The Ghosts of Bella Villa

The Ghosts of Bella Villa


The Ghosts of Bella Villa

Several years ago while driving through New Bedford, Massachusetts I happened upon a lovely, old, Italian villa which appeared to have been abandoned. It was enclosed behind a tall, concrete, wall, but from the street I was able to peer through the wrought-iron gates to see what lay beyond.
The villa itself was a massive, three-story, stucco, structure with a terra-cotta roof. It had cantilevered eaves, rows of arched windows, a columned portico, two terraces, a second floor veranda, and several small balconies providing panoramic views of the city below and of the Atlantic seacoast in the distance. The villa was situated toward the front of the property on a one and a half acre lot consisting of rolling green lawns, imported trees and floral shrubs, a magnificent water-fountain, and an occasional path with latticework arbors heavily draped with wisteria and grapevines. Toward the back of the property was a two-story carriage-house where along its side was a narrow path that lead through a secluded rose garden and then to eventually stop at the door of an ivy-covered Japanese Tea House.
It didn't take me long to decide, "I must have this house!"
I inquired to a few of the neighbors who told me the villa had sat empty for many years, but was then currently owned by a bank. I jumped in my car and immediately drove to speak with the bank president, Mr. Phelps. He not only said the villa was for sale, but he also provided me with some of its history. He said the villa had always been known as 'Bella Villa' and was built in 1844 by a very wealthy man named Mr. Wolfe who had come to New Bedford to make his fortune as a Whaling Auctioneer during the time when the city was considered to be 'the whaling capitol of the world.' It was, in fact, New Bedford where Herman Melville once lived and which inspired him to write his famous novel Moby ****.
As luck would have it Mr. Wolfe's fortune was earned before the laws against whaling came into effect. But, soon afterward his luck began to change when one of his two daughters died under suspicious circumstances while the other one subsequently suffered a mental breakdown and was committed to an insane asylum.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe remained at Bella Villa until one by one they were both found dead in the house.
Following their deaths Bella Villa had numerous owners until it was finally taken-over by the bank when the last owner declared bankruptcy and was reduced to live with her grandson.
I told Mr. Phelps I'd like to see the inside of Bella Villa so, he located the keys and off we went. Needless to say I was far more impressed with the inside of Bella Villa than I had been with the outside. It had a total of twenty-three, enormous, rooms. But, it also had a wonderful three-story-spiral-staircase, a private chapel, colonnaded-archways, several Italian marble fireplaces, marble and parquet floors, a black-walnut-paneled library, mural walls and ceilings, and several elaborate, antique, Austrian crystal chandeliers.
I deduced that aside from the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island there was none other to compare to the splendor of Bella Villa throughout the entire region.
Back at the bank Mr. Phelps and I negotiated for an hour or two and then at last we came to a purchase and sales agreement. And, after I wrote my cheque and signed the necessary papers he handed me the keys. Then, just as I turned to leave his office he chuckled and said "oh yes...I probably should have told you...some people say Bella Villa is haunted."
Well, having met a few ghosts in my previous houses I wasn't discouraged by the possibility of meeting another.
Bella Villa was mine. And, over the next few days I moved-in with all the antique furnishings I had collected over a twenty year period. Then, I immediately set-about to hire a crew of landscapers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, wallpaper hangers, and painters. And, being an artist myself, I spent countless days and nights restoring the beautiful murals on the walls and ceilings; a backbreaking task but, a labor of love.
Things progressed rapidly and within three months time Bella Villa had been restored to its original state of grandeur.
Shortly thereafter some of my friends decided to give me a surprise housewarming party. They arrived with gifts and their arms filled with dishes of prepared foods; hor' deurves, casseroles, nut breads, pastries, and bottles of vintage champagne. It was a wonderful evening, but it was also the first night I noticed something unusual in the house. As I passed through the foyer on my way to the coat closet I couldn't help but notice an obnoxious odor. Then, with a little further investigation I discovered the odor was coming from the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Not wanting my friends to notice I bid them goodnight at the kitchen door and then I proceeded to wash and scrub the floor at the bottom of the stairs. But, it seemed the more I washed and scrubbed the worse the odor grew. It finally became so repugnant I had to quit and walk away. I went to bed that night wondering what in heck could cause such a terrible odor.
