows us so they give us the hook up. Maria and Joeseph ordered some fresh raw clams with lemon wedges.

"I don't know how you two can eat those raw. Its disgusting."

They both laugh at me and suck down another clam.

"Its no different than eating sushi and sashimi." Joeseph said while eating another clam.

"I prefer sushi and only some sushi is raw. Every once in a while I'll have a couple pieces of sashimi." I was about to pick up a shrimp to eat when I looked down to see the food covered with maggots, beatles, worms, centipedes, roaches, flies and other bugs. I look over to Maria and Joeseph who were eating to see the bugs on their faces. I stood up immediately causing my chair to fall in the process I covered my mouth to stop myself from wanting to scream.

By now they were both staring at me along with other bystanders.

I looked around and I could see the same thing with every one else's food, I was horrified as I hate bugs. I can tolerate the ladybugs, butterflies, moths and dragonflies but everything else terrified me. I was about to scream only to find myself sitting again about to grab a shrimp. I pull my hand back and sat there for a moment not eating, this caught Maria's attention.

"Aria what's wrong? Is a ghost playing with your mind?" She asked the last part low only because some people who hear that you can talk to ghosts want to ask questions about their departed loved ones and ask if they left any hidden trickets. Or just want closure from their loved one which I can understand on some cases. I don't mind the questions but she tries to protect me like a sister.

I nodded my head in response to her question.

When ghosts are trying to get my attention they manage to intervene in my daily activities. 

I'm surprised they even let me graduate college. The one part I dislike is when they have to play dirty when it comes to me eating at meal time.

I didn't realize that Joeseph was trying to get my attention when he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I turned to look at him only to see the same scene again only this time his eyes are white and the way he spoke with a devilish grin with a spider crawling out of his mouth which he licked up with his tongue to eat.

I started hearing a ringing in my ears I covered my ears unable to deal with this torture. I felt another pair of hands on me trying to get my attention.

"The spirit haunting me go away you are not welcomed in my space. Leave now!"

The ringing stopped I felt like a mess I was sweaty, Maria and Joeseph tried their best to pull me out of my state of being.

I hugged onto Maria as tight as I could for what I experienced was a nightmare, any time when a ghost makes their self known to me they cause a big entrance.

They like telling me they are there alright. Some will show themselves to me and some like to do this awake nightmare scene.

Those are the ones who are the bad ones.

"Aria you need to talk to me tell me what happened." Maria had a wet napkin and was patting my face the coolness calmed me for a moment before I started speaking.

"When we were loading up the truck the ghost from the picture came to me. Said I was born out of evil. My father sacrificed her so I could be conceived. I have to find out what happened to my family to free myself and free her. 

What I was seeing here was bugs on the food and you two along witb everyone else was eating the food. Then both of your eyes were white and you had devilish grins.

I just want to eat dinner in peace without these awake nightmares."

I grab my beer and was about to take a drink but stopped myself.

"If any of you ghosts messed with my drink we are gonna have words." I took a drink after tasting my beer I downed my drink, feeling the burn and tears.

"You probably don't want to continue eating anymore I'm guessing?" Joeseph asked me hoping we did have to take back all this food. I honestly think he doesn't want his new truck smelling like fish.

"I plan to keep eating. No ghost is going to stop me from eating." I picked up a corn on the cob and took a bite. "I'm not starving myself for no one and no ghost." I grabbed some shrimp and started eating. I won't let them get the best of me.

We were back home Maria and I with only two to-go boxes and no more awake nightmares. Maria said she was wore out and wanted to get some rest. I on the other hand wanted to get started on my room amd unpack my belongings so I felt more at home. Also being in a new place I could never get ro sleep right off the bat too much anixety just like when I go to the doctors I can never sleep the night before. Always afraid something might happen.

I went into my bedroom and wanted to change first to feel more relaxed then start unpacking but I was met with a coldness in the room along with a low ringing in my ears.

"What do you want? Enough with your tricks." I was bothered now they had my attention but refuse to come forward and speak. A little girl appeared before but it was myself, my hair was in curls with a bow and I wore a floral dress that you would see on a doll I was looking at my younger self when my younger self eyes started turning black. "What do you want?" I asked my young self and got no reply but instead placed her hand was placed on my forehead and I was in a flashback. 

I was in a delivery room watching this woman in labor and my parents were standing back watching this woman the doctor and nurse were there too. On the wall behind my parents was a saying 'Lakewood Memorial, caring for families and helping them heal. I turn my attention back to the doctor and nurse. It seemed like they were torturing her as she was in labor, the nurse was restraining the woman's arms and legs then gagged her. "Dr. Berry she is refusing to push the baby out what do you suggest we do?" The nurse said after joining this Dr. Berry by his side. "We will have to cut her open, scalpel." The nurse hands him the scalpel and he starts cutting her open. The woman in labor screams but they are muffled with the gag, she starts shaking. 

Her blood is spilling onto the wood floor she is starting to look pale I turn my attention back to the doctor who now has the baby out of the mothers womb and hands the baby over tonthe nurse who takes it away to be cleaned. "Shelly you know this all could have been avoided if you just delivered the baby instead of fighting it. You could have lived to see another day and made more babies. Now the baby is delivered and you are no longer needed." Dr. Berry said to the poor woman Shelly I just watched her as her life just slipped away from her then hearing the monitor flatline before the doctor turned it off. I looked back to the baby to see the nurse placing the baby in my parents arms. "Its a girl. Congratulations you two." The nurse said and walked away. My mother was bouncing the baby in her arms and was smiling and my father held us both just staring at the baby.

"We shall call her Aria." My mother had said. I was in shock upon hearing and seeing this flashback. I was pulled back into the current time and my young self is gone. So many questions started racing in my mind that I had to tell Maria, she is my side chick who is with me on my ghost adventures. That's why she became a historian and investigator she had a way of finding out any information about these ghosts that came to me.

I wasn't gonna let this wait until morning I burst in her room like a mad woman, she was just sitting there on her bed brushing her befire I made her jump out of her skin. I done this a couple of times which she just starts cursing at me in Spanish.

"I just had a flashback from my younger self and she showed me the day I was born. My parents aren't my parents. My mothers name is Shelly and she was murdered after a forced birth having me. The hospital is Lakewood Memorial." I said quickly before she yelled me. 

By now she seemed surprised than mad at me she back against the headboard and pat the bed for me to sit down. She pulled out her laptop from the table beside the bed and asked where do we begin.

"See what files there are at this Lakewood Memorial and its location." She started clicking away on the keyboard then started reading.

"Looks like it a four hour drive in De Queen, Arkansas but the place is long abandon now. It was last open in 1987 the year you were born. Says here that it closed because of this Dr. Berry and other staff doing malpractice on patients. All staff have been obtained and are serving life in prison. No one has been to the hospital since. Are you planning on going Aria? If so we can get the gang and go see what's up. Maybe you might find your answers."

"I have to. It has my interests now I can't let it go. We'll get a hold of them tomorrow and set a date to go down there and check it out." I appreciate when Maria does the research, I can do it myself but I still haven't gotten over the episode from the last ghost haunting me.