Girl's spirit just a ghost story?

To be absolutely honest, I cannot remember whether my hand was squeezed before or after I woke up with a mild case of heartburn. The answer to that question is key to understanding what happened, and I can’t remember. If my hand was squeezed the first time I was in that drifting fog of falling asleep, then it was my wife. On the other hand, if my hand was squeezed while in the twilight zone of my second falling asleep, after the heartburn, then it was not my wife, in which case it was ...

It also makes perfect sense that there was someone walking the floor, the distinct sounds of footfalls, at 2:30 a.m., which was the time when I awoke with the aforementioned case of heartburn. Someone suggested that the creaking of the floorboards was accompanied by girlish laughter, but that is really absurd, isn’t it ?

It’s not a ghost story rooted in the distant past, this story of the lady who haunts the lodge in Cloudcroft. The events took place in the early 1930s — within the lifetime of some folks who are probably reading this column.That is one of the things which makes it so believable — this ghost story doesn’t take us back to some medieval mist or frontier phantom. It started in our world, a time of cars and airplanes and radios.

Rebecca (or Becky, as they say she prefers) emigrated from Ireland in the early 1930s and took a job as a chambermaid at the resort lodge in Cloudcroft. She was notable for her striking beauty, with luxurious red hair and effervescent green eyes. Her beauty attracted lots of attention, and her personality was charming enough to hold that attention. She was vivacious and flirtatious, and that’s where the story leads to ...

The lumberjack. Becky was keeping company with a lumberjack who had three main drawbacks: He was possessive, he had a temper and he was gone a lot.

Becky, however, wasn’t of a temper to be possessed by anyone. She loved her life at the resort, and not the least of its attractions was the number of interesting men whom she met. Her free spirit was not inclined to sit idly by while the lumberjack was off logging ...

It all came to a head one evening when he returned unexpectedly to find Becky in the arms of another man. There were angry words. An uproar ensued. The lumberjack left in a rage, and shortly thereafter, the lovely chambermaid disappeared. They say he came back that night and dragged her from her room. No body was ever found, so the case was dropped due to lack of evidence.

They say that she has walked the halls and grounds of the lodge since her untimely demise. She’s pretty well-known and loved — not a ghost to keep to herself, or sulk angrily in closets. Of course, nobody in their right mind would accept squeezed hands, or girlish giggles in the hallway. But if you happen to be there, and look out to the moonlit lawn and see a lovely young lady in a nightgown with luxurious red hair ...