The next day the odor seemed to have weakened, but over the next few weeks it was still detectable at times. I hung an air-freshener in the foyer and hoped it wouldn't become necessary to have the floor refinished (again)!
A few days passed and then one night I was busy working in my office up on the third floor. It was my habit to keep the door closed so the clacking of my typewriter keys didn't echo throughout the halls. Suddenly I heard what sounded like whispering in the hallway outside the door. I stopped typing and sat quietly for a moment. Yes, I could definitely hear whispering. It sounded like two women were arguing in hushed tones. I couldn't determine what they were saying so I got up from my chair and pressed my ear against the door.
"Who in heck could they be" I wondered, as I strained my ear to listen. Then, suddenly I heard a commotion that was followed by a sharp, shrill, scream.
I flung-open the door and just for a fleeting second I saw a woman standing at the banister and looking down the stairwell. I rushed to the banister to see what she was looking at, but when I looked down the stairwell to the foyer below I saw another woman's body on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I raced down all three flights of stairs as fast as I could go, but when I reached the bottom the woman's body had vanished. Then, I heard a woman's laughter echo throughout the house. I realized I had seen not one, but two ghosts. But, what kind of horrific scene had I witnessed? My question would be answered at a later date.
Early the next morning I was aroused by the sound of a woman sobbing. In my half-sleep state I thought I must have been dreaming. Then, as I grew more wide-awake I opened my eyes to see an elderly woman seated at her vanity across the room where she sobbed with her head held between her hands. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, but when I looked again she was no longer there. Not only was she no longer there, but the place where I had seen her vanity was occupied by my tall chest of drawers. I knew I had seen ghost number three. But, why had she been sobbing?
The following Saturday afternoon my friend Ellen came to visit. Ellen was not only a practicing witch, but she had also earned herself a reputation as a psychic in the greater Boston area where she was quite often called upon by the police department to assist them in solving cases of missing persons. So, I figured she was probably the best person to take into confidence about the unusual things I had been experiencing at Bella Villa. She listened to me very carefully and then she asked me to give her a tour of the house. We began the tour at the front of the house. No sooner had we entered the foyer, when we were both overcome by the obnoxious odor emanating from the floor. It was far-more foul than it had been before. We put our hands over our faces and rushed into the living room. Once inside the living room Ellen looked across the room and said "oh, hello."
I looked to see who she was speaking to but, there was nobody there. Then, we both realized she, too, had seen a ghost (number four).
"Who did you see?" I asked.
And, then she described an elderly man she had seen seated on the sofa.
"He looked dreadfully unhappy," said Ellen.
We were just about to continue our tour when suddenly a shrill scream come from somewhere in the house. I knew it was the same scream I had heard before.
"Upstairs!" I said, as we raced to the second set of stairs at the back of the house.
Once we arrived to the hallway on the third floor we both sat down on the stairs to catch our breath. Gradually my heart stopped racing and my breathing returned to normal. But, Ellen didn't seem to be recovering as quickly as I had. While we sat I noticed a mist rising-up from the center of the stairwell. Then, gradually it gathered itself together in the form of murky, yellow, cloud to fill the hallway. Suddenly, Ellen started to cough and choke and clasp her throat with both her hands. Then, she toppled backward onto the floor with her eyes bulging out of their sockets and both her arms and legs flailing about. I couldn't imagine what was happening to her, but she looked as though she was being attacked by the murky, yellow, cloud. I quickly jumped on top of her thrashing body and with all my strength was finally able to pull her hands away from her throat. Then, she rolled and gasped for air and a moment later regained her breath. The murky, yellow, cloud evaporated into thin air. We remained resting on the floor as we both wondered what in heck had happened.
Then, suddenly Ellen sat bolt-upright and said,
"Durant! Something was trying to strangle me!"
"It certainly looked that way" I replied, and then asked,
"What in heck was that yellow ****?"
