Jorji's story

[jawjalou]

Many, many thanks to my awesome, beautiful cousin Beth for helping me with this story. I dictated while she wrote. Of course I had the final say so some things might have been edited.

Here is my true story that I would like to submit for your approval. All these events are accurate as far as I remember. The quotes I use may not be accurate verbatim, but they are accurate as to their meaning.

All this happened to me during my first marriage which lasted from July 2003 to the end of 2004. We didn't live in that particular house for all of the marriage, but only about the last 2 months of it. And I didn't stay there the whole of that time because I went to stay at Mama's house for almost a month total because of the fights that my ex and I had. Before we moved, Jason and I had our fights but never mean and hurtful ones like we did. I figure it was because the stress of being in a new and unfamiliar place. But it was like we began to see each other with new eyes so to speak. And the new eyes weren't exactly flattering ones. Anyway, maybe that came with the move too.

I will call my ex Jason, which is not his real name. I doubt whether he'll be reading this and don't really care if he does. Because he knows I'll be telling the truth. Even if he still doesn't believe me about the so-called haunted part.

Jason got a job with a construction company in North Carolina with a lot better pay that what he had been getting. Plus they were getting a lot more work than what he had been getting, which is not always the case with construction companies. He was happy but I wasn't too happy about having to move so far away. But still I was happy for Jason. Finally we might be able to put some money back for a rainy day, which is something we had not been able to do up until then.

Before we moved, I started looking online for places to rent in the city where we would be living. It's not a really big city compared to Atlanta, so there weren't a lot of choices as far as good apartments go. So I broadened the search and got a list of about 8 or 10 places including houses that we might be able to move into. To make a long story short, we ended up looking at this long green older house next to an abandoned building. (The abandoned building was odd to me because the owner kept it up pretty well, but it stayed unused and unoccupied.) I think it was more because we were tired of looking than it was that we liked the house, but that was the one we chose. It also had the best rent, but I forgot what the amount was. But one of the first thing's out of Jason's mouth when we first looked at the house was that it looked "off-center." I never did quite understand what he meant by that and forgot to ask him, but I've always wondered about why he would say that. Whatever he meant, he seemed to like the house otherwise.

It was the second week in October when we finally moved into the house. Like I said, the house was long. There was a small open porch with a swing in front. Inside there was a small, square living room (I guess you could call it that.) And on the left side of the front of the house was a square-shaped master bedroom. There was a short hallway where the bathroom was on the right and that hallway led to the dining room. (That was the only bathroom there was.) Next to the dining room was a guest room which was smaller than the main bedrom, but it was where we slept because we thought the main bedroom was too close to the street. Doors opened from the guest room to both the kitchen and the dining room. That room, plus the kitchen and the den were the only two rooms that weren't square-shaped. As for the den, it was on the other side of the kitchen towards the back of the house. Apparently at one time the den had been a patio because the floor was concrete while the other floors were wood. There was a door which led to a small utility room with a washer and dryer on the far side of the kitchen. The back door of the house was pretty much middle way in the den. So that was the layout of the house.

About the end of October, a few days before Halloween, I made an impulse buy that I came to regret. I had been shopping for a few items of clothes and stopped by a pet store, just for the fun of it. There I fell in love with this beautiful all yellow parakeet. I just had to have him. He was so adorable! So I bought the bird, a good cage with a stand, everything else that my new pet would need. I named him Timmy, which just came out of the blue like my impulse to buy him. I place Timmy's cage to the right of the kitchen where it wouldn't be so drafty but he'd be able to get some sun from the window. As for Jason, he wasn't too thrilled. He'd go look at Timmy a little, but after a few minutes, he'd get bored of him and go somewhere else. Even so, I thought we were going to adjust pretty well to our new parakeet and thought Jason would come to like him once he got tamer. But I could see that I was the one who was going to have to tame Timmy.

