Phantoms & Specters. Lisa Yorio
in college I decided to do a shocking speech on this topic for my public speaking class.
The speech about my paranormal experience was very successful. I received an A, got many laughs, and a handful of people waiting to talk to me afterwards to ask more questions and share some of their ghostly experiences with the unknown.
The Dumpster
Meadow Lane Apartments
Spring Valley, New York
Cryptid Sighting
1977
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, both associated with pseudoscience, a cryptid (from the Greek, krypto, and meaning "hide") is an animal or plant whose existence has been suggested but has not been discovered or documented by the scientific community. The most common creatures that are affiliated with this category are Bigfoot, the Lock Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, the Moth man, Chupacabra, and Mermaids.
I lived at Meadow Lane Apartments in Spring Valley, New York when I was seven years old. Of course, like all other kids in the neighborhood, I would ride my bike around all over the complex. I would pretend I was riding a horse, carrying around a sword and a shield. In my mind, I was battling dragons and monsters.
I would wander around the wooded area behind the dumpster with my friends. One time, I noticed these peculiar branches in the shape of a pig's foot. They kept appearing everywhere I looked. It was a foreshadowing of what I was about to see.
I remember it was a full moon that night. A lot of paranormal activity happens during this time as well as two days before a full moon and two days after. Also, there is an increase in activity during lunar eclipses, solar eclipses, and meteor showers.
One evening, after dinner, I was getting ready to take a bag of trash to the community dumpster. I gathered up the bag and threw it on the back of my bike. It started getting dark so I peddled faster.
As I approached the dumpster; I heard a noise in the bushes. It sounded like a snort or a grunt. I could hear the branches creaking and the leaves crunching. It sounded like something was moving closer towards me.
I got scared and I didn't want to see what it was, so I threw the trash in the dumpster, jumped on my bike and started peddling as fast as I could.
I heard a loud bang behind me, it sounded like something hit the dumpster. I did not want to turn around but my curiosity got the best of me. I stopped to get a closer look. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There on the lid of the dumpster stood a small pig like creature. It was walking slowly from one end to the other. At this point, it was completely dark but I could see a silhouette illuminated by the rays of the moon.
I was nervous but I wanted to get a better look so I went a little closer. I was horrified at what I saw. It was hideous. It was a figure about three or four feet high. It looked like its upper body was a pig and its lower body was a goat. Actually, the head looked more like a wild boar. It was all hairy, and it had a short snout, long, sharp bottom teeth and pointy ears. It had sharp talons and hoofed feet. It was standing upright pacing back and forth. It stopped for a split second; it slowly turned its head and looked directly at me. It sent shivers down my spine.
I remembered, the kids in the neighborhood had been talking about seeing some kind of little monster around the dumpster and the nearby woods. I didn't believe then until I finally saw this creature with my own eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing; it was straight out of a horror movie. I gasped and was too afraid to move.
Finally, what seemed like forever, I got enough courage to get back on my bike and ride away. I was peddling faster and faster and I kept turning my head looking back to see if it was still there. It was. When I got to the corner to make a right turn, I noticed it has disappeared. I remember telling some of my friends the next day. Some had said they had seen it too.
I waited about a week until I had to go back to the Dumpster. I was afraid that I might see it again, but I was also curious to know if it was still there or did it live in the wooded area behind the dumpster.
I kept looking for it weeks after I had first seen it, but I never saw it again. I knew this was something that would stay in my mind forever. I would remember this creature for the rest of my life. I didn't recall this shocking experience until I was in my mid-twenties.
Haunted Objects
Possessed Possessions
What is a possessed possession and how does it become a haunted object? The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be transferred. So one theory about a "haunted object" is simply that energy is being deposited onto an item instead of it floating around the ether and popping up at inopportune times. The energy leaves a residue that enables the object to present itself to people sensitive enough to pick up on its activity in the way of movement, talking, feelings of doom, etc. An item may also be used as an agent for the spirit to manipulate, such as a chair being thrown across a room. Other objects such as roads, houses, and waterways may also be haunted through the transference of a great emotional experience. Haunted objects can lurk at estate sales, flea markets, antique fairs, thrift stores, antique shops, auctions, roadside finds or through an inheritance.
I came across some scary looking dolls encased in glass on display in the gift store inside the haunted Miramount Museum in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I was attending the reenactment of Emma Crawford's Victorian wake. This was an annual Halloween fund raising event at the museum.
Looking at these dolls I thought about the people claiming to have haunted possessions such as antique chairs, tables, clocks, watches, books, and of course dolls. Almost any inanimate object can hold latent energy and become a haunted possession. Can spirits really be attached to objects?
One theory states that individual, collective, or residual energy may remain with a specific object after the passing of the owner. They may have had a strong connection to the object in life or had a traumatic event that had taken place associated with the particular object. There may be a spirit or many who are connected to this particular object. If the object is haunted; uneasy, or unnerving feelings may be experienced when handling these objects.
One of the most widely reported experiences occurs with items that have been picked up on wartime battlefields or artifacts that have remained in the possession of the original recipient until their passing.
Famous psychic Sylvia Browne claims that a spirit might have a lingering fondness for an object they once possessed and may want to come visit it. She also states that every object is capable of holding an imprint and it may not always be a positive one. She recommends before purchasing an antique item, be sure to handle it and spend a little bit of time with it before making a decision to bring it home. She says if you handle it, you may be able to pick up negative energy. Then if you sense this, of course it is not advised to bring it home. Perhaps, this may be a haunted object. Strange occurrences may happen if you bring the item into your house. This can include unexplained thuds, bangs, knocking, and creaking sounds. Ghostly murmurs, shadows, cold spots, or various other paranormal activity may also occur.
My aunt told me of a scary experience that she encountered when she went shopping at a local antique store in Tucson, Arizona. She was attracted to a beautiful antique Tiffany lamp that sat on a table in the back of the store. She was immediately drawn to it as soon as she set foot inside the store. She picked it up to examine it and as soon as she touched it she had a vision of an old woman lying on her death bed. The woman seemed to be alone, angry, and had a very negative and evil disposition about her. The lamp appeared to be sitting beside her on the nightstand. Then the old woman touched the lamp. My aunt was still holding it and suddenly the vision ended. She decided against buying it. She felt there was a lot of negative energy associated with the lamp.
One of the most terrifying reports of paranormal phenomenon associated