Man auctions night in haunted house

[Neo]

HARSENS ISLAND -- Bob Kowalski said he used to wake paralyzed with fear when he lived at 177 William St.

"Quite often I used to wake up pinned to the bed, and it felt like cold hands to my throat," he said. "I'd be in complete terror."

After hearing a psychic on television describe similar experiences as a haunting and consulting with family members who, after nearly 10 years since living there, confessed similar experiences, Kowalski decided to get the house checked out.

But because the place is a rental home and normally a source of income, he's auctioning on eBay.com the chance to spend a night in the house. He's had three such auctions, and a fourth was to start Tuesday night.

Minimum bid for the auction, which ends Thursday, is $100. Kowalski is planning other auctions through February.

Members of the Michiana Ghost Society won the first and third auction. No one bid on the second auction.

Michigan Paranormal Investigations was invited to come in February.

So far, things look promising, said Keith Oliver of White Lake Township, research director for the Michiana Ghost Society. He stumbled on the first auction while trying to find a birthday present for his brother.

Oliver plans to spend a weekend at the house with his brother, some friends and a few mediums -- people who say they can communicate with spirits -- to get some initial impressions. Then a team of researchers from Michiana of South Bend, Ind., will be out with high-tech equipment later in the month. The exact dates are being wit**eld to prevent hoaxes.

"We've had plenty of feedback from multiple mediums," Oliver said, adding the mediums have only a photograph or telephone conversation to go on. "It's obvious they have some sort of spiritual connection.

"Obviously, they get their information from a different source."

That last line is hilarious. The only thing obvious about this is that someone is about to get ripped off. The experiences Bob reported sound very much like a phenomena known as sleep paralysis.

[GameMaster]

I never experienced the sensation of being paralyzed in bed? Is it true?

[Happydude]

Originally Posted by GameMaster

I never experienced the sensation of being paralyzed in bed? Is it true?

me neither...*shrug*

[Typhoid]

Some people I know said they have that sometimes.

Where you wake up, but your body isnt awake and mobile yet.

It's never happened to me, but I can only assume it must suck major horse nuts.

[Ginkasa]

I think I might have had that. I know I wake up sometimes and want to shift positions or something, but can't, at least not without completely prepping myself for one big giant switch that pretty much saps me of energy.

I hate it like I hate Coke.


*shrugs and walks away*

[Neo]

When I was like 9 I would wake up but wouldn't be able to move or open my eyes. Like I was stuck between being awake and being asleep.

[thatmariolover]

Originally Posted by Neo

When I was like 9 I would wake up but wouldn't be able to move or open my eyes. Like I was stuck between being awake and being asleep.

I would have similar issues. I'd be having terrible nightmares (even with what I've seen today ((horror films, scary games)), I don't have nightmares like that anymore) and I would know they were nightmares. But they were absolutely horrible.

I could feel my body, like I was awake and the back of my eyelids was like a big theater projection screen showing me these horrible things. And then I realized slowly that I could feel my eyes, but for some reason I couldn't open them. And eventually I actually used my hands to pry my eyes open (they felt clenched shut, like little kids do with their eyes when they're trying to prove that they're not peeking at a secret).

I know it sounds really weird, but it was so scary. I didn't even know what to do. Anyway, it stopped after I was about nine or so. But I had more than a few nightmares like that.

[jeepnut]

Originally Posted by Neo

When I was like 9 I would wake up but wouldn't be able to move or open my eyes. Like I was stuck between being awake and being asleep.

Yeah, that happens to me every once in a great while.