Now, the University of Massachusetts Boston may not appear on any list of the most haunted college campuses, but that doesn’t mean that we must live entirely ghost-free. Here are some spooktacular stories of spectral spontaneities, culled from the minds of our very own students.

I

When this UMass Boston student was visiting a family friend, they had no reason to suspect anything strange might happen, but what they got was one cup of tea they’d never forget. The friend’s mother had passed away about a year before. The friend had inherited a tea set from her and was explaining how they had at one point intended to give it to her niece, but not anymore. As soon as they said that, a plate fell! Not in the parlor, mind you, where the two friends sat. Somewhere in the kitchen, an uninvited guest from a world beyond heard something causing them to toss a plate in the kitchen, all the way across the house. Needless to say, both friends had goosebumps.

II

Another student was about nine years old when they were with a friend, exploring Barnstable, Massachusetts. Though they were initially resistant, their friend convinced them to step into Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cemetery. They stepped through the rickety, black gates, setting their bikes down to explore. The two were very content examining the names and dates on each stone, until, that is, they heard a deep, gravelly voice, demanding they, “GET OUT!” They turned to each other in fear, but ever headstrong, decided to persevere. They stayed a little while longer, but after hearing the voice a second time, they knew it was time to skedaddle. The student knows this could all be easily explained as some old guy trying to frighten a couple of kids, but they know for a fact that no one else was in that graveyard with them.

III

This student’s friend grew up in a tiny Southern city before moving to Massachusetts. The family left their door unlocked often, a habit perplexing to some, but commonplace for the friend. They got home around 9 p.m., the only ones there for the night. They decided to stay downstairs, spending a good twenty minutes in silence on their phones. Suddenly, the sound of two boots walking across the floor upstairs startled them from their thoughts. They looked at each other for a minute, fearful that someone had broken in. They eventually went upstairs, and while the friend checked the rest of the house, the student stood by the stairs in case anyone tried to get past. The friend returned, explaining that no one was in the house. They were relieved, and jokingly the friend brought up a family legend that the house had been haunted by a man’s ghost. They laughed, and the student walked up stairs, teasingly calling out that if any ghost was in the house they should show their self. The same sound of footsteps from earlier suddenly came up the stairs, and, terrified, they decided to leave. However, the student had left their bag downstairs, and, determined not to be scared, thy went down to grab it. At the end of the stairs, a previously locked cabinet was wide open, things falling out, drifting across the floor. They grabbed their bag and the two drove to the nearest restaurant. The student hasn’t been back since.

IV
About 18 years ago, this student’s family lived in Holliston, Massachusetts.  It was known throughout the neighborhood that a murderer used to live in one of the surrounding houses. His name was Kenneth Seguin. He brutally murdered his two young children and left them in a pond in his backyard. Although Seguin was sent to jail, the spirits of his two young children lingered throughout the neighborhood. Strange occurrences began happening around their family’s home and they soon found out that the children who were murdered were friends with the kids who used to live in their house. Once a neighbor called, asking if anyone was home because all the lights on the first floor kept flickering on and off. Later that night, the neighbor heard and saw cans rolling down the driveway, but there was no breeze to be responsible that night. They were eventually told that the children used to play a game called ‘kick the can.’ Moreover, the swings in the backyard would sway really high at different speeds on days when there was no wind. Another really strange thing happened one morning, when all of the family’s shoes were lined up perfectly in the kitchen. They had no way of explaining why or how they got this way. When the father looked in the backyard there was a perfect triangle dug out of the grass which, again, had no explanation. They assumed all these strange occurrences were somehow tied to the spirits of these two children, but never knew for sure. There were never any bad things that happened – all of the occurrences seemed playful, which led them to believe it was the children.