The Forgotten Body - Short Ghost Story

Katy was twelve when she first knew that aside from her family, there was another presence in the house. It was almost dusk, and she was sitting alone at the swing out front. She had been waiting for Penny, the nanny, to call her in for dinner when she saw a lady in the kitchen window. The lady was wearing a long white dress, her hair was pitch black, and her skin pale in contrast. Even though she couldn't quite see the lady's face, she knew she was pretty. Katy was still looking at the lady when she turned her head and smiled. She headed back to the house but stopped in her tracks when she saw the lady up close, around the corner.

Where the lady's eyes should have been, were deep, dark and empty sockets. Her head was still inclined towards Katy, and on her mouth was a plastered smile. Katy almost uttered a scream when Penny came out to call her in, "Katy! There you are. What are you doing?"

Ghoststory

"Hi, Penny! I'm starving..." She looked back into the kitchen, but the lady was no longer there.

*****

"Please pass the peas, Katy. Katy? Katy!" her mom, Mrs. Marie, snapped her fingers.

"Oh. Yes, Mum?" Katy had been in a daze, thinking about her earlier encounter with their other resident.

"The peas, dearest darling," Katy did as she was asked. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about, darling? You've hardly touched your food."

She hesitated for a moment, in light of the possibility that if she told her mom what had transpired that afternoon, they might think her silly. But her mind wouldn't keep her at peace. "Mom, who owned this place before we moved in?"

Mr. and Mrs. Marie looked taken aback. After a bout of silence, her dad was first to speak.

"This place was empty for many years. The last occupants had left 13 years before we moved in. They were the Lucans. Why do you ask, Katy?"

"Hmm, is there any chance they had a daughter? Maybe about 20 years of age?"

"Where are all these questions coming from dear?" there was a hint of strain and panic in Mrs. Marie's voice.

"There was someone this afternoon, in the kitchen..."

Creak. Creak. Creak. They all turned to look at the stairs. After a few long moments, the creaking stopped, but the air in the house suddenly felt chilly, if only slightly.

"Dad, maybe we ought to move out tomorrow. Please, Dad." She had never seen her mom so frightened. Her dad agreed and told them to pack their things tonight.

Without asking, Katy figured out what was happening. After dinner, her mom helped her pack in her room. They went into bed together while her father was out to arrange their move tomorrow.

But Katy couldn't sleep that night. She felt as if someone was in the room with them, and someone was watching them both. That night, the house seemed cold despite it being summer, and noises were becoming more and more prominent as the night grew older.

Katy could not restrain herself any longer and decided to come down to the kitchen. She wanted to run back up when she saw the lady sitting quietly on the kitchen counter. Despite the hesitation in her legs, she mustered the last ounce of any courage she had left and approached the lady. She peered through the lady's dark hair and looked at her as though she actually had eyes. The lady smiled again.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Katy implored.

Even though the lady did not have eyes, she appeared sad and stood up. She took Katy by the arm and started leading her outside. While they were moving Katy felt the heat in her body slowly draining out where the lady's hand held her. She was scared but would not let her curiosity have her.

The lady knelt down beside the swing without saying a word. She sat still for a few moments, then started digging with both her hands, scraping her fingernails into the cold, damp earth. After a few minutes of what felt like an eternity, Katy started to see bones of a hand emerging from the dirt. And then she noticed that one finger had a ring. She helped dig with the lady after what seemed like an hour. The earth revealed bones of a young woman who passed away a long time ago. Katy looked over to where the lady was sitting, but all she saw was the swing. And empty earth. Her mother woke up and came looking for her, and all that they had seen, they reported to the police.

The body was of Carol Lucan, a 22-year old lady who was to be married. On the eve of her wedding, she was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The police had to file her case unsolved after many years of fruitless searching. With Katy's discovery of her remains, the police could open her file again. Katy's family gave her a proper burial on auspicious land, and from then on, the ghost of the young lady never appeared before them again.

The Forgotten Body - Short Ghost Story

To read more ghost stories, visit ReadingRabbits.com, where you will find some of the coolest online short stories.

Ghost Haunting Breaks in York, England

York is an absolute treasure trove for anyone interested in all things spectral. York was named the most haunted city in Europe by the Ghost Research Foundation International (GRFI) and it seems that every room, building or street seems to be haunted in this beautiful city. York is haunted by no less than 140 different ghosts haunting York, with an amazing 500+ recorded hauntings (this figure is still growing you ghost lovers will be pleased to know). Taking advantage of York's large number of spooks, there is a significant ghost walk/haunt industry here. If you are looking for accommodation in York and intend to take on one of the ghost hunts then try the York Pavilion hotel. They have scheduled events that include 3 course dinner followed by a ghost hunt. Expert guides, psychics, and ghost hunting equipment provide an authentic setting for a spooky touch to your visit.

At the start of any ghost seeking visit you may want to visit the York Dungeon to get you in the mood, where live actors reenact scenes of torture, plague and execution in the most grisly detail - it may be best to do this after lunch, but maybe not straight after! Follow on with a visit to the Micklegate Bar Museum, which stands at the main gateway of the city, and is where the heads of executed traitors were once displayed.

Ghoststory

There is an abundance of ghost walks to choose from, some being serious and historically informative, and some being down right silly but lots of fun with actors in grisly costume ambushing the group at particular points on the tour.

The Original Ghost Walk of York started in 1973 and takes place very night at 8pm starting at The Kings Arms, by Ouse Bridge. This is good ghost story telling at its best, and their guides are BTA Blue Badge or Equity award holders.

The Ghost Hunt of York - every night at 7.30pm from the Shambles.  This is one of the theatrical walks, and is great for children as the guides are dressed up in period costume.  This one is popular so expect large groups.

The Ghost Detective - every night from July to Halloween at 7.30pm from the Jorvik Viking Centre, Coppergate.  Another good tour if you have kids with you but best to warn the kids that the guide may involve them  when he's telling some of their stories. The guide is an Equity member with an award for stand-up comedy.

The Ghost Trail of York - begins every night at 7.30pm from the West Doors of York Minster, is led by Equity Qualified guides and is great for families. Expect large groups on this tour as it seems very popular.

One of the more famous ghosts to haunt York is the 'lost' Roman Legion that is said to haunt the old Treasurer's House. The first sighting was made in 1953 by an apprentice plumber name Harry Martindale. He was installing a heating system in the cellars of the old Treasurer's House and reported seeing the 2000-year old ghosts all carrying swords and spears walking through a corridor seemingly on the knees. This is interesting since the old Roman road is located roughly fifteen inches below the cellar and it is believed that Martindale wasn't aware of this fact when questioned. So the ghosts would have been walking on their own familiar road, on their way to the Minster. There have been several other sightings since Martindales' but sadly, the old cellars are now  closed to visitors.

Ghost Haunting Breaks in York, England

You can read more ghostly tales and get news on York Ghost Walks at the York England Hotels Guide where Jonathan writes

How to Write a Great Topic Sentence

The first sentence of any short article is the MOST important sentence in the entire article. The first sentence is referred to as the topic sentence. It represents the main idea of the article. The topic sentence is made up of two parts; a limited subject and a precise opinion. For example, the topic sentence of this article consists of a limited subject; "The first sentence of any article" and a precise opinion; "is the most important sentence in the entire article". This article will show you how to choose a limited subject, how to express your opinion about the limited subject, and how to write the topic sentence.

Choose a Limited Subject: The key here is to select a subject that's limited enough to be covered within the confines of the short article. In other words, you should be able to fully support the limited subject using between 300 and 600 words or so. For example, the limited subject of this article, "the first sentence of any short article," is limited enough to support in a short article. Imagine how long it would take to write an article detailing everything you've done over the course of a year. That would be one very long article. Now, imagine writing an article detailing everything you did on July 4th of that year. I'd bet you could do that in 300-600 words.

Ghoststory

Express Your Opinion: You can express your opinion by telling the reader exactly what you think about the limited subject. What, precisely, is your opinion on the subject you have chosen? Does it taste great or is it less filling? Which side are you on? More importantly, why? You mustn't be vague when you express your opinion. Words like nice, good and interesting are vague. They beg the reader to ask, "What do you mean?" Words like beautiful, delicious and dangerous leave little to the imagination.

Writing the Topic Sentence: The basic structure for writing the topic sentence is very simple. First, state the limited subject and then state the precise opinion. Here are a few examples:

• The Godfather is the greatest movie of all time.
• Broccoli rabe is my favorite vegetable.
• Strunk and White's "the Elements of Style" is the very best book of its kind.
• Learning to draw cartoons is the best way to enhance creativity.
• Starting your own internet business is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to ensure a lifetime of financial stability.

I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the point. I hope this will help you write powerful topic sentences in your own articles. It's pretty easy as long as you remember to stick to a limited subject and as long as you remember to clearly state your precise opinion about that subject. This will help set the level of expectation for the reader and will allow you to focus on supporting your assertion that [insert limited subject] is [insert precise opinion].

How to Write a Great Topic Sentence

Roland C. Bonay is an engineer in New Jersey with a passion for writing and drawing. Visit his blog at http://www.rolandbonay.com for more article and essay writing tips and to download your free copy of the Article and Essay Writing Handbook.

