I began a journey that would change the face of history forever. The chasm was merely one of the orifices of that pit of blackness that lies beneath us, everywhere. I blinked a few times, gazing around the hallway, sure I had seen something. Maybe it was a shadow, or nothing at all? I set off across the hall to the parlor when I felt a strange tingle that made me stop. It felt as if I had touched something—or something had touched me. The sensation was like that nail of a small finger brushing across my back. With a chill up my spine, I turned. To see only the doorway and the empty landing. My home was isolated by several hundreds of acres. It was a stunning and imposing fortress of wood, some called it a “ladies castle.” Then sun shone merrily through high wispy clouds and the day was warm. The scent of spring wafted pleasantly past my nostrils and small sparrow like birds twittered incessantly in the bushes and hedgerows. The estate was down a path that winds it ways through stunning gardens of beautifully manicured lawns, regimented hedges, and stately trees. The many fountains balled their way through this wonderful landscape. I had come to the end of the passageway, and sorted through my collection of keys in order to open the third and final door. I found the right key and slipped it noisily into the antiqued lock. As I pushed the door opened, the room was in darkness, but despite the fact there was a warmth in the air; at least in contrast to the chill of the passageway. Yet, it felt significant. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5

Starting into the darkness, enjoying the slight rise in temperature, there was illumination spilling from the passageway behind me to light the threshold. I started up the beautiful mahogany staircase. Then, as I walked through the dinning room, I looked in the china cabinet mirror for a few seconds, and in back of my reflection, there was something pale and shadowy. It was a strange moment; an illusion surely. It took me a little time to shake off the oddness of it. Through the tall Victorian windows, sunlight spilled onto the wall showing shadows of wind-blown tree branches with leaves that were moving across the wall. Then I heard something. The air seemed suddenly colder. Nervously, I went to the window, gripping the frame tightly with one hand. A chill swept over me and I felt literally pinioned by an inexpressibly oppressive weight. Suddenly, just  few feet away, I saw a shroud of whitish gray begin to form. In the portion of the shroud that would normally contain a head, I saw fierce, fiery eyes that were filled with hatred. I sensed a tortured, aggressive, malevolent, and demonic spirit, and realized intuitively that the spirit might attempt to possess me. The entity had a long, sharp, aquiline nose, severe cheekbones, a thin mouth, and angular features that culminated in a pointed chin. Wisps of gray bred hung to the thing’s chin like Spanish moss on a tree. There was a long sigh against my right ear, followed by a caress that reached across my shoulder and down onto my throat. It was like a mother’s caress. I screamed. This ghoul extended his arm toward me. I lunged for the door. Even before I reached it, I was struggling to find air. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5

By the next breath I was hyperventilating—inhaling too rapidly for enough oxygen to enter my lungs. Staggering to the door, I opened it, crawling into the corridor. “Help! HELP!” I cried. The words barely emerged. Dark clouds raced across the sky, with the moon a dim halo behind them. My breathing was erratic. As I eased over onto my life side. I sensed something in the hallway. As I turned, a white, elongated hand appeared. The hand reached for me, and then pulled the rest of my body into the room. I stifled a shriek. It was a ghost. It rose rapidly up, drifting toward the ceiling, and it took all my self-control not to run. Drawing closer, the ghost glided across the ceiling until it looked, hovering, directly over me. Then it rotated and lowered itself as slowly as a mote of dust toward the floor. A great shiver passed through my body. The ghost was floating six inches off the ground. The butler Guthrie, “Mrs. Winchester,” he said thrusting himself into the room. “Are you okay?” I said nothing, still recovering from the thoughts of how close I had been to death. A quietly confident smile broke over my face. I settled once more on my feet, grinning at him. “My dear Guthrie, I am fine. I just had a little fright. That is all.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” “It does not matter,” I said dismissively. “I forgive you. Let s talk no further.” I sat down in my arm chair, too disappointed to say more.  #RandolphHarris 3 of 5

