Tag Archives: ghosts

The Ghost of the Mauna Kea Hotel

Nationality: American
Age: 74
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Seattle, WA
Performance Date: March 15, 2018
Primary Language: English

THE STORY

The Mauna Kea ghost was in the area long before I ever went there. I first came to the hotel for my honeymoon in August of 1965, shortly after the hotel opened. That’s when I learned of the ghost. The Mauna Kea ghost was a beautiful woman. She was a native Hawaiian who fell in love with a white rancher who came to the island later in his life. They were so in love that they were destined to be married! Their families did not allow this, though, because of their different races. Her broken heart caused her much sadness, and she decided to drown herself in the ocean. Her last steps on Earth were on the very beach that the hotel now stands on.

People now say that they see the ghost at the hotel! My foolish husband doesn’t believe in ghosts, but even he heard her one time when he was alone in the bar area. That’s where she likes to be the most. She appears to men who have had too much to drink at the bar. She also likes to get in the elevator with guests. I once heard of a man at the hotel who saw a woman when he entered the elevator. Then, in the middle of the ride, she walked straight through the closed doors! I’ve never seen her myself, but I have been to Mauna Kea enough times to know that she is there.

 

ANALYSIS

Context: The respondent first learned of this story in August of 1965 on her honeymoon at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii. The respondent has made several trips back to this location, and had learned of several additions to the story over the past few decades. One of these additions included a personal experience from her husband during their second trip to the resort. The story was collected over a lunch interview.

Respondent’s Beliefs: The respondent believed in the ghost of Mauna Kea, even though she had no personal experience with the ghost. She gave credence to all of the sightings of the ghost, and even interpreted an experience her husband had as a ghost sighting (despite the fact that her husband does not believe in ghosts himself).  The respondent was Roman Catholic, but did not reference religion when telling the story.

Motifs: This narrative is a classic example of a ghost of a suicidal lover. Many stories throughout history have featured lovers who are forbidden to be together by society, often leading to tragic deaths. Tragic deaths often lead to ghosts, and this story is no exception. The Mauna Kea ghost appears to haunt the hotel due to an unfulfilled life, which is consistent with many ghost narratives such as the Hispanic La Llorona legend. The ghost also haunts male guests the most, especially drunk men. Many ghost stories involve the consumption of alcohol, and from a skeptical perspective, intoxication can lead to increased hallucinations or misperceptions, increasing the chance of a person seeing a “ghost” that isn’t really there. This story differs from other common stories, though, in regards to the name of the ghost. Most ghosts that are based on real or legendary events have a name, or at least a nickname of some importance (such as “La Llorona”). This is not the case with this narrative, as the ghost is called by the name of the hotel with “ghost” appended to the end. The narrative tells a rather personal story of the ghost that is rather emotional, yet she does not have a name nor any other identity marker.

The Little Girl in the Greenhouse

Nationality: British/Native American
Age: 57
Occupation: Runs own company (radiation/security camera distributor)
Residence: Hillsborough, California
Performance Date: March 25, 2018
Primary Language: English
Language: N/A

Have you had any odd experiences with spirits or ghosts?  Or maybe just events that can’t be explained in rational terms?

“I lived in a new house, there were 24 homes in the development where there used to be greenhouses.  I had been living in the house for 3 months, and my husband would travel for 7-10 days each month and I would be alone with my dog.  And I would get lonely at night and I would talk to the dog and he would sleep on the landing of our stairs.  So one night when I was going to bed… I could smell sweet flowers.  And this kind of happened for several months, about once a week, and it was always when I was alone and it was late at night and I was feeling alone.  So I was talking to somebody at one of the neighbors and she told me that a little girl had died in one of the greenhouses on the property.  So… because I was trying to figure out why it smelled sweet I would close the windows to try and figure it out.  So after I found out about the little girl, I sat on the step and I addressed the little girl and I told her that I was happy she was there and she could be there any time she wanted and I liked the smell of the flowers.  And there would be times that I was feeling lonely after that, I would sit on the stairs and pet the dog and talk to her… and I could smell the flowers.  So instead of me just smelling the flowers, I would talk to her and then start to smell the flowers… and it happened all 10 years I was living there.  So basically Alexa what started as her introducing herself to me turned into me being able to communicate and interact with her on my terms, not just her being there.  But sometimes I would come home and the house would just smell of sweet flowers.  I know it was to make me smile… I just know it.  Cash our dog would feel her presence as well, he would look up and around and could tell that she was around.  He would begin whimpering and look, so I would ask him “Do you see her?” and he would cock his head to the side and look over in a general area.

