Halloween Story 12

Ghost Story                                                                                                                                                 by Princess Peng

There’s an old schoolhouse just outside of Calgary in Chestermere; several years ago there was a fire that forced its closure. In recent years it has been a hotbed teenage/paranormal activity. I’d heard rumors that the place was very haunted and kept an ear open for stories of the place.

I was told that after the fire the wrecking crews couldn’t demolish the building, on the first attempt the wrecking crew all became mysteriously ill and were eventually unable to stand. Another crew came by to do the job a little later, no one felt sick but apparently just as they were swinging the wrecking ball toward the building it stopped suddenly and the ball snapped off the chain. These are the stories I was told as to why the school was never torn down.

Back in the beginning of March some friends and I decided to make our own spoof of MTV’s Fear complete with video cameras, ludicrous dares and a sack of weed to be shared amongst the survivors. This wasn’t the first time I’d done something like this. The contestants were all teenagers, most of them local gang members who claimed to be totally fearless.

As we approached the site we realized we’d have to cut across the neighboring property to gain access to the school, this was a royal pain in the ass as we were carrying several bags including audio/video equipment and two tricycles (to be used in the Shining-style tricycle race). The neighbor was a scruffy looking old man, we know this because he chased us down armed with a shotgun as we tried to trespass onto the property. We lost our first two contestants even before getting to the site. We jumped the fence and hid out of sight until the old man went away and then walked around the outside of the building until we found a window to enter through.

The school itself was seriously creepy, it had been vandalized by plenty of people before we got there. the first thing that happened even before scoping out the place was a lone door open on its own and then slammed shut, there was no wind or anything blowing through the place. We split into two teams, each had a camcorder, an audio recorder, a flashlight and a two way walkie talkie. The point of this was to do a search for spooky locations for the other contestants to do their dares. Within two minutes another contestant quit saying that this was wrong and he had a feeling we weren’t meant to be here.

Some of us looked through a few of the abandoned classrooms when we got a call on one of our cellphones, it was the other team saying their equipment wasn’t working and they were stuck at the entrance to what they thought was a gymnasium. Their flashlight was just flickering and they said this area was really cold. I laughed, fired up the video camera and brought the remaining three members of my team with me to see this place. As we approached the area the light of my flashlight began to flicker as well, I didn’t think too much of it since I bought the flashlight from a dollar store. Just then one of the other team members ran past me screaming, “We have to get out of here!” My team all looked puzzled and I yelled back to him that he was a wimp. As I neared the other team I noticed they were all bunched together and grabbing hold of one another. I started laughing and then one of the guys said that there was someone in the room ahead of them. Just then it became really hot, all of us were unzipping our coats and trying to get our flashlights to work. My flashlight came on again, I open the door, peered in with the camcorder and asked, “Is anyone in here?” The ground was covered in a layer of fresh, undisturbed powder snow, and no one was inside. It suddenly became really cold again and I suggested this be one of the sites of the dares.

The walkie talkie suddenly switched back on and it was the guy who had run past us saying he was really scared, couldn’t find the exit and needed one of us to escort him out. The guy next to me tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the ground in front of us. Before us in the previously undisturbed snow was a set of footprints that seemed to originate in the center of the room and stop just in front of us. These footprints were definitely not there a moment earlier, they were prints of bare feet and no bigger than a small child’s. Personally, I thought this was a good sign, nobody else did though. Upon this discovery the remaining team members ran for the front door as fast as their feet would carry them. I stayed just long enough to take a photograph and then followed suit.

P.S.: If anyone decides to visit this site please be on the lookout for the sack of weed I lost while making my getaway.  The best is yet to come…..

Halloween Stories 11

The Haunting of Kanaka Pete the Axe Murderer     

by L. Marie

I was recently browsing the internet and came across the story of Kanaka Pete at www.kanakapete.com this brought back a personal experience I had with Kanaka Pete. I would like to share it with you.

In the fall of 2007 I was attending University in Nanaimo BC, Canada. A few weeks before Halloween my boyfriend and I took the guided, haunted tour of Nanaimo. During the tour we heard the story of Kanaka Pete.

Kanaka Pete was a big Hawaiian that lived in Nanaimo with his native wife and their infant daughter. In 1867, after a night of drinking, Kanaka Pete returned home to find his wife’s parents in his home and his wife told him she was leaving him. Pete left and got totally intoxicated. He returned around midnight to find his Father-in-law in the act of adultery (incest) with Pete’s wife, while the Mother-in-law watched and the baby lay beside them. In a drunken fit of rage Pete grabbed an axe and did not stop swinging until his wife, her parents and his daughter were all chopped into pieces.

He fled to Newcastle Island where he was hunted down and captured. After a rushed trial he was hung. He vowed he would return and have vengeance. This scared the locals to the point that neither the Europeans nor Natives wanted him buried on their land. He was taken to Newcastle Island, a former smallpox colony that was uninhabited and they buried him in a makeshift, unmarked grave.

Our tour guide told us that his evil spirit still lurks the far side of Newcastle Island looking for revenge and to never be on the far side of Newcastle Island after dark.

This was the most interesting of all the ghost stories we heard that night. My boyfriend and I thought it would be real exciting to go camping on Newcastle Island the following Saturday, especially because it was close to Halloween with the thrill of maybe finding out more about Kanaka Pete.

When we got to the Island we saw signs saying no camping beyond this point. We spoke with one old timer there and were told that for our safety it was dangerous to camp past the signs. He told us spirits that have unfinished business still roam near their graves and that Kanaka Pete is confined to a certain area of the Island.

We set up our camp on the safe side. While we were camping we saw some people in kayaks heading towards the far side of the Island. We never saw them return.

Before dark we took a little hike part way on the far side of the Island. We came across the body of a dead rabbit with its head chopped off. It looked as though it had just happened. That was really freaky as we did not see anyone around there. We headed straight back to camp.

When we took the little ferry over to Newcastle it was a calm sunny day during the night it got cloudy and the winds came up making it even spookier. The winds became very high and the night air became chilling cold.

During the night we started to hear some of the scariest noises. Shortly after we went into our tent for the night we thought we heard a scream coming from the far side of the Island. This really spooked us. Not too long after that we heard more terrifying screaming followed by the sound of chopping. This happened many times throughout the night. It was the most terrifying thing we had ever heard. We wanted to leave the Island but the little ferry would not be back until morning. We were chilled to the bone with fright. Shortly after midnight we heard what sounded like a fierce demonic roar and more screaming followed by violent chopping then the most eerie laughter. Needless to say we spent the entire night huddled together scared to death. We tried calling on our cell phones but we had no reception all through the night, we had reception earlier in the day and the next morning.

Before that night I did not believe in ghosts and thought ghost stories were fun and amusing but after my experience that has now changed.

That was the most frightening and horrific night of my life. I believe there is something very evil on the far side of that Island, we could feel it and we did hear it! I will never forget that cold October night on Newcastle Island and I believe to this day the ghost of the evil axe murder Kanaka Pete was nearby. If we would have ignored the warning signs and camped on the far side of the Island that night I feel we would never have returned. That is one more reason why I don’t like camping.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 9

Country Hospitality

This took place in 2007 when I was traveling to Ohio for my Uncles funeral. It was a very dark and lonely stretch of country road. Thanks to a country bumpkin at my last fuel stop, giving me bogus directions which were supposed to be a short cut. I had been driving for three hours without seeing another living soul. My only companion was the harvest moon over head in the night sky. The radio was nothing but static. My eyes searched the darkness ahead for any sign of life.

Just when I was running out of hope and fuel, up ahead I saw a light shining out of the darkness. My car sputtered out of gas as I coasted into the parking lot of an old mom and pop style truck stop. I had to push my car the last twenty feet to the pumps. As I put the car in park an elderly gent came running out and started to pump fuel into my gas tank. He said hi names Bob while I fill her up why don’t you go on in the wife has vittles ready. I thought it was strange that out here in the middle of nowhere at three in the morning anyone would have food ready in case a traveler happened by. But I was hungry and went on in to the restaurant, there a kindly old woman was setting food on the table, a feast fit for a king. As I ate she kept my coffee cup filled with piping hot coffee, and kept the food coming, until I couldn’t eat another bite.

I thought the bill would be unbelievably high, but she only charged me five dollars. I thought for these prices I would make a point to stop back in here on my return trip.

As I paid Bob for the fuel I asked him for directions back to the highway. He told me best way to go, then said son you look to tired to travel why don’t you catch a nap in the parking lot. It’s pretty quiet and no one will bother you.

I thought why not, so I nodded off in my car, only planning on a quick cat nap.

