(Investigated in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010)

A BRIEF HISTORY

PREVIOUSLY

Some of the Twilight Shadows Paranormal team have previously conducted several paranormal investigations at 21st Century Antics with our former team. Having enjoyed our visits to the shop we decided to take some of our newer team members there to experience the ghosts which reside in this establishment.

The owners of 21st Century Antics have had several paranormal teams investigate their premises. The most famous was Derek Acorah who visited while filming his series Ghost Towns. Derek made contact with two restless brothers, Thomas and Ernest. His visit to the shop resulted in an amazing display of table-tipping and other phenomena of audible and visible (furniture moving) ghostly activity.

Shop owner Ben who is part of the paranormal group Halflife has experienced strange light anomalies, heavy footsteps coming from upstairs (when Ben was alone downstairs), knocking and banging and while investigating with Halflife, the team captured the ghostly sigh of a woman, which can be heard clearly upon the Halflife website.

Experiences with our previous team

While attempting table-tipping, we heard several knocks and taps and eventually after asking the spirits to move the table, the table started rocking to and fro. We were asking the spirits questions and they were rocking the table for yes and stopping the table movement for no. We were aware of both a female and male spirit joining us at the table. They seemed to react positively to Ben's voice. As Ben is in this building on a daily basis, the spirits know Ben and seem to feel comfortable with him.

We had a large candle burning in the centre of the table. It had been burning brightly for ages, not flickering very much. Ben asked the female energy if she could blow the candle out immediately. The candle blew out. We were all astounded by this. We relit the candle and Ben asked again. The candle blew out again on command. I would say that this was definitely paranormal as the extinguishing of the candle flame was so precise. I had never experienced this before and I was shocked.

I also felt the sudden onset of a draught whoosh past me. The shop is cold but this was no normal draught caused by a natural occurrence. It was as if a ghost had tried to walk past me but had mistakenly misjudged the distance and had inadvertently walked through part of my body.

Elfed (my son) who was a member of our previous team was in the middle space of the attic. He noticed a newspaper and felt strongly compelled to turn it over although there was no reason to do so and he was not interested in the newspaper itself. Elfed turned over the paper and in very large print "GO TO HELL" was emblazoned as a headline.  Was this a coincidence or was it a ghostly message from a spirit who did not want paranormal investigators in their space?

While in the storeroom most members of the team heard a noise that sounded like something being shovelled and then put into something else. It reminded me of my childhood when most people had coal fires. You would constantly hear people shovelling coal from their coal-bunkers and filling the coal-scuttle to take the coal into the house. Or more eerily it sounded like dirt being shovelled from the ground to fill a grave! Ben said that he had never heard this noise before. Team members tried to investigate the noise and discover its origin but to no avail. There appeared to be no rational explanation.

At one point Loretta thought she saw a dark figure in the room. A couple of other team members thought they may have seen something also. On another occasion Loretta saw a figure standing behind but to the side of me while I was sitting at a table.

We have nearly always managed a session of table-tipping in this location. The best results have always occurred on the ground floor of the shop, towards the back. Initially the table starts to knock and rap from underneath. On one occasion we had been calling out to spirits for a considerable time and eventually the table started to vibrate and then gently rock backwards and forwards.

We chatted to the spirit rocking the table, which kept at its gentle momentum until I said that we were excited to be in contact. The table reacted to our expression of excitement and rocked a bit harder. I asked if the spirit rocking the table was excited to be in contact with us, to which the table reacted severely as a positive affirmation.

The table's activity increased and we soon realised that the spirit causing the table to move had a sense of humour. The more light hearted we became with this spirit, the faster and stronger the table movement reacted. We believed this spirit to be a male called Len, a practical joker and fun-loving spirit that our previous team medium connected with upon our first visit to this location.

The table eventually moved from the carpet reaching the bare stone floor and the noise from it was incredible, if somewhat eerie. We asked for other members of the team to join us and the table movement increased dramatically, as if the spirit was excited by this prospect. The table-tipping continued. Ben asked if the spirit could levitate the table. This did not happen. I asked if the table could do anything else. Immediately the table stopped moving and then really slowly it began to tip up on one side. It just stayed there motionless. This was amazing as everybody just had one finger lightly resting on top of the table. The laws of gravity should have sent the table crashing to the ground. After a considerable time of the table remaining stable in this position I asked "what are you going to do now"? The table gently reverted itself into its normal position. This experience was totally awesome.

