“Have you ever had any experiences?” Visitors ask me this every day, and I could tell them about my wedding or the time I fed a giraffe. But I know what they really mean is whether I’ve had any paranormal experiences at ESP.
True, ESP is a different place after-hours. The cavernous cell blocks are empty, and the blackness inside the open cells snags yours eyes as you walk down the silent corridors. But the scariest thing I’ve seen there are some resident night-time bugs. “Well, are you a believer?” visitors want to know. I’ll be honest - it’s hard to parse beliefs about the great beyond when you’ve just finished giving the Escape Tour. I guess I could say that if I ever see a ghost, I’ll believe in it. Of course, I don’t mind if you want to search for ghosts. I just ask the many paranormal investigators I meet to respect the prison’s human history, because if ESP is haunted, then to me, that represents real people’s lives and deaths.
Of course, you may hear strange things and your eyes can play tricks on you in the dark - it’s a matter of how much you want to indulge your imagination. ESP is a large, drafty building where drips echo like footsteps and plaster seems to whisper as it crumbles. At night, I feel safe inside the walls of ESP. If there were any ghosts, I imagine I’d be fond of them. If you see any apparitions when you take my tour, you can let me know….or not.
(Photo by L. Hannah March)
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