Two of the major incidents in the sequel to OFFERINGS & OBLATIONS came from ghost experiences shared by friends of mine. Both took place in the Gettysburg National Battlefied.
My friend Gina tells about encountering a filthy, raggedy man at Devils Den. The man spoke to her in an "old-timey" voice, and then vanished. Her husband saw him, too, and agreed that they had seen a ghost.
Another story came friend a friend, now deceased. Patty said that she and her friend Linda encountered ghostly horses, wagons, and riders while on a bridle trail. They could hear, smell, and feel the phantoms. Their horses were completely spooked.
See how I weave them into the novel:
Once they crossed paved Confederate Avenue and reentered the trail, the horses began to balk. Linda tapped her legs against Sue’s sides, but she hesitated to move forward. Patty clicked at Ginger, leaned forward to stroke her neck and urge her on. Ginger recoiled and tried to turn to the right.
Then, they noticed the noise. Creaking leather, the clank of metal, and the murmur of many male voices floated toward them. Now, the horses started to flinch and snort. Sue screamed, “Eee,” as if she were nose to nose with a strange horse. A musky cloud of horse funk enveloped the area as the clamor of oncoming wagons, horses, and men grew louder. Linda and Patty dismounted and guided their horses off the trail, just as the phantom caravan clattered by. Sue and Ginger whinnied, blew, and cringed taking little back steps away from the trail. In a minute, the sounds of the convoy faded and the pong of strange horses lifted, and one tattered, emaciated man stood before them. They had not actually seen him arrive, but there he was.
“What was that?” Linda asked caressing Sue quivering nose. Spittle dripped from her lips around the bit.
“My God,” Patty tried to pull Ginger forward.
The stranger answered, “Been follerin’em from the Emmitsburg Road. Can hear’em and smell’em, but don’t see nothing.” His eyes rolled in his head and his ragged breath reeked. “You’ll saw ‘em, right.”
“No, we didn’t ” Linda corrected him. “We could hear and smell it. Our horses were frightened.”
“Praise God,” the man fell to his knees. “Horses ain’t crazy. They’s real, real as you and me.”