Vanishing objects. They’re one of the many portents of a haunted house, and perhaps the most befuddling. Where did the objects go? How were they taken?
What use does a ghost have for candles and silverware?
According to the Yorkshire Post, on Christmas Eve about three years ago, four silver antique candlesticks simply vanished from the historic Ripley Castle in Yorkshire, England. No one knew where they were, and despite searching high and low for the missing £8,500 artifacts, eventually everyone figured they were gone for good.
But sometimes, things come back.
Sir Thomas Ingilby, who eventually got around to reporting the objects missing last year, recently discovered the candlesticks right back where they should have been – mostly.
They appeared in a mysterious red Christmas bag placed right next to the new ones.
Now, you might be thinking: Big deal. Someone probably snatched the candlesticks, felt bad about it, then decided to return them in a nice red bag three years later. Happens all the time.
This story has a few interesting twists, though.
For one, as I mentioned, Sir Thomas Ingilby didn’t immediately report the items missing. He had a strong feeling the candlesticks would “reappear” someday, mostly because this exact situation had occurred once before with a dessert spoon. That curious spoon would seemingly pop back into existence some 18 months later.
Ripley Castle, which dates back to the 14th Century, is also known to be haunted. At least two children, ancestors of Sir Thomas himself, are known to have died there long ago. Even the ghost of their mother – Lady Alicia Ingilby – is said to occasionally haunt the Castle’s corridors, still caring for her children in the afterlife.
Could those ghostly children have been responsible for the Castle’s vanishing objects?
