Sanctuary of the Strange: Tom

Oh where do I start with Tom? During our initial walk through of the Sanctuary of the Strange, one of the owners took us into a room and said "Notice the smell? This is the only room that smells like this, and it doesn't seem to change regardless of what we do. There's also a really weird vibe in here." 

    I immediately picked up on the reason. I told the owner that it was due to the person hanging around in the corner. He is comfortable in this room and doesn't really leave. Later on in our investigation, I learned of this ghost's name and birth date: Tom, born in 1938. I got the sense that Tom was in his late 60's, early 70's when he passed. Austin brought in a REM POD to see if we could get Tom to interact. That was a no-go. Not only was Tom *not* interested in exploring the REM POD's potential, he backed away from it, and complained loudly to me about not only the device, but about all of the other 'stuff' that was in the room. Tom is what's best described as a 'crotchety old man.' Definitely the "get off my lawn" type. He was full of anxiety, which explains the 'weird vibe' that the owner described and I picked up on. Austin offered Tom some candy, and he reluctantly agreed that he liked the orange flavor.

ChatGPT recreation of the scene
in Tom's room. It's not exactly what
Tom looks like, but it's close enough.

Later in the evening, the two other paranormal investigators camped out in Tom's room. They *also* set up a REM POD, hoping to get the ghost that was present to interact. I had popped in to ask them how it was going, and they said they had very little response from the entity there. I told them it wasn't surprising, and informed them about what we experienced and I learned about Tom. I hadn't stayed long, as I was off to go explore more of the facility. 

    The absolute funniest interaction I had with Tom was when I returned again. The two investigators were still hanging out in Tom's room, chit chatting with one another. I walked into the room and heard "There are TOO MANY people in MY ROOM. Get the F*CK OUT." I literally busted out laughing and immediately left the room. This particular room has an opening and a counter top, so I moved to that part of the space and told everyone what I had just heard. The next time I visit the Sanctuary of the Strange, I am going to have to revisit Tom's room and see if I can get more of his story. What a trip he is!