Do you believe? Truro paranormal investigators make contact in Wolfville
“I’m back…”
Bruce Simpson and other paranormal investigators clearly heard a little boy utter the words at Randall House Museum during a visit in June.
But it wasn’t just any ordinary little boy. It was a spirit.
Simpson and his wife, Charlene, own Caretakers Paranormal Investigations in Truro. They use their time to travel to heritage homes and listen for spirits. They do not charge for their services.
In June, the couple made a trip to the Wolfville museum, where three resident spirits — including the child — were heard. A second trip is planned for Sept. 9, and this time a few spots will be open for those members of the public who want to witness the event at the over 200-year-old house. Recorded evidence from the first visit, Simpson says, can be accessed on YouTube.
The situation at Randall House isn’t unique. Simpson says there are homeowners who hear strange noises, footsteps, and things they can’t explain. He and his wife try to find answers.
“What we heard at Randall House was very intriguing,” he says. “There is so much in that home.”
Curator Krystal Tanner says staff and visitors to Randall House have reported feeling similar sensations in the house.
Light bulbs dim and cellphones tend to lose power. There have been reports, she says, of doorknobs moving without people around, as well as a woman seated at the sewing machine.
While some are highly skeptical of this phenomenon, Tanner says, others believe implicitly. She feels mostly neutral but was spellbound during the June investigation.
The Simpsons became fascinated by the paranormal about three years ago. Today they use various means, including digital recorders, to hear different voices.
“Since forming Caretakers, our quest for answers has led us on a journey that we could have never imagined,” Bruce said.
According to Simpson, many spirits choose to remain earthbound for a variety of reasons, such as unfinished business, waiting for loved ones, sudden death and fear.
Sometimes, he’s discovered, they are very anxious to speak. On other occasions, the spirit world stays silent.
Once, while in Fortress Louisbourg in Cape Breton, Simpson said his wife observed the apparition of a soldier twice. While in an old home in Maitland, he heard a spirit encourage an elderly woman who was climbing the attic stairs, telling her, “You made it.”
There’s one rule to this line of work, he says.
“You have to be respectful,” Simpson says. “Introduce yourself and indicate your intentions.”
A customer service manager by day, Simpson suggests investigators have to 100 per cent believe in order to give spirits a voice. He’s learned that spirits can attach to a place, an object or even a person.
Few television shows, Simpson says, capture the kind of investigations he and his wife carry out. They’ve never found malevolence.
“It’s our hobby. It’s always on our minds and we try to reach out to others.”