Ghosts Opening Doors

Friday, August 15, 2008, 5:07 p.m.

I arrived at 4:00 p.m. to begin my 16-hour shift and was busy running between the front lobby desk and the laundry room getting the non-perishable items together for breakfast in the morning.  My co-worker was covering the front desk and the phones so that I could accomplish all the tasks that needed to be done in advance.  She is a sweet, older lady who sits on a high stool behind the lobby counter.

One of the things I always do when I first arrive is to be sure that the attic door, which is located in the middle, breakfast prep room, is closed to keep the heat out of the office that drifts down from the attic.

On one of my many trips through the middle, breakfast prep room, I noticed that the attic door was wide open after I had closed it upon my arrival at 4:00 p.m.  I pulled it closed tight again, making certain I heard the "click."

Five minutes later, I found the attic door wide open again and followed the above-mentioned procedure once again.  I questioned my co-worker, asking her if she had opened the attic door for any reason.  She told me that she never left her chair or the front lobby.

Twenty minutes later, I noticed the attic door was wide open again.  Once again, I questioned my co-worker and received the same response.  Once again, I made certain the door was closed tight and heard that "click" indicating that the door was closed completely.  It was at this point that I realized that I forgot to say "Hi" to our Confederate soldier spirit who walks around in the attic.

So, I laughed, said my hellos, and continued about my duties.  There were no more incidents with the attic door that night.

At 7:46 p.m., I was finishing up some early paperwork in the inner office and stepped into the lobby to see how my co-worker was doing before she left for the evening.  I immediately noticed that something did not appear right.  The sun was just beginning to set and it was still light outside.  It was then I noticed that the breakfast room, to the left of the lobby, was dark.

I walked into the breakfast room and saw that all the overhead lights were turned off.  I asked my co-worker if she turned them off and she said, "No, why would I do that?"  I realized then that I would have seen her turn them off because the switch for the breakfast room overhead lights is located in the inner office where I was previously working.  I turned the lights back on.

As a side note, the elderly lady who works with me does not believe in anything paranormal.  She refuses to discuss it with any guests who come in asking questions.  The few times I have mentioned things to her, or when things actually occur in her presence, she raises her eyebrow, shakes her head and totally shuts down.