It’s hard to say why Flower can’t get out of the well on Ghosts. But we can assume that the same material that kept Elias in the vault is perhaps what’s holding Flower down and away from her ghost family. So, what is it? While Supernatural might wink at iron and salt acting as ghost repellents, it might just be lead. According to the Society of Psychical Research, paranormal entities are believed to have electromagnetic energy. Lead, being a heavy and dense metal per definitions from the journal, Science Direct, can absorb or reflect radio frequency waves. When combined with the fact that spirits are known to hold electromagnetic energy (as detected by EMF readers), it can be theorized that lead blocks ionizing and non-ionizing radiation due to its ability to interfere with these electric and magnetic waves, and of course, its high atomic number.
When applying this understanding and theory to Woodstone, you might just get your answer. Historically speaking, the Science History Institute Museum & Library states that in the mid-1800s (around the time Hetty lived), urban areas utilized lead as a popular material for water pipes that connected to wells. Could it have been that, over the years, the conduits corroded, and lead leaked into the pipes and groundwater that lined Woodstone’s well? The Virginia Department of Health goes on to state that the East Coast, particularly New York, has a high prevalence of lead in its groundwater.
Knowing that the Woodstone Mansion is quite old and Hetty was never one to lift a finger in the home or check on things that were meant for the help, there could have been a presence of lead in the plumbing fixtures or, in this case, the well components. If Flower is stuck there due to some biological hazard of lead leaking into the Woodstone wells and preventing her escape, Jay and Sam might not know about it until near the end of the season. Ghosts has six more episodes to go in Season 3, and while we hope to see our blossoming Flower before then, we will be anxiously awaiting more answers.
