Why I Hunt Ghosts

Why I Hunt Ghosts
Written by James Paradie

Hello there Graveyard Disciples, this week I decided to do more of a down to Earth (ha-ha, those words make an oxymoron, especially in this column) edition of Scared Sheetless. A question that I am asked quite often is "Why do you hunt ghosts?" To tell you the truth, previous to 2009 before Scared Sheetless made its debut on the Northcountry News, my interest in the paranormal was almost very limited. I would look information up on it very seldom and didn't have the intense interest in it that I do now. That doesn't mean I've never believed in it though, because I do believe.

I don't recall a time when I've been a skeptic, but nobody can be a born believer, can they? But, I can't remember when the last time I've questioned the existence of spirits (I am skeptical about a few things though: cheap gas, a diet that works, world peace, just to name a few), maybe it was when I was a kid, watching World's Scariest Places with my classmates, and they were in Vlad Dracula's castle doing an amateur paranormal investigation; I said, "this is so fake." I got complained to about not being "open minded", but anyone can watch those shows and have those assumptions. Even someone like me, who does actual investigations, and believes with all my heart that spirits are real. The TV shows just use way too much Hollywood in them and it just ruins any credibility that the show may have had. (I'm a Ghost Adventures fan by the way, if you were wondering.)

Besides the shows that sometimes over exaggerate how an investigation is done, it still doesn't mean that there not as fun as they appear. They are an adrenaline rush and I'm sure any amateur or professional investigator can back me up on this. The stories I've posted: "Shock, Awe, and Peace" and "Where Evil and Innocence Reside" were both the most exciting investigations I have ever been on and have left a mark on my life forever (if you have not read them yet go to my website scaredsheetlessncn.blogspot.com and check them out).

But, that question is still there, why do I hunt ghosts? It could be the rush that I get from it; my personal experiences such as seeing my first spirit at the Cathouse in Bethlehem, NH (see "The Cathouse" for more info on my site); the need to find evidence of its existence, or it could be because of the Columbia Pictures, 80's blockbuster movie, Ghostbusters. Which believe it or not, actually has a lot to do with it. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to put that Proton Pack on my back, roam around the streets of Manhattan (or in my case, Littleton) with the Ecto-1, have that Neutron Accelerator ready to vaporize a bad spook, and send them into a containment unit filled with a bunch of other bad boys of the Afterlife. But, as you grow older you realize all that stuff is purely a made up, Hollywood fairy tale, but it still has a lot to do with why I hunt ghosts. But when you've come face to face with something that's not of the living, you know that it's not Hollywood make-believe, or a fairy tale, or some folklore.

Ghost stories, the theory of an Afterlife, have been around for centuries, some can say the dawn of time. That's what fascinates me, ghost stories just keep on coming, and the stories just keep getting more exciting. Why I even read a story the other day that talked about ghosts now using cell phones to contact loved ones. Freaky? To you maybe, but it's fascinating stuff to me. But, the main answer is that I have fun doing it, I have fun writing all this articles for you the readers, and I've met some great people along the way. The biggest thrill out of it all is of course getting Scared Sheetless!

They are things that go bump in the night. We're the ones who bump back. Until next time this has been another Scared Sheetless. Happy Hauntings to all my Graveyard Disciples out there.

Need more scares? Go to scaredsheetlessncn.blogspot.com and check out New Hampshire's most frightening locations.

James Paradie is a paranormal columnist as well as a paranormal investigator who has been seen in such newspapers as the Northcountry News, Littleton Record, the White Mountain Shopper, and the Trendy Times. His stories can also been seen on paranormalnews.com and mostlyghosts.com where he is a regular contributor.