After a break we tried the table-tipping again hoping that the humorous spirit Len would rejoin us. In no time at all he was back, moving the table as before. We decided to try and entertain him. To say that he positively reacted is an understatement. The funnier our comments were, the more he moved the table. It seemed that he was displaying his laughter through the table movement. We asked if he would like to hear some music; the table rocked dramatically. James switched on his MP3 and played 'Little Spanish Flea'. The table seemed to rock in time with the music. James also played another funny tune 'Banana Phone'. Len also liked that. Someone else in the group played Len a 'Bob Marley' track. He was not keen on that. Some team members started to sing and at this point Len could not contain his mirth. The table was rocking so much that not one of us could believe it. Everyone had turns at removing their fingers but the rocking movement did not abate. We all had only one finger on the top of the table. It was outstanding.

We have also experienced audible phenomena in the shop. During a séance, every person in the room heard a woman's voice. Although difficult to describe, some team members thought it was more like a moan. Ben thought that it sounded like a little girl. The voice originated from behind us; there was nobody else within the vicinity that could have created this female voice.

We also heard two male voices in a conversation. Although we heard the voices clearly, the content of their conversation was indistinguishable. We were rather excited but as soon as we reacted to the voices, they suddenly stopped. It felt as if we had rudely disturbed them and perhaps they did not want to include us in their conversation.

Once when we were standing outside the office, we heard some rustling. There was nobody in the office. We listened carefully and we heard two definite footsteps from upstairs. As everyone was downstairs and accounted for, this was rather exciting.

With all these experiences the Twilight Shadows Paranormal team could not wait to visit 21st Century Antics!

REPORT

On Sunday 10th February 2008, the Twilight Shadows Paranormal team conducted a paranormal investigation at 21st Century Antics in Salisbury. We were joined by Jackie from Phoenix Paranormal. Ben (proprietor), David and Cameron (all from Halflife Paranormal) were also investigating with us.

We arrived at the shop and following introductions and exploration for the people who were new to this building, the team split into two to start the investigation.

James, Matt and Loretta decided to go upstairs with a camcorder and conduct vigils from different locations, David decided to alternate between the two groups, while the rest of the group gathered on the ground floor of the shop. I had previously agreed with Ben that we would try some table-tipping with one of the largest tables in the shop. Ben had previously selected a table and we set our chairs around it and spiritually protected ourselves.

We sat around the table and began our séance and table tipping experiment. There were a few knocks and bangs, some from the surrounding area and some emanating from underneath the table. The atmosphere became thick and we all felt that we had been joined by spirit. Although we could not see anyone, their presence was felt. A few people participating in the séance started to experience an extremely dry throat, others complained of pins and needles (not positional) and most of our heart rates were racing.

The table started to knock a bit more and then went quiet. There seemed to be a pressure building and we sat in silence waiting with trepidation as we all felt that something was going to happen. Suddenly we heard the sound of what sounded like fingernails being dragged from the centre of the table towards Jackie and me. We also felt the vibration of them. There was no way that anyone who was sitting in the séance could have created this noise. It was so eerie and totally shocked us.

There were two camcorders, both facing the table but from different directions. Both were fully charged. Suddenly one camera switched itself off, the battery had been drained. We were surprised by this but even more surprised when the second camera also switched off about thirty seconds later, its battery also drained. The table started to shudder and more thuds were heard. Ben got up quickly and replaced one of the camcorders with a fully charged battery. This battery which should have lasted at least ninety minutes only lasted five minutes. We decided that what we were about to experience should not be filmed.

The table started to move and shift about the floor quite forcibly. The table was so heavy, we were all amazed. We asked the spirit responsible for moving the table a series of questions. Ben asked if the spirit was Thomas and the table moved with such strength, we assumed that the answer was yes. Ben also communicated with Thomas's brother Ernest. The table moved in a different manner with each different spirit.

We all became aware that a female spirit had joined the séance. David (who was outside the circle) felt that this lady was not particularly agreeable. The Halflife team had encountered her previously and they believed that it was this lady that they had captured sighing. We wondered if it was the same lady that had allowed us to hear her voice on a previous investigation. We decided to ask her and the table tilted onto its side. The table was so heavy and all our fingers were lightly resting on top. It seemed crazy that such a heavy table could move like this. We all sat chatting about this lady and without warning the table suddenly lifted. We thought it was going to levitate substantially and although we were slightly scared, we were very excited but the table returned to the floor.

I was hoping that Len (the joker) would join us but he did not make an appearance.

The other group eventually re-joined us. They had not experienced anything of a paranormal nature upstairs or in other parts of the shop downstairs.

We finally ended the investigation. We all enjoyed our experience, our belief in the paranormal reinforced.

We would like to thank Ben, the other Halflife team members and Jackie from Phoenix Paranormal.

An email received from Jacky from Phoenix Paranormal

"I'm still shaking my head in disbelief from what we witnessed last night. I'm still juddering at when we heard those fingernails scrape underneath that table. I could feel it too".

Written by: Maria Williams

As we had a large group for this investigation, we decided to split into two halves. Following spiritual protection, Ben's group assembled into the section of the shop where we have mostly worked previously. Twilight Shadows and Phoenix Paranormal made our way to a different part of the shop. Ben had previously informed us that a gentleman had hung himself in that part of the building, over one hundred years ago. We gathered round a large table and began our séance.

We placed a Dictaphone upon the table so that we could record any knocks, bangs, taps or any other EVP that may transpire during the evening.

We began to 'call out' for any spirits within the building, requesting that they make contact with us. After a considerable time, the temperature seemed to plummet and most people could feel an icy draught blowing around their hands. The people experiencing these draughts stated that they did not feel that the origin of the draughts were explainable. It felt like someone was blowing on them so perhaps they were spirit breezes? Sometimes the breezes were blowing into the face of the sitters but as this location is naturally very cold and draughty, we cannot rule out a natural cause for this phenomenon.

The energy was noted to build up in cycles of approximately five minutes, dying down and then building up again. Nothing much apart from the cycles of energy seemed to be happening. Although we could hardly hear the other team, we suddenly heard them cry out loudly. We all listened to make sure that they were alright. We heard some of them laughing so we decided to carry on with our séance.

Caz was filming and taking photographs as we sat around the table. I noticed that she kept directing the camcorder towards a doorway. The doorway was situated at the foot of a stairway. Caz felt that there was someone standing down there. Other team members also felt drawn to this area, feeling the same as Caz that someone was down there.

Time passed with nothing much happening (apart from the odd shout from Ben's team) which indicated that they were experiencing paranormal activity. We decided to call to the spirits of the shop. There did not seem to be much of a response apart from a few taps on the table which were deemed as inconclusive.

As I called the names of all the spirits which we have come to know, I realised that I was keeping my favourite to last. I called Len (the joker). Some of the team stated that they felt the table shudder slightly. I was very excited. I desperately wanted Len to make an appearance the last time that the team visited the shop, but sadly he did not join us. I kept 'calling out' to him and for a long time the table only shook slightly. However, everyone felt the energy building and we heard a few unexplainable sounds around us in the shop. One sound resembled a laugh. Encouraged by this, I asked Len if he would like some fun and laughter. The table responded with a definite shake. Luckily for us, one of our new team members Ady does a fine impression of Worzel Gummidge.

The energy continued to build and the table started to tap periodically and shake. The more Ady impersonated Worzel, the more the table movement increased. Everyone was laughing hysterically and Len joined in. The table movement actually felt like a person shaking with laughter.

The hilarity continued, with the team and Len enjoying one another's company. We stopped for a moment and Jacky gave a startled gasp. Her chair had been shoved from behind. So we continued our communication with Len. Suddenly the table started to move and we had to stand as it travelled in a circular motion. It suddenly felt as if we had been joined by more spirits.

We decided to join Ben's team and see what they had experienced. We asked them why they had cried out. They told us that they had had two objects thrown at them. One was a pound coin and the other was a penny. They had also heard footsteps which had walked towards them. They also heard a rather strange sound which Ben described as "a farting type sound". Ben said that it was definitely none of his team members with a chronic wind problem. The sound had travelled around the room, emitting its farting sounds from different spots around the table. This was amazing. Was it Len with his amazing sense of humour?