In 2004 they celebrated Halloween on Saturday the 30th because the 31th fell on Sunday. We bought candy and saw several kids pass by the house in their costumes, but none stopped by our place to trick or treat. We figured that maybe it was because the local kids didn't know us, but I remember it kind of hurt my feelings because they didn't stop by. I love children, even though I'll never be able to bear any, and I would've loved to meet the neighborhood kids.

It was either Monday November 1st or Tuesday November 2nd, when I came home from doing a little grocery shopping while Jason was at work that I found Timmy lying on the bottom of his cage. He was of course dead. His eyes were half open and his beak was partly open like he had been chirping. When I picked him up I looked a little closer I could see there was a big clump of feathers missing from the back of his head. There were a few feathers on the bottom of the cage but that was all I could see. I wondered if he hadn't got caught on something and strangled but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had happened! I couldn't see anything that he could have got his head caught on! Anyway, it broke my heart because Timmy had really been warming up to me and was letting me reach in and pet him without any trouble. But we never did know for sure why Timmy died. And Jason acted like he didn't even care. So I buried Timmy's little body in the back yard.

When Jason was home all he cared about was his video games and his beer. I guess he was a typical guy in that, but he was becoming really withdrawn and scarcely talked even at the kitchen table. It was like I had to pry things out of him about how the job was going. Otherwise, he would usually play games on the TV in the den, while I was left with the laptop or my small electronic keyboard on the sofa in the den. And that's how our time was spent mostly. But when I made a comment about why Jason didn't ever take me out, it was like he exploded.

That was when we had our first big fight while in that house. This would have been some time in the second week of November. During that fight, we said a lot of hurtful things to each other, and afterward I left to go to mother's house. It would be a long drive, but I knew I didn't want to be around Jason if he was going to be in such a mood as he'd been, and considering what an awful thing he said to me. (I don't even want to mention that.) After that first big fight I didn't think I'd ever want to talk to Jason again.

But after about the third call from Jason to Mama's house, I decided to talk to him again. He apologized a lot but made excuses for himself. He was just tired a lot. He drank too much beer. Maybe he was depressed. But he begged for me to come back to him. He would change, he said. He would turn over a new leaf. Finally just before Thanksgiving I gave in. Mama and I were invited have Thanksgiving dinner with the big family of aunt Sandra, who is Beth's mother. (Mama helped with the cooking and made some of her awesome cornbread dressing. ) Jason was invited to join us and I went back to North Carolina with him.

It was just after we got back home after Thanksgiving that I began noticing that while I was in the kitchen the door leading to the bedroom would be closed when I was sure it was open, and open when I'm sure it had been closed. This may have happened before then, but I just can't remember. Anyway, I decided I must have been wrong, but I got a big scare when I was in the small utility room washing and drying clothes. I had just turned on the washer when I heard a loud bang. It sounded like it came from the other side of the kitchen. I stepped out and saw the door to the smaller bedroom was closed. But the thing is I had just left that room with an armful of dirty clothes. I couldn't have closed the door because my hands were full. Well, that scared me. And it was then I thought that the house might be haunted, even though I wasn't really sure if I believed in that. But I didn't go near the kitchen area the rest of that day until Jason came home. I sat out on the front porch. I even left the wash in the washing machine, if I remember correctly. So I spent most of the rest of the day in the front porch swing. I was pretty uneasy about going in the house even to go to the bathroom.

Jason made fun of me when he got home. He asked me why the hell was I sitting out in the cold. When I told him what happened he laughed. Then he said, "You're not trying to tell me this house is haunted, are you?" It p***ed me off the way he said that but I didn't say anything. Other than me being a little irritated about Jason's attitude, I was okay the rest of the night and after that things settled back to almost normal for a while. But we were both pretty down when we learned later that Jason wouldn't be getting as much work as he had been getting. It was almost as though we'd made that move for nothing.

The worst of the unexplained part came when Jason went to a bachelor party for one of his new friends he worked with. That would also be the worst part in terms of the relationship between Jason and me. This was a Friday night and his friend was supposed to get married on the following Sunday. I remember I felt like I was coming down with a cold so I didn't want to do much of anything but lay around and watch some TV. After nodding off to sleep for a couple of times I decided to go on to bed. This would have been around 11 o'clock that night. So I went to our bedroom next to the kitchen and I'm pretty sure I went to sleep immediately. I remember it wasn't overly cold that night, so I was okay with just a lightweight blanket over me. As I remember I fell asleep right away.

