Local Writer Exposes Brattleboro's Real Ghosts

Brattleboro's Most Beautiful HAUNTED House

As featured on My Little Brattleboro...

Cathryn Lykes is a Brattleboro writer and Fire Starter who has recently published her intriguing ghost story called The Doorbell,  a true story about a single mother and her daughter who inadvertently move into a haunted house and begin communicating with its resident spirits, unraveling a long-forgotten series of events from the Victorian era. 

Excerpt:

"The doorbell was a vintage affair, probably from the 1940s or ‘50s, with a beige and gold Bakelite housing over three long brass chimes. I knew they would make a lovely sound to announce the arrival of guests. We had tried, but pushing the button outside did nothing, and we had to be content solely with the visual interest the doorbell lent to the apartment.

One stormy night during this period, I was at home alone, finishing up Clara’s year-end homeschooling assessment. I was proud of her. She had worked diligently in every subject, and had a large body of work to submit with her portfolio. I worked at the computer and on the wide kitchen table, with only one light burning. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I looked down the staircase to see if anyone was at the door, turning on the hall and outside lights. No one. By this time, the doorbell had begun making a loud electric buzzing in addition to the clear ringing notes. I touched one of the chimes, hoping to alleviate the vibration, but it came off in my hand."

Read the full story here for just 99 cents on amazon.com 

1. Who is Cathryn Lykes? I am a mother and writer specializing in true ghost stories and spirit communication.

Read the DoorBell, A True Ghost Story in Brat

2. What made you want to write a ghost story about this lovely, Victorian home in Brattleboro? I wrote the story out of respect for the former inhabitants of the house, both to understand who they were as individuals and also to preserve historical facts related to their lives. I felt compelled to know who they were. Their sensibilities were so different from ours, and yet they lived out emotions and experiences indelible to the human experience and totally common to our lives now. I didn't want them to be forgotten. I had originally wanted to discover who had conceived the design for the gorgeous old house and built it, because I thought that would answer my questions, but I ended up getting other information instead. The presences there were really just too strong to ignore.

3. Now that you have moved from the Victorian home, have you had any encounter with ghosts in your new place? Our new house is also a bit haunted, though less urgently so. I'm sensing both a tragic end and a comfortable, emotionally resolved presence from the same (female) spirit. Also, there is a strong imprint of a child's energy from another time. More information has been coming through as we settle in. 

4. What did you learn from this experience and what would you like people to know about those who have a keen sense of intuition or can see ghosts? I think most people can see, feel or communicate with spirits, especially loved ones who have passed, but end up immediately denying the information they receive because of strong social conditioning and doubt about being called crazy by our culture. The signs are there, but it is easy to rationalize them away through linear thought, or to only feel safe in telling a few trusted people, if anyone. What we call our imagination, however, has infinite capabilities, including states of mind associated with prayer and meditation, that cannot be contained within simplistic labels (i.e., sane/crazy, dreaming/waking, real/imaginary, scary/safe.) 

Author, Cathryn Lykes and daughter Grace

If you really think about it, why should we feel afraid of benevolent spirits? They are people who have crossed over, through a natural process none of us can avoid. If everything lines up correctly, I believe that they can be omnipresent, residing simultaneously with us and in heaven. I've learned to open up my consciousness and trust myself about what I perceive, though as with living people, it is essential to be discerning about who you are hanging out with, and to have infallibly strong boundaries that you can use when necessary.

Read the full story here for just 99 cents on amazon.com