Several friends have spoken of strange things happening to them at night along Old Finch Avenue, just north of the Toronto Zoo. Is it true that someone is haunting that stretch of road? —Jeff Chong, North York

There have been a number of reports of otherworldly occurrences along Old Finch, which marks the boundary between residential Scarborough and rural forests. The most persistent concerns a bridge near Morningside Avenue, said to be frequented by the spirit of a girl murdered there on her birthday. Scary, perhaps, but unlikely, since no newspaper or police records exist to prove the murder ever took place. Other yarns involve eerie screams emanating from a nearby cemetery. Sadly, for fans of the occult, the spot’s proximity to the zoo’s peacock pens belies supernatural explanations. When agitated, the foul-tempered fowl emit chilling, high-pitched cries. Still, there is one fiendish presence around Old Finch that is indubitable: adjacent woods are a favourite haunt of rowdy teens. And what’s a bush party without a ghost story or two?

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