One day a little old lady on the next street over stopped me on my way home from the bus stop and asked me If I’d ever seen anything strange. I nodded, how would she possibly know? She told me that our homes were built on an Indian burial ground. I’d seen Poltergeist at that point and was completely freaked out but I didn’t quite believe her.
I told my step-mom and she suggested that I use the old Ouija board in our closet left over from the previous owners. Maybe we could reach the Indians and see what they wanted. Her grandmother had recently died and she really wanted to get in touch with her too. I did as she suggested and lit candles around the board. I had NO idea what I was doing; I assumed it was just a game. I think I was twelve or thirteen at the time and called out to her Grandmother. The flames instantly shot up ten feet high and the planchette moved by itself and that was enough for me, I packed it away but the damage had already been done.
Instantly the house was full of activity and most of it centered around me. I later learned that the Ouija board was amplified by the fact that I was a hormonal young girl (many young girls can see spirits anyway), which was amplified by the fact that we lived on the beach. The house sat on limestone, a crystal. I saw many spirits over the next few years, I saw Orbs (like portals), dancing lights that followed me and even felt emotions from the spirits. It was exhausting!! I thought I was going crazy and I had no empathy from the church I attended, the Decan I confided in thought I was evil.
One had even attached itself to me after I moved out. I wondered why my next house was haunted too! Another house I lived in downtown St. Augustine was haunted there too. It was cold and drafty in the winter so I hung a blanket up. I saw a face come through of an African man… I was home alone. After that I researched the house and learned it had previously been the slave quarters.
Downtown St. Augustine
I thought I was going crazy but after I sought some advice I learned it was ME! I did a cleansing and a religious friend from a church came and walked around the house with oils and chanted. We burned sage and oils to purify the area. We did this for months and It worked!
Now I will NOT enter a room that has a Ouija board in it!
How does all of this lend to my books? I’ve learned a lot about the occult and I’ve always been a fan of history. St. Augustine is our nation’s oldest city; if any place here were to have supernatural beings it would be there.
Have you ever seen a ghost?
Eva doesn’t claim to be a good guardian angel, but she tries. After she loses two charges, the Powers That Be begin to doubt her abilities. To redeem herself, Eva sets out to rescue Elsie, granddaughter of the former king of the Fae. A demon has kidnapped Elsie to complete an ancient ritual that will allow him to slip through the veil between Earth and Hell during the Sturgeon moon.
Thomas, an angel liaison, finally lands his first mission. But when he’s paired with the angel responsible for his uncle’s death, he has to put aside their differences to get the job done. With unlikely friends in tow, Eva and Thomas are in a race against time. Save Elsie, save the world—oh, and save Eva’s job.
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Mandie Stevens has always been accused of living in her own world so she decided to put it to paper. When she isn’t writing you can catch her lounging on the beach reading. She has ridiculously little feet and would be happy eating seafood every day. Subscriber to her newsletter Follow on Enter to win a Caelum Prize Pack - Signed paperback, $5 Amazon or iBooks GC, and fun character inspired prize pack. Open to US residents 18+.
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I have not had any ghostly experiences, but I love to read about them.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental