In Bruges part II

Hello dear readers.

Thanks for your patience. Now back to the story.

We checked the camera my dad set up in the owner’s room and there were a few unexplained shadows that occurred when no one was there, always in time with the episodes my dad recorded the other night. Not enough proof, but interesting nonetheless. We set up camp in that room, starting earlier than the previous night. By about 10pm the first episode of heavy atmosphere already happened. My dad was happy his theory was correct, that it happens the whole night, not only in the small hours. During the first interval we set up the equipment and my dad prepared a few strategies to contact the man. He tried yet another theory by attempting contact during the intervals. Nothing happened.

As soon as the air got heavy again my dad applied his first plan, consisting of him holding up an old clock that supposedly belonged to the man. He stood there for a few minutes, holding the clock, waiting for something. Once again nothing happened.

Another interval came and my dad put the clock in a corner of the room, on top of a coffee table. Next we were trying verbal contact, but with a twist. We were asking for help from the man. According to what we read, this man was an important person in town, with people always coming to him for advice and help. We positioned ourselves in the middle of the room, facing the old desk. As the readings told us someone was possibly back we looked down and my father spoke a couple of words in Flemish, asking for help. We felt a draught of air running through the room. My dad was convinced the man understood, but wanted to confirm it by asking the man to speak with us. There was nothing for a while, but this episode lasted longer than all the others. We thought the man seemed to be interested in us, until the next interval lasted about three hours, instead of the usual 45mins. My father was very disappointed and a bit frustrated with himself. We spent that time talking about all the great and successful trips we had in the past (yes, it was me attempting to lift his mood). Shortly before the next interval we got a knock at the door. It sounded too real to be a ghost. It was the hotel’s current manager, with a scared look on his face. He came in and told us how he was woken up by a man’s voice calling his name, telling him to go back to his own room. My dad got the three of us in the same position in the middle of the room. The air got proper heavy, it seemed still. My dad asked the manager to translate out loud whatever he said, to which the guy agreed. My father spoke about the man being trapped here, to which we heard the sound of heavy footsteps around us, then my dad said he understands this seems like his duty, but the man must move on and leave this place behind. There’s got to be more for him than to do rounds of the hotel every night. As my dad said that the manager and I started to cry. It was not that we wanted as it was an urge to do it that was beyond us. My father didn’t seem to be affected by it and continued, telling how he suspects the man is trying to protect his building, but mostly he’s trying to protect his possessions. We heard a bump coming from somewhere inside the room. As we looked over to a corner we saw the object my dad held up, the clock knocked on its side. We made contact. My father asked the crying manager to get rid of all personal objects that belonged to the man, which should be enough to let the man go in peace.

We left that hotel the next morning with a sense of duty done. We usually don’t meddle with other people’s business, we only show them the way to deal with things their own way, but in this trip so far we helped three different people move on from their past life, from this place they don’t belong to anymore.

Job well done I say, as of course I would love to say it to my dad, but now I believe he knows I feel this way about his work, his life and all the knowledge he left behind with me.

Thanks dad.

I’ll continue this story next week, hopefully without any delays (from Tuesday to Thursday this week. Need to work harder)

Have a good weekend.

Miles.