 During our second visit, Joe showed himself to me. Up until that point, I'd not seen a spirit since early childhood. The experience I find very strange and it will be hard to explain.While the others took a break, I stayed inside to record e.v.p. with Sean Adams. Sean and I were standing at the edge of a hallway that faced the bathroom chatting and setting up when I guess, 'our reality got suspended.'
'Reality Suspension' seems the best way to describe that what I saw, was remembered, like you remember a dream. I just remember 'coming to' and looking at Sean, who appeared to also be snapping out of something. I asked him, 'What just happened?" His response, "I don’t' know, but I heard footsteps," Then my mind filled with the image of an old man, with mousy graying hair, wearing a red flannel shirt, walking into the bathroom. The man looked REAL, and was not transparent. I looked at Sean, and with confusion said, "I just saw a man in the hallway, did someone come in here?"
After the fact, that question amazes me and is WHY I theorize my reality was suspended momentarily. Why didn't I scream, react, WONDER at the time, WHO THIS OLD MAN I'D NEVER SEEN WAS, WALKING IN THE HALLWAY OF A VACANT HOUSE!? As I was talking to Sean it was coming back to me, just like recalling events from a dream that is slowly creeping back into your consciousness.
I immediately went outside to see if anyone had come in, and found everyone talking and smoking in the driveway. "Did any of you come inside?" Why I was asking this even more proves how disoriented I still was. I KNEW NONE OF THEM WERE THIS OLD MAN, so why in the heck was I asking? But you never know, maybe some other neighbor came by, so I checked! Chris Halton of Haunted Earth, who was visiting from England, asked me, 'What's going on? What did you see?' "I saw a man in a red flannel shirt in the hall-" Before the word hallway passed my lips, Lisa looked like she'd just seen a ghost and exclaimed, 'Oh my god! Get back in there! That's Joe! Oh my god! Joe always wore a red flannel shirt!"
I had a physical reaction to hearing this. The whole experience hit all at once. I had actually seen Joe's spirit! To this day I am amazed and have no idea what Joe looks like other than what I saw that night. He had his back to me. But I know he was about 5'11. medium build, with messy nape of the neck length grayed hair. He was wearing blue pants, or jeans, and tan slippers, and of course, that 'signature' red flannel shirt.
I am amazed that while I was seeing him, I was suspended from processing the events as they were occurring. Where was I? And what would have happened if I didn't 'wake up?' I have never before on any investigation, been put into some sort of trance, but this night, it happened. .
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Haunted House on Cleveland's E. Side Pg. 2