Happy Halloween everyone. In just a few days, the holiday will be upon us.
In the spirit of the season, I want to switch things up a little and tell you a ghost story. It’s not just any ghost story though; it’s about things that actually happened to me personally.
So imagine we’re sitting around a campfire. Sit back and relax, as I tell you about a time when I lived with a ghost.
Living With a Ghost
Before I get into the story, I want to make something perfectly clear. What I’m about to tell you actually happened to me. I’m not making any of this up.
These events happened many years ago. Since then, I’ve made hundreds of attempts to explain what happened with normal, non-ghost explanations.
I take a scientific approach to life; I’m not the kind of person you’d expect to believe in ghosts.
Yet, no matter how often I try to explain what happened, I cannot.
Here’s what happened:
During my final year of college, a friend and I moved into an apartment. Rather ominously, the apartment number was 13.
Right away, we noticed there was an unusually high amount of static electricity.
We were constantly being shocked around the apartment. The static charge was so high that we were shocked even when we touched non-metallic items – even things like the wall.
It was strange, but just the beginning of what was to come.
One morning, something eerie happened while I was showering: the bathroom light started flickering.
It was steady – one second on then one second off – over and over.
Was my roommate playing a trick on me?
That couldn’t be it. It happened every morning for months – often when I was completely alone in the apartment.
Was the wiring faulty?
The light fixture was fine. During most of the day, it worked perfectly.
Then I figured it out. It only flickered when I was in the shower and had the shower curtain closed.
I began to test it. I’d shower with the curtain open. I’d open and close it at random times.
Without fail, the lights would stop flickering when it was open and start flickering when it was closed.
It was so creepy that on some mornings, no matter how hot the shower was, I couldn’t stop the cold shiver from crawling up my spine.
Here’s Where it Gets Crazy
One night my friend and I were hanging out on the couch in the living room. We discussed the weird things going on – apparently, he had lights flicker on him in the shower too.
That’s when we started talking about the possibility of a ghost. At first I thought of it as a joke. Like I said before, I have a scientific mindset and I generally don’t believe in those things.
In a loud voice, I spoke to the empty side of the apartment, “if there are any ghosts in here, give us a sign.”
Immediately after I finished the question, we heard a noise emanate from the empty side of the apartment. It was a loud creaking noise, like the kind you’d hear a footstep make on an old staircase – only it was louder and lasted longer.
The sound was unnatural. To this day, I’ve never heard a noise like it anywhere else. It freaked us out for a couple of days.
The ghost didn’t appear again until the night of a party.
We invited some friends over to hang out. It was a typical college party with drinking, talking and photo taking.
A couple days later, I got the photos back on a disposable camera. I noticed one had a strange floating object in it.
In the photo, I was sitting with three other friends. In between my head and another person’s head was a round glowing ball of light – an orb.
Most ghost hunters will tell you that glowing orbs in photos are images of ghosts.
Others say glowing orbs are just dust or a weird reflection caught on film.
All I know is that this is the only time I’ve ever seen one in any of my photos.
I was ecstatic. Finally I had something to show people when I told them about the weird things happening in the apartment.
I put it in a small frame on a bookshelf in my bedroom.
But that’s not the weird part about the photo. There’s more.
Eventually I moved out of the apartment – not because of the ghost, but because I was moving away.
I packed up my stuff carefully, including my ghost photo.
While I was unpacking in my new place, I took out the ghost photo and noticed something odd.
Something didn’t look quite right about the photo. When I looked closer, I realized what was wrong.
The photo had melted.
The box was fine. Nothing was spilled on it and it hadn’t been exposed to any extreme temperatures.
In fact, the box was full of a bunch of other photos. None of the other ones were harmed in any way.
Yet my ghost photo had melted so much, it stuck to the frame. It was destroyed so badly that I had to throw both it and the frame away.
And that’s where my personal experiences end. But there’s a little more to this story.
My roommate told me about something that happened to him. Something he assured me was completely true.
When he was alone one night, he asked the ghost to present itself. According to him, he saw the image of a small man appear in the corner of his eye.
Of course, I can’t verify if that’s true or not; it didn’t happen to me and I wasn’t there when he said it happened. But it still freaked me out.
Every once in a while, I look back and wonder what was going on in that apartment.
Was it a series of strange coincidences? Was it all in our heads?
Was there really a ghost?
I may never know. At least I can use it as a great Halloween ghost story though.
Now that I’ve shared my story, I want to hear yours. Do you have a ghost story of your own or has something strange ever happened to you? Share it in the comments.
photo credit: Adrien Sifre
Interesting story–and I can relate. The house I grew up in, which was 200 years old, had been built on a Native American burial ground. My parents renovated the house and gutted the floors. Meanwhile, some friends and I had played with a Ouija board. Some odd stuff started happening…
We heard chants, smelled tobacco and often heard someone walking in the hallway when no one was there. My mom saw a vapory spirit of some sort floating up the stairs. I sometimes felt a presence nearby… A lot of this occurred in the evening.
There was other stuff, too.
