Page 54 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

34 Ghosts and Phantoms

ther was Marcel de X., who had come to try to night by terrible sobs and cries coming from
determine the origin of the manifestations. the green room. The cries seemed to be those
That night, the sound of a heavy ball was heard of a woman in horrible suffering. During the
descending the stairs from the second floor to next few nights, the activity seemed to become
the first, jumping from step to step. intensified and the cries of the sorrowful
woman in the green room had become shrill
The parish priest was also invited to stay a
night in the castle. He heard the heavy tread and despairing.
of a giant descending the stairs and proclaimed Shortly after the “weeping woman” had
the activity to be supernatural. Marcel de X. arrived to add to the confusion at Calvados, a
agreed with the priest. He had quickly con- cousin of Mme. de X., an army officer,
cluded that this ghost would be a most difficult appeared to pay them a visit. He scoffed at the
one to banish and had decided to leave Calva- wild stories the members of the household
dos Castle to the noisy spirit. He wished M. de told him, and against all their pleas, he insist-
X. the best of luck and returned to his home. ed upon sleeping in the green room. They
need not worry about him, he assured them,
On Halloween, the haunting seemed to
outdo itself with a display of phenomena that he always had his revolver at his side.
kept the household from going to bed until The officer strode boldly to the green
three o’clock in the morning. The center of room, left a candle burning as a night light,
the activity had now become what was called and went straight to sleep. He was awakened a
the green room, and the phenomena seemed short time later by what seemed to be the soft
always to either begin or end with loud rap- rustling of a silken robe. He was instantly
pings in this empty room. The ghost now aware that the candle had been extinguished
seemed to walk with a tread that had nothing and that something was tugging at the covers
human about it. It was like two legs deprived on his bed. In answer to his gruff demands to
of their feet and walking on the stumps. know who was there, he felt a cold breath of
air blow out the candle he had relit and the
rustling noise seemed to become louder, and
something was definitely determined to rob
THE abbe fared the worst throughout the duration him of his bedclothes. When he shouted that
whoever was there must declare himself or he
of the phenomena. would shoot, the only response to his demand
was an exceptionally violent tug on the covers.
It was a simple matter to determine where
It was during a violent November rain- his silent adversary stood by the sound of the
storm that the ghost acquired a voice. High rustling and the pull on the bedclothes, so he
above the howl of the wind and the rumble of decided to shoot three times. The lead slugs
the thunder, the beleaguered household heard struck nothing but the wall, and he dug them
a long shriek that at first sounded like a out with a knife that next morning.
woman outside in the storm calling for help.
The abbe fared the worst of any member of
The next cry sounded from within the castle.
the household throughout the duration of the
The members of the household gathered
phenomena. Whenever the cleric left his
together as if seeking strength from their
room, he always made certain that the win-
unity. Three sorrowful moans sounded as the
dows were bolted and his door was locked.
thing ascended the staircase.
The key to his room was secured to a leather
The men of Calvados left the sitting room thong that he kept belted to his waist. These
to carefully inspect the castle. They found precautions never accomplished the slightest
nothing. There was no woman in the castle, bit of good. Upon returning to his room, the
and no sign that anything had entered the cas- abbe would inevitably find his couch over-
tle from the storm. They heard no more sounds turned, the cushions scattered about, his win-
until everyone was awakened at 11:45 the next dows opened, and his armchair placed on his

The Gale Enc y clopedia of the Unusu al and Unexplained