The Presence Within

For eighty years the stately Victorian house served as home to a tight-knit, loving family. Festive gatherings welcomed close and distant relatives alike, producing feelings of unity, belonging, and warmth in all who entered.

Not all was positive, however. A tragic family secret festered under the surface, too painful for open discussion and therefore never fully healed. When the family moved out, the once warm house lay cold and empty, but something stirred in its lifeless rooms. And when new owners arrived, intent on turning the home into a business front, the hidden presence lashed out, either in anger, self-defense, or even a desperate attempt at communication.

Four businesses tried operating under the house's sturdy cypress frame. Three failed, driven out by inexplicable, often destructive events. The fourth remains, in large part due to a descendant of the original family. After examining his family history and possible motivations for the presence's actions, one mental health counselor tried a bold experiment: if family therapy can help the living heal, why not the dead?