Celebrity Ghost Stories - Telly Savalas

Best known for his iconic TV portrayal of the lollipop-loving detective Theo Kojak, the late, great Greek-born actor Telly Savalas had a real ghostly experience whilst driving home on Long Island at 3 a.m. one summer morning in 1954, when he ran out of petrol and decided to walk to a nearby freeway where he knew there would be a petrol station still open for service.

He walked through a wooded park, as a shortcut, when suddenly this man called out: "I'll give you a lift!"

Ghoststory

Savalas admitted to being quite shaken by the voice, as he hadn't heard the big black Cadillac pull up beside him. But the man, who was dressed all in white, looked okay, and he took Telly to the service station. Once there, Savalas became instantly embarrassed on finding that he did not have enough change for the petrol. However, the stranger didn't seem bothered by this, and just handed over some notes and said it was OK, as he could pay him back later.

Whilst they were driving back to the car, the stranger remarked to Savalas that he knew Harry Agannis. When Savalas asked who he was, the man said he was a baseball player with the Boston Red Sox. But Savalas had never heard of him. That was the extent of the conversation, and the man dropped Savalas back at his car.

The following day, Savalas received a big surprise when he read in a newspaper that the baseball player Agannis had died suddenly at the age of 24. Apparently he had died around about the same time that his name had been mentioned by the stranger in the car.

At first, Savalas attributed this to just pure coincidence. However, when he tried to phone the guy to give him his money back, a woman answered and Savalas explained why he was ringing. The woman sounded a little strange, and asked what car the guy had been driving and what he had been wearing. When Savalas told her, the woman began to cry, saying that Savalas had just described her husband - who'd died three years earlier.

Stunned by what the woman had told him, Savalas began to speculate on all kinds of possible explanations, but couldn't really think of anything logical that would definitely account for what he had experienced on that lonely road in the early hours of the morning. Thus, Savalas eventually came to accept that, apparently, he'd taken a ride in a car with a dead man.

Celebrity Ghost Stories - Telly Savalas

http://www.trueghoststories.co.uk

The Harrowing By Alexandra Sokoloff

Take five "discarded" college students, an empty eerie old dormitory, a raging storm and a half-burnt Ouija board and you've the fine ingredients for a superb ghost story. Fortunately author Sokoloff delivers a first rate novel that does not disappoint. In fact, it is so good she has been nominated for the prestigious Anthony Award in the Best First Novel category.

According to Sokoloff, The Harrowing is based on the real life experiences she lived through from her high school and college days. She formed the main characters from her years teaching emotionally disturbed and jailed teens within the Los Angeles County prison system.

Ghoststory

The book puts five unlikely students together during the Thanksgiving weekend in a mid-western campus. As the rain douses the dark, lonely Baird College Mendan Hall our main characters seem to gravitate toward the same desolate entertainment room: Robin, the daughter of a mentally unstable mother and a father who doesn't want her; Lisa, a tease; Patrick, a steroid driven football player; Cain a brooding musician and last Martin, the agnostic son of an orthodox rabbi.

None want to go home. They quickly become a whole unit over a seemingly prank-filled supernatural board game that brings to like a sixth unseen being. Terrifying things begin to happen to each member of the newly formed group. Through research they uncover a plot by the spectrum to kill them all and possibly others in its wake to take over the building.

They lose a member to the being-but why, how and when will keep you reading non-stop until the very last turn of the page.

Alexandra Sokoloff has put together one of the most entertainingly eerie ghost stories I've had the pleasure to read.

The Harrowing By Alexandra Sokoloff

Carine Nadel is on The Reader's Advisory Panel of Woman's Day magazine and has had numerous articles and recipes published both on various websites and print publications. To read more of her work, log onto: http://www.Carine-whatscooking.blogspot.com

Stephenie Meyer - From Stay-At-Home Mom to Best-Selling Author

Stephenie Meyer has received a great deal of media attention as the late-blooming author of a vampire romance series known as 'Twilight'. Before publication of the book, Meyer had been a homemaker and mother to three young sons. Prior to motherhood, her work history consisted of a brief stint as a receptionist. She claims that the plot and characters for the original book of the Twilight series came to her in a compelling dream.

The first book was ignored or rejected by several agents before being picked up by Writers House and subsequently picked up at auction by Little, Brown and Co. The publisher signed a three-quarter million dollar deal for three books. Fame and fortune followed. By 2009, Meyer had won awards such as the British Book Award, the New York Times best seller list and USA Today's list. The Twilight series held the top four places on USA Today's year end list in both 2008 and 2009.

Ghoststory

The books have sold over 100 million copies and are published in 37 languages. The author cites her Mormon faith as a direct influence on the value espoused in the books, although critics question the subject matter. Other critics call her male Twilight lead a stalker, spouse abuser and similar epithets and define the heroine as co-dependent.

The story that she wrote following the 2003 dream eventually became a chapter in the finished book "Twilight" published in 2005. The original book was eventually expanded into a four novel series consisting of Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007) and Breaking Dawn (2008). The series is classified as young adult romantic vampire fiction. A later book known as Midnight Sun was shelved after a plot leak occurred. Midnight Sun was to be related to Twilight characters but told from a different perspective, that of Edward Cullen.

A non-Twilight related book known as 'The Host' was published in 2008 and is expected to be followed by 'The Soul' and perhaps by a third book to be known as 'The Seeker'. The Host is adult science fiction. Several other books or stories are in the works by this author. 'Summer House' is a ghost story. She also has a mermaid novel and another novel featuring time travel.

Except for the vampire basis of the story, the plot of Twilight resembles features of many of the earlier novelists such as Bronte, Austen and even William Shakespeare. Some of the characters, particularly Edward, give a strong flavor of Bronte novel. In order to understand some plot twists and turns, you would need to have some background in vampire theory.

The Twilight series is now in movie form, with the first two in the series already released and the third due for release in June 2010. No decision has been made yet on the final book of this series. It may be released separately as a two-part movie.

There is no question that Stephenie Meyer's books and movie pieces are a popular draw to a generation of young adults who were raised on Harry Potter books and movies. The Vast majority of the readership of Twilight books is female, rather than both genders as with the Potter books.

Stephenie Meyer - From Stay-At-Home Mom to Best-Selling Author

To get more information about the Eclipse DVD release date, the Twilight movies and merchandise go to Eclipse DVD release.

A Christmas Carol: Why Did Dickens Call It A Carol?

In early December of 1843, Charles Dickens completed the manuscript for a little ghost story about Christmas. He called it A Christmas Carol and the publisher printed the first copies a week before Christmas. By Christmas Eve all 6000 printed copies were sold. The story was overwhelmingly received, being read and repeated in homes throughout London.

Charles Dickens had conceived the idea of writing a Christmas story less than three months earlier. The idea was partially a response to his urgent need to produce some additional income. His publisher had informed Dickens that sales of his novels were not as great as expected and that he would have to reduce the advance income due Dickens until sales increased.

Ghoststory

Dickens described his writing plan as "a little scheme," but as the writing of the story progressed, Dickens was overwhelmed by the story's joyful message. He said that during the writing he "wept, and laughed, and wept again." The little ghost story became a special project that Dickens became passionate about and finished quickly.

Charles Dickens insisted that the book contain numerous woodcuts and etchings and be well-bound. Then he also insisted that it should sell for the small price of five shillings to make it affordable to a wide audience. The book was no longer part of a personal economic plan but was a gift from Dickens to the imaginations of families everywhere and a blessing to everyone.

Dickens called his story A Christmas Carol because he expected the story to be repeated and shared and to bring people together just as the singing of Christmas carols spread joy and brought families together each season throughout London. His carol was a song of praise of the Christmas season and of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Cleverly, Dickens called the five chapters of the book "staves." A musical stave is a stanza with a consistent theme and mood. Each stave in the story delivers a different message and each has a definite mood. As in a carol each stave can stand alone but each contributes to the carol's overall theme.

A good carol also contains a memorable refrain, repeated at appropriate times throughout. In Dickens' A Christmas Carol the refrain is no doubt the blessing from Tiny Tim, "God bless us every one!" It's a refrain that has been repeated countless times since the publishing of A Christmas Carol.

The story sings the praises of the sentiments of the Christmas season in a memorable way and will be repeated as long as carols and the Christmas season endure.

A Christmas Carol: Why Did Dickens Call It A Carol?

********************
Garry Gamber is a public school teacher and entrepreneur. He writes articles about politics, real estate, health and nutrition, and internet dating services. He is the owner of http://www.Anchorage-Homes.com and http://www.TheDatingAdvisor.com.

Check Out Peggy's Cove Lighthouse

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, at the eastern entrance to St. Margaret's Bay, is the most photographed lighthouse in the world, standing on a huge granite outcropping surrounded by unpredictable seas. Indeed, several visitors a year are swept away by the vicious waves and quite a few tourists have met their end at the mercy of the waters.

The first lighthouse in the cove was built in 1868, a wooden structure atop a caretaker's house. It was replaced in 1914 by the familiar structure that is so famous today, an eight sided traditional shape that's fifty feet high. The original tower was finally destroyed in 1954 by Hurricane Edna after years of disuse. Peggy's Cove Lighthouse sits just outside the small fishing village of the same name. Despite the extensive traffic the area attracts, the 120 people who live in Peggy's Cove have maintained the relaxed atmosphere we usually associate with a traditional fishing community. There is a small core of sixty year-round villagers that make their living fishing for lobster.

