When I was in middle school, my school’s library had copies of books called “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” which were full of spooky short stories that made you wonder about, and fear, what actually happens in the dark. During the Halloween season, these books were very popular amongst us students, as we loved reading these stories and freaking each other out. I typically don’t like being scared, which is why I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween, but during every fall season in middle school, these scary story books resurfaced and captured my fascination with the haunts and horrors that lay on their pages.
One spooky element that I have been especially fascinated with is ghosts. Of course, the various monsters, spirits and creepy characters within the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” books are meant to be portrayed as evil and things that no one would typically want to have around. However, in the real world, I don’t believe this to be completely true about ghosts.
In the real world, I believe that ghosts exist, and I believe that most of them are not here to haunt people. Of course there are some people who don’t believe in ghosts at all, or those who don’t know what they believe in because they think it’s a realm of the unknown. But, what I believe in is the existence of people who have passed on, whose souls or spirits are still present on this earth in some other form. I like to think that when people die, they aren’t just gone; they are still here with us in some way. The only way I can think of this being possible is if their spirits were somehow still present with us, like in the form of a ghost.
Sometimes things happen in my life that are just too convenient or didn’t have to work out the way they did, but they did anyway, and I like to contribute those moments to the ghosts of my grandparents because I believe they are looking out for me even though they are gone. I also don’t know if anyone else has experienced a chilling sensation that seems to run through your skin and make your hairs stand up on your arms, but that sometimes happens to me when I’m stressed or am just in need of a pick-me-up. What if those chills were ghosts letting you know that they are there? I would believe it.
The show “Long Island Medium” with Theresa Caputo fascinates me as well. Caputo is a medium who can supposedly communicate with people who have died. She meets with people to help them connect and communicate with their loved ones who have passed on, using herself as a bridge between them. Of course, this is a television show in which everything could be fabricated to increase viewership, but there are some details that Caputo brings up about these people’s family members that seem too specific to fabricate. The reactions of Caputo’s clients when she connects with their loved ones and shares messages are also very emotional. They are either really good actors or Caputo is actually communicating with the spirits, which means that they do exist and are not completely gone when they die.
Earlier, I said that I don’t believe most ghosts are here to haunt people, but I definitely think there are some who do not have good intentions and decide to terrorize people. This makes me think of “The Conjuring” movies about paranormal activity that two separate families experience in their homes. As if these movies weren’t creepy enough on their own, they are based on true stories from the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, from Monroe, Conn., who were called to help these families rid themselves of their household horrors. While the movies dramatize and enhance some elements to make the films scarier and more entertaining for viewers, they are nonetheless still true stories of spirits or demonic presences that haunted these families.
I think these demonic spirits are in the minority compared to ghosts or spirits that are here to watch over and connect with their loved ones who they sadly had to leave in the physical world. It’s a calming thought for me that our loved ones are still with us in some capacity.
I know there’s not much definitive proof of ghosts, but I certainly believe in them, just like I believe in Santa Claus (P.S. Forget Halloween…I am so ready for Christmas).
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