Question From A Reader "What was the most difficult thing about your experiences?"

I get a lot of direct messages asking questions about what happened and how we dealt with everything.  I do my best to answer them all and have been very open in answering them.  I got the question below a few days ago.  It caused me to pause and really think.

"What was the most difficult thing about your experiences?"

I've labeled our experiences in stages.

Stage One-The Denial
Stage Two-The Haunting itself
Stage Three-The Identification and Actions To be Taken
Stage Four-The Recovery from the Emotional and Mental Toll
Stage Five- Empowerment

We are currently in Stage Four, recovery from the emotional and mental toll it took on all of us.  That is the most difficult thing about our experiences.

Noticed that I used "is".  That's because our wounds are still heeling.   The emotional & mental toll has been difficult to overcome.  Moving forward means one step forward and two steps back sometimes.  A lot of people think that once you rid your home or get control of the source of the attacking or haunting, life goes back to normal.   It doesn't.  We were a long way from normal and we still have a ways to go.

After our experiences, we became hypersensitive to things.  Thoughts would race through our minds, "was that something we should worry about?" "Is someone here that we can't identify?"  "What is that sound?"  "Is she back?".

We still are somewhat withdrawn as a family.  We don't do much outside our home and confine ourselves only to places we feel comfortable.  Recovery is a long road of looking over your shoulder to see if there is anything behind you.  It's not sleeping or waking up for no reason.  It's putting your faith in objects and practices in hopes that they speed your recovery.  It's talking to each other and supporting one another.

It's being strong for each other.

Gaining control of lives is a hard battle in over a 9 year war for us.  It's accepting who we are & our abilities.  Understanding how to control our environment in order to speed the healing process.

Educating ourselves is the key to recovering from the emotional & mental damage.  We're not there yet but we are getting closer.

If you have a question, we encourage you to ask.  Our goal in sharing our story continues to be to help those who are suffering and just need some courage to get the help they need.  No one should suffer in silence.

We've made it easier to submit questions too!  Just Fill out the "Contact Us" Form on upper right.

If your question is for one of us in particular, please say who it's directed to.   Also, we won't publish your name unless you specifically ask us to do so.

The Deranged, The Bad, & The Good

Filming was scheduled to begin on May 24, 2016 and activity had picked up at a feverish pace.  The crazy lady had somehow opened some kind of pathway right to our house.  Spirits seemed to be everywhere and most of them weren't very nice.   It was like we were trapped in the eye of a hurricane, just waiting for the worse part of the storm to hit.

THE DERANGED

"I will never leave unless you leave with me!"

This was just one of the many things the crazy woman would say to me.  She was talking non-stop now and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't tune her out.  It was stressful because she would talk anytime I was at the house.  "Do you feel as if you are all balled up?  I am getting through to you now." she said to me as I drifted off to sleep one night.  That night I had dreams that she was there, walking around me. In the dream she was talking but I couldn't hear her.  She was blurry and transparent but I could see enough of her to know that she was lecturing me.   I was awakened by her loud blood curtailing scream.  I didn't sleep the rest of the night.  She knew Amy was coming too, "I feel as if someone is coming to bump me." she said to me one day.  "Surely, you would not let that happen to me, would you baby?"  I finally broke and said out loud, "If that's what it takes then yes!"  Just then there was a loud scream followed by a whisper in my ear, "If she comes, I will bump the ones you love."


THE BAD

"I have killed before, it is my nature and I do not take much mind to it."

I heard this as I was in the barn getting it ready for the film crew.  It was a male voice that sounded gravely and in an as matter of fact tone.  I had never heard this one, it was something new.  I looked around the barn just to make sure no one was there.  It was unnerving and I could feel a sudden wave of anxiety rush over me.   I was determined to stand my ground and to finish what I was doing.  As I was closing one of the horse stalls I heard,  "Here, let me help you!" and the stall gate slammed shut nearly catching my hand in the process.  If you know anything about horse stalls, you know that those sliding gate doors are extremely heavy and made out of reinforced steel.  I was lucky as it could have seriously hurt my hand.   I stood there dazed for a second not knowing what to do.  Then I heard a laugh behind me just as I turned someone yell, "BOO!" I was done...I hauled ass out of there and didn't talk to anyone about what happened.


THE GOOD

"Sometimes the good ones will follow the bad ones through the door."

One morning while I was getting the girls ready for school.  I heard a man say that to me.  His voice was calm and soothing.  He spoke with an air of confidence in a relaxed tone.  It immediately made me feel safe.  A few minutes later, Emi asked Jennifer who was that man that walked by.  Jennifer said it was probably Dad but she said no, he was wearing a flannel shirt and was short.  I walked back in and Jennifer asked me if I walked through the kitchen.  She said Emi just saw a man walk through.  I thought to myself this must had been the man I just heard.  I asked Emi if she was scared of him and she said no because he was seemed nice.  A few moments later, I heard "I am nice and I do not particularly care for those other folks here so I will try to keep them busy."

Even though some good was there, it wasn't enough to stop what was about to happen.

A line in the sand.

Looking back at May 2016 it's was a blur.  We could feel the heaviness in the house getting thicker with each passing day.   Before any of the crew arrived, we had a call with Steve DiSchiavi.  One of things he asked was if the activity had increased.   We told him yes, it had and it seemed to be getting stronger.  I still remember his response, "Yea, it's like they know we're coming."  The truth of that statement just caused my mind to race.  I thought to myself, "if they know they're coming, how to I protect my family until Steve & Amy get here?"

Protecting my family was my top concern at that point.  It's very frustrating when you feel helpless and unable to protect the ones you cherish the most.   However my thought process then changed.  I was more angry than scared, I was move combative and stood my ground, I only responded when I felt the activity warranted a response.  However, changing to this method came at a price.

Making myself the center of the attacks in order to protect everyone meant I had to open myself up.  Suddenly I remembered things from my childhood as well as things from when I was a young adult.  Opening up those memories opened up my senses.  I knew the crazy woman had opened up a door to bring in reinforcements, she needed help to stop Amy from coming.   I also knew at some point she would figure out a way to allow them to come inside.  I wanted to stay on the offensive so I proactively granted them access.  My thought was that I would have more control over them if I did that.   I was the only thing standing between them and my family.  I was literally the first, last, and only line of defense.

My head was spinning and I had a very difficult time controlling the voices.  They would yell and scream; talking over each other.  It was exhausting as well as terrifying.   The voices started to manifest themselves into shadow figures.   If I went outside, they would rush me causing me to step backwards and lose my balance.   One time as I was about to walk through the doorway to the barn, I was pushed to the ground from behind.  The barn door slammed behind me as laid there.  I gathered myself and angrily yelled, "Is that all you can do?  That's it?  You're a coward!  Let's make this a fair fight!"   My response suddenly cleared the air as I felt an feeling of calmness.  I finally scared them.

In the back of my mind I knew that I had only pushed them back temporarily.  The crazy woman was talking to me constantly now;  I couldn't tune her out.  I was getting headaches and I wasn't sleeping well.  I would hear her whisper, "You are almost mine."  When I would ignore her she would scream at the top of lungs for all to hear.

One afternoon while a young family was picking up their new puppy, she made her presence known.  She kept asking who are these people were but I didn't answer.  She grew angry and frustrated and finally screamed.  Thankfully the parents didn't hear it but their children did.  "What was that!?!" one said.  "Nothing", I replied.  "Just the TV in the back of the house."  Luckily, they were young enough to believe that's what happened.