I was awakened by the bed shaking, like someone was physically shaking it. Then I became aware that the room felt as cold as a refrigerator. I wasn't fully awake because I was still very groggy. I half opened my eyes and saw what looked like a dark figure standing by the bed. I couldn't make it out completely, but somehow I knew the figure was a woman. The bed started shaking harder then and the woman did something which made me wake up even more. She called my mother's name two or three times, very insistently. Her name is Donna. Why would someone be calling me by my mother's name?

When I woke up completely, everything was mostly back to normal except the room was still like a meat locker. Under the weather or not, I knew I couldn't stay in the house by myself any more. So I took my blanket and a pillow and went out to the front porch and bundled up on the swing once more.

I think it was after two o'clock when Jason finally came home. I didn't really sleep the whole time, just dozed. If there were any other sounds that came from inside the house, I don't remember it. I just know I was more than relieved to see him when he drove up, and I ran to him and held on tightly. I'm pretty sure I cried like a baby.

But when I told him what I'd been through, Jason said I just had a nightmare. He made fun of me when I told him I was sure it wasn't just a dream. He told me to go inside and he would show me everything was normal. I could see it wasn't normal when I noticed that both the bedroom doors were closed. I'm sure I didn't close them because I had an arm full of pillows and a blanket before I had beat it out of the bedroom. I mentioned the doors to him but he just laughed and he said, really patronizingly, "Well, doors don't just close by themselves, Jorji. And since there aren't any ghosts around here to close them, you had to have done it!"

Then we had the worst fight we'd ever had. That was the fight which essentially ended our marriage. The mean things he said to me were just unforgivable, and these are things I don't even want to think about to this day. I ended up cursing him worse than I'd ever cursed anyone in my life and I started throwing things. That was the most out of control I had ever been in my life and it still scares me how bad I was. I don't know if I hit Jason with any of what I'd thrown, but he left the house and drove away. Where he went, I don't know. But once I finally calmed down, I gathered a few of my things and got in my car to go to Mama's house. This time I wouldn't be coming back. And that night in early December, the 10th I think, would be the last night I would ever stay in that house again. Thank God. But I was also very sad because I knew that my marriage was over to a man that I had once dearly loved.

Christmas came and my wonderful family tried to make it as nice for me as they possibly could. I'll never be able to repay them for that. Not that they would want repaying anyway. Because they know I would have done the same for them. But I missed Jason. When he was the Jason I once knew anyway. We got to see a lot of that old Jason when he came down for Thanksgiving a few weeks earlier. But somehow he went away and I don't know if he ever came back, even though physically I might have seen him a few times before, during and after our divorce. Around Christmas, Jason never did call like he did before Thanksgiving. I guess I had hurt him pretty badly myself. All the I'm sorrys in the world would never heal any of the wounds we had caused each other. I knew that and I think he did too. We didn't even call to wish each other a Merry Christmas, and that was saddest of all.

I was the one who ended up calling Jason on the day after Christmas to tell him that my Mama, my uncle Henry, and I would be coming to pick up my small amount of belongings. He said very little to me on the phone, but he sounded more ashamed than he did angry with me. He also agreed with me that getting a divorce would be best since we didn't seem to be able to live with each other anymore. I asked him did I need to worry about him having a domestic violence warrant sworn out on me, and he said no, that he hadn't even talked to the police.

It was a few days before New Year's Eve that we arrived at the house. Jason met us there and he seemed friendly enough with all of us. But he did look guilty and didn't seem to look healthy. I suspected he'd been drinking a lot but I couldn't swear to it. He also said he hadn't been staying in the house himself but had rented a small trailer in a mobile home park just outside the city. I thought that was odd. But even though were were fairly friendly, we didn't kiss each other hello for the first time in a long time. Even sadder we didn't kiss each other goodbye before I left.

