Truth Seeker: Preparation is an important part of the hunt
As I sat down to write this month’s column I began thinking of all the ones that I have written in the past. I have talked about cleansings, alleged haunted houses, cemeteries and even battlefields. I realized there is one area that I feel that I have not really covered when it comes to the paranormal. It is what we do not while you are seeking out the unknown but before we even venture out. I know there are so many things that can be done but some are the very basic things that needs to be done before hand.
Once I receive a call I try to retrieve as much information from the person that I can. This first phone or e-mail conversation will allow me to have a good view of what we might be dealing with. I will begin with very basic contact information but lead up to questions such as what they themselves might think is happening or who they may think it is in their home. Yes, I do receive some answers that may not seem real but to them at the time it is their only explanation. I then usually set up a time and date to view their home and talk with them again in person. This allows me to see if it may be something that can be explained right away or if I need to return with equipment to see if I can catch anything out of the ordinary. It also allows me to see where would be the best locations to set up equipment. Sometimes though when traveling a distance makes it hard to make several trips so we tend to make it a one-trip adventure unless we feel it necessary to make additional trips.
But even when we talk with the person and things seem to be truly happening it does not always end up that way. I remember a business from out of the area contacted me concerning things that were happening. They reported lights going on and off at random times, sounds that they could not explain and including the bathroom door opening by itself. We made the trip and the owner gave us a walk-through explaining where the activity was reported. We did our normal setup with audio and video recorders covering all of the rooms in the business. We sat and waited to see if anything would happen. It was so quiet that we could hear every little noise the coolers made. After a while we finally heard a noise as if something had hit something and fell to the floor. We made our way over to the area and found a buckeye nut laying on the floor. I looked at our member and he mentioned seeing a bowl of them setting on the counter. At that point I pulled the video camera that was covering the main part to view to see where it had came from. Little did the owner of the business realize that the camera actually covered the full room and caught him removing it from the bowl and tossing. We did not stay long after that and made our way back home.
Even though things sounded good and true on the phone does not always mean it truly is.