Indie and the Ghost

When I talk to people about my Spooky America books, one of the most common questions they ask is, “Have you ever seen a ghost?” The answer isn’t as easy as a simple yes or no. Have I seen, truly seen, without a doubt, a ghostly spirit? No. Have I experienced strange sensations that felt otherworldly, which I can’t definitively explain away? Yes.

For instance, I grew up with lots of creepy things in my backyard, and not all of them were my family, but I don’t have 100% proof that the shed in my backyard was really haunted. And maybe I just dreamed the ghostly encounter I had in my cabin at the Highlights Foundation in Pennsylvania, but maybe I didn’t.

The thing is, as much as I want to believe in ghosts (and do, in theory), I am also very science-minded, and I try to rule out all other possibilities before I jump to the supernatural. Which is why recent events have me a bit on edge. You see, I didn’t see a ghost, but I’m pretty sure my cat did.

On August 25th, I went to three estate sales with my husband and my dad. I didn’t buy anything, but I think I still might have brought something (or someone) home with me.

When I returned home from the shopping trip, I sat at my desk for a couple of hours working. During this time, our cat Indigo was sleeping on the couch. Then I went to take a nap, and when I woke up, my husband showed me the following video.

Some things to know before you watch…

Indie is a little over a year old. We adopted him when he was less than two months old, and he’s been an indoor cat ever since. He is the friendliest, least skittish cat I’ve ever owned. He greets strangers at the door, lets everyone pet him, and is not afraid of dogs or vacuum cleaners. Loud, unexpected noises will make his tail fuzz, but usually just for a moment. He almost never hides from anything. This is what he looks like right now:

The room in this video is my home office. It’s technically supposed to be the dining room, which is why it’s open to the kitchen. This house was built in 1930, and we have lived here a little over a year. Nothing in the room is new. The desk, chair, pillow, shoes, and rug have all been here for the cat’s entire life. Most of them I’ve owned for much longer.

Lastly, the video is over five minutes long, but Indie was acting this way for five minutes before my husband started recording and continued to act strangely for several minutes longer.

Here’s the video:

The following day, everything seemed to go back to normal. Indigo entered my office without concern, played with his toys, slept in his bed, and jumped on my desk as if nothing was wrong. However, on September 3rd, he started acting strangely again, staring at the same spot in the room, this time from all the way on the other side of the couch in our living room. The wooden chair wasn’t there anymore, and the dog was sleeping on the rug by my desk, and it was a different time of day than the last time he saw something, but his reaction was very similar. He stayed away from the room for a couple of hours, keeping an eye on it from afar.

I’m trying not to let Indie’s strange behavior bother me too much. Even though it’s pretty weird. Even though I spend a lot of my time sitting right next to whatever he saw. Even though I’m sitting there right now. After all, who knows what goes through my crazy cat’s head? Our dog Uno has no concerns about my office, and my husband and I haven’t felt any uncomfortable presences. Still…

In my book The Ghostly Tales of Austin, I mention that some cultures believe spirits can follow the living home after a funeral. For this reason, they bury their deceased quickly and take an alternate path home. Maybe the next time I visit an estate sale, I’ll ignore my GPS and take the scenic route back to my house.

Speaking of my Spooky America books, I’ll be reading stories from The Ghostly Tales of Dallas at Interabang Books on Friday, September 29th at 4:00PM. Bring the family for some spooky fun! I’ll try not to let any uninvited guests tag along…