Ghoststory

Automated in 1958, the lighthouse's red light was changed to white and then finally to green in the 1970's. It's the only lighthouse in North America that has its own post office on the premises, cancelling each item mailed with the image of the lighthouse. The gift shop has postcards for sale, of course!

There has been some damage to the lighthouse over the years, most notably by Hurricane Juan in 2003. During that particular storm, the foundation under the gift shop was damaged and the water was powerful enough to move 300-500 pound boulders! The village sustained substantial damage during that hurricane from the waves that came tearing along the rocks and over the walls to flood the streets.

The area was originally settled by immigrants from Scotland and you can often hear the soft strains of bagpipes during your visit or even see a piper standing on the lighthouse's outcropping-well away from the treacherous waves, of course! The area is so popular that the locals advice people to make their visits during the early morning or evening hours in order to avoid the tour buses. It's said that the granite outcropping upon which the lighthouse sits is as fascinating as the building itself. One tourist estimated that at least fifty rolls of film were used during his tour's hour there. That's not surprising, considering the beauty of the area and the majestic waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Peggy's Cove has other attractions, too; the most notable is the 100 foot mural carved in granite by the Finnish artist William deGarthe when he was seventy years of age. It depicts 32 fishermen and their families, watched over by St. Elmo. There is also an elegant memorial to the victims of SwissAir flight 1111 that crashed near the cove in 1998.

No one is really sure how the cove came by its name. Some say it's named for St. Margaret's Bay but most people prefer the more sensational story of a shipwreck survivor. Shortly after the cove was settled in 1811, a schooner ran aground and the only survivor was a young girl of 15 who managed to swim ashore. The townspeople adopted her and named her Margaret as she could remember neither her own name or anything about her life before the shipwreck. There is even a series of historical fiction books about her that are popular with young readers in Canada. Peggy's ghost is rumored to wander the area around the lighthouse occasionally.

Check Out Peggy's Cove Lighthouse

You can find bank checks styles with famous lighthouses and hundreds of other styles by visiting Checks-For-Less.com. They offer Checks Unlimited and a one stop place to checks personal order for your home or business needs. Try them today!

Dr Lynch - Grave Secrets Review

A skeptic's work is never done since you'll always be trying to find a new mystery to debunk here and there. Good thing that there's no lack of mysteries in the world. As a matter of fact, in Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets, you get to play detective once again to solve a ghost story happening in one of England's most quiet towns.

In this game, you take the role of Dr. Ignatius Lynch, the world renowned skeptic famous for disproving spiritual phenomena. This time, your assignment takes you to an important archaeological dig in Brombury, England. What's happening is that there seems to be a saboteur in the team's midst, destroying equipment and causing havoc to their project. But the worst part of the scenario is the presence of a ghostly figure haunting the team's campsite, meaning that there's definitely something fishy going on, and Dr. Lynch's spider-sense is tingling like mad!

Ghoststory

Anyway, talking about the gameplay, your role in Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets is to find several listed objects acting as clues towards the solution of your investigation. Find all the objects within the specified time limit and use limited hints if you're having a hard time locating the items. Sometimes, optional tasks are also available for you to complete if you have extra time remaining in your quest. Completing optional tasks will reward you with extra hints, and considering the challenge presented by this hidden object game, you'll definitely need each and every ounce of hint you can get your hands on.

Now, there are also various mini-games you get to play using all the inventory items you collected from the actual hidden object puzzles, but the feature in which the game shines most is its deep storyline as presented on comic strips after each stage, from clues you found during your adventure, and from Clue Cards you collect after interrogating the town's locals. This game's story is really as good as they get, maybe just lacking the super-eerie feeling I expected from the game's title, but still very engaging nonetheless.

Dr Lynch - Grave Secrets Review

Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets is one of the many casual games reviewed on Casualicious. Please visit our site to read more about Dr. Lynch: Grave Secrets and many of our other featured games.

Heartbreak Run

Cars blare their horns as I pass through traffic. I didn't even pause or turn my head. I am on a mission and time is of the essence here. I can't even spare a single second to stop and breathe.

My heart aches as if it were made of spikes that with every beat, every movement stabs my insides. I don't know if this is the effect of running for the past half hour or just that pain from the thought of losing her forever.

Ghoststory

This is probably from the lack of oxygen or something else but my mind teleports to three months ago when I first met her.

The sky was at its darkest I have ever seen and it was raining as if heaven itself weeps out tears. I got my hood on and was hesitating to go into the rain. I was pretty sure I'd get soaked the first three seconds I get out into the rain. THAT was how hard it was pouring.

A girl then stood beside me, sniffing and wearing some shades that I think are too big for her small heart-shaped face. She just came out of the coffee shop and was clearly crying. I glanced back and saw the guy she was with gripping his head as if trying to squeeze something out. With that, I concluded that they probably just broke up. They were in a subdued argument minutes ago when I was sipping my coffee and I couldn't help but overhear. Actually, I think the whole coffee shop knows but I'm not the type who butts in other people's lives so I just stood there quietly beside her, watching the rain.

The guy stormed past us and went straight to his car. It looked expensive and shiny, like Edward Cullen's car. He backed out from parking and stopped in front of us.

"GET IN!" He shouted at her as his window slid down. What a total romantic.

The girl just ignored him and nervously shifted on her feet.

"AIKA, GET IN. NOW!" He shouted once again, with more juice in it. He sounded kind of like an army officer commanding a private.

I think this struck a nerve because she looked directly into his face and lifted her middle finger. Scratch that, BOTH middle fingers, like a double whammy.

"SUIT YOURSELF!" the guy shouted for a last time before accelerating away.

I sighed as I saw her tremble in tears. She looked broken. I've had my fair share of this experience and I think I know how she felt that time. I wanted to console her but what was I? I was just a stranger in a coffee shop with a cheap-looking hood. But I couldn't help it. She was about to rush into the rain!

"Wait, Miss! Don't go out there. It's a typhoon and you don't have any umbrella."

She looked at me suddenly as if it was the first time she noticed there was someone standing beside her. She still had her shades on so I wasn't exactly sure, but I saw it in her lips. It was in that slightly opened motion.

I know I don't have an umbrella either, so I looked around and met the security guard's eyes. "Sir, can you maybe lend her an umbrella?" I pleaded. Yes, it was in a pleading tone. I really wanted to help her.

"Sorry, buddy. Don't have one. BUT... We DO have a promo now.

"What promo?" we asked at the same time. I instinctively looked at her in time for her to look at me too. She had removed her shades and it was the first time I saw her eyes. They were bloodshot from crying but I could still see the beauty in it. I could see her deep sadness but I could also see her firmness. She's a strong-willed one and with that double whammy she just flashed moments ago, I was pretty sure.

"Order four different espressos and you get an umbrella." the guard's statement brought me back to earth.

"Can't we just buy it?" we asked at the same time, yet again. I couldn't help but chuckle. That was a double jinx but I quickly regained my composure.

"Nope. Sorry." the guard apologized.

We looked at each other once again and after a long minute, I shrugged and she got my message of "What the heck."

The guard opened the door for us and we went straight for the counter, ordering four espressos.

We sat in silence for what seemed like forever as we sipped our coffee. Then she broke the ice and apologized for inconveniencing me. She had a sweet voice, kind of like those voices you hear in telephone voice messages when someone puts you on hold and you get this recorded message saying that your call is important to them and thanks you for holding.

"It's alright. I just wanna help." I answered with a smile. The coffee was too strong for me, I guess. Or probably, I'm getting a caffeine overdose because I already had a cup minutes ago.

"I never bring an umbrella." She confessed.

"Why?"

"A true woman never brings an umbrella." I tilted my head in confusion and when she saw this, she continued. "Because a guy will always let them under theirs." she smiled but it quickly faded. "But there aren't many gentlemen these days. Nobody lets others sit in the train anymore. Nobody holds a door for you, unless it's their job and gets paid for it."

"I gave a pregnant lady my sit in the train yesterday." I blurted out.

"Well good for you. You're one of the diamond dozen."

After that, we didn't speak for a long time until we were down to our last espresso. I wanted to ask her about what happened to her but I thought it would be too much to tell a stranger, so I kept my silence.

As it turned out, I didn't need to ask. She told me her story anyways. Apparently, she thought the guy was a good one. He was rich and always showered her with material things. But then she found out that she was just one of his girls, the third one. She found out and confronted him.

I stayed silent the whole time. I was afraid that if I said something, she'd stop. I just listened.

"I'm sorry to lay this on you like this. I just don't know what's wrong with girls like me. We always fall for the bad boys instead of the romantics." She flashed me a genuine smile and I smiled back.

"Sir, here is your free umbrella." the waitress broke our connection as she handed me the red umbrella with their logo on it.

"Here you go. Now you can go home." I slid it across the table to her but then she started laughing. It was such a refreshing sound. "What?"

She pointed behind me and I looked. The rain had stopped and the skies were at its bluest. I looked back at her and joined in on the laughter.

*BLAM!* I slam into a guy and his luggage, rolling to the ground cursing. The guy curses even louder. "WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

That's when I notice I'm already at the airport. Losing just a few seconds, I stand up and start running again. "I'm sorry!" I shout back though I don't know if he can hear me over his curses and threats.

"HEY COME BACK HERE! YOU MOTHERF---" but I'm already a hundred feet from him and my mind no longer registers his words, focusing on my burning muscles.

I am in a messed up situation and currently burning all my energy for something so stupid, gambling my all. If I lose in this gamble, I won't have anything left. It kinda sounds too extreme to comprehend. What could have possibly happened for me to end up this way? I KNOW it doesn't really mean that I'm losing my ALL. But at least I feel that way. She was my world and now I'm running towards a confirmation if I would lose my world forever or gain it back.

Like a haze clouding my senses, memories come once again, enveloping me into a bubble of emotional time travel.

Her eyebrow slowly rose from its perch as her wicked smile flashed at me. "You're staring at me. Do I have a huge bug on my face, or something?" her face turned into a picture of worry. She hates bugs.

"I'm staring because..." I left the rest of my words hanging in the air.

"What?" her worried face went up a notch.

"I'm staring because I love you, Aika."

I shouldn't have told her these words while she was drinking hot coffee. She coughed and spilt some of it on her face and shirt.

I laughed heartily while I wiped her face with a tissue. She didn't give me any reply for the words I said but I didn't mind it. I only wanted to let her know how I feel. But still, she made me happy. She didn't run away or rejected me. She stayed and didn't show any kind of awkwardness. That was good enough for me.

But it was weird that the next day, she gave me a box of cereals. It was already open. I looked at her, confused.

She just shrugged and told me, "I think there's something free inside."

Rough hands grab my shoulder, snapping me out of my memory trance. "OW!" I shout stopping right on the spot, as if I just hit a concrete wall. I feel like I just dislocated my shoulder.

"You cannot go through here without showing me your boarding pass." The airport guard's eyes drill holes in me while he flexes his huge anaconda arms. I think this guy has had too much protein shakes.

"Sir, I just need to talk to someone. Then I'll come right back."

"I don't think so." He shifts his stance to look more like a club bouncer.

I concentrate, trying my best to do an impersonation of Puss in Boots' cute, big innocent eyes and tell him in my most pleading voice. "Sir, please let me through. I might lose the girl I love if I don't get to her on time."

His face softens. In my head, I cross all my fingers, wishing to have a bit of luck for a change. Even just this one time, give me a better fate.

Glancing at the guard's nameplate before continuing, "Mr. Emilio, please. Have you ever fell in love before?"

"Yes... Yes I have." He says tearfully before fishing out a photo from his pocket. "She was the love of my life, my little princess, my dainty damsel and my cute little buttercup." A single tear falls down from his left eye.

He flips the photo to show me a picture of him side by side with a huge woman, taller than him and even more muscled. Clearly, there was nothing little, cute or dainty about her. I bite my lip, trying to stop my jaw from dropping right down to the floor. "You looked happy." is the only thing I could tell him.

"I was. I was really happy before she decided to go away. She got a good job offer at a faraway place---" He sniffs and wipes his tears before continuing. "She was offered a job to test steroids at a big pharmaceutical company."

"That's... uhhh... terrible." It really is! I can't imagine how those huge muscles of hers would look like after steroids. If Mr. Emilio here is like Godzilla to my eyes, the woman would be Godzilla's big, ugly aunt. But he really looks genuinely sad and in love with her so I understand how he feels.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye." He says before staring at the huge wall clock above us. "What time is your girl's flight?"

And that's when it hit me... "It was fifteen minutes ago." My shoulders slowly drop, along with my soul.

"No. It's not over yet, kid. I won't let you have the same regrets as I have. You'll get your chance." He then drags me towards the gates, shouting at his radio all the while. We weaved through lines, trolleys, people and their bags.

All the while, my mind goes back into the frenzy of my memories, snatching myself from the present and plunging into the past.

"You've been like this all week. Is there anything wrong?" I asked her while we were sitting in my car just outside her house. We just had an unusually quiet dinner date and I was dying with worry.

"It's nothing." She softly replied.

"It's alright, Aika. You can tell me."

"I don't want to." She bit her lip, her mannerism for 'I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT.'

"Why not?" I wished I didn't push her to tell me.

She looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "Because I'll break your heart."

I didn't answer. Instead, I took a deep breath because that look on her face told me that even though she didn't want to, she's was about to do it anyway.

"I'm still in love with him and I feel bad doing this to you. But at the same time, I wanna move on so I'm going to my mum's... OVERSEAS" she looked surprised as if she didn't mean to say the words she just said. She clasped her mouth trying to stop herself.

Unfortunately, she said enough. "Oh." was the only thing that came out of my mouth. It was my 'tell', a sign that I just got my heart broken.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for everything."

"HEY KID! WE'RE HERE!" Mr. Emilio drags me into gate 15. It's completely empty and on the far side, an attendant in uniform is already closing the door of the passageway to the plane.

The attendant turns at the sound of Mr. Emilio's heavy footfalls and asks. "What's wrong, Emil?"

"OPEN THE GODDAMN PLANE AND LET THIS GUY IN FOR A MINUTE!" he shoves me toward the attendant and he looks at me in the most curious way for about a few seconds. But then he just shrugs his shoulders and leads me into the passageway.

Holy shit, here I go. What was I thinking, coming here? I don't even know what to tell her. I just dashed here when I realized that I don't want her out of my life.

It was the funniest thing, actually. I was just eating my bowl of cereal, looking like a miserable zombie. I've been trying to hide in my house for as long as I can, as if it's a nuclear bunker and I'm in a holocaust. So my cereal supply is running low. I tipped the box of the cereal but it won't give me anything more. It ran out. Feeling hungry and stupid, I peek inside the box hoping that I was wrong to assume it was empty. I noticed something taped to the side of the box and I remembered that this was the box of cereal she gave me. She said something about a free item in it but I didn't believe her. I tore the box in two and stared at the piece of paper taped to it.

"YOU MAKE ME HAPPY."

That was the note there with a cute little smiley beside it. And that's when I ran for it, dashing straight to the airport remembering this was her departure date and not even caring if I'm still in my pajamas or if I'm just gonna get my heart further broken.

We stop by the plane's airlock door and the attendant looks at me, producing a clipboard. "What part of the plane do you want to go to, sir?" he asks.

"Uhhh... What's Aika Cray's sit number?"

"Aika Cray? We've been announcing her name for the past 30 minutes now. She isn't here."

And now I run once more, going back the way I came. I passed by Emilio, the trolleys and bags, the people, the lines and even that angry guy whom luggage I messed up, all the while searching for her. But I can't find her. I step out of the airport toward the winter outside and the cold is slowly climbing up my pajamas.

I walk toward a huge concrete beam and lean on it, closing my eyes. Where is she?

"What are you doing here?"

My eyes flick open to the sound of her voice. But she isn't in front of me. The voice came from the other of the concrete beam I'm leaning on.

Thinking that the question was directed at me, I answer, "I came---"

I was immediately cut by a guy's voice. "I came because I want you back." I recognize that voice. I peek behind the beam and confirmed my suspicion. It was the guy in the car shouting at her. It was the guy she broke up with. It was the guy that she still loves.

"What about your other girls?"

"I'm a clean slate now, Aika. I changed. Isn't that what you wanted? I only want YOU and nobody else. I only love YOU. I just need you to trust me this time." He sounds sincere.

Aika and I fell silent. They are clearly unaware of my presence here and I just want to run away before I hear something that will break me into pieces.

"Alright."

It was a cold and long walk home. She's happy... and I guess that's good enough for me. Pretty anticlimactic, don't you think? But heck, that's life.

Heartbreak Run

By Martin Magano

A True Ghost Story - The Mystery Continued Long After the Haunting

A family mystery, about what some secretly regarded as a true ghost story, became part of my family research when the yellowing, fragile page of a newspaper dated Tuesday, October 19th, 1880, turned up in the old family records I was studying. I was trying to find out why people left their homes and families to emigrate to Australia. The Ghost Story presented me with a reason I had not previously considered, for one family's departure from the Old Country.

Family legend surrounds the Everett family as a result of the curious story of the Everett Ghost. Curious, not because the story itself is remarkable, but because there were those who said it was true. The story was written by one of the five daughters of Arundel Everett, and printed in Melbourne by the Echo Newspaper in 1880.

Ghoststory

The story tells how the girls' father bought a large house, referred to as "Hayes' Castle", in a village on the outskirts of London, which turned out to be haunted.

It tells how Uncle William and Aunt Mary came to visit and spent the night, but refused to stay longer as they believed the house was haunted. Another Aunt, Etta, fled her room in the middle of the night, in the belief that a strange presence had entered. One of the children, Emilie, who was the baby of the family at the time, saw a strange man on the stairs, and the older children also saw strange things that could not be accounted for.

After a very short time in residence, some renovations revealed the probable cause of the haunting. Human remains were found in secret chambers below the house. The family vacated the house immediately after that, and left England as soon as they could. That was the end of the ghost story, but not the the end of family mystery.

The story made me curious, firstly because the daughter who wrote the ghost story used names that easily identified the characters. I would have thought that she would have used completely fictitious names, if it was just a 'story'. Then, a letter written by Emilie's mother-in-law in 1880 said that the story was, "written by a sister of my daughter-in-law, all she writes in it is true and happened to the Everett family".

One of Emilie's grand daughters told me that her mother also said that it was a true ghost story. Then, after I had written about the story on my family website, another relative produced a watercolor of the haunted house, painted by one of the other Everett daughters.

Could it really be a true ghost story?

