#Paranormal Wednesday - #Haunted Theatre #ghosts

Victoria High School of the Arts, 1962

This week I'm going to share my story of a haunted theatre (cue in scary over-the-top theatre music). Specifically, a school theatre in the Victoria School of the Arts located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I graduated from this high school in 1982. Back then, the school was known as Victoria Composite High School and was just that; a school divided in half.
The newer half of the building was dedicated to vocational students, while the other half, aka the "old" building, was where the theatre students were relegated. We didn't mind. The old half of the building was cool and we loved it.

Our theatre arts department housed not one, but two stages; a main stage and smaller "black box" theatre. The main stage basement housed the make-up, costume and dressing rooms, plus several storage rooms for props. Spooky? You bet. Especially if you had to go down there alone.

The main theatre and basement were notoriously haunted, and rumors abounded as to whom the ghost might be. One rumor said a student was killed in an accident involving a stage light, another said they hung themselves in one of the dressing rooms, and yet another said they'd slit their wrists in the bathroom. Regardless, there were several incidents that fueled these rumors.

Early one Saturday morning, our cast was rehearsing and the only ones in the school. And yes, we were that dedicated. While standing at the back of the theatre to see how the stage lights looked, we saw the stage trap-door rise and fall with a bang. We ran downstairs to see if someone was in the basement. With only one set of stairs down and no other way out, we would have come face-to-face with someone had they tried to leave. There was nobody down there. All the prop, costume and dressing room doors were locked, including the door with access to the stage trap-door. Needless to say, any treks into the basement that Saturday were put off until later. Not that we were scared or anything... 

Even though the basement held a spooky vibe, we'd often hang out in the dressing rooms during lunch. We were "supposed" to be rehearsing and we were...80% of the time. The other 20% we were doing what high school kids do - talking, napping, sometimes we'd even catch up on homework. Once, we smuggled an Ouija Board past our teacher and spent the afternoon trying to contact whatever would listen. Yeah, we were that dumb.

The girls dressing room and adjoining bathroom seemed to be the hub of activity in the basement. The bathroom shower would turn on-and-off by itself (the first time this happened, I ran to catch the culprit, but the water turned off as soon as I entered). While studying lines in the dressing room and out of the corner of my eye, I'd see someone behind me, floating about two feet off the ground. I'd find out later that this same experience happened to many of the students. Because of that, I always felt the rumor of someone hanging themselves in the dressing room was plausible.

On-stage during rehearsals, I'd see someone sitting in the back right corner in the audience. If I stepped to the apron to get a better look, the person would disappear. It wasn't a shadow due to stage lights because I'd see the same when house lights were on during non-dress rehearsals. Several other students experienced the same phenomena.

There was a brick hallway where students as far back as the early-1900s had signed their names with quotes from plays they'd been in. It was a genuine piece of history and, not to be forgotten, I signed mine too. But if I stood for any length of time to read the other signatures, I'd always feel someone standing behind me. It would become so uncomfortable; I'd have to leave. Again, I found out later I wasn't the only person who'd experienced this.

The school has gone through many changes and by what I see on their website, been upgraded to a performing arts school only. Maybe someday I'll visit the school again, just to check it out. If any current students come across this blog post, leave a comment! I'd love to hear if the ghost/s stuck around. 

#FolkloreThursday - The Headless Nun #Canada #ghosts

Photo by Eric Huybrechts via Flickr

In the town of Miramichi, New Brunswick, an 18th century nun by the name of Sister Marie Inconnue (surname unknown) was murdered. One version of the tragedy recounts that Sister Marie was beheaded by a madman who hid her head in the woods. Another version states it was two sailors who committed the murder. According to that story, the sailors were looking for treasure and heard that Sister Marie had buried a stash of money to assist needy families. Regardless of who was responsible for the murder, Sister Marie was returned to France but her head was never found.

The headless ghost of Sister Marie is reputed to haunt the area, looking for her long lost head so that she may rest in peace. Late night travelers report they've been approached by the headless spirit. Other travelers have said that the ghost carries her head with her, imploring them to bury it with her body.

French Fort Cove, New Brunswick 
Public Domain photo 

Official records of Sister Marie's murder are difficult to track down. Was this a tragedy lending to a restless spirit or merely an urban legend? Join the Headless Nun Tour in French Fort Cove, New Brunswick and decide for yourself.

Thoughtful Thursday-Totems

Last May, I took a trip to Canada. In addition to uninterrupted hours of writing, I was able to do some sightseeing and reconnect. I grew up around First Nations totem art. I love the anthropomorphic faces and the complexity. Totem poles of the Northwest Coast are probably the most recognizable artifact of the culture.