After a short break, some of Ben's team left the building and some of us assembled around the table in the apparently active area of the shop.

Straight away a strange sound was heard at the back of the shop, like a shuffling sound. I felt as if someone had tapped me on the back and it really made me jump. There was nobody standing behind me. As we were discussing it, Ben and I heard a humming noise. It was really loud but we were the only members of the team that heard it. Later, we heard the faint sound of a woman's voice.

Worzel came back to us and made us all laugh again. The table started to knock and then shake slightly. After a while the energy died down and we eventually decided that we would end the investigation.

Twilight Shadows Paranormal would like to thank Ben and his team Halflife. Also thank you to Phoenix Paranormal, our guests and last but not least....... Worzel Gummidge aka Ady!

Written by: Maria Williams

VISIT 3

Ben chose a large table for us to gather around to begin a séance. I had brought a lamp containing a red light bulb as I have often been told that spirits are attracted to red light. I positioned the lamp on top of a cupboard and the lamp gave off a lovely, warm glow. We started the séance. Dave M did not join the circle but observed from the outside, attending to cameras etc.

Quite quickly, we heard knocks and thumps at the end of the shop. As we looked towards the origin of the knocking, we all shuddered at the void of darkness. It was very cold and the temperature seemed to be getting colder very quickly. Jacky said that she felt the spirits were "closing in, getting nearer and nearer and also that they seemed to be all around us." I had to agree as I felt that we were completely surrounded and also that something was 'closing in.' Jacky and Dave W heard fingernails under the table. I didn't hear them but I have experienced this frightening phenomenon previously in the shop. The table started moving gently and knocking in reply to our requests to knock, one knock for 'yes' and two knocks for 'no.'

We all heard a strange sound that is difficult to describe, shortly followed by a groan which sounded like 'Uhhhhhh!' We were all talking and some of the team said they could hear whispering. I didn't hear it. But the others said that they could still hear it. After playing the footage back, I think the whispering they mentioned initially was Jacky but she didn't whisper again so I'm not sure about the rest. Suddenly Jacky jumped and said that she had seen somebody standing at the end of the shop by the pillar. She described him as wearing a peaked cap. Jacky shuddered and said "that was horrible."

By this time, we had been conducting a séance for a considerable time and we wondered if it was a good time to take a break, as the table had stopped moving and the knocking sounds diminished. As soon as we mentioned stopping for a break, the rapping started again and was considerably louder. Jacky desperately needed to use the toilet and she asked the spirit who was knocking on the table "do you actually want me to wet myself?" The spirit responded with a huge bang on the table, a 'yes.' The atmosphere had lightened and I felt that my favourite spirit of the shop (who we believe is called Leonard) had arrived. I asked if 'Leonard the Joker' was with us and there was a big tap on the table. I asked if he still liked us laughing and the response was 'yes.' Several loud thuds followed and the table started moving.

Jacky asked "did I see someone standing up there?" One big thud was the reply. Jacky then asked "should we worry about the other spirits?" A big thud on the table indicated 'yes.' The bangs on the table became louder. Dave W said that he heard croaking. I also heard this sound and so did some of the others. We all felt that there was a spirit energy standing in the corner at the far end of the room. We asked if Leonard could 'tap out' how many spirits were present. There were three large thuds. We then heard movement in the shop and a sigh.

Dave M said that a female spirit was coming through. She usually comes in by the bottom left hand corner and then moves over to the right before approaching the sitters. Her presence is unpleasant and makes you nervous. Previously when communicating with this spirit, the Halflife team heard a sigh which was terrifyingly loud and completely surrounded them. It is more usual to hear sighs and other noises from a particular area and not generally in 'surround sound.' None of the boys who witnessed this strange sigh have ever forgotten the terror they felt.

The temperature suddenly plummeted and we all noticed at the same time. Dave W felt that someone was behind him. There wasn't anyone there. We all felt the room getting colder and colder. Dave M said that when this female spirit comes through, she starts tapping on the furniture and the table, producing lots of small taps. Suddenly we all heard a voice. It sounded like 'oooooh.' Ten minutes later we heard the 'oooooh' noise again. Dave M said "she always makes noises."

