Ghostly Cafe Help
Witness: Jessica Ouellette
Location: Connecticut
Date of Encounter: Began in April 2003
I went to apply for a waitressing position at a cafe in my town. The owners are an elderly polish couple and were very nice to me during the interview. The wife was certain she wanted to hire me immediately, but asked if I believed in "ghosts." I told her I did, although I never had an encounter with one. That's when she explained about the goings-on in the building. "Sometimes," she stated, "you may hear or see something unexpected, but don't be afraid. These spirits are not angry." She said she felt I ought to know in case something were to happen I wouldn't be caught off guard. I told her I didn't think I'd be that lucky to see a ghost, but even so; knowing this didn't bother me and I would gladly accept the job.
It wasn't long before they started leaving me alone to tidy up or organize things after hours. I felt comfortable in the house, (I say house because the cafe is actually a colonial homestead that was built in 1807.) The wife also sells Amber jewelry and I would often stay late to clean or set up display cases. One evening as I was working on a case, I distinctly heard a male's voice in the next room. Though I heard his voice, I could not make out the mumbled words… quickly I placed the rest of the jewelry haphazardly in the case, grabbed my bag, and left. I tried to imagine some explanation for the voice, but the cafe had been locked tight, the radio off, and as I made my way to the exit, I passed the room from which the voice came. Of course upon inspection, no one was there. When I came back the next morning, I told the wife what had happened. She became angry with the spirit and stood in the middle of the room scolding it for scaring me! I thought that was pretty funny, however I've never heard the voice again, so her yelling at him must have worked.
Also, the couple hear voices as well. And we've also heard noises on the stairs and second floor as if people are walking around. This wouldn't be anything strange except that the only people in the building are us! And of course no one is there when one of us feels brave enough to go look.
The most recurring event, though, is the basement door. The door handle is original and you have to push down on the iron clasp to lift the latch and open the door. (Not a twist-knob.) The latch it very difficult to lift because the door has warped over the years. You have to put serious man-power onto the clasp to lift it. No draft, loose floorboard, or bump is going to open that door. Well, having said that… the door opens on its own. You can hear the "click" of the latch as it's lifted. It has opened on command before but in the beginning it would open with tremendous force — there's a dent in the wall to prove it! The wife threatened to put a "catch lock" on the door ("…and then you can stay down there!" she yelled). Since then, the door doesn't make a peep. It opens very slowly and quietly.
Also, a lady customer swears that, while she was eating, a male voice behind her asked, "Is everything alright?" (Which is what I ask when checking on customers). Thinking it was the owner, she turned to say hello but realized the room was empty. The owner hadn't been there at all that day, the lady was the only customer at the time, and the wife had been in the kitchen cleaning up. We joke about it; at least the ghost is making my job easier for me!
