I See Dead People.

On this Halloween Day I thought I might share with you my experience with a Ghost.

Did you spit out your coffee? I'm being 100% serious. I met a ghost and her name was Helen. 

The original Helen story in Asheville is the one below. But we have heard others about a Helen on our mountain that is looking for the woman her husband left her for. I'm not sure if they are the same Helen or if there are two ghosts named Helen (seriously?!) but either way I met one of them.

Here is the well known story in Asheville about Helen's bridge near Beaucatcher Mountain.

One night Zealandia Castle caught fire, a woman named Helen lost her only child, a daughter. Helen was so distraught she hung herself from the small stone bridge near Zealandia Castle. Since that night it has been said if you go to the bridge late at night, turn off your car, and call Helen's name she will appear to you, a sad glowing figure. Helen is supposed to wander the mountain in a long gown, asking those she meets if they have seen her daughter. If you are "lucky" enough to see her you may as well settle in. Those who have seen Helen, find that their car won't start when they try to leave. 

There has been much paranormal activity associated with the bridge, apparitions, orbs, etc. Be warned, there is more present than the spirit of Helen. People have described seeing monstrous dark things coming out of the woods. They have described being slapped, hit, and scratched. If you do visit, be respectful, do not try to invoke or provoke anything up there. People have reported all kinds of other strange things going on around Helen’s Bridge. There were many Indian burials found in this area in the late 1940's and people say after the graves were disturbed the paranormal activity at the bridge and around it shot up. 

And here is mine:

We moved to Asheville in 1983 from New Orleans. My Grandparents had two small cottages on Mount Royal and that is where we stayed until we bought the house directly up the mountain path. I don't know what time of year it was but I came out of my bedroom and walked down the hallway to the bathroom and looked to my right out into the open two story Living Room. There was a lady there just floating in the room. 

To try to help you picture this it wasn't a bloody or creepy image, much like the image above but more human-like. She was there but not completely....apologies for being a nerd but she was similar to moaning myrtle in Harry Potter. 

I went upstairs to my parents' room and told them there was a "lady" downstairs. Since I was 3 they figured I was making things up and told me to go back to sleep.

A few nights later it happened again and I went back upstairs in the middle of the night and told my Dad "The rude lady is back downstairs and she won't leave". Dad got up and saw nothing and tucked me back in bed.

Several mornings later he was walking our dog Momus around the mountain and stopped to talk to a neighbor. He mentioned that I had seen a ghost and was being silly and the neighbor corrected him saying that in fact her name is Helen and she visits anyone that moves onto the mountain.

FOR REAL.

It gets creepier....

Supposedly the woman Helen's husband left her for had dark hair and was named Donna. We have two family friends that meet this description and BOTH OF THEM have had the same nightmare of a woman pressing down on their chest when staying in those cottages I spoke of earlier.

BOTH OF THEM. 

So....who wants to come visit?! The story is better if I've been boozing and I tell it to you AFTER you have spent the night with us. Right Elie??

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I see Dead People. 

Links about Helen's Bridge:

http://www.zealandiacastle.com/festiva-zealandia-helens-bridge.php

http://www.ashevillelist.com/helens_mountain.htm