Interview with Kayden Muzila: Ghost Hunter (Q&A Piece)

 

Me and Muzila at a Halloween event in October 2020

Sometimes the most intense paranormal experiences happen when you least expect it. Take that from Kayden Muzila, a fellow haunt actor who became TikTok famous from a viral video of a haunted encounter in the woods of Arizona.

 

Did you intentionally go out searching for something paranormal or did it just kind of happen?

There was this one spot in Arizona I've been there once before, it's in the middle of nowhere and you have to use coordinates to get there, so there's no address you punch in. It's kind of by Flagstaff and we set up targets to shoot in the distance and we had planned to camp there that night.

 

What time did you film this video?

We set up camp around 7:00 PM and we were shooting guns for a bit, made a fire, and had some dinner.

 

What happened exactly?

My buddy and I took some nighttime time-lapse photos and we heard something in the distance and we didn't think anything of it or thought anything drastic. But then we kept hearing it, and every time it sounded like it was getting closer and closer. And that's when we were like, freaking out. We were like what the f*ck is that because then it sounded like a girl was screaming or something, and like I said in the video we were in the middle of nowhere, there was literally nobody around, no girl out here. We started to walk closer to it but then it started to sound like it was moving even closer to us. We had two steel targets tied up from tree to tree and we saw that one of the steel targets fell down. And that's when we saw a weird doll thing in the tree. I couldn't tell if the doll thing was made of our ties or if it was already there an we didn't notice it.

 

So there's no possible way for it to be taken down unless someone physically did it?

Yeah I thought about it a bunch of times in a bunch of different scenarios. Yeah because the rope was physically cut from the steel target. And then when we heard the scream again it sounded like it was coming right from it (the doll).After that we just ran to the car, put out the fire really quick, threw everything in the car and we booked it for Sedona.

 

So you went there not knowing that you would experience this?

Yeah, exactly. We had this whole day planned the next day to go fishing in the river there and we did not want to stay so we booked it.

 

So you think that something has followed you home?

Umm...yes.

Have you had any paranormal experiences after this, since you've been home from your trip?

A few things have happened that I haven't posted yet with my friend because he's going through the same sh*t at his house. So my friend actually woke up with a bite mark on his ankle. And the other day I was at his house and we were filming something downstairs in his kitchen and out of nowhere we heard footsteps walking upstairs, really slow just like thump...thump...thump. And I booked it and ran upstairs to see if anyone was up there and there was no one in the room. My house has been a little different because it's two guys here because one of the guys that was on the trip with me, he lives with me so I think we get a little bit more activity. There was a chair that fell over downstairs while I was working and when I went to go pick it up it was super cold. 

 

So something had been touching it? (The chair)

Yeah that's what it seemed like. And right now I'm so used to stuff moving on their own or just something upstairs slamming now. I want to get it on film, that's my one goal, but whenever something happens I don't usually have my phone next to me.

 

Yeah that's usually how that works, haha

Yeah the other day, literally yesterday -- I walked outside to get something from my car and there was a dead cat underneath my car and it wasn't run over or anything, and it took me like 30 minutes because I was freaking out and I thought a whole "Pet Sematary" thing was going to happen so I was freaking out while trying to pick this thing up and when I went to throw it away, there was a f*cking oujia board in my trashcan! And my roommate is like, super Christian so I knew his ass wasn't going to have it and I stopped playing with those things awhile ago.

 

What do you think it is?

I don't know if it's a demon or some witchcraft sh*t. As of right now, I kind of still live day by day with it. Yesterday I had a nurse come over because I felt really sick and she hooked me up on an I.V. and she came over and something upstairs just fell down and I don't know what it was but it was super loud and the nurse freaked out and was like "Oh my God, what was that?" And I was like "Umm, I'm not really sure what it was but I'm definitely here by myself so I'm just going to kind of try to ignore it." And she's like "Oh man don't tell me that!" And I'm like "Yeah it kind of happens a lot now." So yeah stuff like that is always happening at my house and when I'm home alone and stuff.