 

What about when dad would come home?

“When your dad would come home, it didn’t happen when he was around… it was only when I was lonely cause I hated being by myself.  Being alone at home is something that I have always found scary, so knowing that there was someone else there with me was a huge relief and calmed my nerves. Since she knew that she would show her presence through the smell of flowers.  I’ve told your dad what happened and he knows the story, he just never experienced it.

 

Context behind story:

The person who had the experience with the little girl in the greenhouse was my mom.  It took place at her and my dad’s first house in Atherton, CA in an area that contained 24 homes either already built or in development.  My mom was confused as to why the home would smell strongly of flowers even when all the doors and windows had been shut for the day, so she spoke with one of the neighbors and was told about a little girl who died in the greenhouse behind our home.  There were multiple greenhouses around the property, however the one right behind our house was the only one which had a death occur within it.  As stated in the text, no one actually knows or has been told how the little girl died in the greenhouse, the only thing they know for a fact is that she did in it.  My mom has always had a strong belief in the existence of ghosts and spirits, having many other odd encounters besides the little girl.  My dad used to travel a lot for work, leaving for a week or more at a time.  My mom has always hated being alone at home, so she began to encounter the little girl whenever my dad was away.  A strong scent of flowers would waft into the home at night, and that was the little girls signal to my mom that she was with her.  Our old dog, Cash, would also share this experience with my mom as he would start whimpering and look around the house, trying to find the little girl.  After some time, my mom began to have social interactions with the girl.  It was like the little girl knew that my mom didn’t like being alone, so she would show her presence to put my mom at ease and make her feel like she wasn’t the only one at home.  After some time and gaining comfort around the ghost, my mom would sit on the steps of the home with Cash and begin speaking to the little girl.  She never heard a voice back, but the smell the flowers would signal the ghost was present and listening to the conversation.  This happened each time my dad left for the 10 years they lived in the home, but never when he was around.  Although it definitely happened more than once a month, the total number of minimum encounters my mom had with the little girl would be 120.

 

How do you interpret what happened in the story?

“I totally believe in spirits; I believe there is energy all around.  I definitely believe in what happened, I interacted with the ghost for 10 years.  I have always had a belief in ghosts, so I was never scared of the situation and accepted it for what it was.  I can feel things when I walk into houses and places, so the interaction with the little girl felt almost normal to me.  Supposedly a very sweet little girl died in the greenhouse, but how she died was never told to me.  When I would ask other people about her death, they too did not know how she passed.  The sweet girl helped me through many nights of being alone and worried, so I guess you can say my ghost encounter turned into a blossoming friendship!  Hehe you see what I did there… blossoming… flowers… get it!?”

 

My interpretation of the story:

My interpretation of the story is that what my mom experienced was real and involved a friendly ghost.  The fact that a little girl was known to have died in the greenhouse behind their home and that my mom would smell fresh flowers whenever she was alone or scared is very coincidental.  A way to refute this being a ghost would be saying that doors or windows may have been open or because they were so close to the greenhouse, but this would only happen when everything in the house had been shut for some time.  Also, the fact that our old dog, Cash, would begin barking or whimpering whenever the house would begin to smell attests to the little girl’s presence.  Another part as to why I believe this story is real is the possibility of having conversations when coming in contact with spirits.  There were times my mom would sit on the stairs and began speaking to the little girl with the sole purpose of connecting with her, and then begin to smell fresh flowers after speaking for a few minutes.  Also, the fact the Native Americans believe ghosts to be so intertwined with society and my mom being connected to her ethnic roots contribute to why she would be so sure this is a ghost, and also why I am also a believer.  We both believe that all things have souls and are always present in society one way or another.  Many ghosts are known to be people whose life purpose hadn’t been fulfilled, so there being a ghost of a little girl is very plausible.  She didn’t have the chance to grow up, get married, have kids, or other life experiences.  Her life was unfortunately cut short, potentially causing her to be unable to cross over.  Since there is a good amount of compelling evidence from this experience, I definitely believe this to be a true ghost encounter.