Now that the pathway was opened, others started to arrive.  Some benign, some curious, some angry, and some hell bent on causing terror & chaos.  We started hearing children laughing at various times of the day.  We heard the laughter of one child and thought it was Emi coming home from school.  When we noticed the time, it was too early for her to be home and when we looked in the mud room no one was there.  In my mind hearing the laughter of children was a good sign.  I knew if children were there then they would alert me to anything threatening or bad. 

The crazy lady decided that screaming repeatedly was her best way to not only scare us, but others as well.  One late afternoon she become frustrated with some customers who were picking up a puppy.  She felt threatened by them and wanted them to leave.  She kept asking me, "Tell them to leave, tell them to get out!"  I ignored her just as I had done in the past.  So she decided to take matters into own hands and screamed loudly about 10 times!  Everyone heard it...everyone.  I could see the fear on the people's face and they quickly decided it was time to go.  After they had left, I sat at our dining room table eating.  The crazy woman whispered in my ear, "I control this now."  I whispered back, "no you don't & you never will."   As soon as I finished saying that, I was slapped in the face.  Jennifer turned and looked at me and she knew exactly what happened.  My face was red with a hand print.

I had drawn a line in the sand and she crossed it.  She had moved to another level.

Picking Up The Pace...On Both Sides.

Late April 2016 found us excited, nervous, and anxious.  It also found us scared because it became very obvious that the activity in our house was increasing and whatever was torturing us had figured out exactly what was happening and who was coming.  Filming was scheduled to start on May 25, 2016 and we weren't even close to ready.

The crazy woman seemed to be getting more and more unstable.  She was frantic, angry, and demanding.   I couldn't keep her or her voice at bay any longer.  One night while I was sound asleep, I woke up to a breathing on my neck.  It was cold, like someone was holding a block of ice over me.  It was so cold that it burned.  When I opened my eyes I saw what looked like a shadow but my eyes hadn't focused enough yet so I couldn't tell exactly what it was.  All the sudden a woman's voice yelled so loud it echoed in my head.  "STOP THEM!"

I jumped out bed terrified and looked back to find Jennifer sleeping peacefully.  I thought maybe it was just a bad dream but I then felt a cold wave push through me and I became freezing cold.  I was so cold that I was shivering uncontrollably and I started to feel sick.  My nausea came on quickly and I made it to the bathroom just before I started to vomit.  As I was cleaning myself up, I noticed my fingertips were blue and I had a mark on my neck where I felt the cold breathing.  What I thought was just a dream actually did happen.  Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep the rest of the night.

The spoon had started traveling quite a bit now.  It would be gone for days and it would come back a little more violently.  It would slam down on the floor, hit a wall, or come back bent and mangled.  One time it came back wrapped around one of our own spoons.  We would never question the spoon's actions but the fact that it was wrapped around the other spoon had us nervous.  We placed it back on the counter and about an hour later it was gone again however our other spoon was still there.  It apparently unwrapped itself and disappeared.  This replaced our nervousness with fear.  I was starting to also feel Charley Reynolds again.

Female footsteps were now following the screams of the crazy woman.  Even though she was the most active, others were starting to make their presents known.  One morning while Emi was getting ready for school, she came into the kitchen telling us she saw a little girl in the hallway.  She said she was dressed in an "old timey" dress and her hair was messed up.  She looked sad like she was lost.  Emi said she tried to talk to her but she just disappeared.  Emi seemed more confused than scared.  I think it's because children sometimes see things differently than adults.

I could hear more voices than ever before and none of them were friendly at all.  Blocking out the voice of the crazy woman was now getting harder and the other voices, although faint, were nearly impossible to silence at times.  I could make out names sometimes-Johnny, David, & Jim.  They were angry, talked of violence, injustice, and tragedy.  However, sometimes they spoke of remorse but they never spoke of why they were remorseful.

Shadows and voice are now a part of our everyday life.  Each one of us see something different and it makes it hard to piece the events together because nothing is making sense to us.  We are walking around in a daze while trying to get ready for filming.   Painless Productions were moving fast and furious on the production schedule, however they were always respectful of our situation and what we were going through.  It felt like daily questions, updates, calls, and emails were coming at us everyday.  Trying to do both was turning us inside and out. 

It felt like the crazy woman opened a door to another realm.  It was reinforcements to help her in her twisted mission to keep Amy, Steve, and The Dead Files from helping us.

Holding on until the help arrived.

The news that The Dead Files was coming to our rescue had really lifted our spirits.  Our mood finally swung to one of hope.  For the first time is a very long time, we felt we were on the offensive.

When talked to The Dead Files in the Fall of 2015, it triggered some negative experiences.  It was like we were punished for contacting the show. (see Nice Trick, Now for Your Punishment).  This time around, Jennifer & I decided to take precautions.   We would try our best not to talk about the show or the fact that Amy & Steve were coming.  Granted, this was an extremely difficult task as we would get calls and emails from the show's producers.  However, thankfully it seemed to be working.  We could actually feel an air of confusion, not from us, but from the entities in the house.  We had a secret and the spirits couldn't figure out what it was.

Our assigned producer, Jeremy, from Painless Productions called to introduce himself.  Nothing earth shattering just a nice introduction and to schedule a time for all of us to talk.  During the next call, all of us shared our experiences and what had happened in the house.   He didn't want us to get into too much detail or for us to speculate what we thought was causing the experiences.  He just wanted a "guide" or "path" on where to start.  The call was really more about us and getting to know us as a family.

Jeremy told us that he would be flying in a couple of days prior to the production crew arriving.  He would be coming to the house taking pictures and getting an idea of the layout of house and land.  We also reviewed the production schedule which was daunting.  Filming was scheduled to begin in late May 2016.  There were a couple of days/night that we could not be at the house.  To further complicate things for us, we had to move ALL the animals off the property.  Amy is a huge animal lover and they were afraid that if the animals were there it would distract her during her walk and thus she wouldn't get a good reading.

Nothing makes you panic more than having your home about to be shown on national TV.  Our house had fallen into an unkempt disaster.  Our hearts, energy, and health weren't strong enough to keep our home up to the standards we were accustomed to in the past.  However, the thought of being on the show and finally getting help inspired us to at least get to the point of making things look better.

Jeremy's visit was somewhat overwhelming & emotional because for the first time someone really wanted to learn about our struggles and was willing to help.  So we poured out our hearts to him.  We told him everything but were able to keep things suppressed at his request.  The two younger girls, Heidi & Emi, were excited to share things with him.  Chloe was somewhat reluctant.  She was still in denial of some of the things and was upset that the experiences were taking away from her Senior year of high school.   She did speak with Jeremy but at her request did so privately.  Londyn, our oldest daughter, was still attending school in Nashville and would not be able to come home for the filming.  She was willing to do Skype but she wanted to do it anonymously.  The show's executive producers said no to that so that's the reason Londyn was not in the episode.

While Jeremy was talking to Emi in the the doorway of her bed something happened.   The crazy woman figured it all out and let a very loud and very angry scream.  It wasn't as much of scream as it was a yell.  Like a parent yelling at a child who was in trouble.

The look on Jeremy's face was shocking.  I said to him, "Surely something like this has happened before."

"No...no, this is the first time ever....that's a first", he said.

Our hopes of keeping this a secret from the entities that were torturing us had come unraveled.

The battle had begun and the spirits were turning the dial up to ten.  They wanted to stop Amy from coming and it came down to whoever was stronger...us or them.

The Cavalry is coming to the rescue!

It's late March 2016 now and our lives had not only become distant from the outside world but from each other as well.   We couldn't stop or control anything that was happening. It had finally started breaking our souls.  Living the way we were living was a tragedy in itself.

