Paranormal Story Archives
December 2000

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Coolest Story of the Month

Strange Scratches from Nowhere by Leslie.D. I have experienced many psychic dreams. I don't know if what I am about to tell you has anything to do with the dreams or not, but I am experiencing bodily harm now from something. I will describe as briefly as possible. I am very scared, and the only family that I have are my teenage daughter and son (ages 14 and 18). Only my daughter resides with me and I am also afraid for her safety. Nothing has happened to her. In June of this year, my son, daughter and my friend Kim were on my boat on the lake. I had gotten up from the driver's seat and walked to the back of the boat, and then sat back down, hitting, scraping or coming into contact with nothing. All of a sudden, I felt a burning sensation at the top of my right thigh. I looked down and there were five scratch marks, welted up, and hurting on my leg. I showed my friend who was sitting right beside me and she couldn't figure it out either. I kept trying to deduce how this had happened when I hadn't touched anything. The marks were about 1 cm apart and varied in length from about 1" to 2", the last two being deeper than the rest (see photo). It hurt, but we brushed it off as something that had gotten hot, and I brushed by it or something. We were having a good time skiing and didn't have time to make something of it. And I probably wouldn't be writing now had it not been for what happened yesterday. I was getting dressed and my fiancé was in the room with me and saw that there were no marks of any kind on either of my legs when I was putting on my pants. I had been in the car on my drive to work for about 15 minutes when my left leg started to burn. My first thought was that a bug might be in there. When I felt through my pants where the area was that was burning, I felt the welts that I had felt in June. I really got scared and was ready to pull over and "drop my drawers", but since I was late for work I figured since it wasn't bleeding through I could wait until I got to work to check, but I knew what was there. The marks are exactly like the ones I had in June. Exactly. But this time the marks were on the opposite leg.

For being selected as the "Coolest Story of the Month," Leslie D. is receiving a free copy of Celtic Mysteries in New England, courtesy Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383.

The Shaking Bed by Tammie F.
This experience actually happened to my 17-year-old son and his 18-year-old friend, who was staying at our house. Jerod, my son, was asleep in the lower half of his metal bunk bed. His friend was asleep on the floor with one of his arms resting against the ladder on the bed. It was the middle of the night, and he said that he woke up and Jerod was asleep, but the bed was violently shaking. He saw that Jerod was still asleep, so he jumped up and yelled at him to wake him up. Jerod woke up and also realized that the bed was shaking and jumped out of it. They spent the rest of the night in the living room and were truly scared. We live in Texas in a very old house. After living in the house for about five years, a neighbor told us that an older man had died in it when someone broke in to rob him. Jerod had always said it was haunted before he even knew this. He says sometimes if he's there alone, he thinks someone is in the house with him and he thinks he hears different people say his name. I don't know if it's just over active imaginations or something else.

