Things That Go Bump in the Night

I live in a pretty nice New England town. It's a very old town settled in 1667. A few years back, the town purchase an oasis of property to be used for open space. You can rent a plot in the community garden or hike some gorgeous trails and there are many plans in the works that will offer respite to our townspeople. There is a beautiful vacant house on the property - probably a few hundred years old - and some out buildings as well as fields and a pond.

There have been many times that I have worked in my plot in the community garden and been the only person on the property. I often wondered if the house was haunted! It's a really old house!!! Scared myself a few times just looking up into the vacant windows. The house will eventually be a meeting place and I believe the plan is to make this property a park-like haven. I have even caught wind of a dream of outdoor entertainment in the summer like concerts etc.

So yesterday after school, we took the kids on a 1.7 mile hike on one of the new trails on the property. It was great! Totally caught joy. Took a bit more than an hour because I stopped and took too many pictures and everyone really had a great time.

As we are ending the hike and crossing the field in the picture below, we all see someone moving around by the house near our vehicle that is pictured in the background of the photo. You often encounter townspeople on the property because that is where the community garden is located so people are always in and out of the garden as they tend their plots.

But I remember thinking it was kind of odd that I didn't see another vehicle, just a person. As I took the camera away from my eye after snapping that shot, I noticed what I thought was a young (long and lanky yearling) German Shepard moving around on that slab of concrete you see. (with the green tarp on it?) I saw the dog standing there and then flopping down on the slab and I recall thinking, "Oh crap, Daisy!" We had Daisy on a leash and I could envision her spotting the other dog and pulling the leash right out of Bob's hand and running for the shepard. But before I could shout my warning, I looked again at the dog and nothing was there. (Enter Twilight Zone music, please!) Ok, maybe that floater in my right eye is playing tricks on me! Mischief night a few days early???

Anyway - we got back to the van and I looked around curious to see who was gardening that afternoon and no one was around. So the kids are piling into the van and Bob is kind of acting a bit odd and hovering on the outside of the van. I decide to take a picture of the trail map and he follows me over to the sign kind of shadowing me. I was like, WTH?? What is he doing????" and he just has this look on his face.

So we get in the van and he turns the radio up loud and says, "Don't you think its weird that we all saw that person with the hooded jacket and they are no where to be found? And there was no car around?" Ummmm - maybe?

"What are you saying, Bob?" And bartender ears from the back yells, "Do you think it was a GHOST!!!!!" I kind of laughed at the ridiculousness of it and then my stomach dropped - as I thought about that dog that I didn't really see...