The constant screaming of the crazy woman, the man laughing and yelling anytime he wanted,  things breaking down for no reason, things disappearing or flying through the house, and the smell of tobacco smoke were now a part of horrifying daily life.  It seemed there was always something new to add to the list happenings.  One evening I came back into the house from taking the trash out and found one of our dogs on a shelf above the kitchen cabinets.  It was impossible for him to have done this on his own, something helped him.  He was terrified and it took awhile to calm him down.  He also developed a self-protecting trait as sometimes he would refuse to come back inside the house.  It wouldn't make a difference if it was freezing, snowing, or raining he didn't want to come inside. 

Everything about us now was broken.  We were past the point of asking anyone for help or telling anyone about what was happening.   Everyone had looked at our situation as a novelty or something fun.  To them it was like something that they would see on television but to us it wasn't a made for TV movie.  It was the reality of living in constant fear, exhaustion, and chaos. 

My phone rang late one afternoon but since I didn't recognize the number I didn't answer.   I pushed the call the voice mail and forgot about it.  Later that evening I checked the message and it was Desma from The Dead Files!  Her message said the show had been renewed and she wanted me to call her if we were still interested.   Thankfully she was still in the office when I called back.   Jennifer & I spoke to her on speaker phone.  She asked if we were still having issues.  We quickly replied "yes and it's gotten worse!" 

"Would you still consider being on the show?  We want to use your story as a season premier.", she said.

We didn't hesitate and said, "Yes we do!"

She seemed just as excited as we were as she went through a timeline & deadlines of the show's production.   At the very end she asked if we sure we wanted to do this.  "You're at the point of no return now, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?  Doing the show will make everything public and people may judge you, so are you ready for that?"

We told her that we are living in constant fear and lives are nothing but a shell of what it was before all this started happening.  We were at the point that we didn't care what anyone else thought because we knew if we didn't get help we were going to lose everything.   So, yes...we were ready to do it and to finally get some help that we felt we could trust.

She told us who our producer would be and that he would contact us within the next couple of days to schedule times to come to meet with us.

We finally felt a sense of relief that we hadn't felt in years.  We were going to get help...real help.  All the sudden our moods stated to change and the house was quiet for a few days. 

However, things were about to take a very scary turn.  It's always darkest before the dawn is just a saying but it was about to become our reality.

A Major Case of Phasmophobia

Feeling lost and alone in our situation is now the norm.   We had nowhere to turn or no one to turn too for help.  The religious community dismissed our claims as unfounded, paranormal community just made our situation worse,  help from unconventional sources proved futile, and we hadn't heard back from The Dead Files.   We were living in our own Hell and were prisoners in our own home.

So many things were happening to us that we began to suffer from paranoia and a severe case of Phasmophobia.   Everything that happened in our house at that point caused us to take a second look.  Somethings were easily explained but some things had no explanation at all and just caused the fear to grow.

One evening while I was in the bathroom changing a light bulb in a vanity light fixture, the burnt out bulb just shot of the socket.  It flew out the door and smashed into the wall in the hallway.  Even though I was terrified I tried my best not to show it, I just kept doing what I was doing.  The remaining bulbs started to come out of their sockets and flew out.  Jennifer heard the noise and came into the hallway as the last bulb crashed into the wall.  "What happened!?!", she asked.  "Ghost", I said as I walked out.  I was trying to be strong and not show fear but I broke down when I was alone.

The screams, the spoon, the health issues, the mental torture, the shadow figures, and apparitions were breaking us.   At the time, we thought it had to be the house.   We decided we should consider moving and started our search.  However, everything we find was out of our price range or wouldn't work for us.  It was like something was keeping us in our house; we were trapped.

We stopped watching most of the paranormal shows.  We felt that nothing could help at this point and anything we felt we could try would just make the situation worse.  No one was sleeping and the younger girls wouldn't go into their bedrooms.  Chloe slept over at friends most of the time and would come home sporadically.  Our health issue worsened and I started to hear the female voice again.  No matter what I tried to do to stop it, I couldn't.   She kept saying, "You can come to me, I can help you come to me."   I was beginning to break and thought if I would just give in to her all this would go away.  I felt that I was the reason for all our issues because I felt it was me she wanted.  If I gave up myself I could save my family.

She was breaking me.

The storm intensifies

Weathering constant attacks is beginning to wear on us.  We have become more withdrawn and more cautious of who we tell.  We have quit trying to find help as our attempts to get help from the religious community proved more challenging than anything else.  We were told that ghost & spirits don't exist.  When you die you move on to heaven or hell depending on how you lived your life.   Jesus Christ was the only person to die and to have risen from the dead.

That's hard to stomach as we have experienced so many things that have contraindicated everything they were saying.  I was insulted and angry as we went to them for help and they decided without any sort of investigation that we were crazy and needed to believe in the Bible more.

The attempt to get help from religion seems to only increase the activity and anger it.  It's as if we are being punished for our efforts to rid our lives of them.  They begin to attack with a vengeance.

One afternoon, I had to go down to the basement.  I wanted to make my trip quick so I made mental notes of what I needed and where it might be.  As I made my way down, I could feel my anxiety thicken and my chest began to feel tight.  I went to back of the basement and all the sudden the door slammed shut.  I ran to the door and couldn't open it, I was trapped.  Jennifer heard the door slam and ran down stairs.  She pushed and I pulled and we just couldn't open it.  I actually begin to take stock of my life, I felt that whatever was happening was going to be the end.  It was going to kill me.  Finally without warning the door swung open and I escaped.

I was beginning to see figures and hear them.  One day at dusk, I was on the back deck and heard sound of scream.  I wasn't sure if was animal or human and as I turned, I saw an Indian on horse slowly walking from behind the garage.  I was frozen and scared because the look on his face was one of angry.  All the sudden he charged and got me at the blink of an eye with his spear drawn.  I couldn't move and just closed my eyes.  I felt a coldness run through me and when I opened my eyes he was gone.  I made a bee line for the house.

Knives seem to be the weapons of choice for the entities.  We find them stuck in the ceiling, walls, and on the floor.  While cleaning the kitchen one night, a knife we used to cut up a watermelon flew off the counter and cut me across the arm.  For some reason, I wasn't as scared as I had been the past.  I was angry and I wanted to fight.  I felt it was a cowardly move and if they wanted to fight, they should fight me fairly.  That way I could see what I was fighting and could protect myself and my family.

One afternoon while I was in the back bedroom on a conference call, I heard someone in the kitchen.  I didn't think much of it as I just thought it was Chloe home for lunch.  I went into the kitchen but no one was there.  The silverware drawn was open so I closed it and went back to my call.   Soon I heard someone in the kitchen again.  I thought it was Chloe and went into the kitchen again but she wasn't there.  I checked outside and check if her car was there.  It wasn't.  The silverware drawn was open again so I closed it.  I went back to my call but this time with a very uneasy feeling.   I heard someone in the kitchen once again but stayed in the back bedroom.  I was finished with my call and went into the kitchen.  I noticed the silverware drawn was open.  This time I decided to video it, I'm not sure why but probably to provide some explanation for my fear and insanity .  The video below is the full version of what was The Dead Files.

I was very hesitate to give it to them to use as I knew it would bring criticism that it was staged and fake.  That was the last thing I wanted because we were already getting enough of that and it was wearing on us.  After a long discussion with the producers, I decided to let them use it.  They had their camera & video experts look at it, review it, and dissect it.   They came to the conclusion it was authentic and they said it was one the most amazing videos they had seen.  The drawers in our kitchen are old and they take a considerable about of effort to open them.  They just can't be opened with one finger.

Meanwhile, the storm of violence gains strength and begins to intensify.