Vision of a Terrible Death by Damion M.
I spent a lot of my life dedicated to the study of paranormal activity. All of my friends knew what I did and somewhat regarded me as simply the "story-teller." Whenever I would try to convince them of the truth of some story I was telling, they would just dismiss it because I never really had proof. Because of this, people assumed that what I did was not serious. That changed when I was about 16. Now, to a lot of the people I still consider friends, this is just another story. But what makes it different is the fact that a few of them were with me. We still have long debates over what really happened the night this all took place. Here's what happened in my eyes: One night, as friends and I sat around at the aftermath of a party, in the total absence of any type of drug or alcohol, we slipped into a discussion about ghosts and whether they truly exist or not. My friend Ryan seemed to believe that our perception of ghosts were simply beings from different galaxies or dimensions trying to contact human beings in some way that we would not frighten us. We joked about the thought that something meant not to frighten us was practically the center of modern horror. But almost as if our joking triggered something, the air in the room got really cold, and a sudden "unseen darkness," as one of the guys put it, fell around the room. None of us dared to move, almost as if we were expecting something to happen and didn't want to miss it. We silently stared at each other for several moments before anyone did anything. I, being the one known for situations like this, stood up and walked to the center of the room. I still remember the horror in everyone's eyes as I looked around the small den that we were sitting in. Erica and Lauren were sitting on the couch, on almost one cushion, I suppose in an attempt to warn each other up. Ryan was sitting in the big recliner with the footrest out but not being used because Ryan had now crumpled into a ball. I turned to see Haley sitting on the loveseat that I just left, and when I looked into her eyes, as I remember, she seemed to be the only one that had a little strength left. She stared at me, expecting me to do something. Another moment passed as I looked around the room, and I had begun to believe that it was all over when every one of us heard a noise at the window. I turned, because the window was behind me, and glanced across the room to the large panel glass window that led to a beautiful view of the lake outside. But I didn't see the lake. There in the window, I saw the hideous figure of Haley herself, torn and dismembered like she'd been attacked by one of the wolves that are known to live out in the woods by the house. All I could do was stare. I faintly remember hearing screams, but that may have been my imagination. What dominates my memory is the image of my friend standing there, outside the window, mutilated almost beyond recognition. What identified her was the yin-yang necklace that Erica gave to her on her birthday the year before. I turned back, I guess to make sure it wasn't really Haley, and there she was, sitting on the couch... still staring at me. I looked around the room to see if anyone else had seen what I saw. Each person, without being asked, nodded to me to let me know they had seen it. When I turned back to Haley and got no response, I asked if she had seen anything. She said she just saw the lake and asked what was wrong. For the first time in my life, I was unable to tell the story. I just couldn't find the words. About two months later, Haley died in an accident with one of the tractors. She had been riding her bike and her front tire slipped on a rock. One of the yard maintenance men, not paying attention, ran over the top half of her body with the tractor. By the time he realized what was happening and stopped the tractor blades, she was already dead. The wake was held on October 3, and as each one of us walked by, we laid a piece of the necklace on her casket. Each year on August 10, the night of the sighting, we wait in that very same den to see if she ever comes back to see us. But I really believe she is always with each of us.

The White Thing by Mike
I have always been interested in ghosts, and I used to worship the movie Ghostbusters. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with what I saw (whether it was my imagination triggered by reading all the ghost books and watching the movies) or if I actually saw something, but here's the story: My parents had gone shopping one day and had left me at home with my two sisters. I was nine at the time (I am currently 16) and, like I said, I was infatuated with the paranormal. My sisters had gone outside and were jumping on the trampoline, and I had just come out of my bedroom and started to walk down the hall. As I neared the end of the hall, something white ran right in front of me and across the hall. Obviously, I jumped back a few feet, but then thought it was my sisters. So I continued walking, and as I went to turn the corner into the living room, I saw the same thing run past the window outside. I had not heard the front door open or close, yet it was outside the window. Now I was really scared, and tried to convince myself that it was my sisters. So I opened the front door and went outside to find them. I looked at the side of the house and could not see the white figure, nor did I find it at the other side on the house. I went back inside again and looked out the back window. When I saw my sisters jumping on the trampoline, I became even more afraid. Neither of them were wearing clothing that was close to white. One was wearing a blue shirt and jeans, the other was wearing a black shirt and jeans. There was no white blanket around that they could have used to look like a ghost. I ran outside. Trying not to cry from fright, I asked my sisters whether they had been in the house or not. They both said no. I also realized that neither of them had the proper proportions to fit what I saw. When my parents came home, they just passed it off as nothing. I saw the figure a few more times doing the same thing, but after a few months it just disappeared. I have not seen it since.

The Thumping Spirit by Liz C.
It must have been back in 1995 when I had the most outstanding paranormal experience so far in my dabblings with the occult and paranormal. I was only in fifth grade at the time, and being of such a young and, at that time, innocent disposition, I was eager to try out a card game my best friend Jennifer had taught me. The game consisted of using a regular 52-card deck with the aces picked out and laid on the table for the bases. Then you went through and asked questions out loud. Each suit determined the answer: hearts for yes, diamonds for no, spades for I don't know, clubs for maybe. We'd been up most of the night messing around with various paranormal things. We'd discovered that if both of us closed our eyes and one of us thought of a color, the other would see a flash of that color in our head. We'd also messed around with the Ouija board a little, but didn't get any results. About halfway through a deck, one of us jokingly asked the spirit we were conversing with if it would give us a sign that it was there. The answer was a heart, meaning yes, and no sooner than we set the card down on the appropriate deck than across the room from a box, a solid thumping started. It continued for several seconds as Jennifer and I simply stared in fear and intrigue. Jennifer asked the spirit if that was it knocking. The answer was yet another heart for yes. All the while the knocking continued. She then asked if it would please stop. As soon as I overturned the third heart, the thumping stopped. We stared at each other in puzzled silence for several minutes, then resumed the game, since you must finish the deck in order to safely end the game. Since that day, my interest in the occult and paranormal has escalated tremendously.