We asked Leonard if he would knock the table loudly if the lady was entering the circle. There was a massive bang on the table. All of a sudden, the table started tapping. The bangs were not so forceful but they were continuous and they were rapping around the whole table in an incessant manner, round and round and round. We said "hello lady" and received big raps again. Ben was tapped on the shoulder, at the top of his left arm. There was nobody near enough to do this. We were all aware that there were noises all around and that the table was shaking. I felt that 'the lady' was angry but not with us.

Jacky asked "can you move the table" and the table suddenly shook with force. It then tipped slightly. Three big bangs followed and then four taps. Jacky then asked "can you grab our legs under the table?" Everyone looked horrified and several of us moaned "noooooo!" Luckily there was no ghostly leg-grabbing. But suddenly the table moved, towards Jacky. The constant knocking around the table continued and then suddenly changed direction and went the other way. We were all amazed by this. The knocking stopped abruptly. Rhys said "has your battery gone?" Two taps were distinctly heard, meaning 'no.' He said "can you rock." and the table rocked. Jacky asked "what are you up to?" Some very strange bangs were heard.

Cameron called out to Leonard but mistakenly called him 'Leroy.' This caused us all to laugh uncontrollably. Dave W suddenly jumped and said that someone had pulled sharply at his coat. There was nobody behind him. Aaron said that he saw something (with his naked eye) in the middle of the table but it was only there for a moment and was gone. He seemed quite amazed by this. Dave W and Aaron felt cobwebs on their faces simultaneously but they hadn't moved and were still sitting at the table. Jacky informed everyone that to feel cobwebs (that aren't there) is a sign of a female spirit close by. Most of us then felt a sudden breeze.

All of a sudden we all heard a high pitched noise. It was voice-like and I have heard this noise in the shop before and also on paranormal programmes on TV. Jacky saw some movement by a wardrobe. We were then all aware of a smell which smelt like unwashed bodies, like the smell of a tramp. It was really potent for a while. Ben felt someone tug the clothing at the bottom of his back. Again, there was nobody there.

We then heard another sigh and some more big knocks. I then decided I would knock out a rhyme and ask the spirit to copy. I carefully knocked out the rhyme and instead of copying it, the knocks that ensued finished off the rhyme. I really couldn't believe that had happened so I did it again, twice more. The knocking that responded finished off the rhyme again, both times. Although I didn't hear it, several people heard the sound of fabric dragging nearby. We wondered if it was the long dress of the lady spirit as she moved around. I decided to try and knock out a different rhyme. This time I said the words as I tapped. "Ring a ring o'roses.'" The same sequence was tapped out in reply. I then tapped and said verbally "Atishoo, atishoo." There was a short silence and then 'Bang-bang, bang, bang!' We then heard a humming but not a tune as such.

We all started talking amongst ourselves about past investigation experiences. The table started rapping as if to remind us that we should stay focussed upon this investigation. The temperature seemed to drop rapidly again and then another smell permeated the air. This time the smell was pleasant and smelt like pastry baking. There was a definite scrape underneath the table and the smell changed. Dave W said that it smelt like a beech wood fire. Jacky suddenly exclaimed "oh, I wish you wouldn't do that!" She said that she had felt someone touch the back of her neck.

We all started chatting again and started to talk about the 'farting' noise that Ben's team experienced the last time we visited. I said, "I would love to hear that." The spirits didn't oblige but Cameron did. We all laughed hysterically for ages. Suddenly the table shifted so violently, I had to stand up and move towards it. It shifted again.

We decided that we needed to close the circle as we were all working the next day. Prior to us 'closing down' Rhys (who had been sitting out of the circle for a while) was slumped in a chair and perhaps about to doze off. He suddenly jumped and said "someone has just poked me in the nose!" He was really shocked as it had startled him but it was incredibly funny. Perhaps it was Len.

Jacky, Dave W and I would like to thank Ben and the other Halflife boys for asking us to join them. It was an amazing evening. As the evening was so active, I wondered if the red lamp may have helped. I will take it along to some other investigations to try this theory out.

