It's Thursday, Time for another Ghost Story.
[For those new to 'ghost story thursday' on Ger's blog, there are only 2 rules if you wish to tell a story of your own, 1- It must be your story, or that of a valid source (ex: your best friend, but not your "friend's neighbor's cousin's ex-fiance was once told that his college roommate . . .") who has granted permission for their story to be shared. 2- It must be truthful. Your tale can be shared either by posting it in a comment on Thursday's blog post, or you can email it to me and I'll tell your story on the following Thursday (GerilynMarin@gmail.com). You are welcome to ask to remain anonymous, and at no time will I ever claim that another person's experience is my own.]
This occurred when I was about 18 years old.
I won't go into heavy backstory on the thing that was witnessed, but it should be known that this was not my first time seeing 'it', so perhaps that I did not put much thought into the event as it was happening is understandable.
At this time, my bedroom was the large, studio-apartment-style basement of my family's meager two-story home. It was partially in-ground, so there was usually low light that came in from windows that ran under the back porch and beneath the farthest window (leaving perhaps a 3 foot gap of blank space) is the dryer.
On this particular night, a friend named Renee was sleeping over and, as girls do, we shared the bed. With the lights off there was perhaps just enough illumination by which to make out shapes in the room--you'd be able to see enough to nagivate your way to the stairs if you needed to go up and use the bathroom, that's the level of light we're talking about. After about 3 years of living in this room, I knew what was supposed to be where in the middle of the night.
It must've been sometime between 2 and 3 AM when I woke up. I know this not because I looked at the clock, but because I've woken up at that time nearly every night since I was about 10 or 11 years old (even when I've tried sleeping aids, I still wake up at that hour, it's actually kinda freaky). I hadn't yet wrapped my head around the idea that this was simply always going to happen, so I was looking around for something that might have woken me up- maybe one of my parents woke up early and was tromping around upstairs and the noise woke me, maybe Renee was being a bed hog, anything.
And I saw a shape that wasn't supposed to be there.
I don't know how long I spent, just staring at it. Beneath that last window, it looked like a person was sitting, crouched, on top of the dryer. It was a silhoutte, with very little exact definition, but it apppeared as solid as the other 'usual' shapes in that part of the room. I was sure that I was seeing 'it'-- the thing I'd been seeing off and on for a few years, now-- but I couldn't figure out what it was doing there. I'd never been able to look at it head-on like this before and I was just kind of stuck gaping at it.
"What is that?" Renee says suddenly from beside me- startling the crap outta me.
When I glance over at her for a second, I can see that she's looking at the same place as I was. She meets my eyes and then we both look back and it is gone. No sound, no ominous feeling that accompanied its presence that had now faded. Nothing.
It was just gone.
The next morning, I figured she'd forgotten, or that maybe I'd imagined (dreamed) the incident, so I didn't say anything. But out of nowhere, Renee asks me what is was that she saw in my room last night.
And I had to give her the answer that is the same now as it was then: I really don't know.
The Thing in the Corner
This occurred when I was about 18 years old.
I won't go into heavy backstory on the thing that was witnessed, but it should be known that this was not my first time seeing 'it', so perhaps that I did not put much thought into the event as it was happening is understandable.
At this time, my bedroom was the large, studio-apartment-style basement of my family's meager two-story home. It was partially in-ground, so there was usually low light that came in from windows that ran under the back porch and beneath the farthest window (leaving perhaps a 3 foot gap of blank space) is the dryer.
On this particular night, a friend named Renee was sleeping over and, as girls do, we shared the bed. With the lights off there was perhaps just enough illumination by which to make out shapes in the room--you'd be able to see enough to nagivate your way to the stairs if you needed to go up and use the bathroom, that's the level of light we're talking about. After about 3 years of living in this room, I knew what was supposed to be where in the middle of the night.
