- HOBART, Ind. -- Six-year-old
Collin Anderson has been afraid for a while now that the ghost of his grandfather
-- who died last year in the family's home -- might return someday to cause
him trouble.
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- So the Lake County boy did what any child might do if
faced with a similar situation: He asked his mom to sell Grandpa's ghost
on eBay.
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- His mother, Mary Anderson, wanted to help her son get
beyond his fears, but she was initially skeptical of the idea. For one
thing, she couldn't figure out what exactly a potential buyer would get
for a winning bid at the online auction site.
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- "What are they going to get?" she recalls thinking.
"A box of nothing?"
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- With some thought, Anderson decided to package the ghost
with her father's metal walking cane, which conjures up bad memories for
Collin, who remembers being tapped on the rear end with it during his grandfather's
cranky final days.
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- The resulting online auction item had drawn 33 bids as
of Friday evening. With more than two days left in the auction, the top
offer for Grandpa's ghost and cane was $76.
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- Since the bidding began Monday, curious prospective buyers
have posted messages. "Your story brought tears to my eyes,"
one bidder said. "I just wonder how this will turn out for your son."
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- Others seem more dubious, including one bidder who asked
if the ghost came with a guarantee. "I have had ghosts go bad before
and haven't had a warranty. I don't want to deal with another bad ghost.
Thanks. Will you ship to Canada?"
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- Anderson, who lives near Gary in the town of Hobart,
said shipping to Canada is fine. And she will pay the postage costs if
it means getting rid of her son's fears.
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- But with the purchase of the ghost comes one little string:
The buyer is requested to send little Collin a letter to confirm that the
cane -- and the ghost -- have been received.
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- She plans to frame the letter and hang it on the wall
of her son's bedroom -- her childhood bedroom.
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- "It's so he will always know he is safe," she
said.
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- And the sale's proceeds? Anderson said Collin -- who
is named for his late grandfather -- will get to spend the cash.
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- Copyright 2004 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
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- http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/199666-1420-009.html
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- Grandpa's Ghost On eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=19270&item=
5539709069&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
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