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Post by lighthorseman on Oct 29, 2011 7:12:03 GMT -5
But they have to be real experiences... Everyone, when they let their guard down, has a story about some high strangeness they've been exposed too. It usually isn't full blown ghosts or alien visitations, but rather the things you see out of the corner of your eye that don't fit into a rational world view. There's that one room in the big old building the janitor doesn't like to go into alone, or the time the grizzled old bushman saw the trees moving like something was coming through them when there was no wind... So, since it's the season, I thought it might be fun do draw in around the campfire and share our experiences. I'll go first; When I was a teenager, I was camping with some friends in an alpine hut. I would have been 14-15ish. We'd hiked in through the bush, and hadn't seen anyone else since we were dropped off that morning. It was late at night, in the middle of winter. I was the only one still awake, it was a full moon, and moonlight was streaming in through the window, casting a big light patch on the wall opposite me. I remember it clearly, right down to the shadow of the cross between the window panes. Now... imagine, if you will, someone walking up behind you as you face towards a wall, with the headlights of a car behind. I'm sure you can imagine the way you would see their shadow, clearly humanoid, looming up alongside your own. Well, lying there, on the floor of this old hut, only person awake, I saw that shadow. In the rectangle of moonlight opposite me, I saw a shadow like that of a person walking towards the hut grow up the wall over about 20 seconds. It even swayed slightly from side to side as a person's shadow would with each footstep. When the shadow was filling about 3/4s of the moonlit space on the wall, it suddenly shot to the side, as if a person had suddenly dived away to avoid being seen. I got up, and looked out the door, and there was no one there. I woke up my best mate, and told him I thought someone was outside. We went all around the hut, and there was no one out there. We called out into the night, and there was no response. We were about 20kms from the nearest highway, on a remote bush track, so its not like there were many casual passers by. There were certainly no vehicles nearby that we could hear the sound of, and like I said, we hadn't seen anyone since that morning when we were dropped off. Pretty much the most unnerving thing I have ever seen. I've never seen anything like it since, and to this day, I can't think of a rational explaination for it. Your turn...
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Post by scotsgit on Oct 29, 2011 16:50:49 GMT -5
When you work in the Security industry, you get a lot of strangeness going on - sometimes it can be the stress of too little sleep and working alone, you have to remember, we patrol buildings and factories on our own in the dark and the ever-abiding fear of having someone break in (which has happened to me twice) is always preying on, if not all of your mind, then certainly a part of it.
But there have been things I can't explain away easily, even looking back at the events long afterwards. The first that comes to mind was when I was living in Aberdeen. Myself and another officer were patrolling a building and went into a long office block. Following procedures, we entered the room and went to each side of the room and started walking up through the room, moving our torches across the room as we went - this is a standard security practice and was second nature to us. About halfway up the room, I felt a hand grab the back of shirt and give it an almighty wrench, pulling me off balance. I managed to stay upright and swung round to have a go at the other guy (thinking it was him) but saw no-one there. There was nothing I could have caught myself on, no desks or cabinets or anything. I still wonder about that one.
The other was when I was walking, late at night, down from the Sheriffmuir Inn - this Inn is a good 5 - 6 miles outside where I used to live. As I was walking, I heard the sound of troops marching up behind me - not just boots marching in time, but voices speaking lowly. Now, this isn't as odd as it sounds at first - it's not unknown for soldiers to do night marches up there, so I moved aside to let them past. Except there was no-one else there. Had I heard one of the regiments that fought there continuing its march to the battlefield?
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Post by Vypernight on Oct 29, 2011 17:15:53 GMT -5
Years ago, when my parents and brothers moved to NC for a couple of years, I moved in with my best friend and his family. We split his room with his bed along one wall and mine along the adjacent one. This way, we could both see the TV. At night, the street lights through the shades would give the bedroom floor a a line-like glow.
One night, we were calling it a night (We didn't feel like watching TV), so we just lay there talking until we both passed out. For some reason, the topic of conversation became about death.
We talked and joked for several minutes until I glanced over near the closet, whose doors were open. Glacing over, I thought I saw a figure in a black cloak, with a black hood, standing near the closet looking between us. I could've also sworn I could see traces of a bright white skull in the hood. Of course, I figured my mind was playing tricks on me, so I didn't think anything of it, well until . . .
"Jay . . . look over at the closet . . ."
