We really did not have a “guest” speaker today. Instead we were treated to some spooky stories told by our own Linda Cargiuolo and Ralph Hammond. All absolutely true with no embellishment, of course!
Linda led off by telling us years ago, shortly after moving to Bedford, she took up pottery making and was awful at it, Then one weekend Frank came home and asked her who had
made all the great pottery in the garage? She was astounded to find loads of perfectly formed pottery bowls in her collection. Then a few days later her girlfriend showed up and wanted to know who all the men in uniform were in her garage and in her cellar too. She couldn’t see them but her friend sure could and from then on her pottery efforts produced very, very good results. Who knows …
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Another offering from Linda takes us back to when she was a young professional in New York City. She was walking between 42nd street and Broadway when she stopped at a very crowded intersection waiting for the light to change. When it did she bolted into the intersection (as most people do at intersections in a busy city) But this time when she did she felt two very firm hands on her chest push her back violently, just then a speeding car running the red light sped by the pedestrians. Linda is convinced those mysterious hands pushing her back saved her life. Hhmmmm …
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Linda’s final offering has to do with psychics. You know how some folks can predict things that are going to happen to you? Well not with Linda, a long time ago someone (I think she said it was one of these psychics) put a “block” on her and ever since no psychics have been able to predict anything about her future. All they keep saying is “when I try to see into your future all I see is a blank, there is nothing there …..
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Then Ralph took over and told us a strange story (hope I got this mostly correct there is a lot to it) that took place to his mother. It all started years ago, His grandmother died very young and his mother was given an education in Pennsylvania by her mother’s sister. While there one of the other young women was dying and bedridden. Supposedly on the night she died this young women left her death bed and went around to each of the other bedrooms. Ralph’s mother remembers asking her “what are you doing?” the response was that she was going around to all her friends and saying goodbye to them. The next morning she was found dead in her bed. …
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Ralph’s second story is complicated; It takes place right here in Bedford and involves Ralph’s best friend Herbie. As most best friends do, they did many things together. One day Ralph was ridding his bike and his friend Herbie drove up behind him to say hello. Ralph remembers putting his hand on the door and letting Herbie sort of “pull him along.” Herbie told him he’d give Ralph a ride to work the next day and when Ralph rode his bike up the driveway he saw all kinds of emergency vehicles in the driveway. The news was very bad, it seems Herbie had been found dead next to his car. Needless to say that was a very difficult time for Ralph.
The story jumps to years later when a photographer, doing a photoshoot for “Country Living Magazine” of the farm Herbie lived in was strolling through the house taking photos and was attracted to the second floor where the photographer sensed a presence in the room and a door shutting automatically. The photographer opened the door only to see a closet door close in front of him. When the photographer tried to open it he was forcibly pushed back so violently it left marks on his hands.
Ralph thinks it was Herbie because the very closet in question had been turned into a photographic darkroom by he and Herbie years ago. and of course you don’t want any light in a darkroom …. Who knew?