Written by: Maria Williams

When we got there we all proceeded to the small room, just off the main entrance. This part of the building seems to be the most active room historically speaking, from previous investigations. Ben and co. had already started setting up and were in the middle of choosing a nice, heavy table, big enough to have us all sat around for vigil. After trying out a few, we decided upon a lovely, heavy, pine table. So we pulled up some chairs, locked off the cameras and prepared to begin.

Maria had brought a lamp with a red light bulb in. Apparently the red light is supposed to attract spirits and encourage supernatural activity. Maria began by opening a protective circle. This is where we visualise a bright protective light surrounding us, also asking the 'higher realms' and our 'spirit guides' to prevent any harmful spirits or entities from entering the circle and causing mischief. Once this is done, you then visualise the white light flowing from one person to another in a clock-wise direction. This helps to get the energy going and helps any spirit beings to make contact.

It wasn't long at all until we felt the table vibrate (21st Century Antics is one of the only places where I have seen and been involved with table tipping which has actually being successful). The table started to rock back and forth quite violently and this seemed to un-nerve the boys. This was Dave W's first visit to the shop and he seemed very impressed by the activity happening at this very early stage. It often takes a while to get the energy going and for any paranormal activity to happen. This never seems to be the case in this particular shop though. Activity always seems to start very quickly. The shop also seems to be very cold. You really notice as the energy starts to build, just how cold the place starts to get. I felt that while we were 'asking out' for any spirit people to make contact or whenever we were talking among ourselves, there was always something catching the corner of my eye or a knock or a thud would happen. There seemed to be lots of movement within the shadows this evening and many people witnessed movement or some type or other. Some members of the team saw someone walk up by the entrance of the shop. Myself and a few others could see someone (I thought was male), standing up by the entrance watching us.

Others heard shuffles and something like fabric being dragged across the floor. Many, many taps, bangs and knocks were heard. While we were sat around the table, something quite strange and unique happened. Some of the members had decided to go to another part of the shop. I was left, with Dave W, Ben, Maria and another member of Halflife Paranormal. The table had been moving and vibrating which is amazing to witness in itself but it suddenly started to move in a circular direction, going from right to left. From underneath the table was a series of very rapid taps, very much like miniature footsteps running around and around the underside of the table. The table was moving in exactly the same time, in the same direction and the tapping was getting louder and louder. Then the table seemed to pause and started to go in the opposite direction. Maria, Dave W and I found this amazing and we were getting very excited about it. Ben and the others were not finding it very amusing and Ben was getting very un-nerved. We felt that as the table activity was dying down a little, we would take a break and then resume.

After our break we sat around the table and began to 'ask out' again. The table almost immediately started to move and in a very pronounced manner but whoever this spirit person was, they really didn't want to give too much away. The atmosphere changed again and the table moved in a different way. Maria decided to try and see if the spirit person could copy what she was tapping on the table. She tapped out a pattern and asked the spirit person to copy but the spirit completed the sequence. She thought it may be a fluke so she did it again. Once again the sequence was completed correctly and she got an immediate response. Maria tried tapping the nursery rhyme 'ring a ring o'roses' and again the spirit person was able to complete the sequence. Hopefully this is all caught on cam as we had quite a few cameras rolling.

The atmosphere changed again and the table took a couple of violent jumps to the right which did alarm me a bit. We were just deciding to call it a night as it was getting late and being a week-night, some of us had to be up early. Maria asked if the spirit person could finish the evening with something spectacular. After a couple of very definite jumps to the right again, the circular tapping started. Along with that pattern the table started to move in the direction of the tapping before. We thanked the spirit for trying so hard to join us this evening and we then closed down the circle.

During this evening, other than the activity mentioned we also witnessed lights of various types, green being seen by many members of the team. Also extreme temperature changes, smells that went from burning pastry one minute to burning wood the next. Cold, icy blasts of air were experienced and a few members felt like they had been poked or clothing pulled.

I would like to thank Halflife Paranormal for giving us the opportunity to visit this wonderful location.