Ellen carefully searched the hallway with her eyes and then she said,
"I don't know what it was, but it's evil and it must be banished."
Later that afternoon we telephoned two of our trusted friends and asked them to help us with our plan. While we waited for them to arrive I asked Ellen if she'd like something to eat. But, she declined and warned,
"This type of work is best done on an empty stomach."
We sat quietly sipping our cups of tea until our friends David and Kerry arrived. Once we explained our banishing procedure to them our work began.
Ellen lead us outdoors where we walked the perimeter of the property and cast a circle 'round the house. Then, we joined hands together and alternately invoked the Elements. Ellen called upon the God to assist our work and I called upon the Goddess. Then, after David and Kerry recited an ancient prayer we bravely reentered the house.
Our plan was to begin at the very top of the house to force the evil energy downward. And, so we began, but no sooner had we arrived to the hallway on the third floor when the familiar bloodcurdling scream echoed through the halls. Kerry looked frightened and for a moment looked as though she was going to run down the stairs. But, I took hold of her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Suddenly the door to my office slammed shut and a mirror on the wall crashed to the floor and splintered into a million, tiny, pieces. And, from out of the pieces rose the murky, yellow, cloud. It thickened as it surrounded us. I clutched the pentacle around my neck and silently asked my departed parents for help. Somewhere inside my head my mother spoke,
"Be gone by the powers of the Blessed Ones."
So, in my loudest voice I repeated her words.
The murky, yellow, cloud rushed upward toward the ceiling. Then, like a snake it slithered across the ceiling and down the wall and finally through the open doorway to my office.
We followed Ellen into my office as she sprinkled consecrated water around the room.
"Be gone by the powers of the Blessed Ones," I shouted.
My desk lamp flickered and a sheet of wallpaper ripped-away from the wall.
The drawers to my filing cabinet flew opened and the papers inside were sucked-up into the murky, yellow, cloud as it twirled and whirled around us like a violent tornado. Then, with a whoosh it went through the open door and disappeared. Everything went quiet for a moment. Then, suddenly we heard a loud crash in the hallway on the second floor below.
"It's gone down," said Ellen as she hastened down the stairs. We followed closely on her heels. I immediately noticed the Cheval mirror from my bedroom lay broken in the hallway. The murky, yellow, cloud circled overhead and suddenly the chandelier shook as each of its light bulbs popped and shattered.
"Be gone by the powers of the Blesses Ones," yelled David.
The murky, yellow, cloud trailed down the hallway. Several bedroom doors slammed open and shut like rapid-fire. A painting of my grandmother went sailing past my face, but just before it crashed I saw my mother swoop-it-up and gently rest it on the floor. Then, suddenly the doorbells started ringing and the grandfather clock in the foyer struck over and over again. The combination of the two sounds was deafening.
"Come quickly" said Ellen, "its downstairs."
We hurried along behind Ellen as she descended the last flight of stairs. But, once in the foyer we were enveloped by the thick, yellow, cloud which made it almost impossible for us to see. And, we coughed, gagged, and struggled not to vomit from the increasing stench of odor rising from the floor.
"Be gone by the powers of the Blessed Ones!" commanded Ellen.
The murky, yellow, cloud gathered itself together and entered the living room.
We followed. And, once inside of the living room the heavy, velvet, drapes were simultaneously torn from the windows and thrown at us. Then, David ducked just in time to avoid being impaled by one of my collectible swords as it careened through the air. A moment later I bit my lip when I noticed my father's life-size, bronze, statue of King Arthur wobbling in midair. But, before it could take flight I saw my father descend from the ceiling and transport it safely to the floor. And then amazingly the image of my father burst into a blaze of brilliant, white, light as his powerful voice boomed, "Be gone by the powers of the Blessed Ones!"
There was a momentary silence.