 

Scream in the hospital

Nationality: Singapore
Age: 22
Occupation: USC student
Residence: CA
Performance Date: 3/9/2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Chinese

Jeff, my friend from Singapore, shared one of his personal experience with me, which took place in an abandoned hospital near his house. The hospital had been abandoned for 3 years, but it still hadn’t been removed. The facilities in the hospital hadn’t been totally moved out, which made it look no different from other hospitals. However, the building was out of electricity, so it seemed quite creepy at night. There were many rumors about why this hospital wasn’t removed, and the most popular one was that there were ghosts of patients who died in the hospital haunting there. Thus, the hospital became one of the most famous local “haunted house,” and many people went there for ghost hunting. Jeff’s story is actually about one of his ghost hunting experience.

Here goes Jeff’s story: My friend and I decided to go on an adventure to the hospital at night. We wanted to check if there really exised ghosts. But actually I didn’t want to do that because I wasn’t brave enough. I was actually afraid of ghost, but my friend just said “you are a coward if you don’t come with me”, so I was forced to go with him. After we entered the building, we checked the first floor and the second floor, but we saw nothing strange except medical facilities left all over the place. I actually heard something from the basement, a slight voice sounded like people chatting. I was really nervous. I wanted to go back. But my friend insisted to check the basement; he seemed to have heard nothing. After we entered the basement, I saw several spirit tablets on the table, then I immediately realized that it was the morgue. I didn’t feel very well while still hearing the little noise. I wanted to go back. However, my friend wanted to check if there were corps left there, but we found nothing. My friend saw the spirit tablet too, and he took one out to played with it. I said, “NO! you shouldn’t do that, it’s not respectful to the dead!” But he just said, “Oh you are afraid of this? Shame on you!” I was pissed off, went outside the hospital and returned to my friend’s car. I played with my phone for a while to divert the attention, and suddenly I heard some noises behind the car, I looked back and saw a man with a horrifying face! I was freaked out! But it only turned out to be my friend using the flashlight to light his face to scare me! He laughed at my reaction, “Oh you are such a pussy! I even heard you scream while you left the hospital! Too afraid to walk alone?” I was confused, “What? I didn’t scream!” Then my friend stopped laughing, and there was a weird silence between us. If it wasn’t me, who else could make that scream?

Jeff believed that the scream was made by a ghost in the hospital, who was disturbed by their “adventure.” He said that after this experience, he started to believe in the existence of ghost, and he had never tried ghost hunting ever again to disturb the dead. It seems that Jeff is really affected by this experience. In my opinion, this is not a true “ghost” story, because it doesn’t directly show the existence of ghost. However, the story has many elements, such as derelict hospitals and ghost hunting quest, which are similar to other supernatural events. Derelict hospitals are always related with ghosts because there were many people died in hospitals, and their spirits haunt the place where they died. According to local tradition, the spirit tablet is placed in hospitals to appease the dead. But in the story Jeff’s friend misplaced it and definitely disturbed the dead, which can explain why they encountered strange things. Also, during the “ghost hunting” quest, the participants are usually nervous and flustered, so they may sometimes mistreat some natural phenomena as supernatural events. In the story, the scream that Jeff’s friend heard might be only the sound of the wind, but they were so nervous that they mistook the sound of wind for the scream of ghost.

Highway Couple

Nationality: China
Age: 18
Occupation: USC student
Residence: CA
Performance Date: 3/8/2018
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

Peter is a friend of mine from Wuxi, China. He does not believe in ghost, but he really likes to collect ghost stories by checking the local ghost story forum. In fact, he knows nearly all the ghost stories in his hometown. Therefore, I asked him to tell me one of the most scary ghost stories that he knew. After hearing my request, Peter smiled and said, “I’ll tell you one that will definitely scare you.”

