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| Shirreff Hall. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
One dark and stormy night鈥攚ell, badly-lit and mildly windy afternoon鈥擨 stood in front of Shirreff Hall, looking for a ghost.
For a long time, the only legend I鈥檇 heard about Shirreff Hall was that it had the best cafeteria food on campus. Then somebody told me about Penelope鈥攖he beautiful, ethereal spirit 鈥渋n a blue dress鈥� who haunts Shirreff鈥檚 halls.
Penelope鈥檚 tale is simple. A heartbroken young maid hung herself in the Shirreff bell-tower in the 1920s. Being a day student, and not having to share a Shirreff res room with a restless spirit, I didn鈥檛 pay the story much thought. Then, as Halloween rolled around, I began to wonder鈥攚hat is afoot in Shirreff Hall? I did some sleuthing and, before I knew it, I was marching up Shirreff鈥檚 steps, ready to get to the bottom of Penelope鈥檚 tragic tale.
The first person I interviewed was Mateo Yorke, Shirreff鈥檚 facilities manager. He鈥檚 an expert on Dalhousie鈥檚 most infamous ghost story. 鈥淚 was a student here at Dal, originally. Even then, I heard stories of the ghost of Shirreff Hall.鈥�
Who was Penelope before she took to haunting Shirreff鈥檚 halls? 鈥淢ost versions (of the story) have it taking place in the 1920s, pretty soon after the building was opened,鈥� Mr. Yorke says. 鈥�(Penelope) was a staff member鈥� a young woman who had a tryst of some sort with a professor, and upon finding herself pregnant and him unwilling to help her, she hung herself in the bell tower.鈥� He pauses. 鈥淲hich isn鈥檛 really a bell tower,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of the attic.鈥�
Mr. Yorke is a skeptic. 鈥淭here鈥檚 different versions of the story, which is your first clue that there might not be a whole lot of substance to them.鈥� So what鈥檚 Dalhousie鈥檚 official public-relations policy on Penelope? 鈥淭he official story is that none of this actually took place. No person. No story鈥 was hoping that there was a historical person named Penelope, and at least the story behind the ghost had some credibility, but I鈥檓 told no.鈥�
Among Shirreff鈥檚 students, however, Penelope has plenty of followers. 鈥淪he hung herself in the tower, because her boyfriend was out to sea and she never heard from him, and blah blah blah,鈥� is how Ashley Stead, a first-year sciences student and Shirreff resident, relates the tale. Don鈥檛 be deceived by Ms. Stead鈥檚 flippant adaptation of the legend鈥攕he knows something鈥檚 strange about Shirreff Hall. She had a brush with the supernatural just last week. 鈥淚 was waking up a couple of times throughout the night, and it was really warm even though the heat was off and my window was open, and my phone (was) making a hideous noise,鈥� she relates breathlessly. 鈥淚 hear something fall on the floor鈥� my phone charger fell out of the socket! The charger just physically fell on the floor.鈥�
Her friends have also had close calls with Shirreff spirits. 鈥淢y friend Nicole was telling me that she woke up in the middle of the night 鈥� she鈥檇 had her computer turned off and flipped down 鈥� she woke up, and her computer was on鈥� she didn鈥檛 sleep for the rest of the night, because she knew something was going on.鈥� Another of Ashley鈥檚 friends had problems with a shaky window. 鈥淭he window had fallen out of the frame onto her desk. The wind鈥檚 blowing right in 鈥� it shut her laptop completely!鈥�
As Halloween creeps up, Shirreff鈥檚 clearly getting jittery. But Mr. Yorke says no one needs to sleep with one eye open. 鈥淧enelope is benevolent,鈥� he explains. 鈥淪he鈥檚 not here to scare or intimidate or frighten anyone.鈥�
听
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think she鈥檚 very harmful,鈥� Ms. Stead agrees鈥攖hen pauses. 鈥淏ut if you think about it鈥� if she hung herself because of her boyfriend, or whatever, she must be a little bit hating on the world, right?鈥�
Mr. Yorke does agree that there is at least one very serious side-effect attached to encountering Penelope. 鈥淥ne person told me that seeing Penelope was kind of a warning that you were going to have your heart broken.鈥� The ghost can鈥檛 be too opposed to romance, however鈥擲hirreff went co-ed four years ago, with nary a peep from its ghostly resident. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 strike up a band, and kick the boys out, or anything.鈥�
In fact, Mr. Yorke says Penelope hasn鈥檛 been very active lately at all; he hasn鈥檛 heard any recent stories. Despite all Ashley鈥檚 ghostly tales, it seems that Penelope is the invention of youthful imaginations.
贰虫肠别辫迟鈥�.
鈥淥n my first day, when I arrived at Shirreff Hall as facilities manager,鈥� begins Mr. Yorke quietly, leaning forward, 鈥淚 heard something. I heard this voice say 鈥榟ello鈥� that I couldn鈥檛 explain.鈥� He laughs uneasily. 鈥淚 just kind of stopped in my tracks for a minute and then just鈥� didn鈥檛 say anything for half an hour.鈥�
You be the judge.