The Haunting of Hillview Manor
Do ghosts roam the halls of this former nursing home?
The first thing I see upon walking into the crumbling building is a large poster with “Rules of Hillview Manor” emblazoned across the top. These guidelines range from the typical (“No food or drink is to leave the designated break area” and “We reserve the right to check any and all personal belongings”) to the bizarre (“No Ouija boards, seances, cleansing, smudging, or crossing over are allowed in our building or on the grounds”). It takes everything in me not to make some caustic remark that will offend my host and fellow visitors; I am trying to remain open-minded, after all.
Off to the side is a souvenir shop, where I and my fellow tour members converge to turn in our waivers. I walk around the room and peer at the shelves of souvenir T-shirts, magnets, hats, and pens. One woman buys a hooded sweatshirt that reads “I checked out of Hillview Manor” and puts it on. The late November air is frosty and I’m considering buying one myself, having left the house in nothing more than a thin jacket and a scarf, but the forty-dollar price tag deters me.
I wander back into the entryway after handing the guide (a woman named Carrie, and also the current owner of the building) my waiver. I walk around slowly, examining the photos and signs hanging from the…