The Praying Ghost by Phillip W.
When I was a boy of 10, I experienced my first paranormal experience. I remember it like it happened yesterday and everything is still very clear to me, even at the age of 24. When I had this experience, I remember it was very close to Easter. I woke up very early in the morning and saw a person at the foot of my bed. It was a women kneeling and praying at the foot of my bed. She was wearing old clothing like you see in old pictures in the Bible. I could only see her face and hands and everything else was covered. I could see through her; it was like looking at something made of light, but was in full human form. I was so scared that I could not move or speak. I was just staring at her and she kept praying. After a minute or so, she turned her head and stared at me. That made me even more scared. Still I could not move. I looked her eye to eye and she kept staring at me. All of a sudden I jumped up out of bed and over her and ran to get my mom. I have never seen the lady again, but I remember very well in detail exactly what she looked like. She didn't have any wings, just very old clothing with a hood pulled over her head. Looking back, I believe I realize why I saw it. It makes me realize that there is a God and that someone or something is watching over me. It gives me faith and makes me feel hopeful in hard situations.

Ghost of a Murderer by William S.
I never believed in any of this sort of thing until I saw it with my own eyes. In the fall of 1998, my friends and I spoke one week of doing a Ouija board. Skeptical as I was, I gladly accepted the opportunity. We did not have a board, and I didn't want to drive forever to look for one. So my friends and I made one. It was a piece of cardboard with the lettering on it. We even put the sun and moon in the top corners. For the indicator we cut out a triangular piece of cardboard, which had to be moved with force since it did not slide smoothly like the boards sold stores. Let me set the scene. We lived in Huntsville, Texas, and the day we decided to do it, Martin Gurule, a prisoner who was on death row for murder and had escaped, had just been found dead in the river not too far from my friend's house. The house old and decrepit house with a middle room that could have been a second living area, but at the time was being used for a bedroom. Ten of us gathered around the board in that room, the only light coming from a large cake candle we had. Now all night, a couple of my friends were saying, "Let's talk to Gurule." We sat around the board, and Tanner and Melissa were the only ones who were going to touch it. Tanner had never done anything like that, but Melissa had claimed to have witnessed that sort of thing. They put their hands over the indicator and Tanner asked, "Are there any spirits out there tonight?" I know its corny, but that's what somebody said he should say. Then the indicator moved. Now this was very shocking, because their fingers never actually touched the indicator. Each merely had their index and middle finger hovering two inches above it. As soon as it moved (very slowly, I might add), it hit everyone. The shock made those who were skeptical, like myself, at least curious and quiet. It moved to YES. Since that moment, I only remember a few of the questions. I remember when Tanner said, "What is you name?" It replied, "Used to be Gurule." At that moment I said, "That isn't how Gurule is spelled." I thought it was spelled Gurulli. Chad retorted and said that he had seen it in the papers and it was Gurule. Then some weird stuff happened. Tommy was sitting next to me and he nudged me. He said, "Did you see that?" Before I could answer Chad said, "I saw it." Personally, I did not, but later they said the left side of the indicator picked up off the board and was dragging on the right. I did, though, see this amazing impossibility that made me believe even further. Their fingers were over the T, and the indicator quickly slid over to the A. Their fingers were still over the T on the other side of the board. They just pulled their hands away after they saw that. Now this whole time I felt claustrophobic and stifled. My chest felt compressed, and there were lumps in my throat. Then we asked the question that verified that it was real. Shay was sitting on the bed, about four feet from the board. He said Martin Gurule went to high school in the Corpus Christi area, but he didn't know where. As he traveled a lot as a high school FFA officer, he knew most of the schools there. No one else that was there had ever been to Corpus Christi or knew anything about it. Tanner asked Gurule where he went to high school. It went to the R and then to the A, and Shay's eyes watered and he moved to sit right by the board and said, "No way." Then it went to the Y. Shay said, "The Ray Texans. Its a school in Corpus." This shocked everyone, and I think they all felt stifled in the same way I did. At this point Tanner ran into the kitchen and turned on the light. He had goosebumps, and his eyes were watering. He said (I remember it as if it were yesterday), "I'm not going back in there, Tommy. There was something around me in there." This house belonged to Tommy, so he said, "Well, go ask it to leave then, because if there is something in here, I want it to go." After he was coaxed, Tanner went in and asked it to leave. The indicator went to NO. He asked it again and he still replied NO. He asked a third time, and it went toward NO, then went to the middle of the board and stopped all movement. It would not move again. So, we went to the back porch, and we burned the board while some of us smoked. When we went inside, as soon as the last person entered the kitchen and shut the door, the pots fell off the counter and the pictures under the magnets on the refrigerator fell to the floor. Everyone was silent. Tommy and Shay slept in the other room that night, and took the deer heads off the wall. They didn't want them to talk to them in the middle of the night. I understand completely how the mind makes people think they see things they do not. But that night, there is no other explanation. No one in that room knew where Gurule went to school, and the only one who knew any schools in that area was sitting away from the board. It could not have just randomly gone to those letters. I got on the Internet and found out by the end of that semester that Gurule did attend Ray High School! Lots of strange things happened around that house after that night. I spent a lot of time over there, and screen doors would swing wide open and shut. The breaker would flip on and off for no reason. They said the television would turn on and off. I know that it is possible that this could have possibly been explained, but that night was the only time I was absolutely sure that I had witnessed a supernatural phenomenon.