At the end of the rope with nowhere to fall

If you have been an reader of our blog, you realize that our slow demise mentally & physically is an ongoing up to this point.  Now it's beginning to hit a climatic breaking point.   Jennifer's health continued to deteriorate.   She experienced stomach issues and had to have her gallbladder removed   She's tired and beginning to show signs of depression.  The younger girls, Heidi & Emi, have illnesses on a daily basis.  Despite constantly going to the doctor they have no answers on why they are sick or what could be causing it.  They prescribe antibiotics & other medicines but those only seem to slow it down but not cure it.  Chloe has become distant and less involved with the family.   We are slowly being torn apart, one thread at a time.    Bad days far out number good days now.

Our only recourse now seems to be to try to distant ourselves from the activity.   We feel we have a good idea of the hot spots so we make them off limits.   The back bedroom is now vacant.   No one is allowed in the basement.  Jennifer sleeps with the girls in the living room.  I sleep with Maya in what is now an open bedroom.  Everyone knows where everyone else is at all times.  Finally, under no circumstances is anyone allowed to stay home alone.

The holidays arrive but it means nothing to us.  Everything seemed to pile on top of us pushing us down.  It was a feeling that someone was slowly eating away at us; keeping us under their control. Nothing brought us happiness regardless of what we tried.  Compounding our problem was a strain of Canine parvovirus that ran through our kennel.  It killed 16 puppies in less than 10 days.  The virus was planted in our home but a careless individual who dropped off her sick dog in our kennel area in the middle of the night without telling us.  This does nothing but adds to Jennifer depression and makes her more vulnerable to attacks.  I feel as if she is slowly drifting away.

We started asking for things to be returned if they've been taken.   Sometimes things come back and sometimes they don't.   Case in point, it was our anniversary and Jennifer had laid an envelope full of cash on the bar for us to use on our night out.   It was in plain site and I remember seeing it setting there.   As we about to walk out the door, she goes to get it and it's gone.  We searched everywhere but it's nowhere to be found.   Finally Jennifer says, "It's our anniversary, please give my money back so we can celebrate."  Within in minutes it appears back on the bar like it had never been touched.

Things continue to happen despite our efforts to contain it.   Doors open and close, we hear voices, things disappear, and the screaming man and woman seem to be screaming at each other now with us being caught in the middle.  The smell of pipe and cigarette smoke continues to fill our house.   It's difficult for us to decipher what's good versus what has harmful intentions so we treat everything as hostile.  We have stopped talking to others about our issues because we feel it's counterproductive and doesn't serve a purpose but to make us some sort of novelty; like a freak show at a carnival.   We've become withdrawn and only venture out out of necessity.  We too tired to fight at this point.  We're helpless, lost, and have no one & nowhere to turn.  We're at the end of our rope but there's nowhere safe to fall.

Hi, I'm Maya & I'm here to protect you.

It's now winter at Mis Mas Tejas Ranch and the activity is pounding on us like a hammer.  The cold dreary days just add to our fear and anxiety.

The girls no longer sleep in their bedrooms because they're too afraid.   Jennifer sleeps with them on the couch.  The girls are sick most days and are starting to miss a lot of school.  Jennifer's health is also trending downward.

The activity is running at full throttle now.  So much so that's it's hard to single one thing out versus something else.

A woman screaming
Children laughing
Things flying through the air
A man laughing and yelling
footsteps
Doors slamming
Spoon traveling to who knows where and then returning.
Light bulbs having to be replaced weekly.

It appears that some of the activity is now targeting and trying to cause harm.   We have knives that disappear then we will find them stuck in the ceiling.   We will find our silverware scattered all over the kitchen floor.  However, the scariest things happen in the basement.

I went into the basement late one afternoon, while there the door slammed shut.  It slammed so hard that it knocked off some of the pictures off the wall upstairs.  I was terrified and I ran as quickly as I could to the door however, I couldn't open it.  Jennifer and Chloe were on the other side trying to push it open but when we would get it opened just a little, it would slam back shut.  Finally without warning, it just flew open.  I got out of there as fast as I could.   We decide that the basement is off limits-no one is to go down there.

One day Chloe tells us that her boyfriend found a stray dog and he wants to keep it but he has to ask his parents.  Until he can do that, he want's to keep the dog out our place.  The last thing I wanted was another dog at the house.   My answer is "negative Ghostrider, the kennel is full."  However, at my house, I'm like the Queen of England;  I'm the Head of State yet I have no authority.  My no vote on the dog is overruled by Jennifer.  Just as I thought, his parents say no.

She's a unique looking dog.  She appears to be part Husky and German Shepard.  She has one brown eye and one blue eye.  She's well behaved and we quickly learn she's been trained to be some sort of service dog.  I find it very strange that a dog like this would just be wondering the streets. She obviously belongs to someone.  I post everywhere but no one knows who's dog it is and no one claims her.   She becomes a member of our family.   We name her Maya.

Hi, I'm Maya.  I here to protect you.

One thing I noticed right away about Maya was that she likes me a lot.  She stays by my side and always wants to be around me.  I get the sense that she wants to protect me.  She sleeps in the room with me, she lays next to me when I'm sitting down, she'll follow me around when I'm outside.  She stays within eye sight of me nearly all the time.  Also, she can sense where I am when she's not with me.  If I would go down in the basement, she would figure it out and would run down there to be with me.  She was protecting me.

If something was around me, she would perk up.  Look around and sometimes have a low growl.  She would do this until whatever was around me was gone.   One time, in the middle of the night, I was awoken by a door shutting.  I didn't think much of it as I thought it was just one of the girls.  I soon heard heavy, slow foot steps.  It was someone who was wearing boots and the steps & strides made me think it was a man.  Maya jumped on the bed and laid across my chest  I was petrified with fear but I watched as Maya's head followed every step.  When the footsteps stopped she jumped down and ran to the place where they stopped.

The front of Maya's tag

The back of Maya's tag.  Blessed are those who protect.

I always thought this dog was sent to protect us, now I know it's true.  Her tag reflects what she does for us.

Tail-spinning into an abyss

At this point in our story, we are feeling more hopeless than ever.   The help we got from the paranormal team turned our lives into a dangerous nightmare, help from The Dead Files was on hold, and we have nowhere to go or anyone to talk with about what's happening.

We turned to the internet but the amount of conflicting information was overwhelming so that wasn't a viable option.   We have pretty much stopped watching paranormal shows.  Ghost Adventures turned in a prime time drama that only seemed to serve Zak Bagans ego.   Other shows just seemed all about finding something but not getting rid of it in any type of manner that seemed legitimate.  We would still occasionally watch the Dead Files as it stayed true to it's roots-finding out what was happening and then making a plan to get rid of it.  Sadly,  most of the episodes were repeats but we would still pick up new tips here and there.

Learning what to do and being able to do it are two different things.   We lacked drive and motivation.  We were having the life sucked out of us and the things in our home were pushing down. My pain was overwhelming now.  Jennifer was getting sick for no reason whatsoever.   The girls were scared, sick, and exhausted.  We were arguing, depressed, and lost.  Happiness was a distant memory.  We were losing our will to fight; we're losing our souls.

The screaming was happening at feverish pitch all over the house.  Things were flying through the air almost daily.  Electronics & appliances began to take on lives of their own.  They would stop working, reprogram themselves, or just breakdown altogether.  We were now seeing shadows walking in front of the house windows.  We could hear children laughing, footsteps, and adults laughing or talking.  Doors would close on their own.  Light bulbs would constantly have to be replaced-even the expensive ones that are suppose to last 20 years.

