Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown (33 page)
Read Ghost Hunt 2: MORE Chilling Tales of the Unknown Online
Authors: Jason Hawes,Grant Wilson
Tags: #JUV001000
After giving the picture a hard look, you think the figure is real. This is way exciting.
9. You decide to…
a) Tell your counselor not to camp out at that spot anymore because it’s dangerous
b) See if anyone else in your cabin is interested in ghost hunting and set up a ghost hunting team
c) Go back to the spot alone for more investigation
d) Write home to your parents, and tell them to send you a better camera
The next night you go back out to the site with a few of your friends. Everyone is excited about the investigation. You start by studying that picture of the figure that you thought looked like the soldier. You find the exact spot where you took it and look straight ahead. Your friend points out that a knot in the tree next to a weird branch is actually what’s in the picture—definitely not a spirit. Bummer, you were matrixing after all. Your mind was making you see a soldier because of what you had heard about the site. But there’s still more to be done.
You take out the compass and start checking the area again. You walk around a bit until you look down and see the needle spin. You call two friends over to check it out quickly. They are amazed by what they see—until one of your bunk mates looks up and sees an electrical wire leading toward camp directly overhead.
“Do you think that could be doing it?” he asks. “Maybe something with the electricity…”
“Yeah,” you say. “It’s too much of a coincidence.” You remember that the last time the compass stopped spinning, you had walked a few steps forward. So you try it again, and sure enough, when you get away from the wire, the needle points directly north.
“So far, we’ve debunked most of the evidence,” you say. “But what about the light? I know what I saw. It looked like someone holding a lantern.”
“That could’ve been anything,” your friend says. “Maybe something from the cabins. Who knows? But I think we can call this case closed.”
“It’s getting dark,” another friend says. “We should go back.”
You start down the trail leading back to camp, but suddenly all three of you stop cold. A flicker of light twinkles around some trees in the distance. A barely audible voice is carried on the wind. You can hear it say, “Run! They’re coming! They’re coming!”
“It’s the lost soldier!” you shout.
Quickly, you and your team run toward the direction where the voice is coming from. As you get closer, you see the orange light appear. Now you all run as fast as you can.
But when you reach the light, you are disappointed. Your counselor is waiting for you there, smiling and holding an electric lantern.
“Sorry, guys. It’s a Camp Elk River tradition. Each year, we tell the story about the lost soldier and walk around with the lantern to scare the new campers.”
“So you were walking around with the light the whole time?”
“Well, the other counselors helped while I was telling the ghost story.”
“And you pretended to be the ghost calling out, ‘Run, they’re coming’?”
“Huh?”
“That voice we just heard. That was you, too, right?”
“No, I didn’t say anything…”
Just then, your counselor’s face turns white. The hairs stand up on the back of your neck. You can hear the voice now, louder, yelling,
“Run! They’re coming!”
Question 1:
You decide the story could be true because it fits the description of a…
Answer: c)
Residual haunting
All the indications point to a residual haunting—a spirit doing the same thing over and over again, never changing what it does or interacting with people.
Question 2:
You think whatever is going on out there is probably…
Answer: a)
Nothing paranormal; it’s probably just another group camping out
Swamp gas might be a common explanation for strange-looking lights… but you’re camping in the woods, not at a swamp. You’ve got to be aware of your surroundings. And even though the ghost story might be a little creepy, you can’t just jump to the conclusion that something paranormal is going on. All those weird things could just
as easily be another group of campers. Think about it. The orange light and the smell could be from a torch for bugs; the voice could be another counselor. And a sudden wind is not that unusual.
Question 3:
The dim flicker you saw is now brighter. It looks as if it’s moving toward the campsite, straight to your tent. You decide to…
Answer: b)
Look outside the tent to see what’s there
At this point you should probably check out what’s going on. Answers
a
and
d
both assume that the light is definitely a ghost, but you’d never actually know without looking. Remember, a ghost hunter always needs to walk toward the area where they think something paranormal is going on. If you chose answer
c
, you may not be cut out to be a ghost hunter—sometimes we’re up all night!
Question 4:
You have enough room in your backpack to bring only four pieces of ghost hunting equipment, so you decide to take all the following pieces:
Answer: b)
Compass, camera, flashlight, set of extra batteries
A thermometer won’t really help you out in the woods. It’s mostly used for finding cold spots inside a room. In the open, there are too
many variables to accurately use it. You also won’t need the walkie-talkies, because you’re going out alone.
Question 5:
By the time you find the spot, the sun is setting. The first thing you do is…
Answer: d)
Take a few pictures of the area
Sometimes simple is good. There’s a lot going on in the woods—birds and other animals, branches moved by wind—and shadows can often play tricks on a person. Taking a few pictures while it’s still fairly light out is a smart idea.
Question 6:
The next thing you decide to do is…
Answer: a)
See if you are wearing or carrying something, like a watch or belt, that could be affecting the compass
Remember—your first job is to debunk a claim. Staying out all night will only get you in trouble, and who knows if there’s even anything out there? Taking pictures is not a bad idea, but before jumping to a conclusion about what’s going on in the woods, you need to see what’s up with the compass.
Question 7:
You take a few steps forward and wait a few moments. When you look back down at the compass, it’s stopped spinning. Is that the sign you asked for?
Answer: c)
Maybe, it’s not 100 percent proof one way or the other
It
is
a strange coincidence that the electromagnetic field changed when you asked the spirit a question. If a spirit really was present and close to you, it’s true that the compass would spin faster. But just because that didn’t happen when you asked for a sign doesn’t mean a spirit wasn’t there. You will need more evidence. It might also seem logical that the light would be back as well, but spirits can take many different forms. So just because the light isn’t there doesn’t mean that a spirit isn’t present.
Question 8:
This looks like a great piece of evidence! But before you can be sure, you must…
Answer: d)
All of the above
Always remember—look for the simplest explanation first. A shadowy figure in the woods? That could be a hundred different things. But if you rule out all those possibilities, you might have some strong evidence.
Question 9:
You decide to…
Answer: b)
See if anyone else in your cabin is interested in ghost hunting and set up a ghost hunting team
If you think you have a strong piece of evidence, then you definitely need to go out and collect more. And the best way to do that is with a team. Remember, two (or three) heads are better than one—and also safer.
