There’s something about a hair salon that encourages conversation among women who don’t see each other except for hair cuts, coloring, highlights, and all the other things we have done to our hair. So today, during one of those conversations with a beautician named Angie, I heard a cool ghost story.
Angie mentioned that she and her husband, Patrick, spent a long weekend at the Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora, in the central part of the state, about 30 miles from Disney World.
The inn dates back to 1883 and, as described on the website: “A visit to the Lakeside Inn in Mt. Dora is time travel of the most privileged sort. At first glance, you aren’t sure if it’s real. Perhaps it’s a painting. Or an antebellum fantasy where ladies twirling parasols will soon appear on the wide verandah to sit a spell in the old-fashioned rockers, sip mint juleps and gossip.”
You get the idea. Old South. Very old South. “There’s not a whole lot to do there except eat and relax by the lake,” Angie explained. Then she leaned in closer and whispered, “But the place is haunted, Trish.”
I instantly was all ears. “Really? You saw something?”
“Patrick did.”
It was their first night at the inn. They had turned in early and apparently Patrick kept hearing a tinkling sound, like wind chimes, that woke up. He sat up in bed and saw a pair of black women in voluminous clothing carrying large silver trays with tea cups on them. The tinkling noise came from the teacups clicking together as the women moved. Patrick sat there, paralyzed, watching the women until they faded into the wall. Then he woke Angie and told her what had happened.
The next afternoon, they were down by the pool and ordered a couple of drinks. When they gave their room number for the charge, the bartender said, “Well, room six-nineteen. Did you see the ghosts, the two black women with the silver tray and teacups?”
Patrick said that he’d seen them. The bartender said numerous guests in room 619 had seen the ghosts, but that they were harmless. That night, Angie and Patrick stayed up late, hoping for a glimpse of them. But the ladies didn’t appear again.
Now Rob and I have a new spot to visit. We’re going to ask for room 619.
Thanks to Math Addict, fascinating. That makes sense!
I’ve been interested in ghosts and hauntings (well, I guess everyone is) but for myself, when I lived in a house in Vermont that was famous for being “haunted” in the 80’s. I didn’t know that when I moved there, of course……but I experienced so many strange things there, including watching an unwound antique clock with a pendulum tick very fast for several hours (no one ever believes me, except the roomate who also saw it!) Being young, I and my roomates were quite (in retrospect) blase about it all. I never felt any sense of fear or hostility in that house – on the contrary, whoever was haunting seemed to like us. I’ve always felt this experience was a kind of gift, opening my mind to possibilities.
Sounds like a genuine “ghost” haunting! The difference between spirits and ghosts, as we’ve discussed previously, is that a “ghost” is a remnant of a memory imprisoned in time and within a specific space, from which it cannot depart, and continues the repetitive motions like a film being re-run. True ghosts have no emotions or memories or thought-forms. Spirits, contrarily, have freedom of movement and can go anywhere, although some seem to like to remain in a place/space that has special meaning for them. They, of course, can interact with incarnates and express emotions of all kinds. Would LOVE to visit the room. What an experience that will be for you. Can’t wait to hear about it!
Fun!
Oh, that’ a great story! I hope you go soon, so I can hear about your adventure before my old brain forgets all about it…
All your hiking keeps YOUR brain sharp and puts OUR brains to shame!
I look forward to your report of staying in that room! It’s interesting that the same experience happens to so many guests in the same room – like a kind of memory that is stuck there?
Beautiful inn, wonderful story. I hope you go! Take me, too. 🙂
come visit and we’ll be ghost hunters!
408-1408 in between ?!?!?!
Would love to see something like this – if you do go, enjoy the visit to 619 and look forward to reading about your experience.