*69

The events in this story didn't happen to me but I believe them to be true. I also got the address of the house (business) in which they occurred and if I ever get up enough nerve, I may take a little ghost hunting trip.

I had just sat down and started soaking my hands for a manicure at a salon that's broken up into several different areas and rooms. Mary, the nail technician, and I were talking when two of her friends and former co-workers, who were hair stylists, stopped by her door to talk to her. The women, I'll call them "Ann" and "Beth" asked Mary if she'd considered moving her business into their shop yet. Mary laughed and said something like "Not unless you've gotten rid of your ghost!". I was immediately interested and asked for the whole story.

Ann & Beth had recently opened a salon/spa in an 2-story home in a section of town that had mostly older homes, several of which had been converted into small stores and businesses. I'm guessing most of the houses are anywhere from 60-100 years old. Ann & Beth both set up their work areas in the ground level and were saving the upper floor to rent out to nail technicians and/or a massage therapist.

As soon as they started moving in they began hearing very faint but strange noises in the house. The majority of the sounds came from upstairs, sounds like footsteps and objects being moved. At first they just attributed the noises to the normal creaks and groans that most houses, especially the older ones, have. They also believed their imaginations might be working a little overtime but after a short time the noises began to scare them a bit. The upper floor also apparently spooked anyone who tried to work in the area. Ann said two different nail techs had both quit within a week of starting work and their current massage therapist had just told them she wouldn't be coming back (more on that later).

Other than the noises, the only other incident either Ann or Beth had experienced happened to Ann. Ann said she was bent over a shampoo bowl, shampooing a customer when she felt Beth touch her arm, as if she needed to tell or ask her something. She turned her head and there was no one there.

Now, for the part that gave me goose bumps and made the hair on my arms stand on end...the massage therapist's story as relayed to Ann & Beth. First I'll need to explain that each stylist, therapist, etc. maintained a separate phone line since they all worked independently and rented their work space. The therapist had a late appointment and as Ann and Beth left, they locked the doors, knowing the therapist would be upstairs with her client for at least another 45 minutes. After the therapist finished the massage, she walked downstairs with her client to see him out and to lock the doors behind him. On her way back up the stairs, she heard her phone ringing. She ran to answer it, but there was no one on the line. She assumed it was her husband and she'd just not picked up in time. She started cleaning up and the phone rang again. She picked up the receiver and again, no one was on the line. Still assuming her husband was trying to find out what was keeping her, she dialed her home number. Her husband answered and she asked him if he'd just tried to call her. He said he hadn't. She told him she would be home soon and hung up. After a few second's of hesitation, she decided to dial *69 (for anyone not in the US or unfamiliar with this feature, it allows you to return the call of the last person who last called you). As soon as she heard the connection go through, one of downstairs phone lines began ringing. She listened for a horrified few seconds, slammed the phone down then immediately picked it back up to call her husband, hysterical because she believed someone was in the house with her. Her husband told her he would call the police and that she should lock herself in an upstairs room and not come out until either he or the police arrived.

Both her husband and the police arrived to find all downstairs doors and windows locked and after being let in, they conducted a search of the entire building and found no one.