By Aimee

Ghosts are souls or spirits of a dead person or animal that can appear in visible form in the living world. Although they cannot be touched or felt, their presence is terrifying. For thousands of years, people claim to have seen ghosts but what are these mysterious figures? Many people believe that they are the souls of the dead, come back to haunt the land of the living. Have you ever seen a ghost?

Poltergeists are invisible and noisy ghosts. Pots, pans, plates and cutlery flying around are a sure sign that a poltergeist is haunting a house. Poltergeist signs also include rapping and crackling noises, slamming doors, moving furniture, cold spots in the air and electrical appliances going wrong. This scary situation is normally centered in one location, such as a haunted house.

Ghostly figures roam many haunted houses, castles, theatres and other buildings around the world. These ghosts are the souls of people who have died terrible deaths in the buildings. Some famous haunting scenes are Amityville USA, Borley Rectory, England, Tower of London, Borden House, USA and Raynham Hall in Norfolk.

Humans and animals are not the only ghosts, there are also ghost ships. The most famous is a strange ship sailed by its ghostly captain – the Flying Dutchman. Other ghost ships are the Mary Celeste, the blazing steamship, the Caleuche, the SS Montrose, the SS Valencia, the Octavius, The Joyita, the Ourang Medan, the Carrol A. Deering, the Baychimo and the Lady Lovibond.