The next year passed quickly. Coy knew the thing was still under the bed, but he felt like it would stay there and not bother him if he did not bother it. He said nothing else about it to his parents.
As his ninth birthday approached, Coy managed to convince himself that nobody would put him under the bed this year. His relatives were coming again this year, but he thought he'd gotten his point across to his cousins last year. He thought they'd leave him alone.
Finally his birthday came. His uncle, aunt, and two cousins came over to celebrate again. He and his cousins played outside until it was time to eat. After they'd had their fill of cake and homemade ice cream, Coy opened his presents. Nobody mentioned the incident of the previous year, so Coy was relaxed by the time he opened his last gift.
Then it happened. His cousins grabbed him from behind, dragged him to his bed, and stuffed him under. Initially, he started to struggle, but then, his cousins said later, he just went limp. Frightened, they pulled him out, but he was barely breathing. The family rushed him to the doctor.
Doc Evans had just returned to his office from making a house call in the country when they brought Coy in. His family stayed in the waiting room while Doc Evans did the examination. Doc's wife brought them some coffee.
“Did you folks know about the people who lived in your house before you moved in?” she asked.
They all shook their heads.
“It was a sad situation,” she continued. “The couple had a daughter that was born not quite right in the head. She couldn't talk, so they made her sleep on a pallet by their bed. She'd moan or pull the covers off if she needed something. One night, she just up and died. Her heart just stopped. She was only nine years old.”
She finished her story just as Doc Evans came into the room. His somber look told the family the bad news, even before he spoke.
“I'm so sorry,” he told them. “I couldn't save him. He had a severe shock and his heart simply stopped.”
Did Coy actually see a ghost under the bed that took his breath away? Was it the girl who died in the house before him? Were people right about children not growing if they were put under the bed on their ninth birthday?
The Norcliff family would never have those answers for sure, but one thing was certain. Coy didn't need to grow past his ninth birthday to fit into his small homemade coffin.
The Woman Who Was Almost a Ghost
Several years ago, the Louisville Ghost Hunters held the Mid-South Paranormal Conference at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. An area was set aside for book signings and paranormal readings. Many people walked by our table, but the crowd often came in spurts. One afternoon when the crowd had thinned out, a man walked up to our table and asked if we had a minute. Of course, we said yes. He said he would rather not give his name because he thought there might be people connected to his story who might still be living, and he didn't have their permission to tell the story. He said that he needed to tell someone, though; the story bothered him because it was so strange.
When he mentioned the name of the house, we recognized it immediately. We had passed it on a tour organized by Robert Parker, Mr. Ghost Walker. We had heard lots of strange stories about the house, but we had never heard this one. If you are interested in taking the tour, contact Mr. Ghost Walker (502-689-5117).
There is an old house in Louisville that was once used as a family dwelling, with one section used as an office by a doctor in family. It was rumored that this doctor used to perform illegal abortions in this office, but it was a subject mostly kept hush-hush.
Many years passed and the family moved away. The doctor closed his practice and died a few years later. The rumors died with him, and the house stood empty.
One day, a man and his wife were walking down the street where the old house stood. As they approached, the woman stopped abruptly and held tightly to her husband's arm. She had never seen the house before, but she became very fearful and began to shake.
“What's wrong?” asked her husband.
“I don't know,” she said. “It's that house! I can't go near it!”
“We'll be by it soon,” he said. “There's nothing there to hurt you.”
He urged her on, but still she clung tightly to her husband. By the time they were even with the doctor's old office, the woman began to cry and tremble uncontrollably. She had never acted this way before, and her behavior surprised both her and her husband. He was at a total loss as to what he should do, so he practically pulled her down the street. When they got past the house, she calmed down and felt normal again. Neither could figure out why she acted so strangely.
After they arrived home, the woman's two uncles happened to come by for a visit. She was always glad to see them because the rest of her family was dead. She had always felt particularly close to these uncles.