Non-fiction account as told by Elco...

Doors and Windows locked?  Back against a wall so no one can sneak up behind you and yell  BOO!?  OK, this is going to be kind a long so I�ll apologize now if some of you get bored . . 

This happened when I was in High School, about 18 years ago (gosh) and we were always out doing something to get in trouble.  On this particular Halloween night, we decided that we should have a bonfire 
but couldn't decide where.  One person said that he knew of a vacant house with a huge yard surrounded by woods where we could go.  
The area itself was called Ulmstead Estates and it was "ritzy" neighborhood.  We passed huge estates and large manicured lawns.  There were about 20 of us and we were ready to have a good time.  A few 
of us had also planned ahead and brought a few Halloween surprises in the trunk of the car
As we entered the driveway we found that our way was blocked by a chain stretched across two large stone pillars, they appeared to have once supported large wrought iron gates.  Some of us being rather 
industrious, disassembled the remainder of the hinges and took down the chain.  We pulled the chain back tight behind us so as not to have any uninvited guests.  
The driveway was a loooong narrow gravel road which was completely enclosed above by the canopy of the surrounding trees.  Looking behind, you could see no lights, it was so dense.  Looking ahead no 
lights were visible either since this place was vacant.  Finally rolling down the end of the drive we rounded a rotary which circled in front of this huge old mansion.
The house was what you would expect to see in a horror movie, it was a typical old style house with a turret and spire on one corner, and a mansard roof throughout.  Lots of ornate trim and architecture.  
All of this had once been beautiful but was now in a terrible state of disrepair.  The house had not been occupied in many years.
We parked the cars and proceeded to what looked like a garden.  It had lots of growth, huge overgrown hedges, benches, and statues.  We found a fairly clear area towards the center and decided that this 
would be a good place to build the fire.  By the looks of it, we should have no problem finding wood since there was plenty of fallen timber all around.  The condition of the yard and grounds were just as 
bad as the house.
A few of us started gathering wood and we quickly had a nice blaze going.  Once the fire was established and we had some light to see what was around us, we realized we weren�t ina a garden but an old  
GRAVEYARD!!  We hadn't seen the headstones initially because most had fallen over and others were hidden by vegetation.  We decided to stay.  
This discovery had spooked everyone and a friend and I thought it would be a good time to pull our little stunt so we went and got from the car, white sheets and a flashlight with a red lens in it.  This was 
gonna be fun!  I being the smaller of us, got on my partners shoulders and we covered ourselves with the sheets.  Then we went around to the other side of the gathering so it would appear that we were 
coming from out of the woods.  As we got close, I turned on the flashlight and held it below my face, inside the sheet.  So what they saw was this giant white image coming out of the woods with an eerie 
red glowing at the head.  Some screamed, it was chaos.  My partner was running but could only see what was at his feet through the sheet.  It was great . . .
until we hit that tree limb!.  We both toppled and went falling head-over-heels, all tangled in the sheets. It was hilarious though a few were quite upset with us. 
Now, as I said, we were indeed in a cemetery, probably very old.  In it there was this particular statue and someone pointed out that it had moved.  We all thought that this person was nuts.   At any rate, just 
a bit later, someone again, said the that statue had moved.  No one had seen it move and it wasn't in a different place.  There was just something different about it.  Turns out this thing had turned.  When we 
arrived it was facing one way, and later it was facing another.  We really couldn't believe it and decided that it was our imaginations getting the best of us.  But some of us just couldn't leave it alone and had 
to investigate it.  We approached the statue and inspected it very closely.  What we found was amazing.  First, this statue was warm.  Some said it was glowing, I didn't see that but I can tell you I felt it, and 
IT WAS WARM.  A marble statue, WARM.  The other thing was that there was a hole in the ground in front of it, a little less than a foot in diameter.  The hole seemed to have no bottom.  I'm not kidding, 
we shined flashlights down into it and could see nothing.  Dropped rocks into it and heard nothing.  This hole had no bottom.  Now that, to me, was really eerie.  The kind of thing that makes the hair on the 
back of your neck stand on end and gives you goosebumps.  Where did that hole go?  And what was in it?  Have you ever swam in the ocean, and considered how deep that was and what could possibly be 
down there.
Well, most were now standing around the statue, and the atmosphere had changed to concern.  Then, . . . THE STATUE MOVED!!.  Right in front of us!  It moved to face us.  This was not possible but it 
was happening.  You could hear the stone below, grinding as the statue slowly turned.  Well, we didn't wait for any invitations.  We took off.  We didn't know what it was, and really didn't want to.  We just 
left FAST!!  We were running.  ALL OF US, FAST, . . . .  THE WRONG WAY.  We were running through the woods towards the house.
At this point, we were frenzied.  Running through the woods, branches whipping us, thorns cutting.  Couldn't run fast enough, hearts racing, POUNDING!!.  We came out of the woods right in front of a 
four car garage. We slowed down now, safely away from that statue.  So we�re walking, hurriedly in front of the garage when someone spots a small red  light or dot in a window of the house.
We still have to get past the house to get to the cars and we're wondering what this is.  Its there in the window. Then it's gone.  At first we think it must be some kind of alarm, but then it's gone.  Then 
someone again spots it . . .  in another window.  
Things are beginning to get creepy again . . . and we still have to go past there, then, just to our right, one of the garage bay doors begins to open.  We run, it didn't open far, only about 3'.   Ha!  Just far 
enough for us to see there is no one in there.  We are running again!  As fast as our legs can carry us.
We piled in the cars and took off, up the long drive.  As we get to the top of the driveway, our driver remembers the chain, but just a bit too late.  He slams on the breaks and we slide into the chain.  It left a 
nice scar on the front of the car but we snapped right through it.
LOOKING BACK . . .
I've never been back there since.  I was told later by someone who knew about the place, that it was considered haunted.  Once long ago, a judge, killed his wife there and got away with it.  Legally anyway.  
For many years, her spirit haunted him and blood stains from her murder would reappear after the most thorough cleaning.  He finally went insane.  He later hung himself in the stairwell of the house.  I 
don't even know if the place is still there now but then, they said it was haunted by both their spirits.
so thats my tale  :-)