Did I see a ghost? Read on ...

10/30/2015 8:44:00 AM Did I see a ghost? Read on ... Editor's note: This is first-person account of a Gardner News correspondent's experiences at the Narragansett Historical Society.

+ click to enlarge TGN file photo April Page Stundtner April Page Stundtner News correspondent As I stood alone in a dimly lit room at the Narragansett Historical Society recently, I expected something to happen. How could I not think about something scary and unexpected happening to me after the president of the historical society, Brian Tanguay, said moments before leaving the room: “We talk about the spirits in this room (the loom room) and this is one of the most active rooms where they come from the attic — back and forth.” “A lot of times when we are talking about them, they show up,” Mr. Tanguay said casually. “You know, so once and a while, you will get that chill in the back of your neck or your arms, and when that happens take a picture with a flash.” Sure Brian, no problem, I thought. Mr. Tanguay went in the hall to turn the light off so I could get a better photo of what are known as orbs: round glowing balls of light believed to be spirits. Mr. Tanguay later showed me a photo with four orbs in the room, as well as several other frames in the same spot within the same time frame that the first orb photo was shot. Because no orbs were in the following exposures, paranormal investigators believe that the orbs were not caused by a dirty camera lens. Standing on wide pine floorboards that creaked whenever I moved, I smelled a musty old stench that I have only smelled in each of my grandparents’ dirt cellars years ago. It was at that moment that I noticed my left arm and hand, which was holding my thin reporter’s notebook and pen, begin to shake uncontrollably. I tried holding my left arm with my right hand to stop the movement, but to no immediate avail. As much as I expected something might happen here, this is not what I imagined. The pen in my left hand nearly dropped. I thought I had the shakes, or maybe I was getting sick and didn’t realize it. “They are very active from here over (attic through loom room),” Mr. Tanguay said. “Did you feel them? They just came through. See, they just came through again. I just felt them again,” he exclaimed. “You did?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. “They just came through. Whoa,” Mr. Tanguay shook his head and shoulders like a dog shaking off after a bath. OK, maybe I wasn’t getting sick after all. I initially didn’t tell Mr. Tanguay what I felt, but I also had no explanation for the last 30 seconds. It was as if whatever made my arm move didn’t want me to tell his or her story about the unusual experiences people have had in the historical society. I realize this is conjecture on my part, but each time I sat to write this story, I would spend five minutes trying to get my Word program to work right – whether it was my letters not printing on the screen or the format not working correctly – I always had a glitch to overcome. I must have opened these stories at least 10 times with the same unexplained technical problems, yet I have not had any problems with other documents that I have opened. Hmmm ...