I guess I was more tired than I thought. It was well into morning when I was awakened by a tapping on my window. It was a police officer, he wanted to know if I was alright. I told him that I was fine and about to resume my trip.

When he asked me why I was parked at a burned out deserted truck stop. That’s when I took a look around, and got the shock of my life. The place was a burned out shell that looked like no one had been there in twenty odd years.

I told the officer all about my previous night’s experience, the whole time he just smiled and nodded.

When I finished relaying my tale, he said Bob and Sarah owned this place until about twenty five years back when they both passed away in the freak electrical fire that took this place. And from time to time we hear from lost and stranded travelers about them returning to give aid and comfort in times of great need. So just write it off to our local guardian angels Bob and Sarah.

As I pulled back on the road I felt a warmth knowing that Bob and Sarah were looking down on me from up in heaven. Thanks again Bob and Sarah, and keep up the good work.

This story was submitted to Archive X on December 21 2011, name not available.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 8

HOTEL GHOST

Ghost Writer

 

We were set for a lazy day at Galveston beach. My husband and I plopped down on some lounge chairs under a huge umbrella and planted our bare feet in the sand.  It wasn't long before a man wearing a t-shirt with the words BEACH BUM written on it came to charge for the rental.  He overheard us talking about the GHOST TOURS OF GALVESTON ISLAND.  

 

"Did you go on the ghost tour? He asked.  "I've never been. How was it?" We explained to him that we had gone on the tour the night before and had experienced some strange things. "I just hope my camera captured something," I said.  I praised our tour guide "Grace" who was entertaining and took us to the sight of some real ghost stories.  He was curious and I elaborated, "The tour starts at the Moody Railroad Station and includes various historic buildings on THE STRAND. The ghost tour culminates at the Tremont Hotel."  The young man suddenly turned ashen. 

 

"Did you say the Tremont hotel?  I use to work there. We had a lot of paranormal activity at the hotel.  I can tell you from personal experience, it's definitely haunted!   In the lobby there are three pictures hanging on the wall.   Every day we had to straighten them.  You would set them right side up, go about your business and in minutes they would go back to being tilted.  I mean if it was one picture, you could logically dismiss it.  But all three?   Not a day would pass by that you wouldn't have to straighten them up and then they would go back to being tilted on their right side.  It was creepy."

 

He asked us if we remembered seeing the enormous palm tree in the middle of the lobby. ”Yes, it's huge and impressive.......almost touches the ceiling." Then he described several occasions in which certain guests got unexpectedly brushed by a falling palm leaf.  ”It happened several times. No one is ever hurt.  But a palm leaf falling from a high altitude would always startle the chosen guest.  Management would do their best to appease them.  I tell you, it was as if a ghost was taunting us at the hotel!"  

 

Then I relayed our experience the night of the ghost tour.  Grace, our tour guide had just told a ghost tale about "the salesman" from the late 1800's who is said to haunt the Tremont as well as the building next door where he is believed to have been murdered. She explained that the elevator on the right-hand side seemed to have a mind of its own.  Many guests have reported ghostly activity.  She did not press the elevator button but instead waited until it opened of its own accord.  As soon as the elevator doors opened and remained opened for several seconds, everyone quickly started flashing their cameras in hopes of capturing something paranormal.  I was at the back and just as I made my way toward the front, the elevator started to close.  

 

"Oh no" I said aloud in disappointment. I knew I had gotten there too late to take a photograph.  Just then, the elevator with its doors halfway closed, unexpectedly stopped and reopened.  

 

No one had pressed the elevator button, at least no one we could see. Everyone at the tour gasped.  I flashed my camera.  I had one picture left.   Later when I developed my film, to my surprise a strange tormented face appeared in the lower right hand corner of the elevator. This was not a reflection and the elevator was empty when I took the photograph!

 

In my way of being I will never, run into an apparition (ghost – spirit) on purpose.  I once went to the Winchester House (San Jose, California) and paid for the tour.  It was somber, and spooky, but I was young (in my early 20’s), I suppose that I can claim that my brain wasn’t fully developed.  I can attest that I haven’t purposely gone in search of since that time nor do I have it in my plans.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 7

DEMON

By Selinda

 

It was late autumn and the trees that dotted our old neighborhood had started to change into their red and gold coats.   My children were looking forward to dressing up in their Spiderman and princess costumes for Halloween.  But it wasn't for another week.  As for me, I was busy trying to do repairs around the house.  The lights were always going out.  I thought it was just electrical wiring and the house was very old.  I lived alone with my two small children and I didn't want to frighten them, or maybe I didn't want to scare myself. They were so young and innocent.  Thank goodness they were oblivious to the creepy sounds and strange happenings of the house.  

