Cherry Bank, Part III
We stood in front of room 4 for a moment, and then walked on upstairs to our room.
While she was in the bathroom washing up, the curiosity about the eerie room at the front of the house continued to gnaw at me. I stepped back downstairs and crept up to the door. The only sound in the hallway was the dull crunch of my footsteps on the brittle scarlet carpeting.
I slinked along the wall, and put my ear up to the thick wooden door.
No sound.
I listened a little more intently, now holding my breath so that I could hear the slightest twitch, scrape, or whisper.
I waited. I could hear my own heartbeat. And then,
THWAP!
The loud slam nearly made me jump out of my skin. I scampered away from the door, and panted for breath. ther sounds followed.
"Honey, do you know which of these damn cabinets we put my pajamas in? I can't find them!"
"No, dear, you're the one that put them away. I don't know where they are. Check the closet. . . ."
Feeling suddenly foolish for my fear, I slinked back upstairs and, after relaying the story about my not-so-otherworldly experience, crawled into bed. Possibly with some help from the drinks and full stomach, we both slept soundly, having heard nothing amiss in the night.
Free breakfast was served from 7am to 9am, so we scrambled to get dressed and work our way down to the dining room. If it weren't for another couple sitting in the darkened room eating breakfast, we might have assumed there was no meal service at all.
While not exactly a gourmet breakfast, the desk girl brought us our choice of a breakfast cereal, fresh fruit, and coffee, and soon we were the only people left in the room, aside from the mounted animals and antique photographs. We didn't stick around too long.
After a brief chat with the girl at the front desk about what she knew about the hotel's past and her coworkers' ghost experiences, we checked out and walked out through the front parlour and front door, onto the misty front lawn, accompanied by the Eagles' "Hotel California" playing on the little radio at the front desk.
"You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave. . . ."
* * *
Subsequent research turned up some of the following tidbits:
The Cherry Bank Hotel was built in 1897 as a guest house, and over time evolved into a boarding house and finally a hotel. The hotel was scheduled for demolition in December of 2004 in order to build some high density condominiums, but was given a stay of execution for another year. There are indeed three documented ghosts in the Cherry Bank Hotel:
- A young girl — She allegedly roams the hallways and also frequents room 4, sometimes interacting with people directly and inviting them to tea. This is the girl who was recorded in the hotel in 2004 by the paranormal investigation group.
- Kathleen, an older woman who once lived in what is now a converted dining room — She roams the basement level, particularly in the kitchen and dining room. The staff reported that she often moves silverware or other objects in the kitchen, opens and closes cabinets, adjusts table settings, and makes various noises around the kitchen area. Legend has it that she also opens the freezer compartment to release someone who was allegedly locked inside once.
- An anonymous boy or man — He is responsible for various other encounters in room 4 and elsewhere. Some accounts imply that this is the spirit responsible for having removed the room 4 bathroom door off its hinges during a couple's sleep one night.
References:
Cherry Bank Hotel website and staff conversations
Victoria Ghostly Walks Tours
Vancouver Island Paranormal, investigation 1
Vancouver Island Paranormal, investigation 4
Creepy Canada, episode 4
While she was in the bathroom washing up, the curiosity about the eerie room at the front of the house continued to gnaw at me. I stepped back downstairs and crept up to the door. The only sound in the hallway was the dull crunch of my footsteps on the brittle scarlet carpeting.
I slinked along the wall, and put my ear up to the thick wooden door.
No sound.
I listened a little more intently, now holding my breath so that I could hear the slightest twitch, scrape, or whisper.
I waited. I could hear my own heartbeat. And then,
THWAP!
The loud slam nearly made me jump out of my skin. I scampered away from the door, and panted for breath. ther sounds followed.
"Honey, do you know which of these damn cabinets we put my pajamas in? I can't find them!"
"No, dear, you're the one that put them away. I don't know where they are. Check the closet. . . ."
Feeling suddenly foolish for my fear, I slinked back upstairs and, after relaying the story about my not-so-otherworldly experience, crawled into bed. Possibly with some help from the drinks and full stomach, we both slept soundly, having heard nothing amiss in the night.
Free breakfast was served from 7am to 9am, so we scrambled to get dressed and work our way down to the dining room. If it weren't for another couple sitting in the darkened room eating breakfast, we might have assumed there was no meal service at all.
While not exactly a gourmet breakfast, the desk girl brought us our choice of a breakfast cereal, fresh fruit, and coffee, and soon we were the only people left in the room, aside from the mounted animals and antique photographs. We didn't stick around too long.
After a brief chat with the girl at the front desk about what she knew about the hotel's past and her coworkers' ghost experiences, we checked out and walked out through the front parlour and front door, onto the misty front lawn, accompanied by the Eagles' "Hotel California" playing on the little radio at the front desk.
"You can check out any time you like,
But you can never leave. . . ."
* * *
Subsequent research turned up some of the following tidbits:
- A young girl — She allegedly roams the hallways and also frequents room 4, sometimes interacting with people directly and inviting them to tea. This is the girl who was recorded in the hotel in 2004 by the paranormal investigation group.
- Kathleen, an older woman who once lived in what is now a converted dining room — She roams the basement level, particularly in the kitchen and dining room. The staff reported that she often moves silverware or other objects in the kitchen, opens and closes cabinets, adjusts table settings, and makes various noises around the kitchen area. Legend has it that she also opens the freezer compartment to release someone who was allegedly locked inside once.
- An anonymous boy or man — He is responsible for various other encounters in room 4 and elsewhere. Some accounts imply that this is the spirit responsible for having removed the room 4 bathroom door off its hinges during a couple's sleep one night.
References:
Cherry Bank Hotel website and staff conversations
Victoria Ghostly Walks Tours
Vancouver Island Paranormal, investigation 1
Vancouver Island Paranormal, investigation 4
Creepy Canada, episode 4