This story a part of the True Ghost Stories page on Obiwan's UFO-Free Paranormal Page. Please do not copy or distribute without permission from Obiwan and/or the original author!
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 11:42:30 -0800 (PST)
To: guestbook@ghosts.org
yourname sheila
email saeaton@citynet.net
story The Rocking Chair
I never really believed in ghosts. Ghosts were always a good subject to bring up when telling stories around a campfire or when an older brother or sister felt the urge to scare their defenseless younger siblings. I never believed in ghosts---until the rocking chair.
Of all the numerous ghostly tales I have been told or simply heard from one source or another, the story passed to me by a person I'd only been aquainted with for a short time has lingered in my mind for a long while now. It has caused me to pause and put a lot of thought into the possibility of the existence of ghosts.
My friend began her tale in a very serious manner by asking me if i deemed it possible for there to be life after death. I thought her question amusing and practically had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing in her face until I realized that she was being totally serious and was actually shaking.
Without trying to display my amusement, I lied and told her that I hadnt really given much thought to the subject. She continued to tell me that she had visited some friends the previous evening and had joined them in a game of cards for entertainment.
Sitting in the middle of their living room, which was off to the right of the dining room where the card game was to take place, wa a beautiful Queen-Anne rocking chair.
My friend had already remarked about the loveliness of the chair and had inquired where the couple had discovered such a rare piece of furniture. Their answer in return was that it had once belonged to a great, great, great grandmother and had been passed down to them.
After the 3 had seated themselves at the dining room table, they proceeded to shuffle the cards in preparation for their game. The lights in the room immediately started to flicker off and on. One of the couple looked over to the light switch on the wall and calmly but firmly said, "Quit it grandmother!" My friend sat and stared in disbelief as the flickering of the lights stopped instantly.
The card game was resumed and out of the corner of her right eye my friend caught a glimpse of movement. When turning her head in the direction from which she'd seen the movement she was in total shock! The rocking chair was slowly moving back and forth as if someone were sitting there and enjoying the rocking motion.
Again, one of the couple stopped the card game long enough to tell grandmother to behave herself. The chair stopped the movement as quickly as it had begun.
When seeing the frightened expression on my pale friend, the two hosts explained to her that other family members had been through the same occurrences when owning grandmother's rocking chair. Grandmother had apparently been a very God-fearing and righteous woman and wouldn't tolerate un-fit conduct such as card-playing in her presence.
At first, my friend reacted in the same manner that I or probably anyone would have reacted and expressed total disbelief. To prove to her that grandmother's ghost truly existed they gathered up the playing cards and placed them into their cardboard container. Immediately the chair which had already once began its movement while the cards were still on the table, ceased rocking! To further prove any doubt, the cards were once again placed out onto the table and were shuffled as if to begin a game. Again, as before, the chair started into motion, only this time in a more violent manner then before. The cards were put away and the couple talked soothingly to the seemingly empty chair. The chair again stood still.
After hearing this encounter from another world I actually felt the hairs stand up on my arms and felt cold chills going through my body. I have heard other so-called "ghost stories", which i once considered totally ridiculous, but now leave me to wonder, what if ?????