When suddenly there was a knock at the back door. Guthrie went to answer it and in walked a tall boy with hair as blonde as I ever saw. He had a broad back, and carried a large bag of flour over one shoulder. “Hello, Nelson,” said Guthrie. “Put it down, my man, but not on the counter.” In the next few days, Guthrie and Nelson took care of chores around the mansion. Guthrie and Nelson were somewhere in from the of mansion, raking and bagging some lawn clippings that [they had] cut. The heat was intense, and they were soaked with sweat. They had a bright idea to sneak into the basement to cool off, for that part of the mansion was always the coolest in the summer. [All of the doors to the basement were locked], so they had to ask other people to open the door. On their way out, Nelson placed a twig in the lock to the basement. When [no one was] looking, [Guthrie and Nelson crept back to] the basement. From the windows looking out onto the front law, they could see the servants working in the sun. They stood there laughing and joking about how they got out of the hot labor. Suddenly, an old lady dressed in a long white raincoat that came down to her appeared. Nelson then realized that she was not walking but gliding. He and Guthrie watched her float towards them, passing right through the broiler. They decided to give chase; however, as they got close to the strange apparition, it drifted through the brick wall. To their astonishment, the body of a black figure manifested. Guthrie and Nelson were trembling in terror. Some of the farmers claimed that they could hear weird rumbles and groans coming from the basement. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5

Servants were startled to find the men struggling on the floor in various stages of nervous collapse. But the determined men pulled themselves together. Worse, a light breeze brought the taunting smell of dutch-oven biscuits, as the women prepare supper. When the men began cooking their own meal, they made an alarming discovery. They had failed to bring any coffee. That same breeze that tortured them with freshly baked biscuits added to their misery by wafting the odor of strong, black coffee. “Damn it,” said Guthrie, “in the morning, I’ll ride back to town and get some coffee.” “But I want coffee tonight, and in the morning,” Nelson said. “So do I,” said Guthrie. “Hell,” said Guthrie, “I’m going to go to the servant’s kitchen and askin’ them females fer some coffee. All they can do is say no.” Taking his tin cup, Guthrie headed for the kitchen. Not to be out done, Nelson took his tin cup and followed. As they walked into the kitchen, they saw a spectral dog disappearing into the wall. Nelson laughed, while Guthrie got them both steaming cups of coffee and fresh dutch-oven biscuits. “Tarnation,” Nelson growled, “how’d you manage that?” “I told ‘em we didn’t have any coffee,” said Guthrie, “an’ asked if we could have a cup of theirs. They said we can have some more at breakfast, an’ we got biscuits, too.” “But I can see there are dangers such as we never imagined,” said Nelson. “Hopefully we don’t get burned at the stake, or spread-eagled naked, on the ground, and a fire built in our crotch,” replied Guthrie. Some have speculated that the dog may have been cursed in some way and as such is doomed to haunt the mansion forever. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5

The Winchester Mystery House

Interestingly enough, a tour guide was touching objects in Mrs. Winchester’s bedroom in an attempt to experience events from another time. After a short period of receiving no impressions, she reported that the room suddenly changed, losing its modern, comfortable appearance and becoming cold and bare. The carpet disappeared and there were now logs burning on the fire, while a tall woman in a white dress was walking up and down the room; her face appearing to be in deep concentration. Not long after, the room returned to its original state.

However, perhaps the most frightening report came from some security guards who were on a nightly patrol. Security staff at the mansion have long reported many strange things, such as unexplained sounds, bangs, and disembodied voiced. However, one night a guard was coming to the end of his patrol when his dog stopped and quickly backed up, growling at something in front of him. Then, as the guard tried to calm the dog, two large shadowy figures appeared before him. Terrified, he immediately ran in the opposite direction to escape whatever it was.

When photographs were allowed in the Winchester Mystery House, a guest, unaware of it at the time, took a picture what appeared to show something out of the ordinary. He was surprised to find what looked like a hovering hand with a long finger apparently pointing to one of the exits in the Blue Séance Room…the one with the drop into the kitchen sink. In the Blue Séance Room, there was also a mist hovering around, and the guests could feel an unknown force pulling them through the dressing room closet. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/

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