Yes, yes. It sounds dirty. I'll give you a moment to chuckle over it…

I regret to inform you, though, that the orbs I'm talking about are the ghostly orbs of a paranormal presence. Less enticing to some, but not to Wicked Walking Tour guide Gordon. He's very much turned on by the haunting spirits of the Old Port.

He led a group of us around on Saturday night during a Wicked Walking Tour and regaled some tales of the haunted places downtown - most of which we still live, work and drink in.

We didn't actually see any ghosts, though.

Or maybe we did...

Gordon walked us over to Wharf Street (where locals often catch a frightening glimpse of drunken apparitions stumbling over the treacherous cobblestone) and pointed out a brick corner building.

"This building here," he said, "is known to have a great deal of orb activity." Orbs, he informed us, are the circular forms of a ghostly presence that are sometimes captured in photographs.

We cynics call them "dust particles." But hey, I'm on a walking tour. I'll just play along. So I whipped out my digital camera, directed the lens upward and snapped a photo. A few others did the same.

"If you capture anything, e-mail me the photo." Gordon said. "I want to see your orbs."

Yeah he does.

According to Gordon, this area was particularly prone to orbs because of its history. (Think Irish laborers and back-breaking work building Commercial Street. Think merchants, fishermen and sailors. Think brothels and ladies of the night. Think rum and drunks and more rum. Ah, the old days.)

With all that Old Port activity, it's no wonder that Wharf Street (which once upon a time was waterfront property) still seems to capture the attention of the long dead.

I checked out my photo and low and behold, orbs galore! (Visions that were in NO WAY connected to the gales of wind that blew dirt in our faces during part of the walk.)

Gordon noted that even a photo that appeared to have nothing in it might reveal its haunted evidence when blown up and examined. So when I got home, I blew it up.

Well hot damn. Color me a believer.

Wicked Walking Tours run Wednesday-Saturday though Halloween. Don't forget that digital camera if you plan to capture any orbs of your own.