To us, everything seemed to be centered around the spoon  It would come and go as it pleased. We would hear it come crashing back and say "Spoon's back".  We would then pick it up and put it back on the counter.   We decided to try to catch it leaving on video one last time.   We placed it on the dining room table and prop camera phone up pointing on the spoon & let the video record.  I'm in the dining room working and all the sudden I hear a voice yell in my ear "HEY!"  I jump up and turnaround.  I hear the spoon hitting the floor along with the camera phone.  A small pumpkin sitting on the table flies off into the living room nearly hitting Heidi.  It flew close to 15 feet before it smashed onto the floor.

The camera phone kept rolling despite hitting the floor.  It was facing upwards and caught the pumpkin leaving the table.  Jennifer watched the video first and then asked me to come outside so she could show it to me.  We hear the "HEY!", me yell, the spoon hitting the floor, and then the camera phone hitting the ground.  Then we saw it-hands.  They didn't look human though.  They were long, bony , and distorted.   They then appeared to pick up the pumpkin without touching it.  Heidi screams, the pumpkin hits the floor and you hear the chaos & fear that follows.   After seeing the video my heart sinks.  My fear is overwhelming because now I have a visual of what's on the other side.   I know that it can pick up stuff and throw it without even touching it!  

We calmed ourselves down and decide to watch the video again.   The camera freezes up and Jennifer reboots it.   The video is gone!  However, she backed it up on a Cloud server so we still have it.  We leave the house and everything seems to be fine we have the video but decide to leave the phone alone so it doesn't freeze up again.  We want to back it up to multiple drives so we don't lose it again.  When we finally try to do that...the phone crashes-the video is gone even from the Cloud

We decide we don't want to try to document anything else again.  It only seemed to angry the things here.

I question our sanity.  Did this really happened?  Were our thoughts and state of minds being manipulated by the entities in our house.  But for what purpose-scaring us, showing their strengths, showing that they're in control?

I feel the purpose was to drive us deep into an abyss.  One where there's no coming back from. 

Nice Trick...Now For Your Punishment

We were devastated after the Dead Files told us they were done filming and weren't sure if they were going to be renewed.  The feeling of hopeless was overwhelming as we were back to suffering through this alone.  The light of hope at the end of the tunnel had turned to darkness.  However, we were still holding out for open that the show would be picked up for Season 8 and they would choose us.

Everything that we do or talk about in the house is being watched by those in the shadows now.  They use it against us or to stop us from being on the show.  They don't like the fact that we contacted the Dead Files for help and they're angry.  They're about to show us just how much control they have over us and punish us for what we've tried to do.  To give you some sort of idea of what we're dealing with at this point, imagine being in an abusive relationship but you can't see the person or know when the attacks are coming.

The punishment started with a simple warning.  One day a bowl of dry dog food was sitting on the kitchen counter, Jennifer walked in to find the the words "Nice Trick" spelled out with the dog food. At the time, we thought it was funny but looking back I feel it was a message.  The message was that our attempts to get help was nothing but a nice trick to those torturing us.

The spoon is flying through the air at a regular pace.  During it return one time, it nearly hits Emi in the head as it flies through the living room into the kitchen.   The scream are happening all the time now and at all times of the day with no pattern as to when it happens .  Now new things are starting.   A screaming male has now joined the screaming crazy girl.

The new screams are angry.    It's a hostel scream, like a scream being made when someone is attacking someone or something. They come without warning and without any of us sensing its about to happen.  During one scream, Heidi and I are waiting in the Kitchen for Jennifer to come pick us up.  Nothing is on-no fan, no radio, no TV.  All the sudden a terrifying yell from a man that sounds like he's right on top of us!  It feels as if it pounding down on us.  The look on Heidi's face is terrifying and I try to laugh but my fear was also showing on my face.  "I want to get out of here", Heidi said.  I didn't debate her, we needed to get out.  We waited by the gate until Jennifer came to get us.

Things are opening, moving, and disappearing.   There's no logical explanation for any of it.  It's an unnerving feeling to experience this as you know you're losing control of your surroundings.  The kitchen seems to be the flash-point for all the new activity.  It then moves from there like a virus; spreading terror throughout the house section by section.

While Heidi was in the Kitchen one time she turned her back away from our bar table.  Without warning or a sound, she turns back around to find two bar stools stacked on top of each other, legs to legs.  She was standing less than six feet away and  her back turned for only seconds.

The bar stools in the kitchen.  Heidi is in the background.  She was standing at the edge of the counter when this happened.

It's as if the spirits are practicing for things to come.  Doors are opening on their own, things are being moved from their original places.  The spoon returns one time bent in half and now other things are starting to come up missing.  Knives are starting to show up stuck in walls and ceilings

This new activity is no longer confined to within the house now.  Doors are opening and being left open in the garage and barn.  Screams are happening outside and banging on doors and windows are now a daily occurrence.  We decide that no one is to be left alone in the house

The Spoon bent in half upon it's return.

Car Doors being opened and left open in the garage.

Another shot of the car/truck doors being opened and left open

Tractor hood & truck doors opened

We are being pushed, scratched, grabbed, and feeling sicker.  The girls are missing school due to feeling exhausted and being sick.   We are being pulled apart, arguing with each other for no reason whatsoever.  Jennifer's hair is thinning.  She's having stomach problems, and her vitamin D & Iron levels are dropping to dangerously low levels.  We have little strength left to fight; we're losing.

The punishment for trying to get help from The Dead Files is beginning.  

  

Help us Dead Files

The screams of the crazy lady were happening more and more often.  It seemed everyday she would learn how to scream a little better than the day before.  We knew that she was teaching herself to do more things and we were getting scared.

One day Emi came to us and asked if someone was trying to get into her room.  She said that while she was sitting on the bed her door knob kept turning, like someone was trying to open the door but for some reason couldn't do it.  No one was near her room...no one.

I took it as crazy lady was working harder now to learn new things which was frightening.  She was unstable.  An unstable person is dangerous, an unstable spirit is deadly.   How do you protect your family from something you cannot see and have now warning that's about to attack?  Short answer is-you can't.

Jennifer decides we need help but we've been through so much that we're not sure where to turn.  The bad taste is still there from the last paranormal team.   Bringing others in without knowing the who, what, and why of their methods scares us.  Will they help or just make things worse?

We decide to try to contact The Dead Files again.   Jennifer works on finding the real "Help Me Dead Files" submittal site and thankfully she finds it.   She tells them everything we've experienced and it's a laundry list of comically, heartbreaking, and terrifying things.   We have evidence now in the form of audio from Emi's video.  I had pretty much given up on ever find someone to help us.  Thankfully Jennifer didn't. My wife is an amazing woman and she is persist in protecting her family.  We click "submit", praying for a response this time; the right response.

A few days later my phone rings with a California number.   I let it go to voice mail because I don't normally answer numbers that I don't recognize from states which I don't do business.  I forget about it and go about my day.  I check it later and it's Desma from Painless Productions.  Jennifer & I were excited!  It was like getting a message that the cavalry was on the way!  It takes a couple of days of telephone tag but we finally talk to her.  We spend nearly an hour & half on the phone with her.  She's shocked by our story and tells us it's one of the craziest she's heard.   She asks us what we want to get out of the show.  Without hesitation we tell her, just help.  Help figure out what this is and how to get rid of it.  We've been through so much and scared it will seriously hurt or killed someone.  We just want a normal life.

Before we can move forward with the show, we had to sign releases and authorizations.   We took pictures of our house inside & out: talked to Desma via email & phone.  Then we waited...and waited...and waited.  Meanwhile, the activity is much more "organized", for lack of a better word. However, the thought of finally getting help from Amy & Steve calms us somewhat.  We feel there's finally hope of living a normal & happy life.

