The following was submitted by one of our readers...

I moved into a house on Lawlor Ave. (circa 1911) in the beaches area of Toronto in August 1993. Two of my friends had lived in the house for several years already and had told me that the house was haunted by a ghost of a woman that they had named "Sophie". I rented a bedroom on the top floor and my friends told me that this bedroom had the best "vibes" of all the rooms in the house. I admit that I was sceptical and quickly forgot about Sophie.

Shortly after I moved in I noticed that I was losing things like my car keys and other small items. These items would reappear elsewhere in the house. My friends pointed out that I was (and still am) one of those people who never misplaces things and that it was probably Sophie playing tricks on me. I just attributed it to being in a new environment and my carelessness.

In September 1993 I came in to find one of my friends sitting on the couch shaking with a drink in her hand (this is really unusual for her). She looked at me and asked me if I had been in the basement during the last half hour. I told her that I was out all day and had just then returned.

She then told me that she was busy working in the basement when someone with long blond hair (like mine) had walked by her. She thought it was me and started talking, but when she did not get a reply she looked up and noticed the woman had disappeared. There was no way this person could have left the basement without passing by her again.

That same month I was alone in the house watching a Blue Jays game in the living room when I felt very uncomfortable and uneasy - like someone was watching me. I ended up going back up to my room to watch the game and as soon as I left the living room, the feeling disappeared.

My room felt very safe, but in the middle of the night sometimes my television would go on by itself. I would have to get up to turn it off, since It was an older set without a remote. I mentioned this to the friend in the front bedroom and she told me that she had the opposite problem - her television would go off whenever she was watching something interesting.

Was it bad wiring in an old house, or was it Sophie?

In November the three of us decided to have a meeting to discuss all the weird stuff going on. We were all in the living room talking when suddenly the back door flew open. One of my friends swore that she had closed it and locked it after going out for a quick smoke. By this time I was a believer.

I moved out in May 1994 when the house was sold. I often tell people about "Sophie" and I hope the new owners of the home are not scared of her. I believe that she was a benevolent ghost who just wanted us to know she was there. Looking back at the events I now feel spooked, but while I lived there I never had a sense of real fear or dread, just a few uneasy feelings here and there, nothing threatening.

I hope Sophie is happy and eventually able to leave this world and go on to the next.

Update January 2008 The following was sent in by one of our readers:

I would like to comment on this story. I lived on Lawlor we moved in when I was 7 I had, had many experiences growing up in that house. My neighbours also reported odd things happening to them. I wonder if someone has thought of looking up the history of the area? The presence, scared me, but was not harmful, more like just wanting me to acknowledge that they are there. Just for the record though, I have heard many stories about Lawlor Ave. and I found yours to be very similar to my own. Thanks, for sharing this story.

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