A well-known Kaluga researcher of anomalous phenomena, Andrei Perepelitsyn, told how he once "talked" with a reel, where real ghosts live in Kaluga, and about his dream of finding a jumping snake
A friend of mine once complained about strange things that began to happen in her apartment.
- I constantly hear some incomprehensible knocks, rustles, - said a friend. - And what if I have a drum at my house?
During an expedition to Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, Andrei Perepelitsyn
explored the dungeons located in the vicinity of the city. Local
residents claim that they are inhabited by mysterious underground people.
We turned to Andrey Perepelitsyn for advice. He has been studying unusual phenomena for a long time. At one time he was even called a ghost hunter.
Where are ghosts found?
However, Andrei did not find anything supernatural in the story of my friend. Most likely, the whole thing is in ordinary rats, Perepelitsyn suggested and advised to put a mousetrap.
“In general, such a phenomenon as a poltergeist is very rare,” says Andrey Perepelitsyn. - There was just a period when they began to actively write about it, and many suddenly "discovered" signs of the presence of a burgundy in their homes. But in fact, old water pipes can make strange sounds.
- Have you ever encountered a little drum yourself?
- I had a chance to “talk” with the little girl only once. It was a few years ago. Once a friend of mine called (he worked in an office center) and said that a strange knock was heard from the closet in their office. We pushed the closet away from the wall, pulled out all the folders, but the knocking continued. I tried to tap with a drum. He reacted to the sound, but, alas, no meaningful "conversation" happened. On the second day we arrived at the office center with special equipment, but the knocking, unfortunately, stopped.
- In general, there are many so-called anomalous places in Kaluga?
- Actually, not much, more talk. More or less confidently, I can name only two places where, indeed, incomprehensible things happened. One of them is the building of the Kaluga Medical School. As you know, this is a former bishop's house. Legend has it that the bishop was a great sinner. And that he allegedly immured the girl alive in the wall of his house. And as if since then her ghost has wandered the corridors. I personally spoke with the watchmen. They were really scared. Before their eyes, nails flew out of the wall, and plaintive groans were heard. We wanted to be on duty at the medical school for several nights, but it didn't work out. And then the seemingly unusual phenomena subsided there.
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- And where is the second anomalous place?
- Regularly, there are reports of a ghost on the Kanishchevsky pond. According to one version, there used to be a cemetery there. On the other - the house of the witch. The locals told us that when they went to swim in the pond, they saw a white figure there. I have heard at least three independent stories. We were on duty at the pond for several nights, but, unfortunately, we never saw anything. If we talk about the Kaluga region as a whole, then we have more than a dozen anomalous zones.
I have an innate sense of heightened curiosity
- When did your passion for unusual phenomena begin?
- It happened when I was seven years old. It was 1977. Once my father caught a Russian-language UFO transmission on the receiver and recorded it. I listened to the program and loved it. Having matured, he began to go to various conferences, to look for like-minded people.
In general, it seems to me that the reasons for this hobby are purely biological. In any population of gregarious animals, and man refers to them, there is a certain percentage of individuals with an innate sense of heightened curiosity. Perhaps I am one of them. Previously, such people became seafarers, discovered new lands, islands …
- Do you have the feeling that you were born at the wrong time? Now, if not all, then a lot has already been discovered.
- I have no such feeling. Because actually nothing has been discovered yet. I was convinced of this when I found a natural cave near Kaluga on the banks of the Oka in 1996. As it turned out later, in terms of its size, it occupies one of the first places in Central Russia. But there was a village nearby, a summer cottage settlement. The locals saw some kind of crater on the river bank, but did not pay much attention to it. So the era of great discoveries is not over yet!
Jumping Snake Hunters Wanted
- Now my favorite topic is cryptozoology, that is, the study of animals unknown to science, - says Andrey Perepelitsyn. - We travel with expeditions all over Russia.
The most promising is the north-west of our country. According to the stories, there is a jumping snake. Last year we found an area in the Pskov region where there were massive sightings of this snake. We are going there again at the end of August. I'm sure two or three weeks of work, and we will find the snake. If, of course, there are enough seekers. The main problem here is to gather more or less experienced people who know how to observe animals in nature, and who then do not need to look for themselves in the swamps.
- Are there any animals unknown to science in the Kaluga Region?
- Yes, I have information that we have lizard-like animals like monitor lizards. These are such small crocodiles up to a meter long. Even academic science does not doubt their existence in the recent past. Information about these animals has been preserved in the ancient Russian annals. In the Kaluga region, I know of two observations of this animal. The first was at the beginning of 2000 in Ferzikovsky district. A local resident saw on the shore of the pond a certain horror-story creature more than half a meter long, with paws. The second observation was apparently recently in the Iznoskovsky district. We're going to go there this summer.
In general, I have an idea to write a monograph on cryptozoology in Russia. True, there is not enough time to implement this idea. I may have to wait until I get old and retire …