My friend was seeing the exact same thing, and it was creeping us both out! I then slowly got up and inched toward the lightswitch. As I did, I could not see inside the figure's hood very well, as if it had bery subtly turned its head away from me.
I finally got to the switch and turned the lights on, and of course it was gone. Hanging from the opened closet doors were our work clothes. However, nothing seemed to resemble what we thought we saw (Our pants only reached about halfway down the door, yet the figure's cloak touched the floor). I turned the light off again and saw nothing that resembled what had spooked us earlier.
To this day, we have no clue whether our twisted imaginations had come up with this at the same time or if we had actually seen something. But at least it gave us a fun story to tell years and years later!
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Post by lighthorseman on Oct 30, 2011 2:31:56 GMT -5
Cool stories guys! Who's next?
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Post by Haseen on Oct 30, 2011 3:42:52 GMT -5
I've had some instances of sleep paralysis that were extremely creepy. Sure, they can be explained, but it makes them no less creepy.
A couple times, while falling asleep, I'd partially wake up and see a robed figure standing over me. It never moved, and was a pure black silhouette, except for glowing eyes. I can't describe the face because it was too dark, but it was definitely not human...
The scariest one didn't involve one of those figures at all, or even any visual hallucinations. I heard something outside my window, and felt a tremendous amount of dread. I felt that I had to stay completely still, not making a noise, as not to attract its attention. A buzzing sound started, which increased in volume, along with an extreme sense of fear (more specifically, the sense of an extremely malevolent presence), until it got unbearably loud, comparable to being right next to the speaker at a metal concert. The noise faded away, along with the fear, I regained the ability to move, and all I could think was "Holy shit!"
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Post by clockworkgirl21 on Oct 30, 2011 8:30:45 GMT -5
Last winter, I was walking out to the barn to open the doors and let the goats out. It was morning, and a fresh coat of snow covered the ground. As I walked up to the barn, I noticed footprints going from the road all the way to the barn. Panicked, thinking someone might have stolen something, or worse, hurt my goats, I rushed to the doors and pulled them open. Nothing seemed amiss. No goats seemed excited. They just lazily stood up and slowly walked past me to go outside. I walked all the way to the other end of the barn and opened the back doors to see more footprints leading back to the road, meaning the mysterious trespasser had actually walked all the way through the barn. I did a count of the goats and none were missing. Nothing else was missing.
Fat forward several days. My neighbors called over to tell us they'd come home to find the nephew of the people who lived a few houses down looking up porn on their computer. He was troubled, and had the cops called on him before, which is why he was living with his aunt and uncle. His uncle was a state trooper, so they figured he might be able to talk some sense into the kid. He was caught stealing stuff out of someone's garage, so he was arrested again and never came back.
It's pretty likely the intruder was him. I'm just thankful he didn't do anything.
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Post by lighthorseman on Oct 30, 2011 8:40:43 GMT -5
Last winter, I was walking out to the barn to open the doors and let the goats out. It was morning, and a fresh coat of snow covered the ground. As I walked up to the barn, I noticed footprints going from the road all the way to the barn. Panicked, thinking someone might have stolen something, or worse, hurt my goats, I rushed to the doors and pulled them open. Nothing seemed amiss. No goats seemed excited. They just lazily stood up and slowly walked past me to go outside. I walked all the way to the other end of the barn and opened the back doors to see more footprints leading back to the road, meaning the mysterious trespasser had actually walked all the way through the barn. I did a count of the goats and none were missing. Nothing else was missing. Fat forward several days. My neighbors called over to tell us they'd come home to find the nephew of the people who lived a few houses down looking up porn on their computer. He was troubled, and had the cops called on him before, which is why he was living with his aunt and uncle. His uncle was a state trooper, so they figured he might be able to talk some sense into the kid. He was caught stealing stuff out of someone's garage, so he was arrested again and never came back. It's pretty likely the intruder was him. I'm just thankful he didn't do anything. Good one Clockwork, reminds me of this... this and this.
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Post by Admiral Lithp on Oct 30, 2011 19:38:14 GMT -5
This summer, I was watching TV late at night. Or early in the morning. However you want to look at it. It was 4 AM & pitch black out. The commercials came on &, when I was no longer focused on the TV, I heard what distinctly was a scream. I'm looking around & I hear it again. It's coming from outside. I look at my cat, & he's looking from me to the window, so he obviously heard it.