Review of Queen Mary's Paranormal Ship Walk and Haunted Encounters Tour (Review Piece)

 

Group conducting a spirit box session

Looking for a paranormal tour that's bound to give you an ghost encounter and nightmares thereafter? Hop aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California for the Haunted Encounters & Paranormal Ship Walk to get a spooky adrenaline fix and possibly even a personal encounter with one of the ship's infamous spirits.

Upon arrival, guests are checked in and are given protocol of where they will be touring on the ship and going over safety precautions since they will be going into old engine rooms and areas with tight spaces. Guests are also told to wear comfortable, closed-toed walking shoes. But that is not the only reason for safety precautions -- guests are given a warning to be respectful to the ghosts and spirits on the vessel and when interacting with them with special ghost hunting equipment, that they do no ask triggering or disrespectful questions like "How did you die?" or "Did it hurt when you died?" or any taunting of the spirits.

The tour starts off like any other paranormal/ghost walk as a brief history of the Queen Mary is told. Guests are taken to the main paranormal hot spots on the ship where people have reported seeing the spirits of the Queen Mary most often. Some of the spots consist of the second class pool room, room B340, the B floor staircase, the back engine room, and water tight door #13.

As guests are lead from area to area, the hosts of the tour share why the area is important and what the significance is for why spirits tend to hang around in these areas. Guests are even allowed to use some ghost hunting equipment provided by the hosts. The tools range from EMF detectors, spirit boxes, voice recorders, and even good old-fashioned dowsing rods.

At the end of the tour when we were almost about to be excused, I noticed a girl in tears and hugging her partner. I asked her what was wrong and she said she had just found out she had psychic and sensitivity to spirits and decided to come on this tour to test her abilities. She had become overwhelmed with negative emotions and sadness from all the spirits and death she felt here.

Our tour guide and his friend the psychic medium were kind enough to approach her after the tour and help her. I admired that because that doesn't happen often and it takes someone with a kind heart to do that.

Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum is NO JOKE: (Unique Piece)

 

Outside of Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada

I've been to quite a few haunted locations in my life and have had my share of paranormal experiences -- but NOTHING compares to what I experienced at Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will be sharing my experience at the museum and sharing some of the rooms. The rooms being talked about will be out of order than how it is in the museum because I honestly cannot remember exactly the order in which we went through. Spoilers ahead! Also, fun fact: my dashboard picture was a photo I took when I visited the Haunted Museum.

I went to Las Vegas with my dad, uncle, and aunt a couple weeks after I turned 21 back in 2017. I have been watching and following the show "Ghost Adventures" ever since they released their very first documentary, which led to their hit show. I had always been fascinated with the paranormal and it was intriguing to watch for me. I had made a list of all the locations they have investigated and I hope to visit most if not all of them. Anyway, flash-forward to 2017 and I am visiting Las Vegas. I was super excited to visit the museum but unfortunately, they had posted and shared with fans that the grand opening of the museum was being delayed. They didn't share why. My instincts told me that maybe that had some setbacks from all the haunted objects in the museum and maybe something happened with the building. I didn't think my instincts would be so spot on. The cast of "Ghost Adventures" made an episode not long after I visited Las Vegas in 2017 that the reason that they could not open when intended, was because there was a massive fire and flood in the basement of the building of the museum. There was no logical explanation how a fire started and how the water heater leaked in the basement. As if things couldn't get any more strange, the basement was the room holding the museum's most haunted object -- the Dybbuk Box.

I took a family vacation back to Las Vegas in the summer of 2019, and I could finally visit the haunted museum. My parents were too scared and didn't want to go. But my sister and I did. I had already done research on the museum and knew about some of the haunted objects that are housed here and I knew to have nothing but the utmost respect for the objects and spirits here. Because you'll never know what could attach to you.