For me as a family historian, the final act of the mystery concerns the death of Arundel Everett, some seventeen years after he and his family fled from the haunted house.

His body was found on the road from Nanango to Toromeo, Queensland, on 23rd April 1867. The place where his body was found was about seven miles from Toromeo. The inquest held the next day described Everett, as a contractor, as 5ft 4in, light hair with grey beard. He had been staying for a day or two at a hotel at Nanango and had told one of the witnesses that he had fallen off the roof of a house he had been building. He was walking from Nanango to Toromeo, and stopped for a short time with James Holt, a miner, and six men in his company, who were resting beside the road. Everett proceeded on his journey and was found dead or dying some time later, when Holt's party caught up with him.

Some injuries on the body were attributed to his supposed fall from the roof. Cause of death was unknown, possibly exhaustion or heart disease. No person suspected. No one accused. No suspicious circumstances.

A True Ghost Story - The Mystery Continued Long After the Haunting

Is it possible that the disturbed Ghost of Hayes' Castle finally caught up with Arundel Everett on that lonely stretch of Queensland road? As a Family Historian, Geoff Aslett enjoys finding out how people lived their lives in the past and why decisions that changed their circumstances were made. Read the Everett Ghost Story for more about this mystery, or visit his family website http://www.asletts.com

Copyright: You may freely republish this article provided the text, the author name, the active links and this notice remain intact.

Is My House Haunted?

How do you know if your house is haunted? You have all heard bumps in the night at one time or another, but are these just the normal sounds of your house or could it be paranormal? We all know that it's difficult to prove paranormal activity. You can see a few of the ways this is done by watching investigators on TV study the scene with EMF detectors and other equipment. Could there be an easy way to have an idea of whether or not you have a ghost in your house without getting investigators involved and possibly embarrassing yourself?

There are so many factors that can contribute to shadows, lights, noises and displaced objects that you must do your research, especially if the idea of ghosts scares you. As boring as it sounds, the best way to narrow down the possibilities is to try to find a reasonable explanation for what you consider to be paranormal activity. You don't want to freak yourself out for no reason. This is what we've been attempting to do at my house.

Ghoststory

My husband, my daughter and I have all heard the sound of a kitchen chair moving like someone is about to sit down. We've heard the sound of what seemed like a fork being placed down on a plate. I've seen a fast moving light cross my dining room at the corner of my eye with no valid explanation. If you read my articles, you will know that my TV in the bedroom has shut off by itself every night since we moved in and I noticed over time that it is right after we fall asleep. I unplugged my alarm clock in the same room and plugged the fan into that outlet over this past weekend (a separate outlet from the TV). The fan shut off by itself sometime after we fell asleep and even I need to turn that knob with a decent amount of pressure to get it to shut off. My dining room light flickers on occasion but our house is fairly old, so I never thought of that as paranormal. It does, however, seem like every time I watch a horror movie or ghostly TV show, my dining room light flickers more dramatically and repeatedly. What do you think?

You're most likely wondering if the house has a history typical of those that are haunted. I suppose you could say that it does but not in the traumatic sense that you hear about in your typical ghost story. Our house has a fairly peaceful history though we've had a few deaths there. It was once my grandparent's house and they both passed away there within about two years of each other. They passed on as peacefully as one could hope, surrounded by family that cared deeply for them.

If we do have a spirit in our home and I had to guess who it was, I would have to say that it's my grandfather. He loved children more than anything in this world and he and my grandmother spoiled their four grandchildren including me. My grandfather was still alive when I had my daughter and passed when she was about 1 ½ years old. He loved her dearly and spoiled her just as much as the rest of us. Being around her helped him deal with the loss of my grandmother. Papa was very particular about keeping the house as clean and tidy as possible. You would never see a dirty dish in their sink or a speck of dust on a piece of furniture. He never left anything electrical running if it was not being used and always shut the windows when he and my grandmother went out in preparation for a possible rain shower.

My lifestyle is much busier than my grandparents' used to be and although I keep a very clean house, I do not have a dishwasher so you may see a dish or two in my sink after a late dinner. We are not huge fans of sleeping in the pitch black without any background noise, so we will often leave the TV on, set on the quietest volume level. If my grandfather were here, both of these things would have driven him batty, so perhaps that is what's happening now. I can imagine him wanting me to save money and shutting the TV off to cut down on electrical costs. The fan would require even more energy than the small TV I have in my room. He may want to wash my dishes (I think he actually enjoyed that) and this might be the explanation for the reoccurring sound of a dish or two settling in the sink. The dining room chandelier flickering has me a little baffled because this actually seems like an attention getter and Papa was not the type to pull pranks.

I have the ghost side of the explanation down to a science. The difficult part is figuring out whether or not there are practical explanations to these occurrences. The question is, do I really want a rational explanation? The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. Assuming that we do have a spirit and it is my grandfather, this is a comforting feeling and makes the house feel even more like home. The times when I am watching a scary show or movie and the chandelier starts flickering like mad is not a comforting situation at all. I don't think my grandfather would want me to be scared, so I would like a rational explanation for this. I did some research on the types of "paranormal" occurrences that happen at my house.

The light flickering could be an electrical issue and I read that there could be a serious problem with the electrical wiring if all the lights were flickering which was a little concerning. Another explanation would be that the appliances that are connected to the same fuse are taking up too much electricity when they are running at the same time. My living room and dining room are connected and share the same fuse. We will usually watch TV without the dining room light on. I do turn it on if it's late to help me stay awake for a late show on TV or if I want a little extra light when watching a scary show or movie! I have the old-school Sony HD TV that weighs about 500 lbs. and requires plenty of electricity. Perhaps the light flickers after the TV has been on long enough to take up too much electricity. There is also the possibility that the dimmer on the light switch may be on its way out.

I learned that ghosts are not particularly fond of unwashed dishes! I've heard sounds before like someone was shuffling through unwashed dishes when the sink was almost full, but the fork sound that I mentioned happened at night when everything was washed and put away in the cabinets. It sounded like it came from the kitchen table and the table was clear. This one was hard to explain. I found that the TV or fan shutting off on its own every night as well as seeing a passing light at the corner of my eye are common situations that occur when a residual haunting is present. A residual haunting is basically a replay of past events rather than having an actual spirit in the house. Knowing my grandfather, he might have had a scheduled time when he turned off all of the electrical appliances every night. The idea of a "residual haunting" seems so formal and detached. I prefer to think that my grandfather is still watching over us from time to time. Maybe this is far-fetched but this is my way of keeping him alive in my heart. Who knows? It might be true.

Is My House Haunted?

Dish Network is the fastest growing pay tv provider in the United States. Dish Network has the right products, the right pricing and the right business practices for these tough economic times. Dish TV Packages are offered at everyday prices well below those of DIRECT TV or the cable tv providers.

Celebrity Ghost Stories - John Lennon

The ghost of murdered Beatle John Lennon has been seen on a number of occasions by various people close to him, including former band mate Paul McCartney. Paul claims that when he, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr sang Lennon's song, "Free As A Bird" in 1995, John's presence was actually there in the studio.

"There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio - noises that shouldn't have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things," McCartney said. "There was just an overall feeling that John was around."

Ghoststory

In another paranormal experience, McCartney said that when he and the two other "Beatles" had a photo shoot for the album, a white peacock came wandering over from a nearby farm. At the very last minute, the beautiful bird made its presence known, and McCartney received the strong feeling that it was the spirit of John Lennon hovering around them as they completed the recording.

McCartney said to the other two ex-Beatles: "That's John. Spooky, eh? It was like John was hanging around. We felt that all through the recording."

When Paul McCartney listened to the single's B-side, he believed that John was making his presence known there, too.

McCartney said, "We put one of those spoof backwards recordings on the end of the single for a laugh, to give all those Beatles nuts something to do. I think it was the line of a George Formby song. Then we were listening to the finished single in the studio one night, and it gets to the end, and it goes, 'zzzwrk nggggwaaahhh jooohn lennnnnon qwwwrk.' I swear to God."

Paul said of he, George, and Ringo: "We were like, 'It's John. He likes it!"

Though this ghost story comes from someone who never knew Lennon personally, this is quite an eerie one to read.

John Lennon was gunned down by crazed fan Mark Chapman on December 8, 1980 in front of the Dakota, a New York apartment. Joey Harrow, a musician who lives near the Dakota, experienced a ghostly sighting of John in 1983. Harrow claimed he saw John's ghost at the Dakota front doorway, where he'd been shot three years before. Harrow claimed that the Lennon apparition was surrounded by an "eerie light."

When Joey Harrow witnessed the sighting, so did the writer, Amanda Moores. She was present at the time Lennon's ghost was sighted. Amanda said that she wanted to approach the figure of Lennon and talk to him, but was dissuaded from doing so by the rather serious expression on the apparition's face that seemed to say, "No, don't come near me."

Liam Gallagher, of the pop group Oasis, claimed he was once visited by the spirit of John Lennon. He didn't know Lennon in real life, but held great admiration for the Beatle. When Liam stayed at friend's house years ago in Manchester, England, he felt the strong presence of his hero.

The singer said, "I was in Manchester at a mate's house having a sleep. I remember getting up and feeling really weird. I turned round and there I was, lying on the bed, and I sort of fell back into my body. There was a presence there and it was him, Lennon."

