The virtual Halloween party had a fun ghost story contest and we had three great entries. Congratulations to Bennett who won the ghost story contest with a fantastic scary story. To read his ghost story click on this link.
The Mourning Shadow a.k.a. The Ghost of Bennett Townley
I am the Ghost of Bennett Townley, also known as the Mourning Shadow by some. I died on October 31, 1837 from a carriage accident on the UVM campus outside of the Billings Library. I am known as the Mourning Shadow because I cry quietly on stormy, Halloween, and full-mooned nights and then lash out suddenly in rage. It happens so fast, all you see is my shadow! I have been known to stack chairs, throw things, slam doors, and make loud noises. On occasion I will drag people along the floor through the hallways late at night and laugh as they scream.
Over a 175 years ago, the university decided to close the library after 9pm because people were getting so scared to be there at night, many disappeared, and experienced my terrifying antics. The UVM Police also recommended locking the doors of neighboring buildings and closing them at 9 as well, but that didn’t stop me as I can float through walls! In the 80s, they put cameras in and actually WITNESSED people disappearing out of thin air in the Billings Library and it’s neighboring buildings on a few occasions. About 40-50 years ago UVM had to renovate and remove Asbestos since I would destroy pipes releasing asbestos fibers into the air. This earned my second nickname, the Asbestos Ghost.
The University of Vermont is planning to get rid of me on October 31, 2020 after spending 183 years haunting the old part of campus. The plan is to have a priest bless each building and room, throw holy water, and bring in EMF detectors and infrared cameras to find me. They believe this will get rid of me but I won’t leave without a fight! I am going to scream, stack chairs, throw things, drop the temperature in each building to 66.6 degrees or triple 6s, have the wind pick-up to 80 mph, and possess many people. It will be bedlam, it will be pretty wicked, literally. Please don’t exorcise me or BEWARE!