Then we hurried to a commotion in the library. The murky, yellow, cloud whirled around the room as books were swiped from shelves. And then it disappeared. Another moment of silence passed. We stood quietly, cautiously, looking into the adjacent rooms. Then, suddenly in the dining room dishes were hurled in every direction....in the music room the piano banged and clanged....in the chapel the organ pipes wailed in pain....in the kitchen pots and pans bounced-off the floor. The damnable noise was maddening! I rushed to turn-off the gas range where all four burners were ablaze. Then, I saw Ellen drop to the floor as my butcher knives came at her like arrows. The glass door between the kitchen and the back hallway opened and slammed shut with such force to shatter all its panes of glass. Out in the back hallway the coat-rack went crashing through a window.
"In the back!" shouted Ellen as we followed her into the back hall. The murky, yellow, cloud hung above our heads.
"Be gone by the powers of the Blessed Ones!" we all commanded together.
The light fixture on the wall exploded causing glass to cut my cheek. A woman's laughter echoed through the house. Plaster fell from the ceiling as the whole house shook and trembled with a mournful groan. The murky, yellow, cloud began to descend and surround us. A stench of decaying flesh filled our nostrils.
"Join hands!" shouted Ellen.
We locked hands and gather in a circle as the murky, yellow, cloud enveloped us. I felt sick. I struggled not to vomit. My head ached and my ears began to ring. I searched the faces of my friends as my knees began to buckle. I was losing consciousness when all of the sudden my father's powerful voice revived me,
"Spirit of evil! Unfriendly being! Unwanted guest! Leave this place!
Go! Or be cast forever to dust!
Go! Or be drowned in the watery abyss!
Go! Or be burned in flames!
Go! Or be torn by the whirlwinds!
By the powers of the Blessed Ones be gone!"
And, with that...the murky, yellow, cloud gathered itself into a ball and crashed through the window of the back door. We rushed out onto the back porch. Then, suddenly all of the exterior security lights went haywire. They continued to flash on and off for another several minutes.
"It's over," said Ellen.
And we all collapsed together in a pile.
I continued to live at Bella Villa several more years without ever seeing or experiencing anything unusual again.
Then, one summer afternoon a middle-aged man and an elderly lady appeared at my front door. The man explained the elderly lady was his grandmother and that she had lived at Bella Villa for many years prior to living with him. The lady looked past me and searched the house with her eyes. I could tell she was hoping to be invited in and so I asked them to join me for tea. Afterward they were delighted to have a tour of the house. The lady seemed very pleased with all the restoration work that had been done to the house and she marveled at my antiques. Then, we sat in the living room while she shared some of her happy memories of Bella Villa. Finally I worked-up enough courage to ask her if she had ever experienced anything unusual in the house. She looked at me curiously and then asked,
"Why? What have you seen?"
I wondered whether or not I should tell her about the ghosts I had seen, but something in the way she asked told me she already knew. So, I proceeded to tell her that although it may sound silly to her I had seen ghosts in parts of the house. The lady looked at her grandson and then smiled at me and said,
"No, I don't think it's silly."
Then, after a brief pause she added, "You see, I've seen them too."
Then she began to tell me a story about a family who had once lived at Bella Villa. A family consisting of an elderly couple and their two spinster daughters; one of which had toppled over the banister on the third floor and fell a distance of forty feet to meet her death at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer.
And then she surprisingly said, "I don't think it was an accident."
Of course, neither did I, but I asked, "why do you say that?"
Then, she confessed that many times when she was up on the third floor she had visions of two women struggling with one another. She also said that each of her visions had been followed by a bloodcurdling scream.
She said at the time of the woman's death the local authorities had suspected foul play, but their suspicions were never pursued as shortly afterward her parents committed their surviving daughter to an insane asylum. Then, sometime later the unhappy mother closed herself in her bedroom and took an overdose of sleeping pills. Her husband discovered her lifeless body seated at her vanity table. Then, a year later he, himself, was found dead on the living room sofa.
I asked the lady if she had ever seen a murky, yellow, cloud in the house, but she said she hadn't.
So, I asked her if she had ever noticed an obnoxious odor in the foyer.
She thought for a moment and then she answered,
"You know, come to think of it I did sometimes notice a bad odor in there."
I asked her what she thought caused the odor and she laughed and said,
"Well, to be perfectly honest I thought my pet Collie was in the habit of
pee-ing in there."