HAUNTED LOUISIANA

(Discussion Board Files courtesy of Matt Muller)

Subject: Witch, nunnery, refugee

From: cardoin658@aol.com (CArdoin658)

Date: 8 May 1995 14:46:51 -0400

Message-ID: <3olour$n8h@newsbf02.news.aol.com>

Ghost stories? Well, how about one involving a witch, an

exnunery/orphanage,

a training center for the blind, and a protectee of the nuns?

Ok, this will be a LONG post, but trust me worth it. It's a true story that happened to me. It's scary and sad. It's one hell of a story. Of course, I could just be an insufferable a**hole and not know what I'm talking about, but I'll let you decided that. Be sure to give feedback. I've had an

interesting life (as you'll soon find out), and I have MANY more tales for you. So, let me know. :)

The Nunnery's Ghost

It was Spring 1991. I had just finished my first semester in college. With a 0.25. I wasn't anxious to get back, but I knew I had to. Well, for the next semester, I wanted my own apartment. My college, University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) didn't allow freshmen to live off campus, yet I managed to pull a few strings. Claiming dorm life was the cause for my bad grades. Which I believe the social life (with no work) was the cause. Problem with the apartment is it would not be ready for 6 weeks into the semester. Argh!! I knew quite a few people in Lafayette (where USL is), so I figured maybe I could stay with them for a while.

My first choice of course was family. My Aunt. Nothing happened there. Or I should say nothing that concerns this story. Why mention her then? :) It's called a teaser....

My next choice was friends of the family. Jasper and Carmen Seale. Lovely people. A blessing to their family and friends. Well, I only had two weeks left, so I decided to move in. Now you need background. The lived in an old nunnery. The Affiliated Blind of Louisiana (ABL) had just bought and orphanage. It was on three acres of land. Surrounding it on it's left (Dunreath Street) was Our Lady of Lourdes hospital. Across the street (Saint Mary's Boulevard) from it was a locksmiths and a vacant lot. On it's right (Cherry Street) was USL's bus parking lot and student parking lot. Behind it was a canal -- a coulee -- a big ditch about 10 feet deep and 10 feet

across covered in cement.

The buildings consisted of an administration building. It's downstairs were the offices for ABL and its staff. The upstairs were deserted rooms for the orphans. You would swear you could hear children laughing and giggling. The next building directly behind the Admin, was the cathedral. Really all it was was a small building yet it had the black iron wrought cross on top.

Way on top and it looked perfectly spooky on even slightly cloudy days. The cathedral was U-ish shaped, with the corners square. the cathedral part was in the center. Inside the cathedral was a crucifix. On one was an alcove of a suffering saint, complete with sharp pebbles under his feet. And I mean REAL pebbles, not a carving to look like pebbles. The rest of the building consisted of an infirmary and dining area. Along with more rooms. Now, near the rear of the property, on the Cherry Street stood the Priest House -- right across from the parking lots. On the right hand of the Priest House was an abandoned and condemned cottage.

Now you might think these grim and desolate buildings and surroundings would keep most people away. Well, not me. You see, I'm a Witch. (Ok, settle down. Stop laughing. Quite or I won't continue. That's better ::hoping they really did pipe down or else he made a fool of himself - sheesh::) Let me explain, I've been practicing Wicca (or more commonly called Witchcraft)

for several years now. I've been psychic all my life. I've been able to see ghosts and spirits as easily as you see other people. And I've met some that have worried me. None that frightened me. Gave me heeby jeebies, but not really frightened. Up to then.

The Seales were staying in the Priest House. Quite, cozy house. Attached tool shed. Carport. 4 bedrooms. 2 bath. Sun porch. But it was anything but nice. The bedrooms worked weirdly. In order to get to bedroom 2, you had to walk through bedroom 1. In order to get to bedroom 4 you had to walk through bedroom 3. The bathrooms were in bedroom 2 and bedroom 4. The sun

porch had the kinda window that you crank them open and their slits of glass. These windows looked like they hadn't been cleaned in a decade. And the furniture on the sun porch was dusty like, well hell. Carmen explained they never used the sun porch and that furniture was there before they moved in. Now, the rest of the house was immaculate. I have yet to see a cleaner

home. I never felt totally comfortable in that house. I just figured it was due to my being a guest and the large age difference between me and the Seales -- the had grandchildren. The Seales were from out of town, originally Shreveport. They were just watching the place until the

renovations could begin. If you want to know how far Shreveport is from Lafayette, look at a map of Louisiana, look at the upper left corner for Shreveport, look at the lower middle for Lafayette. It just so happens the Seales have to go back to Shreveport after I've been there for a week. They trust me with the house and say they'll be back in a few days. That's when it starts happening.