 

My children were very creative when they played.  They often made up games to entertain themselves.   But recently I noticed they had started to set a third place at the kitchen table.   "Who is sitting here?" I'd ask.  They would just giggle. When they played they would divide their toys into three equal parts.  "Who is coming over?" I'd ask.  "No one" they looked at me puzzled.  I thought they were just acting like normal kids.  I didn't think too much about it. The yellow brick house with its cracked foundation and creepy sounds was home.   Besides I didn't want to move again.  I had invested all my money into this house and I liked the fact that it was close to my workplace.

 

One night, it was unusually windy outside.  My children had gone to bed and I walked in their room to kiss them goodnight.  Karen slept soundly on the top bunk bed and my youngest, Jimmy was already asleep in the bottom bunk bed.  I covered them in their blankets anticipating a chilly night.  I could already feel the chill in the room.  "This house," I whispered and shook my head.  "It's always cold in here."

​                           

I retired to my room.   It wasn't long before I fell into a deep sleep.  I dreamed of a huge rock wall.  Like an aerial camera zooming out, the pillory in the center of town was revealed.  A woman's head stuck out encumbered by the long bolt or wooden bar that also held her arms.  The time period looked like Colonial America.  Or was I in Salem at the time of the infamous witch trials of 1692?  I felt the shame and the discomfort of being held for public viewing.  Then I realized, the woman in the pillory was me!  

 

The next thing I remembered was a little girl with reddish brown hair dressed in a long dark dress with a top white collar at the end of a long hallway.  She wore a little white cap tied under her neck.  I tried walking to her.  Her face looked sad and abandoned.  I recognized her immediately as my daughter.  But she wasn't my daughter Karen from this lifetime.  I just knew she was mine. She extended her arms to me.  The harder I tried to reach her, the longer the hall got.  I was desperately running down this long never ending hallway.  She was standing at the end with open arms.  I couldn't reach her.  

 

Then from out of nowhere, a sinister low menacing evil voice whispered in my ear,   "She's mine."  My heart started to pound hard. Paralyzed with fear I couldn't move.   I knew instantly that this was demonic.  

By now, I knew I was in my room and conscious.  But I couldn't open my eyes and I was completely immobile.  It laughed in my ear.  Then the voice started to say obscenities.   I started to pray the "Our Father."  I said it over and over and louder and louder until the voice started to fade.  But before it left, it threatened me again.  

 

"She's mine.........They're mine."     

 

Oh my God, my children!   I woke myself up reciting the Lord's Prayer aloud.  Trickles of sweat lined my forehead and hair.  I sat up and raced to my children's room.   They looked like little angels asleep.  They were so still.  I stared at my daughter.  I stared at my son.  Thank God they were breathing.  I have never felt so threatened in all my life.  I realized my children were at risk with this thing that seemed to be living in my house.  Who had my children been playing with?

 

There is no scarier story than one that is centered on or around the children.  I may not have the power required to take on evil forces directly, but I wouldn’t hesitate to fight with my feet.  In other words move to another house.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 6

HAUNTED CAR

​ By Rudy Reyna

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author.

It was many years ago when I was still a teenager living on Murray street in 

San Antonio.   It was 1944 and my three older brothers were in the service stationed in Europe.  Not too many teenagers had cars back then.  Everyone pretty much walked where they needed to go.   But I was used to doing a lot of walking.  If I ever needed to go into town, I'd simply take the bus.  I had been doing odd jobs around town and worked for my father at the tailor shop after school.  Finally, I was making a little bit of money and started to save for a car.   My motivation?  I wanted to start dating and able to take girls to school dances.  Borrowing my dad's car was not an option especially since he needed it for work.   Then I remembered there was a used car lot on Commerce Street not far from the "Malt House."

 

It was a crisp October night.  It was very late and there were hardly any cars on Commerce Street.  I crossed the street and strolled to the car lot to see what they were selling.  There weren't too many lights on the lot.  Thankfully, there was a full moon.  By the light of the moon, I'd peek inside a car to see the interior. The cars lined up at the front were usually the ones in better condition but also the most expensive.  

