Haunting Valley

Way back before Al Gore invented the Internet, there was something called the Usenet. For those of you who don’t remember it, or never even heard of it, the Usenet was a kind of electronic bulletin board and information-swapping forum.

There were thousands of newsgroups—some devoted to helpful subjects such as finance or travel, and others devoted to less weighty topics, such as Star Trek (including the infamous “alt.wesley.crusher.die.die.die”). Bill and I, co-workers at a certain local space agency, enjoyed alt.ghost-stories. There, we learned of a writer named Chris Woodyard, who wrote a series of Haunted Ohio books.

Woodyard’s multi-part series collected authentic ghost stories from around the state. She obviously did a lot of research. “Her books are very good, and you should read them,” said Bill, who actually reads books. We felt that we could write tales that were every bit as spooky as the ones we had enjoyed. So we decided to try our hands at creating a specter collection, focusing on the Chagrin Valley. As you read on, however, you will learn that this is not exactly what happened. What follows is the final product.

Some names and exact locations may have been changed to protect the innocent, as well as those who cannot defend themselves by virtue of their non-corporeal status.

So don’t go all “Ghost Hunters” on us. If you go looking for a place we describe, you might wind up at the least confusing, maybe frightening, and at worst, angering, the home/property owner. And if you find yourself behind bars for trespassing, don’t try to use these stories as justification. Just gather some friends, turn down the lights, try to scare the crap out of each other, and enjoy the stories shared here.