The psychic Shawn Robbins said she saw John's ghost in the Dakota building, and Yoko Ono herself was reported to have seen John sitting at his white piano. He turned to her and said, "Don't be afraid. I am still with you."

According to several Spiritualists, John's spirit lingered on Earth for a short time before a group of spirit Guides helped him to adjust to the 'other' world. A person who won't 'let go' after they are dead becomes a ghost who haunts the area of the tragedy. The Guides convinced him to join them in the spirit world and various mediums began receiving messages from him.

John's ex-wife, Cynthia, found a dead jackdaw wrapped in old newspapers dated 1956 behind the fireplace of her home in Cumbria. She told journalist Annette Witheridge: "John told Julian that if there was life after death, he would prove it by sending a feather as a sign. When Julian saw the jackdaw, he was really shaken. It's as if John is trying to get in touch with us."

Celebrity Ghost Stories - John Lennon

The Webmaster - http://www.trueghoststories.co.uk

Bringing Feng Shui Into Your Life

There are forces at work in this world that we have no idea about. When you are trying to make a change for the better you can see that there are things that you can do that have no bearing on the world that you have. This is where you have to start with a little knowledge. The main focus needs to be getting your life back into balance.

For the most part you will notice that you are getting all that is positive in this deal and then some. Over time you will see that you are getting all that is well with the world when you are taking part in feng shui. This is something that a lot of people have heard about but they are not sure what they can do with it.

Ghoststory

Well that is okay because there is plenty of help to be had. The main idea is that you need to be sure that you are getting all that you can from the main points of feng shui. The practice of feng shui is the act of arranging the items that you have in your home to make for the positive energy flow.

All matter in this world is made of energy. There is both positive and negative energy and you can see that you are using this system in such a way that will help you determine the right course of action. Most often you need to have feng shui working when you feel that your life is out of balance.

This is common for those that do not have a good energy flow in their life. So you have to be sure that you are working with the feng shui to produce the most positive of all the processes in your mind. More and more you are going to have to spend some time working to bring the whole system back into alignment.

Arrangement

The first thing that you will do is start arranging all the items in your home. There is a certain way to do this and you have to follow the proper steps to make sure that you are doing it correctly. In most cases you will find this to be very easy. It is all about the arrangement that is going to allow for the best energy flow and so on.

When this happens you are going to have to spend some time working to bring about a better lifestyle for yourself. Read as much as you can on the feng shui arrangement and you will be sure that you are getting all that you can from this one single deal. Most often this is the best idea for all the people in the world as they are looking to bring about more changes in their life.

Exterior

You also need to be sure that you are practicing feng shui outside the home. The way that you have the yard set up and the flowers arranged is all the matter of feng shui and how well you are going to get the kind of positive energy flow that you need. You may want to hire a professional for this part of the deal because they may be the only ones that can tell you how to set things up.

Bringing Feng Shui Into Your Life

More On Feng Shui.

Does Love Always Win?

Love has been said to be many things and one of them is that it always conquers all the hardships of a relationship. If you are in a relationship, one thing that you can be sure of is that you will have problems. They might be minor or they might be major. Love always wins and, this has not been seen to be the case in the recent past. This is because more and more marriages continue to break and, half of all marital or non marital unions will end in divorce or separation. If love always wins, why is this case? There is no simple answer for this. When you get married, you hope and wish that your love will prevail. However, there are factors and problems that simply prove to be too hard to handle. The following are some of the major causes that make a marriage to fall apart in the present world. First, it is the poor selection of mates. These days, men and women are more focused on the appearance of their mate rather than their values.

The superficial love proves to last a few months or years. Therefore, when you are single today, it is vital that you go beyond looks and realize that you need to find a mate who is wholesome. A partner who can best compliment you. It is better for you to wait a while before getting married and you get the right partner. There are people who often question whether there is ever such a thing as a 'right person'. This really depends on what you are looking for. One thing you can be sure about is that people will come with very many characteristics. Your work is to look at the values that might please you in a partner and when you find them, you will have found your perfect match. We sometimes complicate this process by looking for a person who is perfect. If you want perfection, you need also be to be perfect which you are not. Therefore, finding a right mate is cementing your relationship on a solid ground which cannot be shaken.

Ghoststory

Once you have brought home the love of your life, there are other things like conflicts that may make you have tension in your relationship. Make up your mind and say that love always wins. With this attitude, you will be in a position to find a common ground where you can agree whenever you have problems. Therefore, the willingness to work out problems each time goes a very long way to make love conquer all. You need to keep in mind that love is not just words. In marriage, love is a lifestyle. It is something you show to the other person on a daily basis. If you are not willing to show it practically, it will be hard to maintain your union. Spend time together and have activities for each other. This way, instead of being strangers, you will be closer to each other and, this can only work best for your relationship.

Does Love Always Win?

Francis K. Githinji Is An Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Love Always Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Love Always

Scary Ghost Videos! Warning! Not For the Squeamish, Skeptical Or Easily Scared!

Do you believe in ghosts, spirits or other ethereal entities? If not.....why not? Simply because you've never experienced one yourself? In this article we are going to take a quick and insightful look at ghost videos....and see whether or not some of these SHOCKING images and movies are truly all they are cracked up to be!

But first things first......

Ghoststory

Make no mistake - MOST of the ghost videos you find online are NOT real. They are either practical jokes, or simply a crude attempt at getting a wee bit of attention that some creative, but otherwise attention starved individual has put out there to get it. But amidst all of the silly ness, and the nonsense, there ARE many unexplainable images that if REAL, could permanently and irrevocably change the way we look at reality, ourselves, and what really happens after we die.

The "One White Crow" Philosophy About Ghosts......

The famous philosopher, and scientist - William James said, in regard to his interest in psychic mediums and channelers (and I paraphrase) "all we need is ONE white crow to disprove the notion that ALL crows are black". In other words, out of every group of 100, or 1000 or even 10,000 psychic mediums that they studied, every one could be "fake" except one. And that one REAL medium, who truly was talking to the dead....was all we needed to prove that talking to the dead, IS in fact possible!

I apply the very same ethos to the ghostly images, videos and other online multimedia!

I've watched hundreds, if not thousands of ghostly videos online. Many are fake. Some are FUN, but fake..:-) But there are a few, so disturbing, shocking and alarming...that they make you reconsider the very notion of what we are, and where we are going when our lives end. I invite you to take the very same journey....get involved, get interested, and get yourself a bit spooked, scared and shocked in the process!

Scary Ghost Videos! Warning! Not For the Squeamish, Skeptical Or Easily Scared!

Want to see a REAL Ghost Video right now?

Click Here for the most SHOCKING ghost video that the skeptics CAN'T explain away! (Exciting....but True!)

Real Ghost: The True Haunting Story of The Buxton Inn

Do you believe in real ghost? Growing up I loved scaring people and my favorite Holiday
was Halloween. As a young child I would stay up until two a.m. in the morning watching
scary movies and was very open to paranormal activity. I have kept my experiences with
real ghosts phenomena mostly to myself. I only have told a few close friends, but I never
have been able to get the ghostly image out of my mind from the Buxton Inn. It still haunts
me today!

The true haunting story of the Buxton Inn is a fascinating story and the building's history goes
back to the early 1800's. The Inn(The Tavern) was built by Orrin Granger and served as a
stage coach route. Some of the most famous people who stayed overnight were Abraham
Lincoln, Charles Dickens, and William McKinley. The Inn(The Tavern) changes hands in
1865 and changes its name to the Buxton Inn.

Ghoststory

Major Buxton became the new owner and ran it until 1905. After a series of owners, the
Buxton Inn was sold to Orville and Audrey Orr, who presently own the Inn. The Orr family
spent two years renovating the old Inn and that is when the ghostly guests started to make
themselves known. The true haunting story of the Buxton Inn begins. Did they see real ghosts?

Before writing this article, I cleared my mind so I could go back to the night when I was in
the Buxton Inn, at the age of 10 years old. While visiting friends in Ohio, they took us to visit the
Buxton Inn because of its intriguing eerie history. I was told about the real ghost, who haunted
the main house and to be afraid. Back then I was not afraid of ghosts and was hoping to see one.
The ghost stories started in the dark looking dungeon bar, which was located in the lower level of
the Buxton Inn. If I remember correctly it was like a basement with oddly shaped stone walls. It
was creepy looking and added to the real ghost legend.

Mr. Orr, stated he heard the locked front door open and the sound of someone walking up
the stairs. He went to see if anyone was there and no one was there, which left him with
no explanation. The Buxton Inn staff and visitors have heard, smelled, and felt the presence
of a real ghost. They believe it could have been Major Buxton or Ethel Bounell, otherwise
known as "the Lady in Blue". Incidentally, Ethel Bounell(actress and singer) owned the Buxton
Inn from 1934 until 1961. The Lady in Blue has appeared in corridors and guest rooms.

Others have said there was an unseen, but almost tangible presence of a real ghost that
revealed itself. My parents and their friends were walking in front of me as we entered a
corridor of the Buxton Inn. While walking through the open door entryway, I felt something
but kept walking into the corridor. I remember how stunning the Buxton Inn looked as I was
walking and then for some reason, I turned around quickly to look behind me. At 10 years
old I was curious about this real ghost phenomena and jokingly turned to catch something.
I had no idea as my parents and friends continued walking straight ahead, I would indeed
see something.