 

Then from the distance on the back row I saw it, a shiny beauty.  It was parked apart from the rest of the vehicles.  "Hmmm, they probably just got this one," I thought to myself.   I made a beeline and walked towards the car.  The moonlight gave the car an alluring sheen.  I admired the car from all angles and even kicked a tire or two.  When I saw the price on the card sitting on the base of the windshield, I couldn't believe it.  It wasn't expensive! Maybe my dream of owning my own car would come true.  I could actually afford this one.  I patted the hood as if it was already mine.  By now it was around 2:30 in the morning.  I knew I'd have to get home and sneak in so as not to wake up my mom or dad.  I thought I'd give it one last look.  

 

I peered inside the driver's side of the window.  For some strange reason, there seemed to be a dark shadow in the front seat.  Was someone inside?   I looked closer at the front seat.  There was no one.  I could see the front seats and the dashboard.  It looked like it was in mint condition.  I cupped my hands on the window to get a better look.  Gradually the outline of a man began to appear right before me.  Staring back at me at close range were a pair of eyes!    I fell back almost hitting the ground, I was so startled.  This was not my reflection.   I finally mustered the courage and approached the car once again. I cupped my hands and looked inside.  There was nothing inside. I got a real creepy feeling.  What had I just seen?   The next day, I went to the lot.  The car was gone.   I later found out that a few years before, a man had been murdered and his body was found in that same car.  Had I seen his ghost?  That was many years ago when I had that awful experience.   But the image of what saw that night stayed with me for many years.  I never forgot it.  

 

The author in this case was very fortunate that the car was no longer available.  I know that I certainly wouldn’t want to drive around in a haunted car.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 5

STRANGE VISITOR

​By Peter as told to Selinda

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author Selinda.

I had been transferred to another town.  The company had relocated me into a nice brick house not far from my workplace.  I was excited to embark on this new chapter in my life.  But it wasn't long before I realized there was something wrong with my home.  I was still living out of boxes and I had only the essentials available to me.  My days were long and by the time I got home, I was completely exhausted.  I'd often eat, shower and fall asleep on the coach.  One night, I had a strange dream.  Someone was watching me sleep.  He leaned over me as I slept.  He had a scowl on his face.  I couldn't make out the features but it looked like an older gentleman and he was angry.  I quickly dismissed the strange dream.  On the third night, the temperature in my room had dropped. I awoke shivering. Had a cold front come in during the night?  I coughed and the smoky vapor emitted from my breath startled me.

 

Something was wrong.  First of all it was icy cold in the room.  More importantly, I felt as if someone was watching me.   

 

Had someone broken in?   I sat up.  From the corner of the tiny bar in the den, a grey mist was slowly making its way across the room.  I wiped my eyes making sure I wasn't imagining things.  By now I was wide awake.  The foggy mass seemed to move with a purpose.  I was immobile and the thick mist drifted towards the front door.  I eventually got up to investigate.  I followed its movement and opened the front door of my house.  There was no one there. But that wasn't what surprised me the most. Outside, the air was warm and still.  It was only cold inside my house.  I checked the thermostat.  The air conditioner wasn't even on!  I couldn't explain the chill in the room.  

 

As the weeks passed, I settled into the house and eventually got myself a bed and moved into the bedroom.  One night, I heard footsteps.  There was a rustling sound coming from the living room.  Rats?  The sound stopped and I made a mental note to call an exterminator the next day.  I got up to get some water from the kitchen.  As I left my bedroom, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.  As I walked into the narrow hallway, I stopped in my tracks.  Something was standing at the end of the hallway.  It was a dark figure.  My heart started to pound.  Then the figure quickly moved away from the entrance.  My hand scrambled to turn on the light.  I walked into the living room expecting to catch the intruder. There was no one. I looked everywhere. I didn't have much furniture and there weren't too many places he could hide. The fact is there was no one in the house. What was going on in my home?  I wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.  I know I saw a dark figure of a man.

 

I didn't know who to ask or what to do about this strange happening. Eventually things settled down and I forgot about it. Several months later, I was sleeping in my bedroom.  I started to have the strange dream again.  There was someone watching me and my heart started to pound in panic. It startled me so much, I awoke.  I glanced to the right of my bedroom.  Coming out from the dresser mirror was the dark figure of a man.  It was pitch black, darker than the night.  He stood at the foot of my bed. I couldn't make out eyes or any facial features at all.  But I knew he was staring at me. I was lying in bed completely paralyzed.  He started to walk toward me.  I was so shocked, I couldn't even open my mouth to speak.   My mind raced and I started to think of the Lord’s Prayer.  Suddenly and unexpectedly a blue light from the bathroom window came on.  The alley is behind my bedroom and bathroom.  I don't know if it was a car driving by or what had caused the blue light to come on.  But as soon as the light entered from the window, the dark figure turned away from the light and walked right through the closed bedroom door and out of my room. What had I just seen?

