Several spirits of the ghostly kind lurk about the SacramentoState campus. Now that Halloween is around the corner, I have fourtales of such ghosts befitting to the occasion.

During the cold and dark months, crossing the Guy West Bridgebecomes a risky endeavor. Especially if tired in the evening, thewitching hour. It is not the evil troll who lives underneath thatyou should worry about, for he is asleep during those hours. Whatyou have to worry about is the headless cyclist.

Yes, the headless cyclist an entity that will chase any studentacross the bridge for no apparent reason other than merepleasure.

I first picked up on this story when a friend of mine, StudentTrustee of the California State University system and formerAssociated Students Inc. President Eric Guerra, appeared on myfront door step holding a contorted bicycle.

The bike had two flat tires, a bent handlebar and a maladjustedseat. His body was a mess with scraped knees and bloodyhands; all crowned with a blue-green knot on his forehead.

Upon inquiring about his mishap he alluded to some creature ofthe nether world that had come from behind and pushed him off hisbike.

“I was chased by this guy on a bike who had no head. Iescaped when I reached the other side of the levee that runsparallel to University Avenue,” Guerra said.

I proposed that maybe he had imagined the whole ordeal becausehe was in a delusional state after long hours of studying. Hechallenged that notion, citing the lack of a probable explanationas to why he fell off his bike.

Those who have crashed during late-night crossings can attest tothe existence of such a poltergeist, for only they can bear witnessto the headless cyclist.

Other than wearing a garlic necklace, there are a few ways toward off such an attack. For one, you could try wearing ahelmet.

Another supernatural sighting is the spirit of a homeless manshot by the Sacramento Police back on January 21, 1998.

His vagabond spirit now roams aimlessly about the C.M. GoetheArboretum, near the J Street entrance to the campus.

Tommy Carl Valdez, 29, died instantly after being fired upon sixtimes by the police while waving a toy gun and talking tohimself.

Reading the reports in The Sacramento Bee and The State Hornet,it seems like a police officer with a real gun might have beentrigger-happy.

Valdez’s spirit drifts about haunting the underbrush likebefore he died, playing with his toy gun, hiding behind the shadytrees that bring mysterious darkness to the arboretum during thedaytime.

For the lovers that rush off to the romantic cover of the woods,you might not be alone. Valdez might be peeping.

But do not worry, he is a spirit of the benevolentkind.

If you don’t bother him, he won’t bother you. Butbeware of the cops.

The next ghost probably holds the record for being the oldestinhabitant of Sac State. Remembered only as Ralph, this slinkingspirit haunts late night rehearsals.

Ralph died during the construction of the main theater in the1954-55 school year, but his presence has been felt by manystudents and faculty since then.

“A girl saw a face looking at her from the light gridabove the main stage. She called out to the rest of the crewto come and see, but after further inspection no one wasthere,” Larry Shumate said.

Shumate was the first stage technician when the building openedin January of 1956.He later on became chair of the departmentup until the early 1990s.

According to Shumate, Ralph was a building inspector who fell tohis death from the roof of the theater, resting deep in thebasement.The stage was unfinished at the time.

Odd occurrences indicate the probability of apresence.

“The scene shop elevator makes unmanned trips between thebasement and the costume shop in the third floor,” NinaPinckerd, a stage theater technician, said.

“When riding the elevator, sometimes you push up and ittakes you down to the basement. Sometimes you feel a colddraft and even a presence when in the basement,” DebraHammond, a former Sac State student said.

But there is no need to fear. Ralph is very dead and hismischievous existence has never been known to cause harm.

Besides, no theater is complete without some sort ofphantom.

The fourth and final spirit holds the record for mostappearances.

His name is Gerth.His appearance is pale, frumpy, short instructure and somewhat disheveled.Gerth is a slow-movingfigure that drifts between buildings on campus. One of his favoritehaunts was Sacramento Hall, but over the summer he moved to thelibrary.

Many witnesses have spotted this specter lurking among the filesas if attempting to compile a history of the California StateUniversity system. I suppose students will see his name pop upcoincidentally more than a few times when the book comesout.

Even with this, the most frightening of the Sac State specters,his threat level is low.

The existence of ghosts may be questionable, but one truthstands out, the real horror of fear doesn’t come from thedead but from the living, for they can cause true harm.

Beware of the living and have a Happy Halloween.

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