Enterprising businesses have tapped into the "ghost tour" market. People pay good money to traipse around city streets after dark and hear a guide tell tales of ghostly legends and sightings at various stops along the tour route. Most are actual walking tours, but some entice the ghost hunter to move along in style. The Atlanta "Ghosts & Legends" tour (a whopping $60.00 a pop, thank you) includes the use of the Segway. Apparently, they're not just for mall cops anymore.
My daughter, Stephanie, visited Asheville, North Carolina with her beau. They participated in one of the walking ghost tours there. Their guide told them that they might have "orbs," or spirit/ghost energy from these haunted spots appear in their photos. He made no promises, but said it was quite common in the spots they would be visiting.
Now, my Stephanie is a practical girl, not given to flights of fancy. (Dare I say it? She is a nerd and a bookworm. Her idea of a rollicking fun time is writing a term a paper on the Canterbury Tales.) So when she called to tell me their camera did, indeed, pick up the orbs---unseen except in the photos---my curiosity was piqued. She assures me there was no tampering with the camera. None of the orbs which dotted the photos during her ghost walk presented themselves again in any photos taken in the days prior to or after the ghost walk.
Here you go -- untouched photos from the Asheville ghost tour. I encourage you to enlarge the photos to get a better look at the orbs.
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| Taken at the site of the old city jail. That big orb is not the moon. |
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| A church, built over a Native American burial ground. Look at all the orbs! |
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| Bridge, site of suicide of a woman named Helen. Note the orbs, large and small. |
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| No ghosties. Just my Stephanie and her guy, Brett. Cute, huh? |
After seeing the pictures, I did some Googling. The scientific community explains the orbs as dust particles enhanced through the digital flash. The paranormal faction has explanations that refute the dust claim. I will say this: None of Stephanie's other nighttime pictures had orbs; none of her day shots had orbs either (except for those easily identified as light reflections from the sun).
Upon enlargement and inspection, the orbs all seem to have a pattern inside them, which I find fascinating regardless of their true origin. Even if it is just dust, it's pretty cool.
What's your opinion? Fluke or remaining energy from some departed spirit? Ghosties or glitches? What do you really think? And do you have a ghost sighting/story to share?
See you for next for Book Blurb Friday!
Lisa