 

It wasn't long before I moved out for good.  I was never a believer in the paranormal and I thought ghosts were simply a figment of someone's overactive imagination.  I no longer scoff at people who claim to see ghosts.  I never did find out who or what was haunting that house.  But I wasn't going to stay and find out.  Whatever it was, I’m sure is still there at that house. 

 

It’s always good to know where evil lurks, so you can stay away from it.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 4

Something in the Dark (part II)

By Amber Morris (as told to SELINDA)

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to Selinda.  This post is an update to: Halloween Stories 3, posted October 11, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/halloween-stories-3.html

 

At 17 I had moved out of my parents’ house and was on my own.  The strange and creepy paranormal experiences my sister and I had endured as children in that house were in my past, and I suppressed them until they were almost forgotten.   A few years later, I was married and the mother of two small children.   My parents built a small home on their property.  It was next door to their house, but with enough distance that we had our own place and privacy.   There were plenty of acres with lots of trees on the land.  It seemed like an idyllic place to raise children and lots of space for my beautiful Labrador.  We moved in.   My husband started working late at night and I was often left alone with my kids.  Thankfully my dog kept me company.  

 

     One night, I heard whimpering outside my door.  "Come on girl.....come inside."  I opened the door and called her to my bedside.  She sat motionless outside my room.  "What's the matter?"  I noticed she never entered my room by herself.  I called and finally had to pull her in.  She laid on my bed as I stroked her soft fur.  Something captured her attention. She stared at my closet.  I shut the bedroom door and plopped on the bed. She continued to gaze at the closet door.   "What's the matter girl?"  

 

Then I heard it....a noise coming from outside my room.  The door slowly creaked and slowly started to open.  My husband walked in.  "Oh it's you," I sighed with relief.    "What's she looking at?"  My husband asked with curiosity.  "I don't know she's been staring at that corner for an hour."  We finally settled for bed and we were beginning to doze off when she got restless and started to whimper.  "I' need to get some sleep," my husband complained under his breath. He got up and put her outside.   

 

Sometime during the night, I awoke from a stinging pain on my right leg.  Something had scratched me.  At first I thought it was my lab.  Then I remembered, she wasn't in the room.  I got up and in the bathroom saw two red lines running down my thigh.  "What?" I couldn't explain the scratches.  I turned off the light and went back to bed.     It was late and I forced myself back to sleep. Later that night I felt a deep, heavy pressure on my chest.  I couldn't breathe. I started to gasp for air.  It felt as if I was being suffocated.  When I opened my eyes, I couldn't move.  My body was paralyzed.  Someone or something was holding me in place.  Then I heard it.......the sinister low creepy laugh, one I was all too familiar with from my childhood from the house right next door.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha aaa................followed by heavy breathing on my face.

I could only move my hand that was right by my husband and I started hitting him until he finally woke up.   He sat up startled.   I was finally able to breathe.  Whatever it was, released me from his grip.  I coughed and coughed and eventually caught my breath.  My husband was catatonic.  He stared at the corner of the room.  I turned in the direction he was looking.  We sat frozen in disbelief.  

 

There, next to the closet in the corner of our bedroom was an ominous figure.  Through the darkness of the room, we could see it, blacker than the night.  But what was it?  His red eyes pierced right at us.  

 

Then I remembered and I knew.   It was the same menacing dark evil figure that frightened my sister and I as kids.  It stared at me and tore the stillness of the night with a low guttural evil laugh................... as if to say "welcome back."

 

Our mind has a way of protecting us (itself) by purposely suppressing hurtful (painful) memories by keeping them in the deep recesses within.  The best is yet to come….

Halloween Stories 3

Halloween Stories 3

 

Something in the Dark

​

By Amber Morrison

(As told SELINDA)

                                                                                                                                                                           

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to Selinda.  This is the third in the series.

