Aurora Magazine 2017

Rebecca Wilhelm Grandma’s House (A Ghost Story)

The first time I remember seeing something strange at Grandma’s house was when I was about four years old. I was staying with my Grandma Gray while my mother was in the hospital. I was a new big sister and my parents would be bringing baby Grace Home from the hospital in a few days. Little did I know that what I saw was only the beginning of many strange things to come over the years. Grandma kept her flowers in the basement bedroom in the winter months. My Grandpa Richard had made a small family room in the basement as you came down the steps. There was a wall that created a small hallway and a wall with a door separating it from the rest of the basement. I ran my hand down the smooth paneled walls as I walked down the steps. There was striped green and yellow carpeting on the steps and basement floor. The carpet was scratchy on my bare feet as I walked downstairs with Grandma. Grandma had several potted plants that were kept in there but the one I loved to water was a plant that she called “Mother in Laws Tongue.” The plant had strong leaves that shot upwards toward the sky. I loved the smooth feeling of the leaves. I ran my hands along the leaves and watered it carefully. Grandma and I went about the room watering her ferns, and her spider plants. The plants all had vines reaching from them that contained smaller versions of the spider plant. Grandma had called them spider babies once when I had asked. “Jeannie, I think we are done now. It’s time to go upstairs.” Grandma said to me and she turned to leave the room. I turned to look back and that is when I saw it. There on the ceiling were hands. Hundreds of shadow hands were reaching from the ceiling and seemed to be trying to reach out for me. There were many different sizes and shapes but there was no mistaking that they were all hands “Grandma, didn’t you see that?” I asked hesitantly. “See what?” Grandma had already walked further in the hallway and was putting her watering can away in the hallway

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