The Date is February 7, 1991. I kept a journal. I go to a Kabalah class and returned around 8pm. Now, I'm getting ready for bed. Have class in morning and have a few things to do. The house is very quite, and very still. I prepare to do the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentegram which really just acts as a purifier for the house. This is the first time I perform any type of magick or ceremony in here since I'm here. I'm not expecting anyone to drop by so I figure I'll be alone for a while. I start the ritual and a few seconds later I hear "CLICK!" I swear I'm glad I never had a tattoo cause I wouldn't have it any more, what with me jumping out of my skin and all. What the hell was that! I turn around and can find nothing. So I start again. I'm almost finished then I won't have to worry about any baddies.

""""""CLICK!!!!!!"""""" Okay. The hospital is right next door, maybe they'll let me restart my heart. I decide to finish the ritual and be done with it. In order to do the ritual, you have to turn around. Well, when I'm facing in the opposite direction of the first two "CLICKS!" Anyway, I

hear the click again. I look up and I'm face to face with a clock. The click was the changing of the hands on the old grandfather clock. Whew!!!

The next night I go to see "The Never ending Story" part 2. Then I come home and prepare for another night of clicks. I wondered if one of the nuns might be residing and disapprove of my religion? I figured I was over reacting and walked out to the living room to do the LBRP. As I walk right by the front door :::::SWING:::::. It opens! In walks Carmen and Seale (that's what

we called him). Oh thank Goddess. I nearly shit my pants. On the 10th, around 11:30 pm, the Seales are asleep and I take this time to do the LBRP in the house again. Really I was just practicing. During the entire thing I kept hearing rustling on the floor, like dogs or such running all over. I never felt anything or smelt anything, just heard it. This needless to say, unsettled me.

On the night of the 11th, I laid down in my bed ready to go to sleep. I put on some earphones and started to doze off. For 30 to 45 minutes, I kept having the sensation on my arm of bugs crawling. I looked and never saw anything. Then nearly an hour into trying to fall asleep, I was punched in my right arm. I decided something was definitely going on. I put up protective shields and warded my self good. I then slept like a baby.

Next day, my Kabalah instructor told me not to look on it as an attack and try communicating with the spirit. Oh boy. I had decided not to do anything which would "open" me to this thing. You know how a child will close his eyes believing if he can't see you, you can't see him? Well, that's how it works in the spirit realm. Unless you sense them, they really don't exist to you. At least not consciously, and I only had about 5 more days to go! So now I have my teacher, someone I respected and trusted, telling me to listen to it. Yeesh!

The 12th went fine. I stayed closed and protected. But knew I would have to confront this thing.

On the 13th, (nice number huh?) I went to sleep with the intent of communicating with this entity. Before I could even feel sleep I heard someone saying, "Say your prayers or you won't sleep." Knowing it's almost futile to argue with a ghost, I said them. (Hey, I may be a Witch, but I do believe in Christ. So, no follow Christ and give us money post ok?) During the night I found out all about her. She died in 45 while leaving a party. She exists here because of something she created "By her, for her, and around her". She was born in 1905. The nunnery/orphanage opened in 1920s. She mentioned something about reaching 45th level, but I never understood this. She was a woman of ill repute during her life. She managed to infect

several men with a fatal venereal disease. They sought revenge on her one night and hunted her like a dog. Now you must understand that Lafayette back then was a very small town. They were able to chase her on horses with guns a totin without raising an eyebrow. Most people were happy to see her being chased and "run out of town". The woman thought frantically with what to do. She realized the only place she would be safe was the nunnery. She managed to make it to their doors. The nuns took her in and promised her protection. The men were far too superstitious to move to stubborn nuns aside. She was safe for now. Then, one day she was on a balcony looking out at the forest when several shotgun blasts caught her dead square in the chest (no pun intended). She died. No one cared to avenge her and the nuns had no real power about it.

I awoke the next day felling clean and happy. She told me all she wanted was one person to tell her story to who cared. She found that. She didn't tell me specifically to go tell everyone about her, but I figured the more who knew about this type of behavior, which is still around today, the better. So I guess this newsgroup is good place too.

The Seales? I moved out on the scheduled day without delays. Jasper passed on a few years later, but Carmen is still going strong. ABL? It's doing well and has several residents. No one reports any strange (or rather otherworldly) happenings. The Priest House? You can still tell there are others there. The others buildings were all renovated. Anything which was just lingering is gone. The cathedral is still there. The Admin buildings upstairs are not spooky. The infirmary is converted to dorms. Yet, on a cloudy day, like today, you can still feel those old spirits of the nuns and the orphans . . . and their refugees.

Pleasant Dreams.

CJ Ardoin

CARDOIN658 @ aol.com