Cursed Moody Blues Shirt by Cathy L.
I've had a lifetime a paranormal activity and strange events. This is about the most recent occurrence, which happened about six months ago. I sell odd items on an online auction site - antiques, when I can find them, including old concert t-shirts. A local thrift store had a tie-dyed Moody Blues t-shirt that had evil dripping from it for what reason I'll never know. Within the tie-dyed designs were nearly 200 skeletal, evil-looking faces, demon-type bodies, alien heads and ghostly faces in mid-screams. I could even feel cold spots near it. Images of rows and rows of hollow eye sockets. When I began shooting the photos for the auction and zooming in on some of the faces, on a whim (for the first time) I decided to try out some of the special features on my Mavica digital camera (negative settings, etc.). As I changed settings, more and more images were apparent: elongated skulls in silent screams. My goosebumps had goosebumps. My boyfriend refused to get near it after seeing it once. This all scared me so bad I decided it wasn't allowed in the house, and locked it in a plastic bag and put it inside the barbecue grill on the back porch while the auction was running. From the time I brought it home, I began to have migraines almost daily. My boyfriend was in a parking lot accident. My son's hood flew up on his car, smashing his windshield in on my grandbabies. I was almost in several car accidents myself, and various other bad-luck things were happening that I'm forgetting right now. The auction closed and I tried to notify my winner. I didn't get a response for about a week. Finally, he wrote from a library computer that the night he won the auction his computer started smoking and something shorted out; he lost the whole thing. He still wanted the shirt though, so I sent him all the required information. One week later, he wrote again and asked if he could be let out of the sale. Part of his house had caught fire and he suddenly had a lot of expenses. I told him that I blamed the shirt for everything, and told him about the odd happenings and bad luck associated around the shirt. He was glad to not be getting the shirt then, but had been fascinated and scared by those faces in the tie-dye as well. My boyfriend and I felt we were obligated to try to uncurse the shirt and rip it in bits before throwing it in the dumpster on the curb, just to make sure no one found it. We boiled it in salt water, quoted Bible scriptures, then cut it up in bits. The only thing remaining were the photos I had - until a month later when I lost my hard drive to 18 viruses (despite having the newest anti-virus software protection). The photos are gone forever and so is the evil t-shirt. When I told my boyfriend just a few hours ago that I was going to write a story about the "cursed tie-dye," as we call it, he suddenly burned his hand on the iron he was using.

