Session in Solitude: A Night in Memorial Hall

Our intrepid reporter goes in search of ghosts, ghouls, and that

which goes bump in the night

10:17 PM:

I was disappointed at the sight of the hall still lit with a few groups of students walking around in costumes: oh, the irony. But I’ll still get my moment alone with the old, stately building to listen and watch. I’m settled in room 208, in my respective domain as an English student. I don’t expect to observe anything more frightening than the third floor wasps that pester the chemistry classes; thank goodness they’re not active at night.

10:37 PM:

The lights clicked off, and a temporary fright seized me as I fumbled for my flashlight with the orange eye of my Electra 120 gazing at me. I must have moved around enough, for as I tripped on the desk in front of me the lights came back on; nothing different to note about the view in front of me.

10:45 PM:

What a teaser. I expect the lights to remain on for a while; there are still a few stray groups of students that pass by in the halls, investigating the bell and snaps.

11:12 PM:

No action for quite a while now. I took a little trip around the second and third floor. I understand a great deal of people are frightened by the taxidermy display… in the daytime. Well, even night and its shadowy contrasts can’t convince me there is anything disturbing about my woodland companions for the night.

11:24 PM:

I began a short sound study of the doors, floors, and stairs. In the heat of a rush after a class period, I don’t think the unique rhythm of the stairs get proper appreciation. Naturally, I had to test them a few times in this silent atmosphere here in Memorial. I’m sure from the perspective of the taxidermy, I was the scary one.

11:49 PM:

My time is coming to close, the steady hum of the air conditioner out in the hall gives me a desire to doze off, and although I have not seen or heard anything notably “spooky”, I will say that being in Memorial Hall, in its contrasting silent nature this late in the night is a rewarding personal experience in itself.