As soon as we go on to the property, we could feel it. The heaviness and overwhelming feeling that there was danger and evil in this house. We were given an extensive waiver for us to sign before we entered. That was the moment I knew 100% that we could be putting our lives in danger. There were warnings that even if you are respectful, spirits still have the potential to connect and latch on to you. There were warnings to NOT. TOUCH. ANYTHING. And no photography or recording of any kind was allowed. Those were the top two rules of the museum. We were also given an option if we weren't comfortable going into any room, we would be allowed to wait outside the room. I thought it was very kind of the workers to let guests know this and that their consent is very important during this tour and that they weren't going to be forced to do anything that they didn't feel comfortable doing.

My sister and I have both grown up Catholic, but I didn't remember the last time I truly prayed. I prayed for protection that day right before we stepped foot inside. And boy am I sure glad I did.

After waiting for a few minutes in line and in the waiting room of the museum, it was on to the very first room. It was a small room of a mix of different kinds of dolls and toys. Little did I know that this would be the most tame of all the rooms. My sister was the lucky chosen one to have a special look in the most haunted doll room and was greeted by a scare actor, which definitely set the tone for the rest of the tour. I appreciated that although this was a very serious haunted tour with multiple safety precautions, the owners made it lighthearted at some moments to ease the tension and fear among guests.

In no particular order from here on, here's the rooms we went into.

We entered a room that held the infamous mirror that belonged to actor Bela Lugosi, who also happens to be one of my favorite horror icons of all time, so I was very excited to see one of his possessions. It is said that Lugosi used that very mirror for scrying and performing seances. Our tour guide gave everyone a warning that guests have been known to pass out after looking into the mirror and gave us all the option to leave them room when the mirror was unveiled from the blanket that was covering it. My sister got a little anxious and decided to step out of the room. I on the other hand, decided to stay. Once it was my turn to stare into the mirror, I felt like I was in some sort of trance and it took a lot of power within me to step away. This was one of the very first rooms, so if something that intense is happening already, I knew I had to be very careful.

There was a room decorated like a massive jail cell and inside are pictures, artifacts, and belongings to some of America's most infamous and deadly serial killers. Some of the objects consisted of John Wayne Gacy's paintings, notes from Richard Ramirez, Ted Bundy's shirt he wore while he was executed, and even Charles Manson's false teeth and ashes. Even though it was the most lit up room in the entire museum, it felt incredibly eerie and unsettling to be in a room of possessions of some of the most evil people to have ever lived.

Next up there was a more light-hearted and nostalgic room: a room of outfits and belongings to deceased celebrities. An outfit of Robin Williams', an outfit of Michael Jackson's, and even Sharon Tate's wedding dress. This room wasn't as creepy as it was kind of sad since it had some belongings to one of my favorite actors of all time Robin Williams, and I actually got a little bit emotional. It was also so surreal to see something that Sharon Tate wore herself, since I've always been so fascinated by the Manson murders. (Are we surprised at this point though?)

We then entered a room that was very dark and very small. Our guide told us if we don't like small spaces then we should opt out of this room, as the layout of the house had to be tweaked to fit this next artifact. It was the severed heard of serial killer Henri Landru. Not only was the room very tight and small, it was also very unnerving to have a well-preserved severed head only inches away from you and staring right at you.

Up next was a room dedicated to the cruise ship Splendour and the infamous death of actress Natalie Wood. Splendour was the name of the boat that Wood and friends were hanging out on when she mysteriously drowned off the coast of Santa Catalina Island. In this room there are tables, chairs, and even the main safety raft of the ship. In the room next to the Splendour room, was a room that had an old west saloon theme. There was an old-timey poker table from the late 1800s where allegedly a player was caught cheating and was shot dead at this table. Between these two rooms was a funeral parlor themed room that held an actual human skeleton in the front of the viewing room.

So right about here we were halfway through the tour and the guides decided to have a little fun with us. We went into a carnival/freakshow themed room I recognized one of my favorite magicians, Jon Shaw. (I may or may not have "fangirled" a little bit.) He gave us a quick little magic show and I got to be his helper. After his bit was done, we made our way through a mini maze. I got even more excited because I work in the haunt industry and it was exciting to see something different like this in a museum. We crawled through tiny tunnels, squeezed our way through tightening hallways and were met by a handful of scare actors. It was definitely a different and fun addition to the tour and it definitely was a more lighthearted kind of scare for the guests in our group which I believe that everyone in our group enjoyed.

