Edmund Balcombe is a family boogeyman figure used to scare children into behaving. The legend says he appears in doorways, bloodied and with a stake through his chest, if children misbehave.
Overwhelmed by grief after the accidental drowning of his daughter Grace and subsequent death of his wife Margaret, Edmund took his own life.
Following an Anglo-Saxon tradition, suicides were buried this way to prevent their ghosts from haunting the living. The stake was meant to pin the ghost, and the crossroads to confuse it.
The narrator believes her ancestor's ghost was not malevolent but rather protective, leaving a linen blanket with the name "Gracie" stitched on it in the bathtub as a gift for her unborn daughter, also named Grace.
The narrator found the Joneses odd because Mrs. Jones's smiles felt insincere, Mr. Jones seemed reclusive, and the family's initial absence and sudden appearance were unexplained.
Elliot claimed Mr. Jones felt safe inside, but it wasn't, due to Mrs. Jones's "friend" who hated Mr. Jones, foreshadowing the murder.
The family avoids discussing the fact that both the narrator and her mother saw and interacted with Mr. Jones hours after he was murdered, making it "the incident" they never talk about.
The story suggests Valerie's strong attachment to her home and the tragic circumstances of her death might have caused her and the house to remain perceptible to some, like Tina and old man Jones.
Eleanor, having experienced loss and hardship herself, empathized with the narrator's situation and offered support, shelter, and encouragement to help her escape the abusive relationship.
Despite the narrator and her roommate's clear memories, no records or locals could confirm Eleanor's existence, leaving the possibility that she was a guardian angel or a benevolent entity.
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Dan has two big, fat, juicy horror stories to get you ready for Halloween! First off, we head to England for an alleged multigenerational haunting. Then, we head to Florida for one of the most bizarre tales we have ever shared. Lynze brings us two stories as well, both of which involve possible time slips.
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Opening Sumerian protection spell (adapted):
"Whether thou art a ghost that hath come from the earth, or a phantom of night that hath no home… or one that lieth dead in the desert… or a ghost unburied… or a demon or a ghoul… Whatever thou be until thou art removed… thou shalt find here no water to drink… Thou shalt not stretch forth thy hand to our own… Into our house enter thou not. Through our fence, breakthrough thou not… we are protected though we may be frightened. Our life you may not steal, though we may feel SCARED TO DEATH."