I feel like I’m being watched as I creak slowly up the basement stairs at the Conjuring House, exiting into a dimly lit parlor. I’m greeted by a massive stone hearth, next to the infamous antique cabinet that clicks open on its own whenever things get a little too quiet.
I pause for a moment at the basement threshold, admiring a drawing of Abigail Arnold, who inhabited the home when it was the Arnold Estate, circa late 1700s. She is one of the more prominent spirits on the property.
One of my fellow investigators comes around the corner from the dining room and stops short.
“Do you smell that?” he asks.
“Smell what?” I respond.
“That rotten stench! How can you not smell it?” he insists.
I’m baffled. Our amazing guide
gathers a few more of us into the room.“Does anybody else smell anything?” she asks.
Responses are about 50/50 - half of us smell it, half of us don’t. For those who do, their descriptions range from a slight smell of sweaty gym shoes to an overwhelming stench of rotting meat and death. Our guide explains this is a common occurrence in this section of the house, and it’s the way one of the spirits tends to make themselves known.
Welcome to your weekend haunt
with Spook Lit, an audiobook club by dreary dendrophile.
This week, we are reading a group of four letters which were included in the appendix of the first half of the book. Yes, we have officially completed part one! Very exciting.
We get a few extra ghost stories throughout the letters, but the one that stuck out was a story that involved varying manifestations - some could see the spirit, while others could hear them. This reminded me of my visit to the Conjuring House, where one particular spirit is revealed via smell.
In Andrea Perron’s book House of Darkness House of Light, about her time growing up in the house, she states they often smelled this stench coming from the pantry and parlor area, even after deep cleaning and airing it out. No one has ever found the source in 50+ years - the assumption is paranormal.
“Bolting back into the parlor, Roger found the putrid stench overpowering, spoiling his dinner and souring his foul mood further. He saw the pantry door propped wide open as if it had been pushed back rather than drifting open as before. Slamming it shut, wedging the latch down into its slot, Roger glanced behind him while walking back toward the dining room, sensing a disturbing pres-ence...one other than his own.” - Andrea Perron, House of Darkness House of Light: The True Story Volume 1
What’s particularly interesting is the way they presented to some and not others, and with varying degrees of intensity.
Our guide told us a story about a time when she experienced a heavy dose of the stench during one of her shifts. She arrived and the smell was so pungent that she quickly retreated back out the front door, gagging. The only thing different that day was the new crystal bracelet she was wearing. The stones had properties of protection. Apparently this had deeply offended the spirit, who retaliated in a very putrid way.
I’m fascinated by a haunting that only some people can smell, and to varying degrees. It’s not as unusual as you might think. Have you ever caught a whiff of your deceased grandmother’s favorite perfume? Or your grandfather’s favorite tobacco smoke? I’m intrigued by this Conjuring House spirit who manifests via their rancid aroma, similar to the fictional character Captain Isaac Higgintoot on the television series Ghosts.
“Like some of the cases in the "Night Side of Nature," you will perceive here a great difference in the manifestations-to some it was given to hear, to others to see. Are you still of opinion that this results from what you term comparative freedom of rapport! Do you not think there are times when the material may give place to the supernatural?”
-Catherine Crowe, Ghosts and Family Legends
What’s Lurking on Spook Lit:
I’m beyond stoked to inform you that we finally got our very own Spook Lit logo! The artwork is by my friend Jeff Bent, who you can find at his website sporecloud.com.
Yes, there will be tattoos, and hopefully merch. This podcasting ghost is absolutely adorable and I am obsessed!
Next week we move right into the second part of the book with a story about a ghostly discovery. Spoiler alert: there’s treasure. This might be my favorite story in the book so far.
Until then, thank you for listening to Spook Lit. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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Credits:
*Special thanks to
, the former Conjuring House GM and my tour guide during the investigation. She was phenomenal, and that night at the Conjuring House was by far my favorite investigation ever, thanks to Tara. It might be impossible to top it!Audiobook: Ghosts and Family Legends by Catherine Crowe
Chapter: Part One Appendix
Artwork: Jeff Bent
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/drearydendrophile
All Spook Lit Audiobooks are public domain.
Hauntingly yours,
dreary dendrophile
