Halloween Haunts: Estes Park Hauntings by Damian Serbu
The tradition – whether real or imagined – of ghosts more prominently appearing or visiting the living during Halloween inspires all sorts of stories in my mind. Nothing tantalizes me more, however, than real hauntings. And actual hauntings that touch my family especially fuel my passion for writing about the mysterious world of the afterlife.
My parents live in Estes Park, Colorado, and so on a recent visit we went to the Stanley Hotel for a drink and to partake of the ghost tour. Of course, most people know that setting, and particularly room 217, inspired Stephen King to write The Shining. And local legend conveys numerous other hauntings associated with the famous landmark hotel. My family and I experienced it first hand. On the day that my family took the ghost tour, the spirits of two small children attached themselves to my sister. At the point when our guide talked about the ghosts of small kids who are attracted to certain guests, my sister felt a tug on her skirt. As she walked around after, she held her arms strangely away from her body and insisted that the kids wanted to remain close to her. This encounter with the spirit world stayed with me for several days, until I could sit down and crank out a short story about young hauntings.
I also think about our family home in Estes Park when Halloween hauntings come to mind. We lived in a house that previously had one owner. She lived there until she passed away, not in the house but in a hospital. However, her spirit returned to her beloved home and lived with us. My mother placed two brass, heavy ornamental deer on the floor in the great room. Nothing could really knock them over, such as people walking past, the wind, or even the dog nudging them. However, every so often something would knock one of them over, an action that would require a kick or some force. It turns out, they were placed at the feet of where the woman placed her chair, so whenever her ghost came to sit by the fire, she inadvertently kicked them over. This ghostly visitor also got the attention of the dog, who would sit and watch her walk around. You could see him follow “nothing” with the movement of his eyes, his head tilted ever so slightly. Thankfully, she returned as a friendly ghost and never alarmed anyone. In fact, she was known to give comfort where needed. For the last few years of her life, my grandmother moved in with my mom and dad and resided in the original owner’s room on the first floor of the house. Toots claimed a couple of times that if she felt sick or out of sorts, she felt the comforting pressure of a hand on her shoulder. No one else was in the room, but she distinctly noticed the touch, as if the ghost understood her. Living in that house, too, provides a sense of the ghostly that leaks into my writing.
I will search for more ghosts again this Halloween to bring stories to my mind. Hopefully, as before, my family can help me out in this regard, whether they invite the spirits to visit or not!
Happy Halloween!
TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: Halloween Haunts contributor Christopher Alan Broadstone is offering one e-book copy of his novel Puzzleman. Enter for the prize by posting in the comments section. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by e-mail. You may enter once for each giveaway, and all entrants may be considered for other giveaways if they don’t win on the day they post. You may also enter by e-mailing membership@horror.org and putting HH CONTEST ENTRY in the header.
Damian Serbu lives in Chicagoland with his husband and dogs, Akasha and Chewbacca. The dogs control his life, tell him what to write, and threaten to eat him in the middle of the night if he disobeys. Keep up to date with him on Facebook, Twitter, or at www.DamianSerbu.com.
