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| The so-called 'Creepy Cherub,' Oak Hill Cemetery in Birmingham. |
To read Part One of this series, skip back a week, or just click here.
The most time-consuming part of any paranormal investigation is evidence review. For example, we were in the cemetery from 8:00 PM until midnight. I left both my digital audio recorders running the entire time, which means I shall now enjoy the singular pleasure of listening to eight full hours of unfiltered audio, most of which consists of footsteps, my inane ramblings, and the sound of distant trains. I didn't mind the trains so much, because if there is anything more mournful than the sound of a freight train passing in the middle of the night it is standing in a cemetery and hearing the sound of a freight train passing in the middle of the night. Seriously, you'd have to listen to half a dozen Johnny Cash albums back-to-back to even approach that kind of industrial-grade mournful.
But I digress. I'm still not done listening to the audio, but I have three more odd sounds for you to listen to tonight.
Big Radio Tower
The first oddity takes place at about 44 minutes and 30 seconds into my main recording, captured on my Zoom H1. We are all walking, heading up the big hill toward the spot where subtle movement in the shadows was observed. One of the investigators remarks upon a big radio tower.
But right before he says those words, you can hear a faint, oddly modulated voice speak. To me, it seems to be saying 'Hey (unintelligible unintelligible).' It continues speaking even as the investigator speaks.
I have no idea what made these sounds.
Here's the first clip, unaltered. The 'hey' starts pretty much as soon as the clip does. Click below to listen.
Hey1
And here's the same clip, amplified for clarity.
Hey 2
I can hardly wait to advance my second audio recorder to the same time and listen to its recording. Of course since I left my second audio recorder in the cemetery, I can't do that right now -- but the good people of the Oak Hill volunteer staff (thanks Renee!) have mailed my gear back, and it should be here tomorrow, so expect an update on this next week.
Train and Moan
This clip needs no amplification at all! You'll hear some conversation, a train, and then a moan (the moan is about 14 seconds in). Go ahead, have a listen.
The scene was this -- Eric, the fearless Expedition Unknown intern, was dispatched to conduct an EVP session at a tree about which movement was observed by 4 people. The first part of the clip mentions 'Eric has a K2' and the green light thereof. Then the train whistle blows.
All the scratching around is me moving the mic so that it points away from the train. The moan or groan is so loud no amplification is required.
Now, one could argue that the source of the groan was one Frank Tuttle, an obscure and undeservedly non-famous fantasy author who was very much above the cemetery ground that night. And I admit that is entirely possible, although I've been doing cemetery sweeps long enough to know to tag any old-age related groans. Could it have also been my stomach?
Yes, but again, I hope I'd have tagged it as such, since in either case it would have clearly been audible.
I'll compare these two events when I have my second recorder back. Until then, I offer this one as a possible EVP, but one tainted by suspicion.
Alabama Devil Dog
This third offering was captured at the foot of the Grand Army of the Republic marker, which denotes the resting places of Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate. The site has seen reports of whispering in the past.
We gathered about the marker and conducted an EVP session. During the session, I heard what I thought was a dog howling, and I tagged the sound as such. The other members of the group disagreed, saying it didn't sound like a dog.
My mic must have been facing the wrong way, because the sound I recorded was much fainter than the sound I recall hearing. Even with the amplified snippet, you'll need headphones or a Mighty Wall O' Speakers to hear the sound, which is a brief high-pitched wail. Again, I hope my second recorder captured a clearer aural image of this instance.
But for now, here it is. The first one is unaltered; the second is amplified as much as I could manage without degrading the sound quality.
Devil Dog 1 (howl about 4 seconds in)
Devil Dog 2 (howl isolated)
I'm still up in the air with this one. Yes, it could have been a dog -- but several of the witnesses claimed the sound took place from a point very near us, almost standing in the circle with us.
What do you think?
More to come next week!
Writing Roundup
It's been another week of editing on the new Mug and Meralda book. Which I believe is yet another variation on the same theme I've been stuck with for months now. Look, what can I say, I don't want to release a book that still needs work, so -- I'm still working.
In the meantime, I have many other books you might enjoy reading! One such worthy is featured below. Click and buy, if you are so inclined, and the spirits say you are....
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