photo: zen

Just before signing the lease on the place where I lived in New Orleans, the owner informed me it was haunted. He told me this in the same breath he pointed out the new kitchen cabinets and refurbished floors. New Orleans is reputed to be one of America's most haunted cities, after all — a resident ghost is just another feature like indoor plumbing.

I had been in New Orleans long enough at that point that nothing surprised me. Still, "uh...come again?" must have been written all over my face.

It was a nice ghost, he said — Nothing to worry about. It might turn off the TV if I fell asleep with it on, for example. But mostly it just stayed in the shadows.

"I ain't afraid a no ghost," I thought as I grabbed the pen to sign. I was so charmed by this little place, almost nothing could have changed my mind.

Then I stayed awake half the night before I moved in wondering what it would be like to have an invisible roommate.

For the most part, I didn't buy it. But curiosity persisted. What a crushing blow to my self-esteem it would have been for this so-called "good" ghost to decide it didn't happen to like me! Would it share my taste in music or want to watch the same things on TV? Could it see me in the shower, or would it respect my privacy?

It occurred to me that if it was true, this thing may have been there a very long time. Everything in New Orleans is old, but this was just outside of the French Quarter, the oldest section of town. The place I'd rented was built in the early 1800's, constructed in part with wood that had carried goods down The Mississippi — that's what they did with old barges before the steamboat was invented to send them back upriver.

That's a lot of history. That little place had potentially sheltered ten generations of human lives through battles in New Orleans during the 1812 and American Civil Wars, plagues, hurricanes, slavery, and heaven knows what else. Considering the possibilities, I figured if the ghost existed, it would find my modest lifestyle laughable.

I lived there for a year and a half, and never had any run-ins with the ghost. Just an upstairs neighbor who liked to rearrange furniture at three in the morning. I might have complained to the landlord if he hadn't tried to warn me. See, this little place was a "shotgun" style house. There was no second level.

[Insert spooky Halloween laugh]

I'm pretty sure there was a good explanation for it — I promise it wasn't scary... much. How about you? Ever seen a ghost?

Check out the other Theme Thursday Halloween stories.