Finally boys, I'm afraid the whispering you heard may have been me. I was laughing to myself at how scared you all seemed to be but I didn't realise you may have heard me. I'm sorry. :0)

Written by: Jacky Wicheard

VISIT 4

On Thursday 19th August 2010, Jacky, Dave, Sharon and I were invited back to the shop for the evening to see if we could make contact with the ghosts who live there. Ben had invited some guests, some of whom we knew and some who we didn’t know.

Jacky opened up and ‘called out,’ encouraging spirits to use our energies and make contact with us. We heard a noise, a small tap. Ben called out, asking any spirits present to hit the table as hard as possible. All was quiet. Ben asked again and the table tapped underneath. Ben asked "Could you tap louder please?" Ben called out the names he knows who are connected to the shop, Thomas, Ernest and Leonard. Jacky said that she could feel the energy building up but it seemed slower than usual in the shop.

Jess said that she could see something between Dave and Jacky and that it had leaned forward right by them. Jacky said that she thought that Dave had been leaning on her. He said that he hadn’t moved and I knew that he hadn’t as I was sitting next to him.

Dave said that his hand was icy cold. We had all been experiencing small draughts blowing over our hands. I ‘called out.’ I called Len, asking this hilarious spirit gentleman to join us. Jacky and I both wanted the scary female ghost to join us too, as although the atmosphere is terrifying when she joins us; we always enjoy her contact with us. Rhys said that he felt something touch his eyebrow. All was quiet in the shop.

Suddenly we all heard a noise upstairs, directly above us. We knew there was nobody upstairs. We were also aware of the draughts that had increased over our hands as we sat around the table. Jess ‘called out.’ There was a tap and a rumbling sound. The table shuddered and then started tapping. Several members of the team saw something standing at the end of the shop, behind Jacky, Dave and I. They said that it kept standing back when noticed.

Ben ‘called out.’ After a while, a sharp rap was heard, followed by another noise. The second noise was a swishing noise like the rustling of taffeta material. Jacky said "What the hell was that?" It came from somewhere nearby us. The table started to knock in response to our requests. Jess said that she thought that something was manifesting between Jacky and Dave. The knocking on the table was now by Jacky and Dave. We all heard more strange sounds coming from different directions within the shop.

We noticed that when we asked the spirits to bang on the table, it banged but it did not bang when we asked specific questions. Jacky said that she did not feel as if Len (our favourite ghost) had joined us.

Ben looked at Jacky and asked her "Is that you?" She replied that she had not moved or made a noise and Ben said that he had heard something shift. It seemed really dark in the shop, darker than usual. Ben and Dave both remarked on this. We all heard a sound upstairs. Jacky said that she could feel an energy building. A sharp knock rapped on the table. Jacky said that she didn’t like her back being towards the dark expanse of the shop. There was more knocking on the table. One of Ben’s guests asked the spirits present if they recognised any of the people sitting around the table and if they did, would they please knock the table near to that person. There was a loud knock by Ben. Ben asked "Did you work in this shop?" There was no response. Ben asked "Did you live here?" The table shuddered and then knocked. This was followed by a sudden burst of knocking. Jacky said "Something is stroking my arm and I don’t like it. Stop picking on me!” There was a sharp knock on the table. Jess asked if it could knock near someone else and a knocking commenced around the table. We heard something metallic being moved near to us.

Ben explained to any spirits listening to us that there were a few sceptical people among the group so it would be good to show them that spirits do exist. Ben asked "Please shake the table again" and before he had finished speaking, the table shook. Jess asked if the spirit knocking the table was a man and the table shook. Jess asked "Are you friendly?" The table knocked and the bangs were getting louder. We all felt that this spirit was a spirit that had been there a very long time. Jacky thought that the spirit person wanted to make itself known but did not want us to ask questions.

Jacky asked Dave "Did you just move your foot?" Dave said that he had not moved his foot at all and Jacky make a scared type of noise. Jess gasped and said that she had just seen something come from behind Jacky, it had manifested itself into a black shadow, moving behind Dave and then leaned over my arm with its arm and its fingers looked like the film character ET’s fingers. Jess appeared really shocked.

