A little girl who cut herself and died of a staff infection.

Mysterious footsteps and pianos playing when there鈥檚 no one there.

A French spirit who is also, a music critic.

And even angry presences that didn鈥檛 want paranormal investigators around.

With Halloween coming up, it鈥檚 a spooky time of year on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, with White Rock and South Surrey both active areas for reports of experiences that can only be described as paranormal.

Husband-and-wife team Glen and Janessa Ferguson, who used to be with the Canadian Paranormal Society and lived in Surrey before they moved to the valley, have a long history of hunting otherworldly presences, but these days, they tend to offer their services more through word of mouth than with any organization.

Janessa, who is a medium, and Glen, whose mother and grandmother were mediums, both grew up being more sensitive and open to things that might scare others, such as feeling presences or spirits that others don鈥檛, they say.

Mediumship, according to several sources, is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits, or spirits of the dead, and living human beings.

鈥淪ometimes, they鈥檙e scared. They don鈥檛 understand or they don鈥檛 have the mental capacity to understand that they can move on,鈥� Janessa explained.

Years ago, she and Glen were invited with some other paranormal investigators to Alex House (formerly Camp Alexandria) in Crescent Beach, as there had been reports of activity.

鈥淭here was a cook there who said she鈥檇 had a couple of children running around the kitchen, but when she went to go after them, they disappeared,鈥� Glen said.

With another medium, Janessa said they were able to help the children move on.

鈥淵ou tell them the situation. You tell them where they are, and you tell them to look for their parents and you invite them to cross through,鈥� Glen said.

Janessa remembers the 鈥榯hank you鈥� she received after helping them.

鈥淚 just got this massive hug of energy鈥� all I felt was 鈥楾hank you, thank you, thank you鈥� I about fell off my chair,鈥� she said.

鈥淭here was an old cook who鈥檇 stayed back and she was so happy we鈥檇 sent the two kid鈥檚 spirits on and she gave me this hug. She had stayed behind to protect them. Then she went on,鈥� she said.

Both Glen and Janessa feel anyone has the power to be a medium 鈥� it鈥檚 more being open to the feelings, or to sensing, other presences, Janessa said.

鈥淚 just feel them 鈥� like chills going up your back, up your spine. I feel their emotions a lot,鈥� Janessa said.

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While they often use paranormal equipment, such as an obelisk that helps with voice recognition and allowing questions and responses from other presences, infrared cameras, full-spectrum cameras, thermal cameras, trigger devices, and other devices that focus on vibrations and electromagnetic fields, such equipment isn鈥檛 always needed.

With the Peninsula鈥檚 history of Semiahmoo First Nations people living in the area for centuries, there are often Indigenous presences felt, the couple said.

鈥淐rescent Park is quite an active place in the middle of the night. Glen was out there and said something about how he is an ex-British army soldier, and we actually got an EVP 鈥� that鈥檚 an electrical voice 91原创enon 鈥� of 鈥榊es sir!鈥� And then he got attacked, and he was throwing up all the way home,鈥� she recalled.

Glen remembers that he also got scratched 鈥� and has been shoved and pushed by apparitions and unseen presences in the past as well, so hard he鈥檚 been knocked over 鈥� admitting he may have pushed a little too hard that time.

At the former Chateau Cargill Manor in South Surrey, they experienced another presence, who apparently preferred to communicate in French.

鈥淏efore (the building) got condemned, one of the investigators was humming and we got an EVP in French saying 鈥楽top the music!鈥� That was really interesting,鈥� Janessa said.

With both of them having served in the military, and having a history of working steady jobs that require intelligence and skill, Glen and Janessa know there are skeptics out there.

鈥淚 love skeptics. Because when you can prove a skeptic wrong, it鈥檚 always cool,鈥� Janessa said, noting Indigenous and other histories are rich with spirit walkers and spiritualists.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not crazy. We鈥檙e just more in tune.鈥�

The pair have never visited the Washington Avenue Grill nor the Oceana Parc Playhouse in White Rock, but they鈥檇 like to, as both places are reportedly, known to boast a ghost or two.

White Rock Players Club artistic director Fred Partridge, a past president who has been involved with the club for more than 40 years, said there鈥檚 been plenty of reported happenings.

鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely unexplained 91原创enon happening there鈥� one thing that comes up fairly frequently is footsteps up in the dressing rooms when everybody鈥檚 downstairs on the stage, and they know that nobody鈥檚 up there,鈥� he said, or the lights around the costume or storage area being switched off 鈥� while someone is in there.

More recently, some technical workers were on the stage doing some work.

鈥淭his has happened a few times 鈥� the last time, they actually heard someone playing piano out in the lobby. They thought, 鈥極h, we thought we were the only ones here,鈥� so they went out to see.

鈥淭here鈥檚 two pianos out there, but there was nobody out there and both of the keyboards were not exposed, they were covered,鈥� Partridge said, noting that other times, it can be just a random note or two that is heard.

鈥淛ust recently, someone (who was upstairs) heard somebody trying to talk to them, and they had their back to the doorway, and they heard somebody say, 鈥楢ren鈥檛 you going to talk to me?鈥�,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hey turned around, and nobody was there, so they went downstairs and asked, 鈥榃ho was just upstairs?鈥�

鈥淣obody was.鈥�

While there have been theories that the presence might have been a former longtime costumer, the person who heard the voice thought not, Partridge said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a female presence there 鈥� if that鈥檚 what you believe,鈥� he said.

He鈥檚 not quite sold鈥� but, 鈥淥nly because it hasn鈥檛 happened to me yet,鈥� he noted.

The Explore White Rock website calls the Washington Avenue Grill 鈥榃hite Rock鈥檚 Haunted House,鈥� telling the tales of the building, which was built in 1913 by the Campbell River Lumber Company and originally operated as a lumber mill that employed more than 400 people during the First World War.

In 1934, it became the home of caretaker Arthur Sharpe, who, after living there for 10 years, 鈥渕ysteriously disappeared, and is believed by many to be haunting the building to this day,鈥� the website says, adding his isn鈥檛 the only presence reported there.

Staff and customers of the restaurant have reported paranormal experiences with two other apparitions: the first, a young woman who died after being hit by a car in front of the restaurant and the second, being her lover who witnessed the accident and committed suicide out of grief over her death.

鈥淩eports are that the woman鈥檚 ghost comes out of the neighbouring cemetery, wanders through the restaurant and up the stairs and her romantic interest is known for touching staff members and visitors.鈥