DeathWatch: Class is in Session

    Before we go any farther into this little fright-fest I'm writing, I thought I'd be a nice person and explain beforehand a little bit about the various types of hauntings I'll be writing about (oh, and just so you know, Blogger just told me I spelled "hauntings" wrong, as I spelled it as you see it now. Great job, spellcheck) so you can understand what the heck I'm saying. I've divided the typical hauntings into classes (sorry, no Class 5A Repeating Phantasms here) and will give a summary of each; more will be described with each corresponding case I cover. If you already know these, feel free to skip over this post.   

• Residual--This is quite possibly the least dangerous of all possible hauntings, so if your house has to be haunted (for whatever reason), this is probably your best option. It's not a chain-rattling, throw-things-at-the-wall, possess-your-kids-and-kill-your-dog haunting. It's like a broken record, as it's more trapped energy than anything. This haunting goes on in a pattern or routine: Footsteps down the same hall the same time every night, for example, or the same door swinging open by itself every time. The energy is just doing what it did when it was alive, and nothing will cause it to deviate because it does not recognize its surroundings to the extent that an intelligent haunting does. You could stand in the middle of the hall right as it's walking down and it'll just go right on through. A lot of residuals are connected with a traumatic event, like a murder, rape, fire, etc., that released a lot of energy into the surroundings when it occured.    
• Intelligent--This is a dead guy, who either might or might not realize that he's dead, who makes attempts to communicate--or can, at least, try--by talking, moving or throwing things, or reacting to surroundings or changes in them (renovation--does it every time). It may do things on a pattern, but only if it wants to; these ghosts are usually unpredictable, and that can make a dangerous spirit even worse. They're not necessarily automatically dangerous; some just want to pass on a message or watch over their beloved pansy bush or can't cross over for some reason. Then again, some want to kill whoever rearranges their furniture. It all depends on the dead guy.  
• Poltergeist--Some people believe this is a mischievous spirit, while others believe that poltie (my term--I really don't feel like typing the word out five thousand million times) activity can be caused by built-up or heavily repressed energy and that's why so many poltie cases center around teenagers (especially us girls--you know how we get) or troubled people, and that's personally where I throw my chips in, because most of the research seems to point that way. That makes it hard to get rid of such a haunting, because often the activity wouldn't stop in a house until the person giving off the energy was removed from the setting. Of course, it would just start up wherever that person ended up, sometimes made even worse by the move. Many times, if the cause was a teen, once that person's hormones settled a majority of the activity would stop, or at least become less severe.    
• Inhuman/Demonic--BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD. Let me say it again: BAD. If one of these pops up in your place or residence, be it apartment, rancher, mansion, or RV, get the heck out while you still can. These spirits were never alive to begin with, and come up from Hell (many times summoned by accident or by means that seem innocent to start with) simply to wreak havoc with God-fearing souls. They may appear in other forms, like a child or other innocent shape, but soon reveal themselves--disembodied growls, random burns or scratches, violent events, and the smell of crap or "dirty diapers" are all hallmarks of a traditional inhuman haunting, as well as threatening EVPs and ones that mention demons, the Devil, or have many F-bombs dropped--you hear "F F F F F" and you either got an inhuman or your house is being haunted by Samuel L. Jackson.  
• Shadow People--They are not usually considered to be human hauntings. Their most obvious trait is that they do not have many distinct features and instead look like...well, I think you can figure that out yourself, dude. They're usually seen out of the corner of your eye, and act different from your typical "ghost." Usually they don't wear clothes (except for some who are seen in hats or sometimes long coats) and pass through walls and stuff like that. Sometimes they actually do hang out in closets and under beds, so the next time your child complains, don't just brush it off as a nightmare. It might just be all too real.  
• Doppelganger-- You know, the "twin" thing. This is where you're standing somewhere and see, out of the corner of your eye, yourself standing down the street. This is probably one of the rarest hauntings that you'll encounter. Some people actually claim to have the ability to control their twin and can call them up at will; there's plenty of stories of professors or workers calling up a double to go to work instead of them. This is also a favorite on The Twilight Zone. 

    More information, of course, will be forthcoming; this was just a SparkNotes of sorts to get you started. I hope it helped and, remember, if you have any encounters or questions, Linda's always listening: starbaby.skywatch@yahoo.com.