Hanging with Spirits (A Zak Bagans Story)

Chapter 2

"Dad, have you seen my phone?" 

"How many times a day can you loose that thing?" my dad askes a little irriated, which made me stop, think, and look at him. 

"A couple" I said with a smile. "It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have it on silent...oh here it is!"

"Why do you put it on silent all the time?" my dad asked 

"Because the ringer annoys me" 

"Well change the ringer."

"But they all annoy me dad" 

My dad looked up at me with this look like "are you seriously my kid?" 

"Dad when's our next..." I stopped talking and turned around as I heard a sound on the steps. My dad must have heard it too as he jumped off the couch and stood in front of me. 

"Was that Gracie?" My dad asked. 

"No. Gracie is right there" I said pointing to under the table. "She's sleeping"

"Then what the hell...you heard that?"

"Yeah, it sounded like someone coming down the stairs...with heavy boots"

"Yeah!" my dad exclaimed as he jumped "That was exactly how I would explain it.  Look at my arms! Let me see your arms!"

"Dad, come on, please....your not at work."

"You have goosebumps too!" my dad exclaimed ignoring my comment. 

"Dad..."

"I wonder where this spirit came from?"

"Probably has always been here" I said as I sat down on the couch. 

"Who knows." my dad said as he started heading up the stairs "I'm going to go check upstairs. You wanna come with?"

"No" I said crossing my arms on the couch. It annoyed me how he could never let any little noise go. Sometimes I wished he would keep his work at the locations and just be a normal parent at home.  He has changed so much since the show, both good and bad.  

I looked over towards Gracie and jumped a little. Her head was up and she was just staring at me. Her bright blue eyes glaring. 

"Grace?" I asked slowly.  She didn't respond like she normally did. She just continued to stare. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder.  Without moving I thought to myself I would have seen my dad come down the stairs. They are straight across from me. If my dad didnt come down the stairs then...

"Dad!" I yelled jumping up and running up the stairs. I ran into him on the top step. 

"What?" my dad exclaimed. 

"I felt this..this...hand on my shoulder and Gracie was just staring and...."

"Elsie" my dad said putting his hands on my shoulders and looking straight into my eyes "Calm down, honey."

"But it scared me" I said quietly. 

"I know baby" my dad said giving me a hug. "But you can't get so emotional.  You know what happens when a person does. You lived through it just like I did."

"I know. But...I don't know...I just thought...." I stopped talking and sat down on the steps. I waiting for my dad to run downstairs or ask me what I was doing when I felt the hand but instead he sat down next to me. 

"You just thought what honey?" my dad asked 

"Aren't you going to drag me down the stairs and grill me on where I was sitting...blah blah blah." I asked my dad. When I looked at him I thought he was going to lecture me about how I should be polite and not talk like that to him. 

"No." he said instead "It's more important to me to talk to you right now. You...you don't act like this at home and you have been through a lot worse than a hand touching you. What's up?"

I shrugged.

"Elsie." My dad said "You used to be able to tell me everything.  Remember how you sat down on my lap once...you were about 4 years old...and told me how upset you were because you felt no one liked that crabby carebear because he was crabby but it was ok to be crabby and that people need to love him anyway?"

"His name is grumpy bear, dad"

"O ok. But you remember?"

"Yea" I said looking at him. 

"Well open up to me know. What were you thinking....or what did you think?"

"Don't get mad ok? Or hurt or think too much about it?"

"Ok, fine. I'm all open and chill" 

"Well" I said looking at my dad and then down the stairs. "I just thought that maybe us getting away from our house...from the dungeon and everything would make it so I wouldn't have to deal with this all the time."

"This" my dad asked "you mean spirits?"

I nodded.  I heard my dad take a deep breath and look down at his feet. 

"I'm sorry" I said as I started to get up but before I could fully get up my dad grabbed my hand and motioned me to sit down with his other hand. So I sat back down.

"I know my job hasn't made your life any easier.  I thought it would" my dad said "I thought I would start making all this money and I wouldn't have to hear you pray to God for enough money to pay bills at night.  Yes, I remember hearing those prayers when you were 3 years old.  It broke my heart. I said at that point that I would do everything in my power so you would never have to worry about bills.  When I signed up for this job, I never even thought you would have to deal with any of it...ghost, cameras...demons.  But sometimes I feel you have dealt with it worse than me, Nick, or Aaron and that, that kills me, Elsie. I'm your father and I am supposed to fix these things for you not...not cause them."

"Dad" I said trying to figure out what to say. "I haven't helped it any."

My dad looked at me so without him asking, I decided to continue. 

"I mean I...well...I've done a lot of things you have told me not to...like provoke them...ouijia board sessions..."

"What?!" My dad asked with a little anger in his voice. 

"When they bother me when you are gone. I often just get so frustrated with it that I start provoking them or poking fun at them. And my friends and I ..we have kinda done some ouijia board sessions in the dungeon."

"Elise Bagans" my dad said putting his head down. "How long has this been going on?"

"A couple years" I said quietly. 

"Els, how many times have I told you that was two of the biggest things you needed to stay away from? Now why didn't you?"

"I don't know" I said "I just...I provoke and stuff when I get mad and I have tried the ouijia for a number of reasons, mainly because I don't really think it works..."

"You have heard Chris say his stories....me say mine...Billy say his...and you don't think it works!"

I shrugged. 

"I really don't know dad...It just...my friends wanted to do it and it seemed like a good way to get answers."

"How long has it been since you have dont the ouijia?"

"Almost a year" I said "I stopped when you got pulled out of bed."