Jacky felt as if she had been poked. She said "Please don’t poke me." Jess asked "Are you interested in Jacky?" There was a loud knock. Jess said "Do you like her?" There was a sharp rap on the table. Jess asked "Was that you I saw standing behind Jacky?" We all heard a thud from upstairs. The table moved and then shuddered. We were all aware of a scraping noise coming from underneath the table.

Jacky felt like a different energy that we had never met before had joined us. She asked if this was so and a tap was heard on the table. Jess said that someone had tickled her shoulder and said that she thought that this spirit had a preference for women. The table knocked. Jess asked "Are you feeling playful?" A knock was heard and the table lifted up slightly.

The table lifted up from one corner. Ben asked "Did you just lift the table?" Jess said that something had just stroked her leg. Rhys said that he felt weird and floaty but his hands felt like a ton-weight. Jess said that something was pushing against her chest. There was a tapping on the table near to Dave. Most of the team members were experiencing different physical sensations.

There was more tapping and the table felt like it was trying to lift. Somewhere in the shop I heard what sounded like dog paws tapping towards me. Rhys also heard it. Gary said that he had been touched on the back of his neck. He then asked aloud "Are you touching the right side of my leg." Please knock if you are!” There was silence and then suddenly Rhys burst out laughing. He apologised for his outburst and tried to stop laughing. The table shuddered considerably. We all heard a footstep inside the shop. Rhys started laughing again, almost hysterically. During Rhys’s laughter, there were intermittent tapping sounds on the table. We all started smiling because Rhys’s laughter was infectious. Jacky said "Len’s here!" Rhys stopped laughing and then Sharon started giggling. She tried to stop but could not contain her mirth. She kept trying to explain that she didn’t know why she was laughing. Rhys started laughing again. Although we were all laughing by now, Rhys and Sharon’s laughter was different. It really was as if they were being affected.

We continued with our séance. Suddenly a camera which was recording the séance switched itself off; followed by another until systematically all cameras switched themselves off. Out of seven cameras, only two were left running. I thought there must be a natural explanation for this but some of the boys said that it was impossible that they had all run out of battery at the same time because they all had different life-length of batteries in them. Some batteries were eight hour batteries so they should not have drained so quickly. Jess said "It’s a power drain!" There was a knocking sound in the shop. Rhys and Sharon were still laughing intermittently and now two more of Ben’s guests started to laugh.

We all heard a rustling noise near to us in the shop. It sounded like fabric rustling, like a long skirt swishing as someone walked. Jess asked out "Can you touch one of us!" Jacky suddenly shouted out "No, No, No!" We all looked at Jacky and she said "Someone has just pulled my trouser leg up!" Another camera switched off. Jess told us that she saw something move behind Alana.

Dave said that he could smell burning. As he finished his sentence, we all heard a very loud knocking. Jacky asked for the table to be lifted and we could all feel an energy really trying to lift the table. We all tried to encourage whatever it was that was trying to lift the table. Another camera switched off so my camera was now the only camera running.

The table lifted. We asked it to lift the other side and it did. Ben wondered why his EMF meter had not been activated when we had experienced some very strange things. He asked if a spirit could walk towards us and activate his EMF meter. We all heard two loud knocks and then a scraping noise under the table. The table continued knocking and moving. Jacky said "And for my next trick" and there was an immediate tapping which resembled a drum roll. We all laughed and I told everyone about a previous time that I had tapped out the beats of a rhyme onto the table and something had tapped out the rest of the rhyme to the finish. I am inclined to think that it was our friend Len that tapped out the drum roll in response to Jacky’s remark.

We all heard footsteps from within the shop. The table moved and then after a while it moved again. This was followed by tapping from random areas of the table. Suddenly Ben’s EMF meter began to bleep.

We continued with our séance and the table continued tapping. Eventually it stopped and we started chatting amongst ourselves. As soon as we diverted our attention from the spirit activity, the table shuddered and lifted considerably. We were all surprised at the strength it would have taken to lift this heavy table. The table lifted again. Following this, the table moved, shuddered and tapped intermittently but eventually we had to end our paranormal investigation as it was a week-day and it was very late. Twilight Shadows Paranormal/ Phoenix of Wessex would like to thank Ben and his guests for a very enjoyable evening.

Written by: Maria Williams

tWENTY FIRST CENTURY ANTICS