The Haunted Guest House by Tim R.
I lived for two years in a haunted guest house just outside L.A., in the small suburb of Lomita. I found out later from an elderly woman who lived next door and had lived there for many, many years that apparently a woman had died in the bedroom of acute alcoholism and neglect sometime back in the late 1930s. After having frequent and unbelievably frightening dreams where I would wake up and see the room melting around me or everything in negative tones, I decided to move into the small living room where the dreams abated, or at least were less dauntingly aggressive in their intensity. I was concerned if not a tad fearful, but was steadfast in the thought that no ghost or otherworldly whatever was going to run me off. My girlfriend, alone in the house one afternoon, actually saw a tall dark form standing in the bedroom doorway staring at her. It had burning coals for eyes. She sensed the thing was pure evil as it dissolved into a mordant sweet mist before her eyes. She would never set foot alone in the house again. (I wish I would have been there to see this thing, but I know my girlfriend would never make this up.) Even though I liked the place aesthetically and was renting it for cheap, I grew tired of its evil, bad vibes and finally moved.

Scrying Experiment by Jen
I didn't have a crystal ball handy or an obsidian mirror, so I made my own scrying tool from a bit of glass from a picture frame, paint and scrap of black leather. I used a flickering candle and a fan to drown out noises. The dog's cold nose on my feet occasionally was a distraction, but it was better than having him scratching the door trying to get in the room with me. I darkened the room; it was lit only by candlelight. I held the picture frame about 12 inches from my face at an angle to reflect as little as possible. I was somewhat skeptical in the approach. Since I didn't really think that salt water and sage would offer much protection, I said a simple prayer and then started looking. To my surprise, the mirror almost immediately clouded over. In fact it surprised me so much that I lost concentration and had to start over again a couple of times. I decided to follow up on a dream I had of Mexico, and looked without breaking concentration. The images were kind of fuzzy and had an orange and blue coloration. It looked like an impressionistic or dot-matrix type of image. Sometimes the images were cloudy and hard to make out. What I saw was not pretty. The first thing appeared was a mountain going off like Mt. St. Helens. I saw what looked like a pyroclastic cloud. Then someone's face appeared screaming... a wheel of fire... then a whole bunch of fiery images and geometrical designs. An ocean beach looking at the waves. Sometimes things would appear so quickly that I couldn't make out what I was looking at. I felt very distant from the images. It wasn't frightening, more like reading a news report. It was difficult to keep focused. Sometimes I would have an image developing only to be wiped out by the candles flickering. It was definitely an interesting experiment, and one which I would like to try again.

Dream Prefigures a Death by Tom D.
My cousin and I were very close. Two days after Christmas of 1969, I was taking a nap in the afternoon and had a dream. I saw myself entering my cousin's house and seeing figures dressed in black. Then my cousin appeared in an old picture frame that had an oval glass cover over it. Her lips were moving, but the sound didn't come from the picture, they came from words appearing as print like a teletype under the picture. She was dressed exactly as she was the last time I saw her, which was two previous. She told me how glad she was to have gotten to know me, and how much fun she had had on some of our trips together. As she talked, a noise began to manifest, growing louder and louder, and the picture she was in suddenly began to grow smaller and flew out of the corner of my vision. The noise didn't stop, but increased in intensity and I heard crashing, crashing, crashing, and then a horn cut in repeatedly and grew so loud that I woke up, sitting straight up in bed, staring in horror. For some reason I looked at my bedside clock which said 4:19 p.m. I was so shaken, I got up and smoked a cigarette and wondered why she would be telling me what she did. I went back to bed and woke up when the telephone rang that night. It was my mother, and she told me that my cousin Doris Lee had been killed in a pickup as it was crossing a railroad track in very icy, foggy weather. I asked my mother what time the accident happened, and she said " a little after 4:00 that afternoon. When I went to the funeral, there were the figures dressed in black exactly as I had seen them in the dream. This was when I entered her house.

Psychic Photos of the Future by Kajen H.
I have had experiences of seeing a photograph snapped in front of my eyes. They are in color and I even hear the clicking sound of the picture being taken. I don't understand the pictures and don't know how to fine tune them. The first was a series of three pictures: first, a large bolt, like it was off of a car; second, an ambulance with lights flashing; third: a picture of tall grass, like I was lying down in the grass looking up. This was very disturbing to me; however, I had no idea what it was. Several years passed, and my husband was in a terrible automobile accident. He was thrown from the vehicle, which was literally torn into three pieces, and landed in tall grass! My second experience was of a single photograph: a very bloody eye! That was all I got. Again, maybe two or three years passed, and my nephew had a piece of rock flown into his eye. He may never regain his vision in that eye.