Desma calls us one day to tell us that the show has completed the filming for season 7.  The Travel Channel has not told them if the show will be renewed or not.  She does tell us they are very interested in our story and if it is renewed they want ours to be the season 8 premiere. Problem is, there may not be a season eight.

We were heartbroken.  We go from the excitement of getting help back to the hopelessness of living in our own horror story.

The house was starting to feel darker as if the dead knew that no one was coming to help us.  We became target practice for them.  They are about to punish us for trying to get help.

You scream, I scream, but she screams louder

Until now, I was the only one who could actually hear the crazy lady scream.  However, that was about to change.

She is now screaming for all to hear on nearly a daily basis.   Her screams happened without warning and at anytime of the day.  They sounded as if they are coming from the back part of the house or in the back part of the hallway.  They were terrifying.

We were at a loss and even though we're scared at this new development; we're numb to everything that is happening around us.   The spoon is disappearing and reappearing as if it has a mind of it's own, she's screaming whenever she wants too, we're smelling cigarette and pipe smoke, and Jennifer & the girls are getting sick.   We're scared and feel hopeless.

Up to this point, the screams have only happened while it's only us in the house.  But one Spring afternoon that changed as she made her presence known to others outside the family.   It was Prom season and Chloe was helping other girls with their hair and make up.   There were a lot of teenage girls at our house and, as Chloe was doing a girls hair, it happened.  She screamed.  It was a longer scream than her normal one and sounded different.  It was like she was mad and jealous.  The look on the girl's faces were a combination of curiosity and horror. "what...was...that?" one asked.   So we had to explain and that was followed by about a 1,000 other questions.

It's was difficult to explain everything that we had been experiencing so we decided it was best to leave some of the details out.   We live in a small town so word of this getting out could have some negative effects on all of us as it could have turned us into a curiosity and novelty.  That was something we just didn't want to deal with.

Now that she has exposed herself to others, she started getting braver in her actions.  She was opening & closing doors, moving things, and was continuing to work on her trademark screams.  It had gotten to the point that Heidi and Emi would not sleep in their rooms and didn't want to be alone.

Even though others had heard it, it was still difficult for some to believe.  A witness is just someone who tells others what they experienced.  You can choose to believe or not to believe, it was evidence that we needed to truly get help but we were too scared to do anything for fear of just pissing her off more.

By complete accident we got what we needed one early Fall afternoon.  Emi was making homemade Reese's Peanut Butter cups and like all kids these days, she felt the need to document herself.   With Emi in the kitchen and Jennifer & I watching TV in the living, she screamed.  I immediately ran into the kitchen and realized that Emi was recording.   We played it back and there she was; the woman who has been tormenting us.  We could see Emi's reaction when she heard it.

I'm going to end this blog with the actual video from that day.  It's the same video we sent to The Dead Files when we submitted our story.   The scream happens at approximately the 10 second mark. This is what we were dealing with but it was going to get much worse.

Death, The spoon, and The Crazy Girl.

Things are happening a feverish pace.  So much so, that keeping up with it is overwhelming.  We are all walking around in a daze and have become somewhat numb to the events happening around us. Some things are benign, some are scary, and some are hostile.

Things are beginning to disappear & then somehow show back up, but not in the original place.  We are now starting to see people, not real people mind you, but dead people.  We can sense them now and feel as if they are trying to communicate with us somehow.  Sometimes they make noise but most of them just give us the feeling they're just standing there...watching.

Londyn had left for college but was home for Thanksgiving.  It was nice to have her home and everyone was excited and happy.  However that mood was going to change.  I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I woke up and looked out the window and our horse Hannah was lying down.  I knew something was wrong because when I went outside and whistled for her she just laid there. She raised her head when I got to her.  I intermediately got her to her feet and started walking her but she continued to drop to the ground.  As much as I tried to keep her on her feet, she was determined to lay down.  I called the vet but in my heart I knew what was going to happened.  It was cold & sleeting when I made the decision to put her down.  We moved her to a place she liked and she went peacefully.  We covered her in a tarp until we could bury her.  I was heartbroken. We finally got to bury her a couple of months later.

One of our favorite pictures of Hannah before we had to put her down. It's only fitting that she be under a rainbow.

Even though she was gone, I could still feel her.  I knew that she was still there.  Her death opened another door and it was like spirits were lining up to pay their respects.  One evening while I was sitting on our back deck I saw someone standing over her grave.  I could see him clear as day and as I got closer to him, I yelled asking what he was doing here.  He was tall and lean wearing a western poncho with a brimmed hat.  He turned and calming said, "I am just paying my respects".  He walked toward the fence and then disappeared as he went through it.   I was horrified because once again I saw someone who wasn't real.  I knew that his present there was not a condolence visit.  I could sense his anger through his calmness.

Jennifer breeds dogs and is very good at what she does.  She has made a lot of friends doing what she does but none of them became close to us with the exception of one, Jackie.  Jackie was a wonderful person and she had a kind spirit.  We all loved her and our girls even called her aunt Jackie.  However she was fighting demons of her own.  She didn't have a lot of family support; a lazy daughter and a chronically unemployed husband.  Everyone in her family depended on her and sadly they took advantage of her kindness.  I recall one evening for no reason whatsoever, I become overwhelming sad.  I was to the point of tears.  I told Jennifer that I couldn't figure out why.  As the evening went on Jennifer began to smell a Rose perfume.  I didn't think much of it as I was still dealing with the sadness that had overtaking me.  When we woke the next morning, we heard the news.  Our dear friend Jackie and taken her own life the night before.  My sadness had coincided with her passing and the Rose perfume Jennifer had smelt...it was her favorite.  I had felt her pain all at once and the perfume told us she was there.  We took all of this as signs she came to us, the only place she felt loved and happy.

We were devastated at Jackie's passing.  We were angry about what she had been through but happy she was at some sort of peace.  We were happy that she was with us and strangely enough, we felt that she could help protect us.  However we couldn't sense her as much as the others.

All of this lead us to "the spoon" I had found in the yard.  It was dirty, covered in mud.  I took it inside thinking nothing much about it.  I figured it was just something that one of the kids had brought home from a friends house.  When I asked them, they knew nothing about it however.  No big deal I thought, just another spoon for us.  One day, Jennifer had put the spoon on the counter.  When she came back, it was gone.  While she was looking for it she asked me if I had put it somewhere.  Then all the sudden it was back; in it's original place.

The spoon started to "take trips" as we called it.  It would disappear and then return.  Sometimes in it's original place, sometimes we would find it somewhere else.   We originally thought one of the girls was just missing around and playing a prank but no one owned up to it.  So we decided to do a test.  Jennifer put it somewhere that only she knew about.  When she went back to check on it...gone! It would usually come back within a few minutes or a few hours however this time it was gone for much longer.  Then one night while Jennifer & Chloe were watching TV, the spoon came flying through the kitchen landing on the floor.   Now the spoon was returning via air mail.  It was like it was being thrown back at us.

Where The Spoon landing upon it's return one time.

It wouldn't always come back the way it left.  Here's a time it returned bent in half.

I know what you're thinking.  Why not just get rid of it?  Well, we tried but it just...kept...coming back.

The crazy lady who's been tormenting me had returned and although she could go anywhere she wanted, she started to hang out exclusively  in the back bedroom.   We could sense her in there.  It was like she was stalking whomever was in there.  She was still talking and she was getting angrier and angrier. Then she stopped talking altogether and began to only scream.  It was a scream like a crazy person...someone who was deranged & unstable.

I could never figure out what her attraction was to the back bedroom.  We would figure it out but it was a slow process. We didn't realize what was happening until it was almost too late.

She had an agenda and Heidi was at the top of it.

Talk to me...now!!!