So I locked my door & kept watching--NOPE!
I got a flashlight & went outside to look around. Walked down my driveway & started walking down the road. It should be noted at this point that I live in a heavily forested area. I keep going downhill 3, 4, 5 houses down, still hearing it. At this point, I'm pretty convinced it can't possibly be a person, they aren't even using words. And it's been 10, 15 minutes. Nevertheless, I figure some response might be elicited if I make noises, so I go, "Hello? Is anyone there?"
Predictably, it screamed again. It was getting much louder, so I figured I was close to it. Because of this, I walked down a side road & pointed the flashlight into the woods to see if I could see anything. I couldn't, but it was obviously in there. Not willing to go in, I just continued what I was doing, calling out occasionally. Things I'd say to people, to pets, seeing if I could get some kind of reaction. All I got was more screaming.
Eventually, it just stopped. So I walked all the way back to my house, went inside, & resumed watching TV. I didn't hear it the rest of the night. I have not heard it again to date.
I think it was a fox.
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Post by Wykked Wytch on Oct 30, 2011 22:15:13 GMT -5
This story's not exactly creepy, but I feel that it fits.
My grandmother comes from a family that went to the local Catholic Church every Sunday, yet various members of the household practiced various forms of Italian folk magic (i.e., divination) at some point. One person in particular was apparently a talented Tarot card reader and good at palmistry. (I can't help but think that nautilus would have a field day with this.) Among her belongings were a music box with a dancing woman inside, but whenever it was opened, the song never played.
Anyway, generations passed and eventually nobody lived in that house anymore. It was dilapidated and scheduled for being demolished, so my grandmother went there to visit one last time and move out any old things that might have been left there. On her way out, the music box - the one that never played - began to play its song seemingly of its own accord. As if the house was saying "Goodbye."
My grandmother is rather superstitious (she swears that her St. Christopher's medal has protected her from car accidents) and considers it to be evidence of ghosts. I think it is just a nice story, but I don't want to hurt her feelings.
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Post by Jack Bauer on Oct 31, 2011 11:01:14 GMT -5
This summer, I was watching TV late at night. Or early in the morning. However you want to look at it. It was 4 AM & pitch black out. The commercials came on &, when I was no longer focused on the TV, I heard what distinctly was a scream. I'm looking around & I hear it again. It's coming from outside. I look at my cat, & he's looking from me to the window, so he obviously heard it. So I locked my door & kept watching--NOPE! I got a flashlight & went outside to look around. Walked down my driveway & started walking down the road. It should be noted at this point that I live in a heavily forested area. I keep going downhill 3, 4, 5 houses down, still hearing it. At this point, I'm pretty convinced it can't possibly be a person, they aren't even using words. And it's been 10, 15 minutes. Nevertheless, I figure some response might be elicited if I make noises, so I go, "Hello? Is anyone there?" Predictably, it screamed again. It was getting much louder, so I figured I was close to it. Because of this, I walked down a side road & pointed the flashlight into the woods to see if I could see anything. I couldn't, but it was obviously in there. Not willing to go in, I just continued what I was doing, calling out occasionally. Things I'd say to people, to pets, seeing if I could get some kind of reaction. All I got was more screaming. Eventually, it just stopped. So I walked all the way back to my house, went inside, & resumed watching TV. I didn't hear it the rest of the night. I have not heard it again to date. I think it was a fox. I have heard a vixen calling late at night in an isolated wood - it sounded like a soul in torment, very frightening for anyone unaware of the vixen's scream.
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Post by Admiral Lithp on Oct 31, 2011 13:41:06 GMT -5
I had no idea foxes screamed, but I did think it sounded vaguely canine, after ruling out the possibility that it was a human & being PRETTY sure it wasn't an owl.
I can attest that your description is 100% accurate, though.
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Post by Vypernight on Oct 31, 2011 13:51:26 GMT -5
I've had some instances of sleep paralysis that were extremely creepy. Sure, they can be explained, but it makes them no less creepy. A couple times, while falling asleep, I'd partially wake up and see a robed figure standing over me. It never moved, and was a pure black silhouette, except for glowing eyes. I can't describe the face because it was too dark, but it was definitely not human... The scariest one didn't involve one of those figures at all, or even any visual hallucinations. I heard something outside my window, and felt a tremendous amount of dread. I felt that I had to stay completely still, not making a noise, as not to attract its attention. A buzzing sound started, which increased in volume, along with an extreme sense of fear (more specifically, the sense of an extremely malevolent presence), until it got unbearably loud, comparable to being right next to the speaker at a metal concert. The noise faded away, along with the fear, I regained the ability to move, and all I could think was "Holy shit!" I SO hate sleep paralysis. It truly is scary as hell, and I know how you feel all too well!
