We drove out to see our future house, a charming old cabin. Our Realtor hadn't arrived yet, and the previous owners had already moved back to England. With nothing to do but wait, we walked around the property and took some photos of the exterior.
When our realtor, Phyllis, finally pulled up, she opened the house and let us in. The house was empty. We spent a long time exploring every floor and took plenty of pictures inside as well.
Phyllis was incredibly knowledgeable about the old cabins in the area and clearly prided herself on knowing interesting historical facts about each one. She mentioned the cabin's original owner was a widow named Doris who had lived there for many years. According to Phyllis, the house was sold following her unexpected death while on a trip to Chicago.
I didn't think much about the ownership history at the time, but that changed completely when we developed the film and started looking through the photos.
In one particular picture, taken from the outside and looking through the kitchen window, we saw it: the clear face of an elderly woman peering out. Chills went down my spine, to say the least. Her face was stern and strong. We were already very excited about the house, but when I flipped to that photo of Doris, I clearly remember saying out loud, "Uh oh!"
We placed an offer, and it was ultimately accepted.
Through all the years we lived there, I never remember seeing, feeling, or hearing anything truly paranormal. Whenever the old cabin would let out a creak or a bump in the night, I would simply say, "It’s just Doris."
I believe Doris was happy with us as owners, felt the cabin was in good hands, and could finally rest peacefully—maybe in Florida. Definitely not Chicago.
