Alternate Perceptions Magazine, November 2023
The Hitchhiker
by: Barbara Becker
Many years ago a friend asked if I wanted to visit a friend of hers who had just bought a house in Soulard in St. Louis, Mo. Some odd things were happening in her house and she wanted a second opinion. Soulard was established in 1779 and was a mix of fields and farms until the 1840’s when an influx of immigrants led to the platting of streets in the area. The resulting buildings were modest typically two-story brick structures most needing much work and being sold at very low prices, promoting the gentrification of the area.
Her house was a two-story shotgun style house. Very dark, it was like the light from outside was being absorbed by whatever was inside. Karen, the owner, offered us tea and as we sat at the dining room table she described the problems she was having with the house. She recounted how often she came downstairs and found the kitchen faucet pouring at full pressure into the sink. The washing machine would start; lights turned off and on, footfalls up and down the stairs. She began to wonder if her house was “haunted”. I had never been in a “haunted” house before. I’m not even sure if I had ever given it much thought. As we sat at the table I thought, “OK ghosts, if you are here do something. Make that chandelier sway.” Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach as the light began to sway. I literally ran from the house.
I told Karen what I had experienced and said good bye. My friend was driving and as we left the area I looked back at Karen’s house. It had a two story porch from which I saw four, hate to say it, ghosts watching us as we pulled away, one in particular had on a white shirt and was hanging over the railing looking out. That was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that.
I was living in Fergusson, Mo. with a roommate at the time. We had been friend for years and always gotten along great until my trip to Soulard. We began to argue and fight with each other. We just could not be civil. I also noticed that the apartment seemed very dark no matter how many lights we had on. Our apartment together was on the first floor. But we were having so much trouble together that when the apartment across the hall became vacant she moved next door. Even though we basically lived side by side we never spoke. I left through the back hall, she through the front. Eventually I moved out and she and her husband continued to live there.
Years went by and I would pass by our apartment building in Fergusson. One time I drove by and I thought I saw a black figure standing in the picture window looking out. Eventually she and I reconciled. This was when she told me that the upstairs apartment, over hers, could not stay rented. She told me that they would hear walking across the floor at all hours and her husband would go up and check the locks. Water was heard running and voices talking softly. They moved too. I have no idea what happened to the apartment or if it was ever successfully rented. It seems that what I had seen that day in Soulard had followed me home and had apparently taken up residence in Fergusson. We know now that whatever these energies are, they travel. I am a lot more cautious now. I take the paranormal seriously. I don’t go to “haunted” houses. I avoid cemeteries. I enjoy my home in its peace and quiet and I want to keep it that way.
