Grandfather Ghosts

After my great grandfather's death, many of my family members reported hearing strange sounds in my grandfather's house. They would hear doors open and close, and the sounds of footsteps walking around at night. Whenever anyone would ask my grandfather what the sound was, he'd say "that's just my dad, coming to check up on us."

The house is an old one, and you can not only clearly recognize the sounds of footsteps, but you can also accurately determine where in the house they are coming from by sound alone. Although my family tried to explain it away with descriptions of the house settling, noen of them were ever happy with these descriptions.

Thirteen years ago, in my last few months living in Stanislaus County before heading to UC Santa Cruz, my grandfather died. After this happened, family members tell me that there have been no more mysterious sounds or unusual happenings. However, my father reports that he now hears opening/closing doors and footsteps in his house at night. Perhaps it is the fate of the men of my family that we get to spend eternity looking after the poor housekeeping habits of our male descendants. If that's the case, then here's hoping that I have daughters.



Commentary: I have heard this story from numerosu family members for many years. Myself, I have never heard nor seen anything unusual in either my grandfather's or my father's house, so I can not confirm any of the story.

What is interesting to me, however, is that the ghost, if indeed that's what it is, doesn't seem to be viewed with fear or suspicion by the family, but simply as a manifestation of a deceased relative's concern. This is especially interesting as some of the family members who are quite comfortable with the presence of this ghost (or ghosts) have commented that other alleged hauntings were not the work of dead humans but of demons and other diabolical forces. However, when questioned about their own experiences, they opt for the more comforting answer.



SOURCES: Personal experience, Personal account