Our church offices are in a really cool 1950’s house, built
back when Blue Springs only had one doctor in town. My office is in the former
den, I’m guessing. It has wood paneling and a nifty built-in television set,
with 13 channels on the dial. Although
the television no longer works, I love having my office in such a cozy, quirky
space.
There is one other distinct quirk to my office. I share my office with a ghost.
He (she?) makes her presence known when I leave my office-
sometimes. After I’ve pulled my door shut and walk down the hallway, I will
hear a loud “thunk” behind me, as if someone has just flung themselves against
my door. On a recent weekend, Jan and I were in the office before worship. She
walked out before I did. I closed my office, and there was the noise. I didn’t
think much about it and, realizing I had left something behind, I went back
into my office. Once again, as soon as I left, there was a really loud “thunk.”
“Okay,” I said aloud, “now you’re starting to scare me.”
Except that she isn’t scaring me, exactly. She intrigues me.
By making her noise only when I leave, I gather that she is lonely and doesn’t like
to be left alone.
Now that I have begun to notice these noises, I have started
to ask others to listen with me. They wait, patiently and alertly, while I shut
my door and walk down the hall. Nothing. I’ve asked several different people at
several different times to listen. Nothing, except for quizzical (and maybe
sympathetic) glances from the listeners. (“Gee, Sally, you’ve really been
working awfully hard lately. . .”) Apparently,
my ghost is shy and doesn’t like to make her noise when others are around.
I was the last one to leave the office tonight. My mind was
on my shopping list as I walked out, when a loud “thunk” reminded me of the
ghost I was leaving behind.
Who needs Halloween when one has a ghost of one’s own?
If you know me at all, you know that the only ghost I
actually believe in is the Holy Ghost. I know, also, that there are many things
in this world that defy understanding. I’ve been casting around some for a
logical explanation, and none has been forthcoming yet. Maybe something tragic
happened in that room, or maybe it’s that the air conditioning creates some
weird air pressure thing. Who knows?
I do love a good ghost story, though, because I know they don’t
speak fully into reality, only into a human effort to understand that for which
there isn’t a clear explanation. So here is my very own ghost story- Happy
Halloween!