But before we all left to go back to Georgia, Mama and I saw this little old white-haired lady on the porch of the house diagonally across the street. We left Uncle Henry to talk with Jason while we went over to say hello to her. And goodbye. She was very friendly and easy to talk to. I'll call her Mrs. Morris. She said she'd been living in that neighborhood since the late 50s, when her husband was alive. She stayed there after Mr. Morris died because she was still healthy and she thought that was what her husband would have wanted her to do. I thought that was sweet and wished that I would one day have such a marriage as that. (I still do.)

Mrs. Morris began to tell us a little about the neighborhood and eventually hit on some things that frankly scared the daylights out of us. She said, "Well, I see you've been living in what used to be the Williams' house. That house over there." She pointed to our rental house and I told her that was correct. Then she said something like, "Well, I'm sorry I had to call the police over there for the last two nights but I didn't know if anyone was getting killed or not. It sounded like a terrible fight." I told her that I hadn't even been to that house in a few weeks and neither did my husband, that I knew of. She kind of mumbled and looked confused, but that was all she would say. But the worst shock was when she looked at my Mama and asked, "What did you say your name was again, hon?" "Donna," said my Mama. Mrs. Morris frowned and said, "You know that reminded me of the name of that young lady that used to live in that house. Donna. She was the one who killed herself in the back of that house. She took a bunch of pills and died. But you were probably told about that." I answered that I hadn't been told anything like that, and she kind of chuckled and said, "Well, I guess they wouldn't want that getting out. Anyway, people have been moving in and out of that house ever since that happened. I never could keep up with who all moved in there. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" I didn't tell her so, but yes, it did make me wonder.

All I can say further about the house was what Jason told me when I ran into him in a mall in Atlanta, where we both came from originally. This would have been just before the 4th of July in 2005, just after our divorce was finalized. We talked a little while and then he mentioned the house. "Hey, did you hear that old house we lived in in North Carolina burned down? The building next to it caught fire and the fire jumped to the house and burned it to the ground." That old abandoned building was apparently kept by an eccentric old guy who bought it to use as a storage for his painting supplies. Some of the flammables apparently caught fire somehow and made the building practically explode, setting the old house on fire almost immediately.

So I guess it's too late if anyone decided there was anything paranormal that was happening in the house and they wanted to investigate. But anyway that's my story.

--Georgia Lewis

7/1/2014

　

　

　

　

[SaraT]

I read this remarkable story before Jorji posted it. She agrees that there may yet be rational explanations for what happened, but both of us think that this might belong in a realm which human beings don't fully understand yet. As to her story, I posted it for her under her account because she wanted me to proofread it. There was also a private message she wanted me to answer for her. Jorji entrusted me with her account password via email long enough to post the story and the PM reply, and I urged her to change her PW before she began posting again. She will probably return to the forum after her holiday.

[seeder]

Phew... what a strange experience!! Thanks for sharing.

I got a serious 'telling off' once from who I believe was my ex's grandma (dead)... after some rows with my ex...I was in the loo taking a leak and got the strongest feeling ever of someone behind me, got the chills up my spine and couldn't pee any longer... I turned around, of course no-one was there, and while I didnt hear any 'real voice' in the room...it was more an impression of someone shouting at me - and waving their finger.. the impression was SO strong, that I got the mental image of a small old female! Now Im not a pushover, but I had to leave that room damned quick

True!

But whether it was a real spook, I will never know, never happened before, or since

.

Edited July 1, 2014 by seeder

[CuriousRey]

Very interesting story, thank you for posting your experience, i'm sorry you had to go through such a tough time. Arguing with your other half and having to face the reality that you just don't work together is a harsh reality though better to face the reality than to live your life being unhappy. I cannot say that I've ever had a similar experience, and I won't even attempt to tell you what I think happened because without being a present party I really have no idea. A great read!

