Professor David Fontana took a deep breath and opened a side-door into the mechanic?s workshop. He peeked inside but could see virtually nothing through the murky gloom.
?Well, here goes,? he mumbled as he stepped into the workshop.
An icy chill rippled slowly down his spine. He looked up, momentarily startled by what he saw. A small piece of engine casing appeared to be levitating a few feet in front of his nose. It tilted slightly to the side and then flew directly towards him. He ducked aside as it whizzed past his head and smashed into the wall behind him.
?There you are,? said John Matthews, the workshop owner, ?He?s welcoming you.?
As their eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was obvious that Pete, as the poltergeist had been affectionately dubbed, had been up to his tricks again. The floor was littered with stones and small coins. The normally well-organised shelves had been piled high with randomly selected engine parts, boxes of stationery, and bits of paper. A child?s teddy bear lay in the corner.
?Watch this,? said John as he gently threw a small stone into a corner. Moments later, the stone came flying back at him. It hadn?t bounced, it seemed to disappear into the wall and then re-materialise in mid-air as it flew back at them.
?And this,? said John as he tossed a penny into the corner. A two pence piece came flying back.
Over the following two years, the poltergeist was exhaustively investigated by Professor David Fontana, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He became convinced that the so-called ?Cardiff Poltergeist Case? was a genuine haunting.
Unlike most hauntings, which seem to involve angry or malevolent spirits, Pete was playful and only occasionally mischievous. In fact, everyone involved in the case became convinced that Pete was the ghost of a seven-year-old child who had been killed by a car near to the haunted workshop.
The family grew so fond of Pete that they adopted him as a part of their family and refused to have him exorcised or chased away by psychic mediums.
?There was no malice in him at all,? says Professor Fontana. ?The family felt privileged to be in his presence. They saw him as evidence of an afterlife. He changed their whole outlook on life.
?It was most definitely not a hoax.?
?Well, here goes,? he mumbled as he stepped into the workshop.
An icy chill rippled slowly down his spine. He looked up, momentarily startled by what he saw. A small piece of engine casing appeared to be levitating a few feet in front of his nose. It tilted slightly to the side and then flew directly towards him. He ducked aside as it whizzed past his head and smashed into the wall behind him.
?There you are,? said John Matthews, the workshop owner, ?He?s welcoming you.?
As their eyes adjusted to the gloom, it was obvious that Pete, as the poltergeist had been affectionately dubbed, had been up to his tricks again. The floor was littered with stones and small coins. The normally well-organised shelves had been piled high with randomly selected engine parts, boxes of stationery, and bits of paper. A child?s teddy bear lay in the corner.
?Watch this,? said John as he gently threw a small stone into a corner. Moments later, the stone came flying back at him. It hadn?t bounced, it seemed to disappear into the wall and then re-materialise in mid-air as it flew back at them.
?And this,? said John as he tossed a penny into the corner. A two pence piece came flying back.
Over the following two years, the poltergeist was exhaustively investigated by Professor David Fontana, a Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He became convinced that the so-called ?Cardiff Poltergeist Case? was a genuine haunting.
Unlike most hauntings, which seem to involve angry or malevolent spirits, Pete was playful and only occasionally mischievous. In fact, everyone involved in the case became convinced that Pete was the ghost of a seven-year-old child who had been killed by a car near to the haunted workshop.
The family grew so fond of Pete that they adopted him as a part of their family and refused to have him exorcised or chased away by psychic mediums.
?There was no malice in him at all,? says Professor Fontana. ?The family felt privileged to be in his presence. They saw him as evidence of an afterlife. He changed their whole outlook on life.
?It was most definitely not a hoax.?
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