Things started getting active...well, very active.  I was starting to hear a woman talking but apparently I was the only one who could.  She was crazy, excitable, and unstable.  Since no one else could hear her, I thought I was losing my mind.

I could hear her but I couldn't see her.  That just lead to more doubt as to what was happening.  I was beginning to get headaches, lacked focus, and started not to sleep well.  I would wake up several times during the night for no apparent reason.   She was taking me to the brink of exhaustion.

Most of the time she would just ramble; talking just to talk and not saying anything important or worthwhile enough to listen too.  However, there where times she would scream at me.  It was deafening and made my ears ring.  It felt like she was right on top of me.   She would scream "TALK TO ME!"  "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!?!.

Since no one else could hear her, I thought it was my imagination or worse some kind of mental disorder.  I was agitated on a daily basis and just couldn't focus any longer.  It was difficult to remain calm and my anxiety level was off the charts.  I didn't talk to anyone about it because I didn't want to be admitted to a mental hospital.  What was strange was I could only hear her when I was at home.

One night while laying in bed, she whispered, "why are you ignoring me?"  "Please tell me, I am without words and scared".  I felt that I should finally talk back and answered, "because I don't like you, you scare me and I want you to leave me alone."

All of the sudden, her screams and chatty behavior started to fade.  I could still hear her but she wasn't as loud.  I couldn't make out what she was saying anymore but I could tell that she was very angry.  Finally, I stopped hearing her altogether.   The voice stopped.

The experience of hearing her, and then it stopping after I focused on getting rid of it, made question my mental health.  I was still anxious, irritable, and exhausted.  It was hard to focus on my job and just on life in general.  Things I enjoyed doing I no longer enjoyed.  Either because I didn't have the energy to do them or just because I was in so much pain.

The pain started shortly after I got her to stop talking to me.  It started slowly but then escalated into a debilitating issue.  Every joint on my body hurt.  My fingers hurt so bad that I could barely type (I'm a recruiter so I make my living in front of a laptop), my neck hurt so bad that I could barely turn it, my back was in such pain that I could barely walk, sit down comfortably, or God forbid...sleep.   There were nights that I was in such pain that I prayed not to wake up.

There was no rhyme or reason for what was happening.  I was in decent shape and had no major health issues at all.  As I was trying to get comfortable one night, I heard her again, softly whispering in my ear.  "You can toss, you can turn, but you will never be comfortable again.  I will make you come to me. I can make it all stop.  All you have to do is come to me."   The bitch was back and was now attacking me!

Jennifer was getting frustrated with me because she wanted me to go to the doctor but I refused.  I began to self medicate myself...ice, Advil, trying to stretch out my joints and muscles, hell even alcohol.  All this only brought me temporary relief.  Finally, I had enough and broke down and went to the doctor.  I wouldn't tell him about the crazy chick but I would talk to him about my anxiety, pain, and inability to sleep.  After a half-ass examination and him telling me "well, welcome to old age.",  he put me on Zoloft and Meloxicam.  Despite me telling him all my aches and pains, especially my back, he only wanted to x-ray my little finger.  The visit was a waste of time and did nothing but frustrate me and drive me deeper into a state of hopelessness.

I started the medicine and the Zoloft helped somewhat and the Meloxicam didn't really help at all. I could hear her laughing quietly, like she had done something mischievous.  The last thing I heard her say to me before I finally was able to block her out was, "all the elixirs in the world will not help. I am your only remedy."

I was being attacked or going crazy.  Hard to tell which one but it felt like both.

Peaceful Illusion but Horrifying Reality

After the experience with the paranormal team, things seemed to calm down somewhat.  It also made me question myself.  I know that sounds crazy but after how rude and unprofessional they were, I began to question everything that had happened and was happening to us. Was it all in our minds, were we just paranoid, or were we just going crazy?

It didn't take long for those questions to be answered.

The calmness of our house was only an illusion.  Kind of like the calm before the storm.  It didn't take long for activity to really pick up and now it felt a little more sinister.  Gone were the days of just feeling scared and then getting over it a few days later.  We could feel the heaviness and our house was slipping into chaos.  Illness seemed to be a daily occurrence now.  Sleep was something that was a luxury instead of a necessity.  There was more arguing within the family.  It seemed as if there was something tearing us apart.

We had always saw shadow figures but now we were starting to see full blow figures who were attempting to communicate with us.  One time, Jennifer was in the kitchen and saw a figure of a man walking outside our house.  She could see him plain as day as he walked past window and window.   She naturally thought it was me.  Only one problem with that, I was inside.

After awhile, I started sleep writing again.  I was continuing to tell Charley Reynolds story however now it was one filled with sorrow and bitterness.  Through me, he was telling how the treatment of Native Americans was a travesty that would haunt our country for generations to come.  It would be a wound that would never truly heal.  The writings would always abruptly stop, sometimes in mid-sentence.  We would find hand written papers all over the over the house.  Then one day, the writings stopped altogether.  I admit that the writings fascinated me but they also scared me.  Would I act out an event from his life that would harm my family?  Looking back at it now, I think maybe I was beginning to control what was happening to me. Even though none of us felt threatened by the writings, it was best that they stopped.

I would usually take care of the horses at night to make sure they had everything they needed to get them through to the next morning.  One evening, I was in the barn and I was filling up water buckets, suddenly I heard a voice coming from the door.  "Hey, we were not done yet!".  I looked up and standing about 10 feet from me was a man!  He was short, clothes didn't fit him very well, and he looked disheveled.  His eyes were dark and I could somewhat see through him.  I was horrified! I didn't wait around to see what else he had to say.  I immediately ran back to the house as quickly as I could and I could hear the horse snorting in the background.  I was in a panic, I was having a hard time breathing, I couldn't get the words out about what I saw.   Jennifer was able to calm me down and I told her what I saw.   I knew it wasn't an actual person; it was something not of our world.

Jennifer and I went back to the barn.  The water was running and was spilling out or bucket, the lights were still on and everything seemed calm.  The horse was relaxed as if nothing had spooked her at all.  I, however, was not calm or relaxed.   What I saw really shook me up as this was the first time I actually saw someone (or something)

I had a hard time sleeping that night.  I felt as if there was someone there, watching me and waiting for me to fall asleep.  I felt as if there was someone outside staking us, just waiting for the opportunity to come inside.  I felt hopeless.   It's a terrible feeling when you feel you can't protect your family.

It felt like a door had been opened, well kicked in actually.  Our house was now being invaded.  We would see shadows and catch something moving out of the corner of our eyes.  Our lives had began to descend into a state of constant paranoia,  The slightest sound or unexplained movement would send us into a frenzy.

Even though seeing someone in the barn really shook me up, I continued to keep my evening schedule. Taking care of our horse was something I really enjoyed doing.  I just loved being around her as it made me feel calm and helped take my mind off what was happening in our house.  I went in the barn one evening and as I turned on the lights, I saw a man standing in the back doorway.  I could see him clear as day!  He was tall, dressed in clothes from the late 1800's and was wearing a wide brim hat.   He had his back to me and was looking out into the pasture.  I yelled, "what are doing here!?!"  I thought it was a real person, someone who was trespassing.  As he turned to look at me, I knew he wasn't a living person, his eyes were dark and face was pale.  All the sudden he just faded away.  I will never forget the look on his face.  It was one of violence and horror.  It was not a friendly look.  This guy wanted something and he would go through any means necessary to get what it was.