 

It all started when I was 12 years old.  I wasn't aware of the strange happenings right away but I remember when my parents moved my sister, brother and I into my grandparent’s old house, the hauntings began. Due to hardship and a series of unfortunate events at the time, we suddenly found ourselves homeless. Thankfully, my grandparents took us in.   At first, the sudden move seemed like an adventure.  The house sat on a sprawling 5 acres of land.  But deep inside myself, I knew there was something not right about my grandparent’s house.  It wasn't anything you could put your finger on.  The best way to describe It is "a feeling of dread."   I tried to dismiss it to the strangeness and uneasiness of my new surroundings. After all, this was an old house.   But eventually the feeling of dread and the thickness in the air became abundant.

 

As time went by, our mother started to act strange.  She had always been a loving mother to us and had a wonderful sense of humor and would often joke with us.  In the months since our move, she began to change.  She would unexpectedly fly off the handle over nothing.  It was like she was so angry all the time.  Instead of her usual loving self, she was always drained, sick or angry.  One time she went to visit my older sister in South Carolina.  She stayed with her for a few months.  As soon as she was away from the old house, she was back to normal.  She was herself again.  It was as if something in the house would influence her personality or possess her. 

 

One night my sister and I were laying on our bed in the dark.    It was very late and everyone in the house was asleep.  My mom had gone to stay with my older sister for a few weeks.  We whispered and confided our worries, our dreams, and our fears to one another.  "Mom is so different in this house." I told her.   "I know!"  She murmured. "She has changed......it's like she's another person."  We snuggled in bed and found refuge and comfort in each other's arms.   

 

Across the room a creak interrupted our conversation.  The bedroom door gradually opened.  A dark figure was standing in the doorway.   "Who is it?" I stammered.  There was no answer.  I couldn't make out any distinct features except for one, a set of menacing red eyes.   

 

They pierced through the darkness.  My sister and I stared in disbelief at the entrance.  Then, we heard it........ a very low creepy laugh.  My heart started to pound. Then without warning, the dark figure disappeared.  My sister and I stared for what seemed several seconds.  Finally, I got up.  We assumed it was our brother trying to mess with us.  We rushed to the doorway.  There was nothing there.  Our brother slept at the far end of the house.  I knew he couldn't have gone down the hallway without us hearing him.  I tiptoed to my brother's room as quickly as I could.  He was sound asleep.  Later in our room we tried to convince ourselves our eyes were playing tricks on us.  Secretly we knew that we both had seen something we couldn't explain.  Eventually we fell sleep.  After several minutes, I felt something sitting on my feet.  The pressure woke me up.   When I tried to move my feet, I couldn't.  I cried out and startled my sister awake.  She screamed and the sensation stopped.  "There was something dark sitting on your bed watching you!" 

 

I do not know what was sitting on my bed that night.  I never did find out.  I do know it was evil.  There were many paranormal events over the years in that house.  I am now grown with children of my own.  My parents later moved into a house they built on my grandparents land.  The hauntings continued. Be on the lookout for “Something in the Dark 2.”  The best is yet to come…..

 

Halloween Stories 2

Halloween Stories 2

 

THE EDGE OF DESPAIR (Conclusion)

As told to Selinda

 

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author Selinda.  This post is an update to: Halloween Stories, posted October 9, 2013, http://www.being50.com/2013/10/halloween-stories.html

 

I knew it was early evening.  But it looked like night had unexpectedly descended.  Any remnants of sunlight had completely vanished.  "Who are you?"  I managed to utter.  

 

He did not answer me. There was a pit in my stomach.  I could not make out any features from the dark shadow.  He raised an arm motioning me to come closer.  I was gripped with fear.  And yet, I couldn't scream, or move a muscle.  I reached for my gold medallion hanging from my neck.  My finger felt the imprint of Jesus Christ carved delicately in my precious heirloom that had been passed down from my grandmother.  She had given it to my mother and on my 15th birthday and as the oldest daughter, my mother had given it to me.   Frozen and paralyzed, I tried to recognize some facial features of this dark figure. But the oncoming storm had rendered an almost pitch black night. Only his eyes were a fiery red.  I kept staring. He stretched out his hand.  He knew my name and his low voice called me to him.  "Come closer," he said in a low voice.  I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest, it beat so hard.