The Red-Eyed Dog by Derek S.
This is a true story that happened to me in 1989 when I was 10 years old. My best friend at the time and I were at his grandparents' house. We were there alone watching TV that night. The house was in two parts - an old part and a newer part. The old part of the house always felt strange to me. Whenever I would go back there, day or night, I would always get a very strong feeling that something was looking at me or that it was all around me. The air always had a foggy look about it. Anyway, on this particular night we decided to go to the old part of the house to play with a set of drums that his grandfather owned. So we got up and walked out of the living room, which was in the newer part of the house. I felt very normal and okay until we walked over a small step into the older part of the house. That sick, eerie feeling came over me as it had many times before in that house. We walked down the hallway, which had two bedrooms on either side of it. We turned left into the bedroom with the drum set. My friend turned on the light and I sat down at the drums. We were talking and joking around for awhile. After a while, I started noticing that my friend was not answering me whenever I asked him a question. So I turned around and saw that he was no longer there. That kind of scared me in itself, so I quickly got up and began to walk out of the room to look for him. Just as I exited the bedroom door and walked out into the hallway, I happened to look across the hall to the opposite bedroom. I'll try to describe this as best I can. I saw two red eyes glaring at me through the darkness in the opposite bedroom. It looked like they belonged to a dog-like head and body, but the two front feet of the creature were like eagle's talons. It appeared as if it were sitting on its hind legs (the way dogs sit) and its teeth were bared and I could hear it growling at me. I was in shock at the site of this. I didn't know what to think. The presence that I normally felt in that part of the house was so intensely strong at this point that I felt really sick. All I could do was run as fast I could back to the living room where I found my friend sitting on the couch watching TV. I told him what had happened and asked him why he left without telling me. He said that he saw a "green head" floating over my head as I sat at the drum set. The next day we went back to the house to see if what I saw may have been a statue or something. But there was nothing there in that bedroom - just a really eerie presence and that foggy look about the air. It's strange that I remember so much after over 11 years, but I'm glad I have never seen anything like that again.

Serious SLIder by Rebecca K.
For years I have driven under streetlights and they would pop. [See the article, "Are You A SLIder?"] On one occasion, as I was driving down the main drag in Murfreesboro, Tenn., I counted 14 streetlights pop. It was embarrassing, as I was with a client. I counted to about nine and then he noticed and said, "Have you noticed those lights popping over us?" I said, "Not really, but that's strange." Thank God we got to the restaurant five pops later! I have even had the experience of standing on a sidewalk and looking at a light and saying, "Pop" and it would go out. My ex-boss was a witness to this. He thought it was a coincidence and so I did it again. When I used to cruise town with my girlfriends, it would be a nightly thing to count how many lights would go out. Now, 19 years later, when I drive my son to grandma's before school, we count the lights. The strange thing is that there are always two of the same lights that pop. We'll get close to them and both look and say, "Here it goes!" It's gotten quite comical. My parents were very interested in this occurrence at the beginning, but now have accepted it as something that just happens. My theory is unlike any I've read. I believe it's something to do with the aura, or power of someone's being. When I'm pleased with an event, excited about my performance and expecting rewards, this is when I most often pop a streetlight. I do it so often that I've analyzed each and every happening. I ask myself, "What are you feeling?" Most often it is as I mentioned above. Expecting something...?

Amazing Sky Phenomena by T. Abacrombie
In February, 1972 I was walking with two others at about 6 a.m. across a small deck into a house to borrow some shotgun shells, when there appeared in the sky at about three to five thousand feet a large blue sphere that made no noise as it fell slowly toward the ocean. At about 10 or 20 meters from the water, it noiselessly broke into four or five smaller spheres that dissipated into nothing as they spread across the surface of the water at 90 degree angles to the main falling trajectory. The spheres were a shimmering blue and appeared like the granular surface of the sun, but in a mixture of blues. A few years earlier, I was walking outside with another guy when we both saw a rainbow appear from its zenith and extend downward to the right then it disappeared from the zenith to the right half. A rainbow might not be strange, but it was about 10 p.m. in October - no sun for another nine hours.