[jawjalou]

Thanks, seeder and CuriousRey. It wasn't very easy to write, or at least to have to go through again. About the parakeet, I've been told their hearts are pretty sensitive and they can die from a loud noise. I was thinking about that door slamming shut. But that doesn't explain the feathers missing from the back of his head. I don't see any way that he could have been plucking which is what some birds do. Not from the back of his head!

[jawjalou]

I read this remarkable story before Jorji posted it. She agrees that there may yet be rational explanations for what happened, but both of us think that this might belong in a realm which human beings don't fully understand yet. As to her story, I posted it for her under her account because she wanted me to proofread it. There was also a private message she wanted me to answer for her. Jorji entrusted me with her account password via email long enough to post the story and the PM reply, and I urged her to change her PW before she began posting again. She will probably return to the forum after her holiday.

Thanks so much for your help, Sara. You're very sweet for helping me like you did. I've changed my pw now. I might post a little tonight but I'll be away for most of the rest of the week.

[CuriousRey]

Thanks, seeder and CuriousRey. It wasn't very easy to write, or at least to have to go through again. About the parakeet, I've been told their hearts are pretty sensitive and they can die from a loud noise. I was thinking about that door slamming shut. But that doesn't explain the feathers missing from the back of his head. I don't see any way that he could have been plucking which is what some birds do. Not from the back of his head!

While I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to write I appreciate you taking the time to do so as I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I look forward to seeing more of your posts, and that is a curious detail of the parakeets demise that I couldn't quite put a logical answer to myself.

[GlennThe14TH]

What a remarkable story this was. Of course it's a good read but it brings out a few things I'm familiar with. The main thing is the personality changes you mentioned. This would entail the fights, the apparent depression and lack of interest by your husband, and your loss of control, which you expressed your own shock over. These personality changes concern me because they can obviously be dangerous. I don't mean to scare you, but I'm being frank.

Somehow I feel there is more to your story, but it's up to you whether you want to share it or not. For instance, have either of you been involved with witchcraft or the occult? I don't mean by playing Ouija, but by attempting seances, for instance? Any involvement with cults? Also: What is your view on exorcisms? You don't have to answer me on this board, but I would ask you to reconsider if you've done any of the previous seriously. None of these are mentally healthy things for a normal person to be involved with IMO and they can precipitate both mental and psychic (if you will) disturbances which can have a lasting effect, including mental illness.

As for the sad loss of your parakeet, I would suggest that the little bird got his head caught in something, for instance the swing, and he suffocated. The loss of the feathers on the back of his head could mean that he was trying to dislodge his head from whatever he was hung on but strangled himself. When he succumbed, his head then came dislodged from whatever he was hung on and he fell to the bottom of the cage, scattering the feathers on the bottom underneath him. So I doubt whether his death was related to the paranormal. I think it was just a tragic, freak accident. My mother used to raise parakeets when I was small. They're very intelligent little birds and can really get into some predicaments. Sadly, these birds are so delicate that sometimes these predicaments can prove fatal.

[jawjalou]

What a remarkable story this was. Of course it's a good read but it brings out a few things I'm familiar with. The main thing is the personality changes you mentioned. This would entail the fights, the apparent depression and lack of interest by your husband, and your loss of control, which you expressed your own shock over. These personality changes concern me because they can obviously be dangerous. I don't mean to scare you, but I'm being frank.

Somehow I feel there is more to your story, but it's up to you whether you want to share it or not. For instance, have either of you been involved with witchcraft or the occult? I don't mean by playing Ouija, but by attempting seances, for instance? Any involvement with cults? Also: What is your view on exorcisms? You don't have to answer me on this board, but I would ask you to reconsider if you've done any of the previous seriously. None of these are mentally healthy things for a normal person to be involved with IMO and they can precipitate both mental and psychic (if you will) disturbances which can have a lasting effect, including mental illness.

