(wow..I've never had to do another thread because my post was too long! lol)

CONTINUED....


She told me stories of how he would come to her at night with this box, sit on her bed and just hold the cigar box while looking at her. She said that he was always drawn to the cabinets as well. Her parents actually put those cabinets in the room, she said.
She also told me that when they moved in, the mirror upstairs in the bathroom.. when they did the first remodel of the bathroom that was originally there, she said that when they took the mirror off the wall, that behind it, written on the back were dates and accounts of the hauntings that had happened, written by the previous owner. I am wondering if it was the wife, and she just never wanted anyone to know or think she was crazy.. who knows. My best guess anyway. I never have seen this mirror, but she said it just gave a date- and what he did.. and there was like 10 dates on the back of the mirror.
They had no clue what it was at the time, and it wasn't until years later, for them, that they realized what those dates and events meant. "Old Man walked Hall" "Old Man with box in basement".
On one of our further conversations, in 2006 as a matter of fact, I found out from her that it was HER family that left that cross and penny in the windowsill when they moved out in 1986. It has never left the window sill ever since. Well, one of my boys stole the penny one time, but I did replace it..LOL
So anyway, I am one who does NOT believe in ghosts (or I didn't at that time) so I did what I had done in my previous home (except I had a Monk/Priest come in and bless our entire home, room to room and release and spirits that might have been there (we had no hauntings, but I just have always believed in having that done).
So, I went room to room, with my bible and cursed every demon, that might be here, out of my home. I literally did the Kathy smack down over and over. lol I was determined that nothing was going to invade my home anymore and whatever it was had to leave!!!

Well, that did the trick. We don't seem to have any issues with Demons at all. EXCEPT for the old man..LOL He's not a demon, so he stayed..LOL He was silent for many years, until 2006.

That was when we were having a halloween party for our youngest son. We thought it would be cool to give the party a little bit of life, and we sent fliers out for kids to come and said on the bottom of the flier "Is the house at xxx _th street haunted?? and made a reference to come party with the old man in the basement. (It was an 8th grade party, so we thought it would draw interest among the kids at his school to be here.) we hired a fortune teller, had a DJ in the basement and had the whole downstairs done up amazingly. It was pretty cool.
Anyway, the day of the party, I sent my husband out to the garage to get in the rafters where we store items. He goes up there frequently (maybe a place to stash mags?? LOL) A few minutes later, he came back into the house white as a ghost. I said, Hon. what's wrong? He just looked at me and then held out what he was holding in his hands.
He had in his hands a box.
A cigar Box.
A very, VERY old cigar box.
A DUSTY, very old cigar box.

He looked at me and said, "I go up there all the time. I get things in and out the same way. When I got up in there, this was sitting RIGHT There in front of my face. Just sitting there.

It looked as if it hadn't been touched in a century. The dust was so thick, my husband's finger impressions were left almost an 1/8th inch depth on the box.

I took it from him.. feeling my insides absolutely turning.
I carefully took it to the table. I felt almost like I was intruding on a shrine, or someone's grave...lol It just felt weird. I was so afraid to open it. I honestly was.

We finally worked up the nerve to open it. Inside were just rubber bands (whew!). A few of them, not many.
I looked at my husband and I said, Do you think this is a sign? I mean, do you think we are upsetting him by this party and the references, the stories that I Have printed up (just like what I have told here)? I had this story printed up and had plans to hand to the kids as they came over.kind of a way to freak them out a bit.. and it told the first person accounts of the 3 different people who have had contact with the old man.

Anyway, he said he didn't know if we upset him..but he sure was freaked out by it (finding the box).
I said, "You know, he has been looking for this.. right? Or carrying it, right? Maybe I need to go give it to him."

So, I took it downstairs and placed it on a cabinet we have in the basement. It stayed there and is still there. It is still a little dusty. It's empty, but there.
At that time, I contacted some paranormal investigators in our area via email, asking for help. I was truly freaked out. They contacted me back and said they wanted to come over.

I told my husband my plans and the next day he put the hammer down and told me absolutely not, that he wouldn't allow paranormal researchers to come into the house. I asked him why. He said, "Because, if we ever try to sell this house, and it has been proven (which I believe it will, he added)we have to disclose that on our disclosure statement on the house..and we can't jeopardize our investment in that way."

I could not argue with that. I could not even think of a way around that, except to consult with a few people who agreed (dang it).

Besides, with the box being downstairs, I was hopeful we had solved his problem. We had NO problems at all after that. Nothing. NO feelings, nothing.

Now, fast forward to last month. I have a woman from Germany that is staying here with us. All the boys but the youngest have now moved on and out. She is 48 and is a dear friend of mine. She has been here since June.

She knew about the old man, because I told her all about him about 4 years ago.
She told me about a month after she was here, she said, You know..I felt him when I was here for the Halloween party in '06. I felt him in the basement. But I do not feel him now. I believe that box in the basement has done the trick.

That was, until last month. She came upstairs and got me out of bed. She said, "OMG.. I saw him!" I said, "What?" She said, "I was coming in from outside, and I was looking in the living room and there he was, standing towards the back of the living room." (same place my best friend saw him run from). She said, "he just stood there. He was very faint, I could see right through him, but I saw right away it was a man. She said, I freaked out and almost screamed. She said, my heart stopped."
She continued, that when she looked at him, she said it was like he saw the instant fear in her eyes. She said she felt as if she startled him when she walked in and they both just stood there looking at each other. She said that she was fearful, but then she said, "I felt his sorrow, Kathy. I felt him.. I mean he didn't say anything, but all of a sudden I started crying. He made me SO Sad for him. I can't explain it. I felt his sadness"
She also added that he seemed like he was worried that she was afraid of him (same as he did with my son!)

She started crying in front of me as she was recalling and trying to explain in words what she felt from him.

She just looked at me and said "Kathy, he is so sad, he is looking for something. He needs help..".

I've always wondered why I never saw him. Maybe because of my fear? Maybe because I didn't believe? who knows.. but I do want to add, folks, that I am going blind. I have a form of night blindness. So, as my friend from Germany says, "He probably has shown himself to you many times, but you are too blind to see him!!!"

I have come to the point that I want to help this man. I really do. I feel for him. I know that he is in pain. He can't move on. I do believe in ghosts now, and I believe, with all my heart, that we have one here. One that is nice, does not mean harm,considers others feelings, but is very sad. My heart aches for him.

I want to know.. can we get help... can anyone help him, and NOT have it be public record? Is there a way to do this that would alleviate my husband's fears about disclosure? The only way I can think of is, if it isn't ever documented (duh, like it isn't now..arrgh)

I am at my end of how to help him.