Once our fun house time was over, it was time to get back to the serious scares. Next up was a room that looked like the inside of an old barn, and here in this room lied Ed Gein's cauldron. This was the actual cauldron that serial killer and cannibal Ed Gein used to cook the body parts of his victims and it is said to be haunted and cursed by them. This cauldron was donated to Bagans by one of the crime scene cleaners who worked on cleaning the house of Gein after the investigation.

Next we were taken into a room with nothing but a van in it -- and I knew about this van all too well. It was Jack Kevorkian's Death Van. (Trust me, it's not as scary as it sounds.) I wrote a paper and did a persuasive speech on physician assisted suicide. Dr. Kevorkian was an infamous pioneer in the medical industry by helping people commit suicide with a physician's assistance. He believed that if a patient was gravely ill and felt like they didn't want to live anymore, that they should be able to "die with dignity." This practice was not technically legal in the 1990s, but Dr. Kevorkian assisted with 130 deaths of terminally-ill patients, and all of them took place right in that van.

The next room I was not going to lie a little nervous and I ALMOST didn't go in. But I'm stubborn and don't give up easily so I didn't chicken out. This room held the infamous Dybbuk Box. For those who don't know what this is, this is a box from the Jewish religion used to trap spirits and it is NEVER supposed to be opened. Unfortunately over the years, it has. People who have owned this artifact have had terrible accidents and bad luck: whether it's divorce, a family member having a stroke, or even people they know dying because of the curse that is attached to this box. And this was the artifact that allegedly caused the fire and flood in the basement of the museum, delaying it's opening. I did not have a good feeling in this room at all. There were only a handful of us in the group that were brave enough to step inside the room. As we stood in a circle looking at the box and the tour guide was telling us about it, I noticed something unnerving. I asked the tour guide why the door to the box was slightly ajar. The room went silent. She said that that was funny that I noticed that because not many people do. She said the box had been sealed in this plexiglass covering ever since it was brought to the museum, and no one has opened it since. But workers have noticed that ever so slowly, the door has been opening more and more over the years. This is extremely unsettling because that is proof that whatever was being held in this box, now roams free among the museum.

Next up was the only room where we had an authentic paranormal experience that wasn't just an eerie or unsettling feeling. This was Peggy the Doll's room. We were nearing the end of the tour and out of the 15 people in our group, only 5 of us remained in actually stepping foot into the rooms instead of just listening to the guides from the safety of the hallways. It was me, my sister, a couple, and one other guy. Peggy's room gave me an experience I will never forget. The guide gave us a warning that she is extremely haunted and you absolutely HAVE TO say "Hello Peggy" when you enter and "Goodbye Peggy" when you exit the room, or else she will get very mad and there have been stories of guests not saying hello or goodbye and being scratched by who they believe is the spirit haunting Peggy. The tour guide said that there was a spirit box running inside the room that we could use to ask Peggy questions an communicate with her. Our tour guide said she was a little quiet today and nobody was really getting any responses from her all day. We all said hello to Peggy as we walked into the room and we were separated by a small fence and Peggy was mounted up against the wall in a protective glass box. We spent about 3 minutes in the room and took us all about a minute and a half to buck up the courage to ask a question to her. We didn't get a single response. So we all decided it was time to leave Peggy alone. The couple left in front of us, my sister in front of me, and then the last gentleman behind me. Right after I told Peggy goodbye and I was in the doorway of the room, the guy behind me said goodbye to her as well, we got the one and only response from the spirit box. It was one word. And it either said "Bye." or "Die." I stopped dead in my tracks in shock and looked over my shoulder at the guy behind me. He was as white as a ghost. We just looked at each other like "You heard that, right?" And we weren't the only ones who heard it. Our entire group and the tour guide at the door heard it as well.