Let’s just say that I rarely spend the night in an old house now. I’d rather just visit during the day, then be on my way. 🙂
At first I thought you were just retelling the plot line from Poltergeist. Didn’t that have a Native American burial ground too? That house sounds scary. At least I can say I never saw a vapory spirit of any kind. It’s all too spooky.
PS: I like the way you told your ghost story. Well-done!
Thanks, Lisa, I’m glad you loved the story!
Hah! Steve! This is a case for Derren Brown to analyse I reckon! i’m gonna tweet him for his recommendations!
Personally – I’m sure we can find a scientific explanation for all of this.
Aside from the light reflection in the photograph – is there anything about the material/frame combo that damaged the photograph.
Seeing people out of the corner of your eye – your friend’s mind was playing tricks on him!
As soon as I saw the tweet pop up, I laughed a little. I’m a big fan of his and it would be great if he replied, but I doubt it; he’s probably way too busy.
As far the material/frame with the photo goes, I don’t remember it causing any damage. Of course, this is all from memory, but I don’t think the frame caused the photo any damage.
Steve,
Interesting story, and very timely for Halloween.
I feel that there are likely scientific explanations for all the weird phenomena. There are psychological and scientific reasons why “some” of the strange things could happen.
HOWEVER: I may be a skeptic, but I am not one of those guys who refuses to believe up to the point a monster/ghost eats his face.
The image in the corner of the eye for instance – I have had that happen once or twice, with a creepy feeling in situations. Likely it is some sort of self induced delusion. However, you can bet I wasn’t waiting around to see if I was right. 😉
I’ve had that image in the corner of my eye thing happen too and that’s likely just an induced delusion like you said. Even at the time, that’s the first thing I thought about. Still, his story about it was pretty scarey.
I’m naturally skeptic just like you are but I think it’s foolish to say there is no possibility of ghosts. Science is discovering new things all the time and even has a few theories regarding kinetic energy left behind when death occurs.
Got a few goosebumps when I read this lol.
Fact or fiction – still an awesome story you’ll carry for the rest of your life.
Yeah, it’s possible that there’s something going on. It might not even have been a ghost or anything like that – it just might be some phenomenon science can’t quite explain yet. Or maybe it was just a bunch of coincidences.
All I know is that it makes for an interesting story.
Thanks for the chills up the spine, Steve. Won’t be getting much sleep tonight!
Just think about the fact that I slept there safely and soundly. It wasn’t so bad there.
A well told story, Steve!!! It’s easy to get freaked out when one is alone. Our brains are so good at filling in blanks even when it is not needed and making us feel as if something is going on that isn’t. But I do love a great story and you’ve delivered! Have a spooked one!!!
Yeah, it’s crazy what our brains will make us think sometimes. I’m glad you loved the story!
That’s just plain creepy. While the some of the items *might* have logical explanations, the combination is what gets you. You did live in a haunted house!
Yeah, that’s what gets me too. There were just so many weird things all in one place. One or two could be brushed aside as nothing, but all of them together makes you wonder what’s going on.
That was very well related Ghost story! enjoyed reading it!
Thanks, Balroop, I’m glad you enjoyed reading it!
Thanks for a good scare, Steve. I love the fact that despite all these going ons, you guys stayed and got friendly with your ghost visitor. Instead of packing up and running away for your lives! I don’t think I’ve quite experienced anything like this and I hope I never will!
Not only do I know know of any ghosts or have any personal ghost stories, I try to stay away from most scary and frightening movies! I value my sleep over a good scare but this tale made for a good laugh. Thanks for sharing.
Did you guys ever name the ghost crashing at your place:)?
I try to stay away from scary and frightening movies and TV shows too for the same reason. I always have trouble sleeping the night I watch them. While I often watch scarey movies around Halloween to get myself into the spirit of the season, I stay away the rest of the year.
No, we never named the ghost. I guess we never got around to doing that.
I wAs reading this near the door
over soMeone’s shoulder
when I heArd a knock on the door
it even made me jump
i lauGHed
but nO one heard
Sadly angrily
Together
secretly
we smile
alone?
Hey Katrina, thanks for the comment. Is this a little poem you wrote? I noticed that you capitalized some words and not others. If I type all the capitalized words in a row it types out: I AM A GHOST.
Very clever! I love this comment!