Emi was beginning to see people.  She was still young so the impression they made was not hostile, just unnerving.  Londyn was not feeling herself, she would not sleep and spent most of her time in her room.  Heidi was slowly beginning to change and she was starting to feel sick on a daily basis. Jennifer was beginning to have issues as well.   She had to have her gallbladder removed, her vitamin D level was dropping to a level that was so low that she had to put on a prescription supplement. Her hair was thinning and she was having stomach problems.  She was also having a hard time focusing and remembering things.  We spent a lot time in doctor offices, trying to find answers but nothing they did helped.  If they cured one thing, another thing would pop up.  The doctors had no explanation, no cure, and...no answers.

All this was the beginning of more terrifying things to follow.  The horrifying reality was that they wanted us and they weren't going to stop until they got what they wanted.

We work with The Dead Files & we're here to help..well sort of.

At this point in our saga, we realized we had a serious problem that is growing stronger with each passing day.  Jennifer and I decided it's was time to do something.   That meant putting ourselves out there to the paranormal world.  We were reluctant but understood we're dealing with something not of this world and we needed experts.

We decided our best course of action would be to contact The Dead Files.  We felt comfortable enough with the show and felt they wouldn't be like all the other ghost hunters or thrill seekers.  We needed answers and help; we needed to know what we were dealing with before it got really ugly.   The novelty of living in a "haunted house" had worn off.

Submitting our story was difficult because at the time, the Travel Channel didn't have a very good case submittal site for the show.  After searching the internet we finally found a Dead Files submittal page. We described our story in great detail and within a couple of days I got a call from someone.

She said she represented a local paranormal investigation team and was hired by the producers of The Dead Files to do "the preliminary investigation" (lie #1).  She claimed to be a psychic medium and had worked with Amy Allan in the past (lie #2).  I was reluctant to talk to her but did so anyway after she told me they had done a lot of these investigations because the show wants to know if a place is haunted or not, that way they didn't waste time and money investigating nothing.  Since I didn't understand how shows worked, I thought okay-seems reasonable.

We sent her some of the pictures we have (see Party Crashers) and the video of the toy.  We also told her everything that had been happening.  She began to ask me some off the wall questions.  What are my religious beliefs?  How often do you attend church?  Are you and the rest of your family baptized?  Do you consider yourself religious and do you pray?  Although I considered these questions kind of judgmental and inappropriate, I answered them anyway...because like I said, we had never done this before so we didn't know exactly how the show worked from a logistical standpoint.

They came out in early October.  They went over what they were going to do and what they were looking for.  Jennifer asks them specifically what they are going to do.  They told us they are only there to document and send their findings to The Dead Files (lie #3).  They had us sign releases and they begin setting up.

Their set up took about 1 1/2 hours.  Microphones, cameras, wires everywhere, and hand held digital recorders.  They seemed a little too carefree and cracking jokes, but again, I didn't know what to expect.  Half the team set up a base in the garage and the other half continued to set up inside the house.  During the house set up, there was an overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke.  It was like being in a smoking room, it was that bad.   None of us smoked and neither did anyone in the group so there was no reason for it to be there.

The psychic began to walk the house and she tells us the basement had a strong and dangerous feel to it.  She described it as demonic and angry.  So, of course the team wanted to investigate that first.

They asked me to go down into the basement with them.  It's myself and four members of the team. They begin asking questions-basic ones, nothing malicious.  I could sense a change in the air, it was thicker and it was getting a little harder to breathe.  After a while we head back upstairs.  They listen to the recordings...nothing.   The group leader ask us to go back down stairs and told the members to try and "draw it out."  I remember him specifically saying that because in my mind I questioned it.

As we are making our way back down into the basement, I can feel the pressure again.  My anxiety level was getting higher;  I felt tense and nervous.   They decided the best course of action was to sit in a circle on the floor!  I immediately asked if they thought this was the best thing to do as being on the floor made us vulnerable.  They assured me it would be fine and they did it all the time.  As we are sitting there in the dark, in a place I hate, the group member with the recorder starts asking questions in a demanding tone.  "Who are you?"  "Tell us your name!?!".  As she keeps asking questions, I feel a tug on the back of collar and I jump a bit.  I tell them something just grabbed me.  One of the members ask, "did you just do that?".  I then heard a voice behind me say "YES!" I felt a slap and cutting pain on the back of my neck.  I jumped up and ran to the stairs, one of the members practically tackles me before I can make it.  He shines a flashlight on the back neck and says 'we got scratches!'.  I break away from him, run up the stairs and out into the garage to Jennifer.

Apparently they didn't know the difference between simple scratches and gouge.  I three slashes on the back of my neck.  One of them was actually bleeding.  I was beyond terrified.  Nothing like this had happened before, I had never been attacked or hurt.   I was having a difficult time calming down and didn't want to go back into the house.  I also didn't want to talk to any of the group members.  I cannot pinpoint why but I had these feelings of angry and hostility toward them and they very strong feelings.

The activity in the house had gone to a new level.  A level of violence and lashing out.  It was now controlling emotions and capable of physically harming people.   They asked me if I would go back down to the basement but I refused.  Some group members, along with the psychic, decided to go back.  They came back up and the group leader asked the psychic if she felt anything.  She pulled him aside and I overheard her tell him something is down there and it's evil.  I could see the fear in her eyes.

I had finally calmed down. I had also worked up the courage to go back into the basement.  This decision of course excited the team and we made our way down.  This time the psychic joined us and was staying close to me.  As soon as we got down there, I felt my chest getting tight.  I could hear a member of the team saying "we commend you to come forward!  Show yourself!".  I started feeling worse and my head was spinning.  My chest was getting tighter and I felt panicked.  The psychic had her hand on my chest and she was praying.  Her hand felt as if it was burning through my chest.  The group members continued to bark out commends; demanding it to show it itself.   That was the last thing I remember...

I remember waking up on the floor and I thought I had passed out.   The team members where screaming and terrified but I felt calm and relaxed.  I got up and walked upstairs calmly despite the chaos around me.   Jennifer meant me upstairs in a panic.  She asked if I was okay and the other group members asked me the same thing.  I told them I felt fine.  Jennifer then told me I was picked straight up and thrown up against the wall!  She said they all saw it on the monitor.

The group leader decide he would personally go down and investigate with two other male members. After about 5 minutes, he radioed to the rest of the group.  "we're shutting it down, it's not safe here"
Jennifer and I were dumbfounded.  Jennifer told the group leader, "NO NO NO!  You're not just going to come in here, piss this thing off and leave!  We have to live here!".  They reluctantly agreed to do a cleansing and the psychic sages the house.  I thought to myself, "really, that's it?  That's all you do to cleanse?"  I felt she was doing it wrong but didn't understand how to do it myself so I falsely trusted her.   As we talked and asked questions on what should we do, the light above us got brighter and brighter.  The bulb then burst.  The psychic medium told us we should delete everything and burn any evidence we had as the spirits could be attached to those things.  We did so immediately but some of the things were saved in an automatic back up system we had.

Before they left they told us they would be in contact with us in a couple of weeks about what they found (lie #4).  They left faster than a criminal who just robbed a bank.

Jennifer finally called them because we hadn't heard from them at all.  They told her that they didn't find anything during their review and that the evidence was inconclusive! (lie #5) They said they deleted everything (lie #6).

A Message Jennifer got from the team leader via a team member.  The team leader refused to respond to our calls or message.

I reached out to the psychic via email since she was our original point of contact.  Her response to me was condescending & chastising.  She said we were to blame for our problems because she felt we were not religious and that we had not accepted Jesus into our lives.  She said our prays lacked soul and we let the evil into our house.  I asked her about the evidence being submitted to The Dead Files and she told me that they wouldn't be doing so. (lie #6).  That was the last I heard from her and the group.

After the cleansing, our house did feel calmer but that was nothing more than an illusion.  The group had unleashed the evil and turned it lose on us.  We were about to pay the price for their incompetence.