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Post by Mlle Antéchrist on Oct 31, 2011 15:56:38 GMT -5
I've had the occasional episode of sleep paralysis. I find it more disturbing than scary, particularly when I recognize what's happening and start to desperately try to call out to someone to come wake me up. Not fun.
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Post by Her3tiK on Oct 31, 2011 16:21:35 GMT -5
This story's from last week. Probably the most unnerved I've been since a child.
Last Sunday, a friend was having a small get together at her place, where we listened to horror story podcasts and watched Paranormal Activity. As someone who doesn't believe in ghosts or souls or demons or whatever the hell the premise of said movie was, I found PA to be more stupid than scary. The podcasts were both more entertaining and more unnerving, since I had to create the images in my head. Those still won't go away. Anyways, I get home that night (4AMish) and turn on the living room light, only to have the bulb go out in a flash. It was an old bulb, shit happens, right? Well, I go to my computer since I'm not really tired and start dicking around to kill time. As I'm doing this, I hear footsteps from the apartment above me. These weren't footsteps like someone getting a late night snack. This was stomping across the floor. Many steps, close together, but not moving very quickly. This happened until Thursday or so. Every night, well past midnight, someone above me stomping around, almost as though they're making a loop between their kitchen and patio. I'd put it down as insomnia if it weren't for the fact that the mail box for that unit doesn't have a name on it, which is something the building manager is very anal about.
Does it count as a story if I'm still kinda living it?
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Post by DeadpanDoubter on Oct 31, 2011 16:43:53 GMT -5
Weird things have always happened to me, but I've usually attributed it to my absent-mindedness. Remote control's in the fridge? Silly me, must've put it there when I got the turkey out. Hearing aids bounced all the way across the room, together, on thick carpet? Huh, must've accidentally kicked it there when I was looking. There HAS, though, been a dark figure ever since I can remember. The time that stands out the most was when I was completely alone in the house; my parents and brothers had gone to visit my grandmother two hours away, and I didn't have any friends to invite over, so there I was. I'd curled up in the big chair with a book, facing the windows to the west, and since it was getting on toward evening, I faced the sunlight. Now, when I read for fun, I get thoroughly engrossed. The only sights and sounds I tend to register are the ones I 'experience' as an observer of the plot, and it can take someone a long time to get my attention. When a shadow fell over me, though, I snapped to attention-- I was supposed to be completely alone, after all, and this wasn't exactly a crime-ridden neighborhood (nor was it gated, but still). I never saw the figure directly, it moved too fast for that, but as I was looking up from the book I saw a figure, looking like a teen boy with his hoodie up, walking past me and the windows. He was gone when I realized what I'd seen, and the part of the house he'd entered is a dead-end-- no doors, and the only windows are, shall we say, a pain to access. He was gone. I told my dad about seeing a pitch black figure later, and he kinda stared at me before saying, "Yeah...I've seen it, too" and proceeding to describe what it looked like. Kinda weird for us to see the same thing, especially since, at the time, I didn't know a single person who owned a hoodie. Oh, and it only came around him when he was alone, too. I moved out of my parents' home a year ago, and it's been easier to notice when things are weird. My door will shut itself, which is easily attributable to the pressures in my apartment; it is, after all, sealed up a lot tighter than my parents' rickety trailer, so the air pressure tries to equalize itself. What's not so easy to explain, though, is why it's often opened when I arrive home, when I clearly remember latching it shut...or why my belongings tend to move themselves. Or, even more eerie, why I can often see a figure in my private bathroom. One more little story that my mind's connected to the figure is that a bag of my beading supplies threw itself off the table when my roommate was alone one night. The bag was sitting on the dining table, and she was chilling in the living room; she saw something out of the corner of her eye, heard a THUMP, and when she looked, the bag was about a yard away from the table. We've joked that, like Katie and Kristie, I have my own personal ghost/demon. It doesn't seem malicious, though...YET. MWAHAHAHA.
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