Spooked by the Unfamiliar

Spooked by the Unfamiliar
            It’s almost Halloween. Who doesn’t love a ghost story?
            I’ve written several times about feeling spooked on a hiking trail, but I’ve had those hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck tingle moments indoors as well.
            The challenges of autism make it hard for our younger son and us as a family to do overnight trips, but on rare occasions we manage to go somewhere within a four- or five-hour drive and spend a night or two.
            We heard about the wild beauty of the Mendocino Coast countless times over the years. We also heard about locations along the coast where it is possible to stay overnight at a lighthouse. When we finally visited Mendocino, fate drew us to the head lightkeeper’s house as our weekend accommodation.
            Point Cabrillo Lighthouse is beautiful, and is set on a stunning, rough bit of coastline. The lightkeeper’s house is a short distance from the actual lighthouse, and the sound of waves crashing remind visitors of their proximity to the ocean all through the night.
            The lightkeeper’s house combines the charm of the old building with decorative items reflecting the era when lighthouse keepers actually lived there with modern updates such as fresh paint and fresh carpets for guest comfort.
            Despite the “freshening up” for modern times, when I had to walk alone at night down the carpeted steps from the bedrooms on the second floor to fetch something from the kitchen, I sensed the presence of people who had walked those stairs before. It wasn’t just at night. When everyone else was still quiet in bed in the morning, I walked down those stairs alone to the main floor and felt that same hovering sense of residents from long ago.
            It wasn’t a threatening feeling, but it wasn’t exactly a happy, light feeling, either. We were only there for two nights, so it was easy enough to dismiss that uneasy feeling as we packed up to leave.
            Maybe it was just that we were staying in a different house that was unfamiliar. This past week I wrote a piece about how people can feel scared of places or people that seem “different,” and that sometimes includes people with disabilities.
            The title of the new essay is “My Own Boo Radley,” a title I’ve had in my head for years. Thanks to the Renaissance Garden Guy for featuring my fifth guest piece on the site. The link to read “My Own Boo Radley” is in the comments below. Feel free to share the story link, leave comments on the Renaissance Garden Guy page, or here on Facebook.
            Have you ever felt spooked in a house or building? Did you ever hear a ghost story about a place and then felt something strange there? Hopefully any ghosts you’ve bumped into have been friendly! Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives, Point Cabrillo Lighthouse-Mendocino, takes readers to a historic lighthouse on the wild and scenic Mendocino Coast, and the lightkeeper’s house where we stayed.
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This week’s hike from the archives:
Hike Notes 138: Point Cabrillo Lighthouse-Mendocino