As peter said, there is a mountain in Wuxi named Mountain Lotus, which is said to be a place to execute the condemned criminals in earlier times. It is now definitely haunted by ghosts of those who died there. Strange things often happen there, like, many people go missing in that mountain. There is a highway around that mountain, and local residents NEVER drive on that highway at night. But there is once a foreign couple who don’t know the rules. They drive on that highway late at night to rush to another city. While the husband is driving, the wife is complaining about the husband’s failure in business. The husband wants the wife to shut up, but the wife just never stops. The husband is pissed off, so he kicks his wife out of his car, and drives away. After driving a while, he starts to worry about his wife. After all, it is not safe to leave her alone on the highway at night, so he drives back and gladly sees his wife waiting at the same place. He apologizes and the couple sets off again, while soon they witness a lady with long hair waving her hand towards them on one side of the road. The wife suddenly says, “That lady is so poor, we should give her a ride.” But the husband hesitates because it is really weird for a woman to be alone on the highway at this time. The husband then notices that the lady is waving her hands with the palm facing her face (Peter waves his hand in the same way here). The husband suddenly realizes something and says “No! We cannot give her a ride! Look at the way she waves her hand! I’ve heard that only ghosts wave hands like that!” (Peter adds here:”You know that in Wuxi we have tales that ghost’s palms are the opposite side of their hands”). Hearing what the husband says, the wife slowly turns her face towards him, and makes a horrifying smile, “You are right!” She then claps with the back of her hands (Peter claps his hands in the same way here, which freaks me out)

According to Peter, he knew the story by watching a ghost story video on a local ghost story forum. He said that he was freaked out too at the first time he saw the video, especially by the horrifying gesture. He then loved to share this story to others, because it could successfully frighten people(at least succeeded on me). I personally had two interpretations of the story’s ending. The first was that when the wife is outside of the car, she is possessed by a ghost; another explanation was that the husband actually never finds his wife at all, but instead finds a ghost taking the shape of his wife. However, I doubted the authenticity of this story. In my opinion, it could not be the real experience of anyone in the story because the ending was too ambiguous. If the story was real, at least we should be told what happens to the husband at last. I think it was just a horror story made up by people to remind couples to live harmoniously, or otherwise they would end miserably like the couple in the story.

La Llorona

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4/2/2018
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The following version of La Llorona was collected from a close friend. She is 20 years old and was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Her family was originally from Mexico and they still visit there constantly. The story of La Llorona is a quite common one in Mexico and around the South Western United States. Many versions have been circulated which differ, this version is the one she was always told as a child by her parents. From what I make of her story it is very similar to my own and many that I have heard told before. The major themes surrounding suicide, death and marriage are all found in her version. The interview took place in person and I will denote myself as “A” in the interview and my friend as “B”. The interview went as follows.

A: “Ok, please tell me about your own version of the story of La Llorona.”

B: “Ok, so this is the version I have come to know ever since I was a little girl. All my family tells it this way and everyone near my family’s home in Texas also tell it pretty similar to my own. It begins with a Mexican woman, she doesn’t really have a name but we call her Llorona because of the story. She was extremely poor and her family could not support her on her own so she had to go out and find a husband. She found a white man probably from the United States who was looking to marry a Mexican woman. They instantly got married and moved into a house in town and had a lot of children.”

A: “Do you know how many exactly?”

B: “No, not really it changes depending on who tells the story. Its definitely more than three though… at least in the stories I have been told. Anyways, so the man became very disinterested in her and cheated on her and would abuse her when they were in the house. She began to despise him with everything and for some reason she translated that anger over into her children. One day when her husband was away she decided to take her children to the river down by their house. While they were there she went “loca” (crazy) and in a fit of rage she drowned her children in the river. After realizing what she did she took her own life by drowning herself in the very same river. From now on it is said that La Llorona walks the river moaning out in sadness for her children. She hates seeing other children that are not her own so if a child finds themselves alone when they hear her she is said to drown them and kill them out of jealousy.”

A: “Wow great version! But what do you make of it yourself?”

B: “In all honesty I know its just a legend. It is not actually true that a crying woman kills children near rivers. It’s just a way Mexican parents scare their kids from doing bad things. I mean I know I had nightmares about her when I was younger.”