The poles are usually carved from red cedar and complex in design. They were never used as objects of worship or to "ward" off evil spirits. They tell a story, revealed only if one knows the meaning assigned to various animals, fish, birds and designs and where they are placed on the pole.

This is storytelling at its finest; no written words where the "reader" has free reign to elaborate.

Some Animal Symbols 

(meaning varies according to tribe)

Killer Whale - Representing strength and bravery. The mythology of the killer whale states they will bring food and assistance to those in need.

Beaver - Creative, artistic and determined.

Raven - The trickster. Curious and mischievous.
Sea Turtle - Representative of Mother Earth.
Thunderbird - Manifests thunder while beating its wings and lightening by blinking it's eyes.

Eagle - Intelligent and resourceful. He rules the sky and is able to transform himself into a human.
Wolf - Very powerful with the ability to help people that are sick or in need. Represents strong family bonds.
Bear - Strength, a teacher and motherhood. It is believed that the bear taught the people how to hunt and pick berries.

Dogfish - Persistence and strength.

Moon - Protector and guardian at night.

Seal - Bright, inquisitive.

Dragonfly - Ever-changing life.

Frog - Known for bringing wealth.
Otter - A symbol of laughter, curiosity, grace, mischievousness and empathy.
Salmon - Instinct, persistence, and determination.
Owl - Symbolizes the souls of the departed.

Colors 

(meaning varies according to tribe)

White: Symbolizes the skies and the spacious heavens. Also purity, peace and death.

Red: Symbolizes blood, war or valor. Sometimes, it is used purely as it appears in nature.

Blue: Symbolizes oceans, rivers, lakes and the sky. It stands for sincerity and happiness.

Yellow: Symbolizes the sun, light and happiness.

Green: Represents the earth, the hills, trees, and mountains.

Purple: Used to represent mountains in the distance.

Black: Represents power.

Pole Types

Heraldic totems were carved with human or animal forms. They represented the clans standing, ancestry, rights and accomplishments.

House posts were located the center of longhouses to support the building. Similarly, some longhouses featured a house frontal pole, which would be located at the main entrance and often contained an opening for passage into the house.
Mortuary poles served as both a tomb and a headstone. They oftentimes contained the remains of the deceased in grave boxes at the top, Likewise, a memorial or commemorative pole was often created to honor an important deceased person. These poles carry a story of the deceased.
Legend Poles illustrate folklore or real life experiences.
Potlatch Poles commemorate a festival or event.
Shame poles were less common but served to ridicule neighboring tribes or those who have unpaid debts. Recently, they have been used as a form of protest against the loss of Aboriginal territory or for other political grievances.

#Paranormal Wednesday-What Lies in the Trees

I'm going to toe the line between paranormal in nature and my writer's brain on overdrive. I know you'll forgive me. Last week, I went on a writing vacation to pin down the location and feel for the book I'm working on, tentatively titled THE ISLAND. My agenda was to take an airplane up to Canada, a ferry to one particular island, then kayak to another, smaller island.

It was quite the trek but totally worth it. I was able to get a feel of being on a remote island--which was crucial for this novel I'm working on. Plus, I spent the day exploring and doing what I love to do--hike.

About two hours into my hike I came across a huge tree in the middle of a grove. Its center was burnt-out and the tree stuck out like a sore thumb (there was no fire damage to any of the surrounding trees). Upon examining the tree closer, I was surprised to find a child's tricycle inside. A child's tricycle out in the middle of nowhere...on a tiny little island. A definite WTH?? moment and one that sent my writer's brain in a thousand different directions.
I combed the area to look for a child but found nothing. No adults, no children--there was literally nobody around. Hm. I walked back to the tree, took a picture of the outside and continued with my hike.
That evening when I got back to the mainland, I downloaded my photos onto my computer.

Now, this is probably a trick of the light but I didn't see it when I took the photo. This is the outside of the burnt-out tree. There's a spot on the tree trunk (where the arrow is pointing) that looks like a tribal mask. It kind of brought chills to my spine in conjunction with the tricycle and my location. But again, this could be my writer's brain in overdrive.

What do you think?

**When I was writing this post, my daughter pointed out yet another face inside the tree (where the arrow is pointing. Scroll up to get a bigger picture). At the risk of being one of those people who see the Virgin Mary in their oatmeal--I'm also going to figure this may be a trick of the light and perhaps "just" the way the wood was burnt. One could even go so far as to consider that both masks were carved by a local.
Regardless, I found the whole thing intriguing.