The further and further into the tour we got, the more uneasy I felt and I could feel all the haunted energies build up and start to take affect on me. I didn't give into the fear because I knew that that's what the spirits wanted from us. But I nearly had a panic attack in the very last room. The last room held a staircase to the infamous Demon House that was investigated on "Ghost Adventures". I had recognized this staircase all too well from watching the episodes about it. A psychic medium and a priest visited the house when it was still standing and said that there were over 200 demons haunting the house and that the basement was where the portal was for them. And Zak had a staircase to the basement from the house in this room of the museum. I felt a massive blanket of dark energy cover me and the room and I felt like I could barely breathe. There were still only five of us left on the tour, but it felt like there was 50 people in the room with me. As the tour guide was talking to us, even she said she was afraid of this room and refused to look towards the steps. After a couple minutes, we all felt the heavy darkness and decided that we overstayed our welcome in this room and the demons and spirits wanted us out.

Visiting Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum was one of the scariest but most amazing macabre experiences I've ever had and I absolutely cannot wait to visit again.

Top 9 Most Haunted Locations in California I've Visited (Plus Experiences): (List Piece)

                                Visiting the Winchester Mystery House in summer of 2016

Here are some of my most memorable experiences at haunted locations in California. Also keep in mind, I do not do research on a haunted location before I visit - I look up the name of the location and where it is, then I go from there to visit so that I can have an authentic paranormal experience without potentially being swayed to only think I'm having one because of the placebo effect

9. Winchester Mystery House - San Jose, CA

I visited this historic mansion back in 2017 and was amazed by the sheer size and complexity of how it was built. Sarah Winchester spent most of her life in this mansion and after her husband died, she was the rightful owner of the Winchester Rifle Company. She claimed to have been haunted by the spirits of victims who were killed by Winchester Rifles. She performed seances in her home and the spirits told her to keep building on to this house until the day she died. And she did. She had workers create hallways that led to walls, tiny staircases, fake doors, and even doors that led to nowhere.

I was on the mansion's usual tour for guests showing around the entire mansion and on the grounds. Everything seemed to be calm and not uneasy, but as soon as we got to one of the main dining rooms where Sarah allegedly performed her seances, the chandelier above the table started shaking uncontrollably. There was no wind, no earthquake, and no logical explanation for the chandelier to move on its own.

8. Linda Vista Hospital - Los Angeles, CA

Linda Vista hospital operated as a medical and mental hospital from 1905 to 1991. It is now currently a retirement home. Most of the property houses residents, while one building is left virtually abandoned. This hospital is notoriously known for it's hauntings and known for many people seeing shadow figures.

I visited this location back in 2018 and unfortunately, it had already been turned into a fully functioning retirement home, so I wasn't allowed on the private property. It was about 9:00 PM and I had just decided I would park across the street and just watch the windows and make my way around the perimeter of the property. It wasn't long before I saw multiple shadow figures in the only area of the old hospital that no resident lives in. I got especially uneasy when I saw a figure walk into a window and just stand there for at least a minute before it vanished into thin air.

 

7. Royer Mansion - Orange, CA

The Royer Mansion was first a family home, then eventually turned into a morgue and funeral home for many years in Orange, CA. It is currently used for small offices for attorneys. The main building on the property was the main living quarters and where bodies were showed for funerals. The side building was used as the morgue where the bodies were stored and prepared for viewing and funerals.

One night this summer, my friend and I were hanging out and out of nowhere he told me he had a strange feeling that we were being called to the Royer Mansion just a few minutes away from his house. I believed him and his intuition because we are both empaths and operate on similar wavelengths. We hopped in the car and drove over. Right as I stepped foot out of the car, I could feel it. The air was heavy, and that's when I knew why we felt like we should be here. I spoke aloud and asked if anyone was there and why we felt like we needed to be here. Keep in mind, it is about 10:00 PM on a Thursday, so nobody would be on the property still at work. I then heard someone knocking from the inside of the side house. I paused and waited for it again, just to make sure it wasn't wind or an animal. I asked if someone could do that again, and right on cue - another knock from the same door. I froze and then peeked my head in the window if anybody living was in there. There wasn't.