If you’re an Orthodox Christian (who drinks blood of Jesus regularly, prays, wears a cross, fasts, rejects New World Order documents, and doesn’t sin), then demons have no effect on you. People who use drugs see demons who cleverly disguise themselves as aliens. God gave you like a shield so that demons don’t harm you, but when you sin or do something spiritually wrong, you open yourself up to demonic influence. For example, chanting mantras leads to demon possession. It’s not the words that get you possessed; it’s the rhythm. Buddhists worship fake mountain Kailash in Tibet inside which demons have a UFO base. Barcode is Druid black magic curse. Mediums are shown pictures and given thoughts by demons. Demons move the Ouija board. Demons=Ghosts=Spirit Guides=Aliens. Demons never do good. Demons fly in UFOs. Crystal balls, tarot cards, barcodes, tattoos, talismans, masks, skulls, amulets, etc. attract demons. Meditation, chanting mantras, hypnosis, and astral projection lead to demon possession. Casting spells is asking demons for help. Ask Greek Orthodox priest to help you out (blessing your house, etc.) Most dreams and thoughts are from demons. To break any curse, pray slowly the Psalm “the Lord is my light and my salvation” 40 times a day for 40 straight days. That’s 1600 times in total. Also, if you’re in any trouble (like sleep paralysis), scream: JESUS! Pray the Jesus prayer all the time: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Jesus will come back to end the flying antichrist’s rule when this antichrist conceives a thought in his evil mind that he 666-isotope-ray-lasered everyone. Antichrist’s minions came up with Dec. 21 in order to desensitize people to the real events predicted in the Bible. Antichrist is 0% God and 100% man. He’s possessed by Satan since he’s 12 years old. He flies. He wears gloves to hide long nails. He’s pale with red eyes. He’s surrounded by demons who appear as angels of light. 666ed people go to permanent hell. 666 is given by lasers (isotope rays) on wrist or forehead when people stretch hands to receive small plastic grey card (world passport). Reject 666. Don’t go into a UFO to be healed by demons. Those who reject 666 will go to heaven. Also, their direct ancestors will be saved from hell. Dinosaurs live under our level. They will get out through sinkholes and lakes. To kill them, go for their nerves. Again, 666 is given by isotope rays on wrist or forehead when people stretch hands to receive small plastic grey card (world passport). Police will chip and isotope ray people on highways. Food stores will isotope ray people too. Antichrist will also release prisoners to mark people. Reject 666 at all cost. If you’re about to be marked, scream: “Lord, have mercy!” three times. Go hide with Orthodox Christians to escape 666. After death, 3 days you here, then you’re shown hell and heaven from 3rd until 9th day after death, then from 9th until 40th day demons accuse you of sins; that was before, now people just straight out go to temporary hell because of Social Security; but 666ed people go to permanent hell right away; 666 is given when people stretch hands to accept the evil plastic card. Before Jesus preached in hell, all people (except Enoch and Elijah) went to hell. Now, aborted kids go to hell for 33 and a half years. After crucifiction, Jesus preached in hell. Those who believed, got out of hell. Suicide leads to hell. Maximum torture is at the bottom (ice hell) for biggest sinners. Stalin is head in boiling water. When he tries to get out, demons push him back in. Others stand up to knees or up to chest in boiling water. There are different punishments in hell. If you didn’t do anything bad, you’re in a dark room. Also, hell is not permanent now. So, it’s possible to get out, especially if you’re prayed for and your relatives give to charity in the name of Archangel Michael. God is love. God has unlimited joy. God wants to share His joy with us. Point of this life is to get to heaven and spend eternity with God. God gives you a name during baptism. Devil gives you an anti-name during anti-baptism. Barcode is Druid black magic curse and a form of mark of the beast just like Social Security. People who took any number (which is an anti-name given during anti-baptism by the beast) on documents or in computer go to temporary hell; but those who receive green 666 (given with world passport with no name on it) on forehead or wrist go to permanent hell. How not to go to hell? Give back all these anti-name anti-baptism documents back to the beast by writing to appropriate authorities. If authorities refuse to cancel these anti-names, then write again (up to three times). If you wrote to the gov’t three times about it, but gov’t refused, then God will not send you to hell. Don’t go into UFO to be healed by demons.
That is scary! And, if you had all these happenings there, didn’t you try to find out some more, about the history of the house, if the neighbors knew things, if there is an expert in thearea who could have helped?
I thought about doing some research on the place. Maybe I could have asked the rental owners if something strange happened there or I could look into the history of the area, but unfortunately I moved away and I just never got around to doing it.
I used to lock up a haunted mansion so I never discount anything; I’ve had the flickering lights thing: one night, in front of a set of security guards I had asked to come and verify what was happening, there was a set of four large ceiling lights: whichever one I stood underneath flickered. That was the least of my problems 😀
I’m more concerned that this little man is gawping at people in the shower!
Whichever light you stood under would flicker? That’s crazy. It kind of reminds me of what I went through in that the lights would flicker in response to what I was doing.
Weirdly enough, I never thought about someone watching me while I was showering. I guess I didn’t think of it like that.
Do i believe without. a doubt i still have a ghost at my house all the time he just moves things. like i was washing dishes and had a brillow pad in the sink and took. a dish off the table andmy brilllow pad was gone next day .it was on.the.stove heloves. hiding thins. also liv in a. haunted house and watched objects mp
That would be so inconvenient. If stuff was moved all around, you’d always have to go searching for it. I’m glad that didn’t happen to me.
I didn’t. spell it right.sometimes. it is hard to.write. on my phone but a lot of strange things has happened. in my life and my town
Yeah, it can be hard to write on a phone sometimes.
The ghost story requires the reader to be shown the atmosphere, not told. Out of all the elements that create a great ghost story, the atmosphere is probably the most important.
I didn’t focus on atmosphere because this is a true story and I’m trying to write events as specifically and accurately as possible. This isn’t a short story, all these events actually happened.