Betsy Belanger can communicate with spirits.

Standing under the dimly-lit, orb-like lamps that hang low from the ceiling, her eyes are closed. The Monday night tour group at the historic Lemp Mansion sits in awed silence as they


watch intently. In her hands is a pair of dowsing rods which face straight forward. The one in her left hand indicates the word “yes.” In the right hand, “no.”
“Is there a spirit here with us tonight?” She asks the air around her.
The rod in her left hand begins to move on its own, now pointing to the side. She opens her eyes.
Yes.
She has been able to do this for over 15 years. Starting out working at a local theatre,   Belanger never expected her life to make such a turn.
“I have really been able to do this since I was  a girl,” Belanger said. “But I never had anyone to talk to about it.”
The room has a mixed response. A woman in front begins to breathe heavily and hold her chest, asking about how claustrophobic the house will  get. On the other side of the room, a group of teen boys glance at each other and role their eyes. A red-haired boy whispers something to another and they snicker. They’re skeptical.
Betsy sets down her rods and smiles.
“Then let’s get started.”
Every Monday night, Belanger goes through this same routine. Taking a group of people through the Mansion, she explains the history of the Lemp family and the paranormal experiences that occur in their house.
As the tour draws to a close, Betsy takes the group up to the attic for the dark room experience. Here is where most of the activity takes place.
The same woman who felt claustrophobic at the beginning of the tour begins breathing heavily and lays her head on her friend’s shoulder. Scared voices around the dark room begin to fill the silenced room.
Someone just walked in the room!”
“It’s freezing over here…”
“Did you just here that?”
A woman sitting on a bed gasps. She can feel a dog at her feet.
“Oh, that’s just the dog,” Betsy explains. “She goes wherever people usually are.”
“Is she the one that was killed?” A voice from the corner asks.
Betsy’s silhouetted figure nods.
As the tour begins to draw to an end, guests are both shaken and excited. The group of teen boys who were seemingly skeptical at the beginning of the tour are now silent as they make their way back down the spiral staircase and back to the dining room. The red haired boy, Tyler McGuire, walks towards Betsy, who is holding a pair of dowsing rods again.
“That was insane.”  
Belanger is not sure where what lies down the road. One thing is for certain, however: she’ll always be with what she likes to call her “ghostly friends.”
“It was an unexpected turn in my life,” Belanger said. “But I’m glad that it happened. It’s not an everyday job you hear about and always makes for a good conversation starter. I’m not sure how long I’ll do it. Probably forever. We’ll just wait and see where life takes me.”