My skepticism jumped right out the window when I saw a ghostly apparition move behind
the door to the entryway. At 10 years old, I was awe struck and speechless. I finally had
seen something that I could not explain and I only saw it by turning around quickly. Obviously,
I caught something, because it hid very quickly behind a door. What I saw had a human shape
and was made of light. The light was a bright white and in the blink of an eye went behind the
entryway door.

The corridor we were in was well lit and you could see everything, so this light with a
bright yellow contour moved quickly, but I could see it had a three-dimensional shape. I
remember very few things at 10 years old, but this stuck in my mind and I never have
forgotten how weird this experience was for me. Did I see a real ghost? To be honest, I
don't know, but I never have felt or have seen anything like that since! I have had other
weird experiences, but not a strong physical presence like this I could see!

I believe there is more out there, then meets the eye. I was fortunate enough to turn around
and catch a ghostly apparition moving behind a door. How did I know to turn around and
catch this real ghost? Was I just overly curious? Looking back, I turned around because
I felt there was something behind me and to my surprise, I saw it. On my next visit to the
Buxton Inn, I plan to take my camera. Who knows, I might just see something or someone
again! Do you believe in the true haunting story of the Buxton Inn?

You can visit the Buxton Inn in Granville, Ohio and enjoy fine food and spirits. You might
turn around like me and actually see a spirit!

Real Ghost: The True Haunting Story of The Buxton Inn

DeWayne H. Strickland has been a Film Freak since the time he could walk and he is an online researcher. Learn how you can support legal movie downloads and find the "secret place" at: http://www.moviedownloadmatrix.com

Ideas for Sharing Scary Stories - Part 2

This article looks at ways to share telling scary stories with older children by engaging their imagination and having fun.

Visual stimuli works a lot better with older children so if you can create a spooky atmosphere it will feed their imagination. Use lots of candles for effective lighting - though restrict their use to adults and put them out of reach or danger as safety should always be the number one priority. Alternatively use low watt lamps and add some spooky decorations such as homemade spider webs and ghosts (try wet string and old sheets). Add in some eerie background music and the scene is set.

Ghoststory

Gather everyone round in a circle and get each child to tell their own ghost story. The child who tells the scariest story, or makes the most people jump, gets a prize. You will get a better response if you let the children know what you have planned at the beginning of the party so they can start thinking about some story ideas.

Another suggestion is to start off a story game. It works best if the kids are sitting in a circle. Ask who wants to start the story and then move on to the child sitting next to the story originator. Move around the circle until everyone has added to the story. To add to the effect, have a couple of torches to hand - one for you and one to pass around to the child who is currently sharing their story so they can hold it up to their face. Limit the amount each child gets to add as you don't want the game taken over by the more confident personalities, so just one or two sentences each should do it.

If you're just having a sleepover try turning out the lights and draping an old sheet over the table. You can throw some cushions underneath the table and the children can sit on the cushions with only a torch and some snacks for company and share their stories that way.

Another alternative is to act out the stories. This method is the one that needs a lot more preparation time, but this could mean having an easy way to keep the kids entertained for a good stretch of time while the adults have some time to themselves. You could send the kids off into small groups to come up with some scary story ideas and provide some basic props such as old fabrics and hats. Give them an hour or so to come up with their storyline and give them the option of either reading it out as a group or nominating one reader, or they could act out the story.

If you do choose this option it might be fun to have a camcorder to hand to record the story ideas. This way everyone will have a memento to remember Halloween and how much fun they had using their imagination and working together as a team.

Your children may not know it but you can also feel happy in the knowledge that whilst they were having so much fun they were also developing their spatial, linguistic, and interpersonal intelligences.

If you would like some ideas for younger children you could try this article which was written with toddlers and preschoolers in mind.

Ideas for Sharing Scary Stories - Part 2

Written by Cat Scrivens

For similar articles and ideas please visit http://www.baby-solutions.co.uk

Poltergeists and Things That Go Bump in the Night

Poltergeists are rare, but they do exist. For those that aren't in the loop, a poltergeist is a spirit that moves through inanimate objects like cups, TVs, furniture, and windows.

Noises - like bumps, thuds, kerplunks - yes kerplunks is a dictionary word, knocks, scratching at the window, and banging at the door are all examples of poltergeist activity. Of course, these are natural phenomena when a human or natural cause is to blame. However, the wind, a person, the rain, or a cat or dog aren't the cause in these occurrences. A poltergeist could be at fault.

Ghoststory

In Ancient Egypt, bed-shaking and the raining down of stones were reported. However, a skeptic could conclude that mud slides or earthquakes were to blame. It's no wonder that all cultures have reports of spirits interfering in our lives - even to this day.

Parapsychologists have put forth one explanation that suggests that poltergeists originate in a person, and the lingo for that person is an agent or focus. They suggest that the psycho-kinetic effects originate in the individual, and manifest as the result of psychological trauma in that person.

Other researchers have proposed several unrelated and interesting hypotheses. Ball lightning, static electricity, electromagnetic fields, ionized air, people propelling objects as hoaxes, unfriendly spirits, and "recordings" of negative emotional energy that don't abate ever after death. The emotion can keep re-playing itself in the natural world even after the person is dead. Of course, this is all speculation.

Evil spirits are reported by practitioners of astral projection, an art associated with out-of-body experiences. Some, a minority, occasionally use hallucinogens, which may account for the effects.

Since there is scant pictorial, video, and audio evidence of poltergeist phenomena, it's a good idea to opt for the famous movie, Poltergeist. Much of the phenomena reported by parapsychologists is depicted well in the movie. A TV show with some parallel popularity can be purchased from Amazon.

Over the years, there have been countless reports of haunted houses, abodes, and buildings. Most of these go unreported in the mainstream media, and it takes quite a bit of digging in obscure anthologies of poltergeist accounts to find them out. However, a few of the more important ones are as follows. The reader should be advised that many of these stories have inconsistencies, but some do not. Here they go, in the order of their appearance.

In 858, an evil spirit chucked heavy stones at a farmhouse, and it shook the walls with power. The Demon Drummer of Tedworth in 1661, the Wizard named Livingston in 1797, the Haunting of the Fox Sisters in 1848, the Borley Rectory incident of 1929, and the Enfield, Mackenzie, Entity, and other cases in the latter part of the 20th century, e.g., 1977, 1984, 2000s.

Some quick searches will turn up dozens of field stories related to the inexplicable phenomena that happened during these times. In many instances, police, parapsychologists, physicists, and laymen have been unable to find a causal link between the inanimate movements, noises, and motions through the natural chain of reasoning, observation, and scientific prodding.

Poltergeists and Things That Go Bump in the Night

To learn more about poltergeist activity and read true ghost stories visit http://www.trueghosttales.com To learn more about the paranormal world visit the Paranormal and Ghost Forum where you can chat with others and post your paranormal questions and comments.

How to Make a Really Creative Shoebox Diorama

A shoebox diorama can be much more than just a miniature scene. It can be a creative display that people are really amazed by. Here are some creative tips and hints on how to make your shoebox diorama really special.

Select A Unique Housing for your Diorama

Ghoststory

When making a shoebox diorama the very first thing you should do is think outside the box! I mean this literally in that you really don't have to use a shoebox to make your shoebox diorama. You can use any number of interesting containers to make a really unique diorama housing. But I recommend you take this thinking to a second step and use something that adds a level of meaning to your diorama.

For example, if you are going to make a diorama about coffee plantations you might want to use a big coffee can as the actual diorama housing. This adds a level of uniqueness that also adds meaning to your diorama. It gives people something to talk about. Think about what your diorama is going to be about and then look around for housing ideas. Another good example of this would be an ocean diorama. This is a very popular theme for a diorama and I made a diorama by hollowing out a Styrofoam lobster trap buoy. It looks really nice and gives the whole diorama a very nautical feeling. Of course if you are going to make a diorama of a shoe store or a shoe factory then a shoebox is perfect!

Tell A Story or Capture a Moment in Time

One of the best things about a diorama is that they can not only show a scene but they can tell a story by capturing a single moment in time. A good example of this is if you want to build a medieval diorama with a castle you could put a dragon and a knight in battle. If you are making an ocean diorama you could capture the moment just before a big fish is about to gobble up a little fish. This tells a story. There is an event frozen in time and it gives your audience something to think about and questions to ask. What is happening in this diorama? What is going to happen next?

Explain something with the structure of the diorama

This is a little bit harder to do but can be the most rewarding aspect of diorama making. Think about how the structure or materials of the diorama can be used to explain the story or point you are trying to make. A good example of this would be a rainforest diorama. The rainforest has five layers from the over canopy to the ground layer. You could build your diorama in five different layers. This way the actual structure of the diorama helps to make the point of how the actual rainforest is.

A shoebox diorama can be a beautiful little facsimile of the real world and there are lots of ways to make it creative and special. All you have to do is think outside the shoebox!

How to Make a Really Creative Shoebox Diorama

For More interesting diorama project visit the authors website at: Have Fun Making Creative Dioramas

For other fun, creative and interesting projects including how to make a catapult, a trebuchet, a terrarium and even a video game visit his site at:

StormTheCastle.com – Creativity with an Edge

Darkest of Russian Fairy Tale Stories - An Introduction And The Importance Of Elders

Russia has had a hard history its cold and dark climate mixed with an abundance of enemy invaders from the Mongol's to the French made this one of the most difficult places in the world in which to attempt to make a living. So terrifying was the life of the common people in early Russia that like much of the rest of Europe they chose to give up their freedom for serfdom. In Russia however many of these serfs where virtual slaves, able to be bought and sold, and so it was that the largest block of people in Russia where in essence slaves. These poorest of peoples had a huge impact on the stories of Russia, altering its thinking even in stories of tradesmen.

