The Witch and The Ghost

Research

Freya's point of view

It was a big old home, how hard could it be to find records on it? Turns out, easier than I thought. It was all there in city records. In 1802, a man by the name of Albert Crowston built this home for his wife and daughter to live in. He started with a few helping hands and little money but grew it into a mighty plantation. As his home grew, it became a safe haven for freed slaves to have a place to stay and honest wages. In 1820, his daughter Alice Crowston married a man by the name of Alexander Hall. They had two sons, one in 1822 and the other in 1828. The eldest married in 1842 and moved to New York. The eldest wasn't the one that caught my eye though. The youngest son listed as Michael Hall died in 1864, consider a tragedy of war, and unmarried. Next to this was a picture of him in his confederate uniform. This picture matched the man in my house, as did the house in the background. This picture explained his connection to the house, but not why he was still there. This was the only information I found, but this could not be the whole story. There had to be something or someone that bound him to that house. A man of his age in that time period would have been married or at least engaged, but nothing was listed. There was no mention of the older brother coming back or any children at all. I knew he at least knew of children because he knew that lullaby and sang to my daughter. All I could find is that after his death the deed was passed to his brother and was sold a year later, and many more times after that. Not a single owner had stayed more than 6 months in that house until it was finally passed to realtors and remained vacant for 15 years. This man had been stuck in this house for 158 years, as a ghost. I felt awful, I knew I was going to have to apologize to him, especially if I wanted answers. Begrudgingly I started home, how can I apologize to a ghost? How could I ask about his personal life? I didn't know him and he didn't know me. These questions plagued my mind until the moment I opened my front door. It looked as if a bomb went off in my house. The words that left my mouth were anything but apologetic.

"What in the entire f**k have you done to my house? I left for two hours, two, and now my house is destroyed. I knew you were mad but d**n you didn't have to take it out on the house. Don't you f*****g ignore me Michael I know you're in here you can't leave!"

Now I had f*****g done it. I had called him by his name, thus giving him more power.

"You have been researching and yet still know nothing. I did not do this."

"How dare you! How dare you stand there and say you didn't f*****g do this."

"Such foul language for a lady. You have the ability to sense me, you honestly think I am the only ghost here."

"I never said I was a lady. I am a single mother of two struggling to survive, I can't afford to be a lady. Wait, you're not the only one here?"

"Why do you think I cannot leave? I have tried time and time again over the years, but she won't let me go. She will never let me go."

"She? What do you mean she? Why wont she let you go? Why are you here? What happened to you?"

"It is none of your business, leave now before it's too late."

"Too late? What do you mean too late? Too late for what? Michael, please answer me. I can't just leave, I don't have the money. Oh my God, are my children even safe?"

"I keep them safe. That is why you hear the lullaby every night. Do not worry about them, it is you who are about to be in danger. Can you not ask the father for help or is he no longer with us?"

" No longer with us? Oh, you mean dead, no he isn't dead just a deadbeat. He ran off as soon as I got pregnant with my daughter. He was done, he didn't care about responsibility or growing up."

"A married man should care for his wife and children."

" Oh no, hold up there bud, we are not married nor were we ever married. I know in your time and Era women didn't have children out of wedlock but in this time and age, it is quite common. I loved him and I thought he loved me, but he failed us and left, end of story."

"Oh, I did not mean to offend. I haven't learned anything new in 15 years, I just assumed, I am sorry. Maybe my story will help you, but it comes with a price. Are you willing to sacrifice your safety for knowledge? For saying her name will give her power over you and life here will never be the same."

"If it will help me protect my children and bring peace to my home, I am willing to take the risk."