 

Just then, lightning lit up the sky followed by a loud thunder.  It seemed to wake me from my trance.  Lightning struck again for a few seconds.  This time I got a good look at the mysterious figure.   Jutting out of his head were horns and his facial features resembled that of a goat.  His body appeared to have fur and his legs were strange and deformed.  The legs and feet looked as if they were from an animal.  I was in shock.  This was not a man.  My legs gave out and I fell weak to the ground on my knees.  I closed my eyes tight and placed the medallion in my mouth clenching it hard with my teeth.  I began to pray. I prayed and prayed.  I prayed the "Our Father" over and over without letting go of my medallion.  After what felt like a long time, the wind subsided and the dark clouds seemed to pass.  Suddenly there was light in the sky again.  I was still on my knees and somehow gathered the courage to slowly open my eyes.  I looked at the edge of the cliffs.  The dark menacing figure was gone.   It was dusk in the horizon. I quickly recovered and ran desperately through the dark woods all the way home.  Once in the front room, I ran to my father's arms.  The tears were still streaming from my face as I recounted what had happened to me.  To my dismay, no one believed me.  My sisters made fun of me, and my mother said I was being dramatic.  Everyone thought I had made up the story.  I pulled out my medallion and told them how I had bitten it several times with my teeth and prayed fervently for God's help.  Everyone suddenly stopped talking and stared.  My mom slowly approached and held the medallion in her hands.  Around it, were the many teeth marks I had permanently left on the medallion.

 

It has been many years since my grandmother's terrifying experience.  I know the story to be true because I now have her gold medallion and it still has evidence of her teeth marks when she clenched it in fear before the dark and sinister figure.  Look for other Halloween Stories to be posted as we near Halloween Day!  The best is yet to come…

Halloween Stories

Halloween Stories

 

THE EDGE OF DESPAIR

As told to Selinda

Halloween Stories series will be interesting and real stories as related to the author Selinda.

My grandmother Natalia Lizardi was born in Spain in 1901 and later moved to the States.  

The following is a true account of what happened to her when she was 16 years old.

The morning had elapsed into early afternoon.  My four younger sisters were happy and talking all at once because we were going into town. Our house was close to the woods, not far from the beautiful but treacherous cliffs of Spain.  As children, my parents had forbidden us to play close to the cliffs as they were very dangerous and several people over the years had fallen to their deaths. Our cozy home was less than couple of miles outside the nearest "Pueblo."  It was a good walking distance for my family.  But going into town meant going to market and possibly buying new shoes.   My sisters could hardly contain themselves. My baby sister Theresa pulled my hand and tried to coax me to go with them.  She didn't understand why I wanted to stay home.  I offered to stay behind and finish the house chores.  My parents reluctantly agreed. I secretly looked forward to having the house to myself. The bustle and excited chatter from my sisters faded as everyone left. The house was silent.  

As soon as they were out of earshot, I ran upstairs to write in my diary.  Writing stories and poems was my favorite pastime. As a 16 year old girl who shared a room with two of my sisters, moments of privacy were scarce and precious. Rays of orange sunlight shone from the window.   

 By late afternoon I was deep in thought, when in the distance I could hear faint music.  It was low at first and gradually seemed to get closer.  I sat still.  Then I heard my name.   Someone was calling me.  "Natalia.... come."  I didn't recognize the voice but it was coming from the woods.  

I looked outside the window.  I could hear strange music and my name, "Natalia, Natalia come here."  The music and the strange voice seemed to put me in a trancelike stupor.  I remember taking slow and deliberate steps down the stairs and out the door.  "Natalia." The voice beckoned me and I walked deeper and deeper into the woods.  A fierce wind had blown in from the ocean.  It picked up and swayed the tree branches back and forth in my path.  Above, the sky grew dark.  It looked more like night fall.  I knew I shouldn't be out at this time.  My parents would be returning soon.  Still, the voice kept calling my name.  It seemed to have a hold on me.  Dark clouds had rolled in and I kept walking toward the voice, until suddenly I found myself past the woods and at the edge of the cliffs.  I stopped.   The forbidden cliffs!  I remembered my parents warning.  Standing a few feet away from me was the outline of a tall dark shadow.   He was inches from the edge of the cliffs facing me.  Behind him, was the horizon and several hundred feet below were the rocks and the angry sea.  I could hear the waves crashing violently.  I knew it was early evening.  But it looked like night had unexpectedly descended.  Any remnants of sunlight had completely vanished.  "Who are you?"  I managed to utter.  

The conclusion of “The Edge of Despair,” will follow shortly, look for Halloween Stories 2 in the next posting.  The best is yet to come…