Introduction

When a phenomenon occurs repeatedly for which there is no obvious explanation, it is hard not to consider if the cause is spiritual. For the first few years of living alone in my apartment I would come home to the fireplace turned on for no apparent reason. In the beginning it didn’t happen very often, perhaps a few times per year, but as the years have gone by it happens more and more often. Over time it has become an increasingly fascinating mystery.

About the Fireplace

Let me tell you a little bit about my fireplace. It’s electric, and it has an “on” switch which allows power to reach it, however to actually be turned on, you must use the accompanying remote control. When I first moved in, the battery in the remote control was dead. Therefore, I was unable to turn the fireplace on; no way, no how. I tried repeatedly as nothing would have made me happier on a minus 30 degree Celsius evening. “Why didn’t you buy a new battery”? You ask. Please, it took me years before I got around to doing that.

So, at this point in time this fireplace was not turning on by anyone’s choice. I told my dad about it who is also my landlord, and a previous inhabitant of the apartment, and who I might add had never experienced this strange phenomenon while he was living here. We came up with various ideas as to what could be causing it. Things such as; 

• My neighbor’s fireplace is on the same wall, therefore when he turns it on using his remote it also turns on mine. Disproved because the fireplace will come on repeatedly in the summer months.
• My cat turns it on. Disproved because if I couldn’t turn it on, how does a cat turn it on.
• Other remote controls such as the one for the television can also randomly turn the fireplace on. Perhaps, but it never happens in front of my eyes while using said remote.

About the Ghost

The reason for calling it the Fireplace Ghost is obvious, as most of my experiences have involved my fireplace. But this ghost has been following me for some time now. Before I moved out on my own, the ghost turned on the lamp in my parents’ bedroom.  I guess it’s really the “I-Like-Things-That-Light-Up” Ghost. I would often come home from school in the afternoon, walk up the stairs to my bedroom, and look the opposite way down the hall to see that my parents’ lamp was blazing. It became such a regular occurrence that everyone in my family was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.

My brother’s experience with the ghost was the most interesting. He would often stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing video games. One night, he needed to go to the washroom and when he left his bedroom and peeked down the hall there was the light shining from my parent’s bedroom. Dad was fast asleep despite it.  My brother also claims to have seen someone standing in his doorway one night, but whether or not this is true or related is up for debate.

I believe that the “Fireplace” Ghost is mine, following me from my parents’ house to my own apartment. This blog will chronicle the numerous experiences I have had with this spirit, and the profoundly positive impact that it has had on my life.