 

6. Rutabergorz - Tustin, CA

Rutabergorz is a restaurant in old town Tustin, CA. For years it was a family home, which was then converted into an elementary school. Allegedly, children have died on the property for unknown reasons, which makes this even more eerie.

My friend and I decided to get dinner from here this past summer. We knew going in that it was haunted, but we hadn't heard what stories and why. Workers at Rutabergorz take pride in having ghosts at their establishment and advertise it throughout the restaurant. We thought that was interesting. We sat down, started eating and then I had to excuse myself to go to the restroom. I was waiting for the person in front of me to be finished, and as I was standing there, I felt a little tug on my coat and then the sound of small feet running away from me along with a very faint giggle. A chill went up my spine. I tried to debunk it as a breeze and maybe a child is in the bathroom with their parent. When I saw the person before me walk out of the bathroom, it was just a single woman.

 

5. Los Rios Street - San Juan Capistrano, CA

Los Rios street is a historic part of San Juan Capistrano's history dating back to the 1800's. It's lined with old adobes all along the street and many of them are allegedly haunted. 

I frequent Los Rios Street quite a bit and have ever since I was a kid. There is a legend about a woman who was hung from a pepper tree on the street and one day I went to go find it for myself. The problem was, I did not realize that there were numerous pepper trees on the street. After walking Los Rios and scouring for the one tree, which I still didn't know what it looked like, and after a little bit I decided to take a break and sit down. I had started to become curious and violate my one rule of paranormal investigating - I decided to dig deeper into my research to find out what specific tree it was. After enough searching, I finally found a picture of the tree. It was the exact one I was sitting under.

 

4. Black Star Canyon - Silverado, CA

This is considered one of Southern California's most haunted spots. It's infamous for a slaughter of almost the entire Tongva-Gabrielino tribe by Spanish settlers. After this massacre, it's said the remaining few from the tribe cursed this land. And that's not the only thing that makes Black Star creepy. For decades, it's allegedly been a prime meeting spot for Satanists for performing their rituals, meeting places for the Ku Klux Klan, and covens practicing witchcraft, so there's undoubtedly an overwhelming amount of energy surrounding this trail. People claim to see hooded figures, shadow people, hearing what sounds like chanting, and just an overall feeling of being watched.

I have hiked Black Star a handful of times, and only once in the dark. I thought maybe going in the daytime would make it less creepy. It didn't. I was about halfway through the first part of the hike and I just had a strange feeling that my friend and I were being watched. I shrugged it off as maybe there's more people hiking here today than I thought and I can feel living peoples' energies. I heard rustling in the bushes, but I played it off as wildlife. But then not long after, that's when I heard something I could not explain. Chanting. It was unbelievably eerie because it continued for maybe forty five seconds. I looked around to see if there was anyone playing jokes on us, but no one was there.

 

3. The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA

The Viper Room is the infamous location of where beloved actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose. But there's so much more scandal that comes with this location. People have seen glasses and bottles being thrown, musical equipment being moved, and people are even being touched and pushed down the stairs.

After a long day of filming in L.A., I had some time to kill and I decided to pay a visit to the Viper Room since I was in the area. I knew a little bit more going in to the location since Phoenix's death was heavily-publicized. I ordered a drink and asked the bartender if I was allowed to walk around since there were only a few guests inside and the live music wasn't there yet. I walked around and felt lots of hyper energy, probably from all the years of partying this bar has seen. I used one of the couple restrooms and I couldn't help but wonder if this was the same bathroom were Phoenix took his lethal amount of drugs, and that made me really uneasy. I made my way back over to the bar and had a seat on a barstool until the band came on. I decided to research some stuff on my phone to see if I had missed some information about paranormal activity here. As I read through article after article, most of them had mentioned the same thing. People feeling like they're being touched and having their barstool move from under them. And it wasn't just any barstool, it was the exact one I was sitting in. Third stool from the left at the main bar. Out of all the empty seats in the bar, I chose that one. The coincidence was overwhelming.

