Ghostly Captain
by Elana M.
(Auburndale, NY)
My first apartment was in the attic of a very old home in Beechurst, Queens - which is close by the Long Island Sound under the Throgs Neck bridge.
The house was supposedly built by Charles of the Ritz (the area was indeed settled by silent movie actors as we are near enough to the Silvercup Studios. Houses nearby were owned by Lucille Ball, Betty Boop and just blocks from the old Hammerstein estate.)
This house had old secret stairways that led to nowhere and secret passageways in the oddest places. I lived in the attic, and there were two such secret passageways.
One led to the 2nd floor bedroom of the owner and one went all the way down to what you would think would have been the basement, but when I followed one night-it ended in nothing but a 2'x3' dark no- place.
Now, I have had other experiences throughout my life from very early on, so I kid you not.
My cat kept staring at this one wall (behind which was the secret passageway that lead to no-place and this was located in my bedroom--I had it blocked by my 6' long dresser) and it really creeped me out.
One night, I was sleeping and I felt something sit on the edge of my bed. I awoke to see a gossamer figure of an old long-white-bearded man, dressed in captain's coat and hat. I sat up and all he said to me was "shhhhhhhhhhh, everything is going to be alright."
What's exceptionally weird about this, is that when I was 12 and my great-grandmother died, she also came to me in a like-way and said the exact same thing!
Also C-R-E-E-P-Y, was the owner told me this house was once owned by a Whaling Boat Captain who sailed out of nearby College Point. He was lost at sea.
True story.