It must've been sometime between 2 and 3 AM when I woke up. I know this not because I looked at the clock, but because I've woken up at that time nearly every night since I was about 10 or 11 years old (even when I've tried sleeping aids, I still wake up at that hour, it's actually kinda freaky). I hadn't yet wrapped my head around the idea that this was simply always going to happen, so I was looking around for something that might have woken me up- maybe one of my parents woke up early and was tromping around upstairs and the noise woke me, maybe Renee was being a bed hog, anything.
And I saw a shape that wasn't supposed to be there.
I don't know how long I spent, just staring at it. Beneath that last window, it looked like a person was sitting, crouched, on top of the dryer. It was a silhoutte, with very little exact definition, but it apppeared as solid as the other 'usual' shapes in that part of the room. I was sure that I was seeing 'it'-- the thing I'd been seeing off and on for a few years, now-- but I couldn't figure out what it was doing there. I'd never been able to look at it head-on like this before and I was just kind of stuck gaping at it.
"What is that?" Renee says suddenly from beside me- startling the crap outta me.
When I glance over at her for a second, I can see that she's looking at the same place as I was. She meets my eyes and then we both look back and it is gone. No sound, no ominous feeling that accompanied its presence that had now faded. Nothing.
It was just gone.
The next morning, I figured she'd forgotten, or that maybe I'd imagined (dreamed) the incident, so I didn't say anything. But out of nowhere, Renee asks me what is was that she saw in my room last night.
And I had to give her the answer that is the same now as it was then: I really don't know.
Wow! What a great ghost story! I didn't notice when I kept getting closer to the screen of my computer until I finished reading and realized I could have been IN my computer, haha. Have you seen the shape since?
ReplyDeleteMy story happened a few years ago, probably when I was 10 or 20, I can't remember for certain. My mom, sister, and I were on a vacation in San Diego, and as tourists who love ghost stories, we took the Haunted San Diego Tour. Our last stop was the Whaley House, supposedly one of the most haunted places in America. I was really hoping to see something unforgettable, and while I had felt a cold chill, something that I didn't brush off automatically, I still wanted more.
As the tour advanced to the next room, the dining room, I ended up next to a guy with a digital camera in hand. Before we left the dining room, he snapped a few photos of one of the walls. Out of curiosity, I leaned over to see the picture on the camera and was astounded. There, standing against the wall where with my eyes I saw nothing, was a woman dressed in old-fashioned garb, hair in a high bun, and hands held neatly in front of her. It was the most tangible ghost I'd ever seen.
I'm sure if there were more skeptics that were able to see that picture, they would be rethinking their stance.
I've since been back to the Whaley House a number of times, but have never been able to recapture the picture he took. I do have quite a few pictures of orbs though that I had taken while there, and even felt the ghost dog brush up against my leg. My friend felt the ghost dog tug at her pants on the same trip.
Yes, I have, but it's usually just for a second and then it's gone. In the years that have passed it's become more common for me to 'feel' it near me; just that unnerving sense of someone standing behind you when you know you're alone.
DeleteI've heard of the Whaley House, actually. On occasion I watch this show called Celebrity Ghost Stories on the Biography Channel (I like to indulge in things that remind me that others have 'experiences', too, but people like me just tend to have 'more' of them XD) and Regis Philbin told a story from his early days in showbiz when he'd visited the home for a segment on the paranormal.
The woman you're describing fits the image that he discussed of Anna Whaley- wife of the home's first owner, Thomas Whaley- whom he'd glimpsed during a night spent in the house, only to not see a picture of her 'til afterward.
I don't want to discount anything you've said, but I have to say that unless it is very distinct (large, self-illuminated, possibly having a color to it [I have a story that I will be telling at some point, in which I'd witnessed an orb with my own naked eyes]) I don't tend to put much stock into orb photos. It's not that I want to shoot down anything, or anyone's experience, simply that--as many things in the paranormal world-- no one really knows what they are. Could they be spirits? Sure. But then they could also be something separate entirely- something that is maybe drawn to spirit activity, or psychic energy, who knows?