Call of the Hybrid Siren (Book 2)

Chapter 3

By the time Katriana was almost three years old, we had one final project in Myths and Legends class. The last week of school before graduation, the Professor taught about ghosts. In the Monday afternoon class, he began his lesson on the subject. "I know you all are anxious for this week to be over, but we have one last topic before you receive your final grades for graduation. I will begin by asking you a question. Raise your hands, who all here believe in ghosts?" Many raised their hands, including Peter, Sarah, and me. I had never seen one, myself, but I was sure both my husband and my friend have. "There have been ghost stories in folklore of many cultures around the world since ancient times. Tales of spirits who have returned from the dead to haunt places left behind. Many of these tales involve people who died early, violent, mysterious deaths."

A student raised his hand to ask a question. The professor acknowledged and encouraged him to speak. "Do you mean someone who was murdered?" "That is prominently the case, but not always. There are other forms of violent deaths. For example, childbirth for women was dangerous in the old days before mankind had the technology we have today to keep mothers and babies safe and healthy.... Any other questions before we move on?" the professor asked before he proceeded with the lesson. "What is another name, besides spirits, that ghosts are known as?... Yes, Sarah?" he asked when my friend raised her hand first. "They are also called specters." "That is correct. The name specter is based on the ancient idea that a person's spirit exists separately from their body, and could continue to exist after the person dies. This is the reason for many cultures having funeral rituals as a means of ensuring the dead person's spirit doesn't return to haunt the living."

The lesson continued with the professor talking about places known or thought to be haunted. "These places that are supposedly haunted are usually believed to be where some occurrence happened or where there is deep emotion in the ghost's past; either their home or where they died. What are the usual signs you have experienced yourself or have read about or seen?" As students spoke out, he wrote them on the board. The list consisted of strange noises, lights flickering or shutting off entirely, odors in the air or breezes where there shouldn't be, objects being displaced, bells ringing spontaneously or even musical instruments that seem to play on their own. "Excellent, everyone! These are all good examples of possible sightings besides visual apparitions. If you all would open your textbook to page 312, you will learn about a few of the earliest ghost sightings. There are also books in our school library on the subject, which I recommend reading. If you would like the list of books, see me after class."

We learned about the great Roman author, Pliny the Younger, who had recorded one of the first ghost stories in his letters in the first century A.D. His letters became famous for the vivid detail of life during the time of the Roman Empire. The letters state about Pliny having witnessed a specter of an old man with a long beard, rattling chains as he haunted his house in Athens. Pliny's friend and Greek writer, Lucian, had also written memorable ghost stories. The first reported poltergeist, which is a ghost that causes physical disturbances such as loud noises or objects being thrown around, occurred in a farmhouse in Germany centuries later in 856 A.D. There have also been reports of famous people in history being ghosts, like the founding fathers of America or European royalty. Anne Boleyn being one of them, having been executed May of 1536 after being accused of witchcraft, treason, incest, and adultery. Sightings of her ghost were reported to have been seen in the Tower of London as well as various other locations.