As for the sad loss of your parakeet, I would suggest that the little bird got his head caught in something, for instance the swing, and he suffocated. The loss of the feathers on the back of his head could mean that he was trying to dislodge his head from whatever he was hung on but strangled himself. When he succumbed, his head then came dislodged from whatever he was hung on and he fell to the bottom of the cage, scattering the feathers on the bottom underneath him. So I doubt whether his death was related to the paranormal. I think it was just a tragic, freak accident. My mother used to raise parakeets when I was small. They're very intelligent little birds and can really get into some predicaments. Sadly, these birds are so delicate that sometimes these predicaments can prove fatal.

I don't know what you see in your crystal ball but I'm not holding anything back. If that's what youre saying. I'm not going to get into personal matters. No I haven't done anything like what you said about occult or paranormal and Ive never been near an exorcism. I don't think Jason has either even though he's Catholic. Or he was.

[jawjalou]

Quite the story jawjalou. I enjoyed it. I think it's a blessing that the house burned down. I wouldn't want to be living in a house with an angry entity. I'm curious about what your neighbour said about calling the police. I think I would have gone to the police to ask questions. You would have had the right to ask because the lease would still have been in your name. Who would be arguing in that house if you or your ex wasn't staying in it? Curious indeed. And why wouldn't your ex stay in it? Maybe he also had an experience after you left.

All the best to you. Thanks for the story and welcome to UM.

Thank you.

I think Jason did come back to the house. Probably even threw a party with friends. That's why police were called I believe. I think now he came up with the story about the trailer park to try and get my sympathy. He wasn't making as much money then because of not working as much. I don't see how he could afford two rents.

[Sweetpumper]

Very interesting.

[SaraT]

Thank you.

I think Jason did come back to the house. Probably even threw a party with friends. That's why police were called I believe. I think now he came up with the story about the trailer park to try and get my sympathy. He wasn't making as much money then because of not working as much. I don't see how he could afford two rents.

(The bold script is mine, of course.)

You've confirmed one of my suspicions that I didn't tell you about, Jorji.

[Perceptivum]

That was a rather fascinating story and therapeutic I hope, as it seems you are a very sensitive soul.

[JVG]

This was no doubt a hard story for you to share by bringing up a lot of hurt feelings and trauma that you had to endure not just with what was going in the house but also the break up of your marriage. The house seems to lack warmth the way you mention the layout and very strange that the kids avoided it on Halloween. It's nice to know that you have strong support from your family and I wish you the best in the future....Kudos to SaraT...

[jawjalou]

(The bold script is mine, of course.)

You've confirmed one of my suspicions that I didn't tell you about, Jorji.

It was suspicious. Him having an affair was at the back of my mind.

[jawjalou]

This was no doubt a hard story for you to share by bringing up a lot of hurt feelings and trauma that you had to endure not just with what was going in the house but also the break up of your marriage. The house seems to lack warmth the way you mention the layout and very strange that the kids avoided it on Halloween. It's nice to know that you have strong support from your family and I wish you the best in the future....Kudos to SaraT...

That was a rather fascinating story and therapeutic I hope, as it seems you are a very sensitive soul.

Thanks guys.

It was therapeutic being able to talk about but I talked about it with my family from the start. Especially the unexplained parts. Mama said she noticed a difference in me and that concerned her. She told me later she worried about me a lot. She also said she hated that house from the start and didn't know why other than it didn't seem like a happy place. And she was right.

[GlennThe14TH]

I don't know what you see in your crystal ball but I'm not holding anything back. If that's what youre saying. I'm not going to get into personal matters. No I haven't done anything like what you said about occult or paranormal and Ive never been near an exorcism. I don't think Jason has either even though he's Catholic. Or he was.

OK, no offense.

[jawjalou]

Since I've been through this, I have a take on the paranormal. I don't think things like this exist on a physical level. They're on a deep mental level. Maybe you could call it a psychic level. It's useless to try to take photos or videos or recordings of something that isn't physical. It's like taking photos of anger or happiness.

Some of the TV investigators talk about high EMF readings. That could be a cause, maybe. Since your brain operates on electrical impulses maybe high EMF sometimes interferes with the impulses in some way. And maybe there a places on earth where EMF is high for some unknown reason and not necessarily "haunted." Could these affect our emotions? I don't know. But maybe.