The Russian people also had great difficulty is sorting through the many beliefs of their land, in such a large country with so many peoples there where a number of belief systems present when Christianity was introduce. However in many aspects Christianity was as shaped by the local beliefs as they where by it. The prevalence of certain types of ghost stories in Russian fairy tale stories is a good example of this. For the Russians peasants it seemed as common that the spirit of the dead resided in the coffin, in a building from their life, as that they went to heaven. This spirit could at times bring itself back to life, especially through revenge on the one who had brought about its down fall. So killing a witch or a vampire was not enough, for after words the protagonists of the fairy tale story would likely have to face the dead as in the fairy tale story "The Headless Princess." The story of a boy who inadvertently causes a witches death, and so is forced to deal with her haunting and attempts to destroy him so that she may rise again. Luckily for the boy he is friends with an elderly lady who tells him how to protect himself from the witch's ghost.

Ghoststory

The wise elder is an important feature of the Russian fairy tale story for it is these characters who know how to defeat evil. This character type not only knows how to defeat evil but how to bring the protagonist back from the dead in "The Fiend" the story of a girl who unknowingly engages her self to a fiend which eats corpses and kills off her family as will as her. Unknowingly flirting with a manifestation of evil is a common theme in Russian folktales "The Soldiers Midnight Watch" tells the story of a soldier who flirts with a witch who then sets out to ride him to death. Luckily for him he too knows an elder who can tell him how to defeat the girl.

It is not always the elders who tell the protagonist how to defeat evil however; sometimes it is the monster itself. In "The Soldier and the Vampire" a soldier briefly and unknowingly makes friends with a vampire who tells the soldier how to kill him. When the vampire realizes he has compromised his secret he attempts to kill the soldier. Death does not come easy to the vampire even with knowledge of how to defeat it however, for as the vampire is burned it will try to escape as a swarm of vermin, if a single worm gets into the ground and away then the vampire will rise again.

Evil in the Russian fairy tale is difficult to defeat, able to rise even after it dies. This feature of evil can be found again in Welsh tales among others. For the peasants and peoples of the past it surely seemed that the hardships and evils of life where never ending, and so it was that their stories made evil impossible to gain victory over.

Darkest of Russian Fairy Tale Stories - An Introduction And The Importance Of Elders

Ty Hulse researches fairy tale stories and their historical and cultural significance, you can read these fairy tale stories on his website http://www.zeluna.net - This website has information on Russian Fairy Tales at http://www.zeluna.net/russian-fairy-tale.html as will as fairy tale interpretation based on some of the best research on this subject.

Ruskin Bond's Short Stories

Ruskin Bond's short stories are like photographs. They give us a picture in an instant, almost like the flash of a camera. With Bond, each story is also an experience. There are two ways in which these experiences have been unfolded; firstly through the experiences of Bond as a boy and secondly through his experiences as an adult. The experiences could be of some passing incident of life, uniquely remembered though; or it could be just a vision, a glimpse, a happening or a passing relationship.

In The Woman on Platform No. 8 for instance, it is just a woman who suddenly mothers him as a boy, fusses over him and thus becomes etched in the memory of the child. In The Coral Tree on the other hand, where he is an adult, just the experience of climbing a tree makes him nostalgically think about his grandfather's house and he suddenly longs for childhood.

Ghoststory

There are two categories into which Bond's short stories could be divided. First are remembrances and memories. Bond pens down the past, when he was a child and which he remembers as an adult. These memories and experiences or childhood remembrances of the past or experience of the present, are such that in them nothing really happens.

The second category are the narratives, where something happens. In both cases Bond is lucid, clear and instant, so that the experiences are transmitted to us in their most original selves. Again, the experiences that he puts down, are at many times universal; like the boys playing cricket in The Photograph, which he recalls when he was a boy of ten.

To take up the remembrances or experiences first; certain features clearly emerge as the author pens them. It is the idiosyncrasies of the old that Bond depicts when his grandmother looks at the picture of a small girl in The Photograph again and refuses stubbornly to reveal the identity of the girl. Nothing happens in the story, except the last remark of the grandmother that keeps us guessing that it could be her own self. This story falls under the first category. Numerous other stories fall under this category. There are some odd sixty five stories of Bond's from which some selected stories could be commented upon. Under the categories of remembrances especially are stories like The Window, The Man Who Was Kipling,A Guardian Angel, The Prospect of Flowers, A Face in the Dark, The Cherry Tree and so on.

In The Window Bond remembers a window simply because of the view it had given; the quizzical encounter with Kipling in The Man Who Was Kipling or simply the sadness of life itself as in The Guardian Angel. In this story Bond presents the grotesque truth of his Aunt Mirium pleasing customers at night, the sadness of her life, and the broken piece of guardian angel that stood as her gravestone. This gravestone is remembered and it remains also in the memory of the reader. Certain features emerge from such stories; there are quite often encounters with little girls, when Bond was also a boy, or encounters with grandmotherly women or doting motherly figures, who could be an aunt or a teacher. In The Night Train at Deoli it is just an encounter with a girl and then as the train moves, she passes as a figure. In The Prospect of Flowers there is Miss Mackenzie and just a talk on flowers. A Face in the Dark is also the tale of a teacher. Little girls figure in Madhu or Binya Passes By. In My Father's Trees at Dehra, nothing really happens except that trees are planted, and that they will grow constitutes the enjoyment of it. Somewhat similar is the theme The Cherry Tree. As Time Goes By is again the remembrance of a pool in which Bond and his playmates used to play and enjoy as boys. From Small Beginnings has uniquely nostalgic and poignant moments of planting a cherry tree and friendship with Prem Singh. The most striking instance of a story which is the remembrance of experiences is perhaps in The Girl from Copenhagen that has an intimate beginning 'We made no promises- of writing or of meeting again. Somehow our relationships seemed complete and whole...'

Before passing on to the narrative stories, one could look in passing at some of the longer short stories, there are especially three stories of such a kind: Panther's Moon, Time Stops at Shamli and Dust on the Mountain with similar features as in the short stories. In the first one a panther is killed by the author's friend Bisnu, and the sheer excitement of the villagers is depicted; in the second one there is again an experience with trees and nostalgia for childhood. The Dust on the Mountain is a picture of the choking dust of mines and quarries. In these stories too nothing seems to happen, except experiences penned down. The first story however is a narration which brings us to the narratives.

In The Thief for instance the author himself is a thief and his exploit is narrated. The Death of a Familiar is the narration of the murder of his friend Sunil. There is the rather grotesque account of monkeys in The Monkeys who kill to take revenge for the death of one in their gang. A Job Well Done is narrator where Dukhi the gardener murders the Major and in The Fight he gives the account of Ranji's fight with the villagers on an issue of not obeying orders regarding swimming in a pool. The Tunnel again is just an experience. In Going Home something happens, Daya Ram finds back the lost purse which he had lost or which had been stolen on the train. Some of Bond's stories revolve round tigers which were his real life experience since he had grown up in Dehra Dun. Eyes of a Cat, and Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, are stories where the detailing of the description of the tigers is worth noting.

Ruskin Bond was also well known for his ghost stories. In The Haunted Bicycle the little girl changes ridiculously into a grown man. The other ghost story is Whispering in the Dark while stories like He Said it With Arsenic are written in the detective story vein.

Whatever it may be after reading the short stories of Bond the reader-author relationship seems to be as quoted before 'complete and whole.'

Ruskin Bond's Short Stories

Zen in Recovery - "Ego"

Zen Koans have been used for a couple of thousand years or so to help people reach enlightenment. They are little stories or situations that were designed to make people pause, scratch their heads, and say, "what?"

I love using Zen Koans with the guests at our addiction recovery retreat, and they generally loved to be baffled by them. Sometimes though, I think (which is not condoned in Zen) that the ancient and hard to pronounce Japanese names and foreign customs serve to distract. A parable or teaching story works best by meeting people exactly where they are and with what they are familiar with. Jesus told stories about shepherds and sheep, while Lao Tzu spoke of Oxen and rice paddies. I've just brought some of our favorite Zen stories into Canadian culture in the 21st Century. Here is some Zen of Recovery, I hope you are scratching your head.

Ghoststory

"EGO"

Bruce was fairly new to AA and sobriety, but he had been very successful in his business and active in his church. Bruce considered himself to be a humble and dedicated member of his new 12 Step Fellowship. Bruce scheduled regular meetings with his carefully chosen sponsor, Frank.

One day during their weekly visit, Bruce asked his sponsor, "What is 'ego', according to AA's spiritual principles?" Frank's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?"

This unexpected response so shocked Bruce, that he became sullen and angry. His sponsor then smiled and said, "That Bruce, is ego."

My name is Jane Derry, you can see more about what I do at http://www.ahomeaway.org

Zen in Recovery - "Ego"

Rethinking Rehab. Addiction recovery, it is not what you think. A Home Away Retreat is a unique opportunity for people in early sobriety to heal, and learn the tools to live the life they desire and deserve, sober.

http://www.ahomeaway.org