 

2. The Queen Mary - Long Beach, CA

This ship is dubbed as one of the most haunted ships and locations in the world. With it's history of being used as a vessel in World War II, it saw countless deaths. And war was not the only form of tragedy it has seen. A young worker named John Pedder got caught and crushed to death in water tight door #13 in the engine room and his ghost is said to haunt and roam the ship. Another infamous death was that of a little girl named Jackie who drowned in the second class swimming pool. While there are a handful of other spirits seen aboard, these are the two most infamous. There is also a room on board called B340 that is so haunted, it had to be locked and closed from the public and is the only hotel room on the ship not used.

I work in the haunt industry and I am all too familiar with the Queen Mary as it is home to one of SoCal's biggest haunted attractions, Dark Harbor. One night I had stayed on the ship at the hotel after I had visited Dark Harbor. I was lucky enough to be less than ten doors down from Room B340. I took it upon myself to walk the halls of the ship around 2:00 AM. On almost every floor I saw shadow figures out of the corner of my eye and footsteps all around me, even though me and my boyfriend were the only ones up and about. I stopped by B340 and even though the door was locked, that didn't stop me from hanging out in the closed entryway with my ear to the door. I heard footsteps, whispering, and a faucet turn on. All of which I got recorded on my special paranormal voice recorder that I take on investigations. Once I made my rounds and got settled into bed, I heard and saw our bathroom door in our room slowly creak open. I'm not going to lie, I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. It's one thing to go into an area temporarily that is presumed to be haunted, but it's a whole other situation when something has followed you into your own space. On a separate occasion, I had joined a paranormal tour on the ship and we did some investigating mainly in the engine and boiler rooms of the ship. Towards the end of the night, we used a REM pod and a special teddy bear that lights up when something touches it (also known as a "trigger object") to try to communicate with Jackie in the second class pool room. We all gathered in the women's locker/wash room and took turns talking to Jackie and any other spirits. I had never seen a trigger object light up so much before. And not only that. I got a once in a lifetime photo of what I believe is a silhouette of a shadow figure in the back corner of the pool room.

 

1. The Whaley House - San Diego, CA

The Whaley House is said to be one of the most haunted locations in California. It first started out as a courthouse and execution grounds and was the site of only one execution of a man named Yankee Jim who was sentenced to be hung for the attempted stealing of a fishing rowboat. (A little harsh of a punishment if you ask me.) Yankee Jim wasn't the only death on the property. The Whaley House was soon turned into a family home/mansion for Thomas Whaley and his family. Every one of his immediate family members died on the grounds.

I visited the Whaley House for the first time about 5 years ago and I was fortunate enough to join a ghost tour of the mansion. I had watched the "Ghost Adventures" episode where they investigated the location but I didn't know much of the history itself. In the back kitchen I felt something brush up against my lower leg, later to find out that a ghost dog likes so roam around for scraps and sniffing peoples' feet. Nearing the end of the tour the guides told us to hangout in the small theatre/entertainment room while we waited for another guide. I sat in the very back left corner so I could get a good view of the entire room just in case I saw or heard something. After sitting for a couple minutes, I heard what sounded like someone clearing their throat close to my ear, and then I smelled cigar smoke. Not a minute later the guides resume the tour and explain how this was Mr. Whaley's preferred hangout spot in the house and that guests frequently smell the aroma of cigar smoke. I approached a guide and told her what I experienced and I showed her where I was sitting. To the left right of me was a door to Mr. Whaley's private "smoking lounge". And to make things creepier, I took my friend to the Whaley House a year ago who is also a sensitive to the paranormal and I told her that I had a very profound experience here and I wanted to see if she could pick up the room I was thinking about. I didn't tell her any further details. I was shocked when we were towards then end of the tour, and in the theatre room, she paused, and walked to sit down in the same exact chair I sat in when I had my experience. I was completely shocked. After the tour she said to me "It was the theatre room where you had your experience, wasn't it?" That was absolute validation of our abilities and how we can pick up on each other's energies, emotions, and experiences so deeply.