Quarters and Dimes from Heaven by Dawn B.
My father was killed while away from home on a business trip. He was crossing the street and was struck by a young, out-of-control kid in a car. He was only 39. He did a lot of paper work at home, and kept a shelf in the breakfast area of our kitchen. On that shelf he kept change in a container. When I would go out, he would always give me a quarter so that I could call him if I needed him. He also used to give my mom change for things and would always tell her that he wished every dime he gave her was a hundred dollars. After his death, we started to find dimes all over the house. You would clean the kitchen counter come back into the room and find dimes on the counter. They would show up inside of jewelry cases, in the car, in the sink, under plants in the house. After I had children I would find quarters on their high-chair trays, falling out of their walkers, on the car seats. It has been 10 years since my father's death and we still find dimes and quarters that seem to come from nowhere. It has become a sense of peace for my family to know that my father is still here with us in some way.

My Out of Body Experience by D.L.
Just before summer started, I became extremely interested in the paranormal. I started looking at ghost pictures and looking into the existence of heaven or hell, but the topic that interested me most was out of body experiences (OBEs) - stories of people who left the body and could roam with ghosts. It seemed pretty wild at first, but after reading three books and lots of websites, I became a believer. I read that a lot of people have OBEs. I never actually attempted leaving my body because it requires practice and meditation, and spontaneous OBEs that happened to people who knew nothing about them were very rare. Then I had an experience at night that I will never forget. I went to sleep at 11 p.m., very tired. My mind drifted away in thought. Eventually, I fell asleep, but woke up again later. I felt like I was "leaking" blood from my left side, like there was an open wound and blood was leaking out, but there was no pain. I also felt dizzy, but I just ignored it all because I was so tired. I felt like I was spinning really fast on an axis. Then I fell asleep again and in my extremely vivid dream I felt like I was trapped - just a feeling of claustrophobia. Then I heard a whisper and I shot up into the air and just stopped. I felt like I was floating upside down. Everything was black. Then I realized my eyes were closed and in fear I opened them. Everything was still black. I started shaking violently and falling. I remember waking up in a cold sweat of fear. It was then I realized I had experienced an OBE.

The Haunting Demons by Christopher M.
A friend and I were riding horses along a stretch of trees when the horse started to get spooked. The horses started to gallop and then ran from a certain part in the trees. We thought nothing of this until one night when we heard a scream. This was a blood-curdling scream that made my friend and I scared so bad that we went to his house and cried. That very morning, we both got sick and puked. We headed out to the woods with knives and other stuff to protect ourselves. When we went out there, we saw black shadowy things running around. It felt like the demons were surrounding us. From then on, we have been seeing things and hearing things in our houses and outside when we walk.

Footsteps on the Roof by Nate M.
My wife and I currently live in a 40+-year-old home in a small town outside Palm Springs, California. Shortly after we moved in 11 years ago, I heard the sound of very heavy footsteps running across the roof. This occurred many times, in daylight. I have heard roofers on the roofs of other homes, so I know the sound of a large person walking across a roof. This was no squirrel, as some friends have foolishly suggested. It was not simply footsteps, however, but running footsteps. I would always run outside and there was never anyone on the roof or near the house large enough to have made such sounds. Several times I came running out to see who was on my roof, and asked the small children next door if they had seen anyone on my roof and they answered no. This continued for several years, on and off, always in the daytime. It suddenly ceased. Shortly after that, no sooner had I turned off my bedroom light and lay in bed when a male voice in the darkness suddenly said, "Hey!" This infuriated me, and I said "Hey, what? This is my house, and if you are going to speak to me you will speak to me in a normal manner!" The voice did not respond. A few days later, just as I lay down on my bed, something invisible plopped down on the bed next to me. This time I decided to be diplomatic and I said, "Hello. How are you?" Whatever it was got up and that was that. Also, the kitchen light goes on and off of itself in the night. Once I got up to shut it off, and just before I could reach the switch, it went off. I said "Thank you" out loud and went to bed. This is an ongoing thing. Now I also often see shadows on the living room walls, as if there are people moving about, but no one is there. My wife has observed some of these things as well. There has been at least one death in this house that we have been able to confirm - an elderly male relative of the previous owners. Twice I have succeeded in catching something moving around in the bedroom, moving things about, and what sounds like the microphone being ground into my pillow. I have also picked up murmuring voices, but cannot make out the words.

Lady of the Night by Cynthia S.
In 1986, my husband and I were living with George, an 81 year-old gentleman. I was cooking his meals, dispensing his medications and maintaining his home. George kept a small desk lamp at his bedside on all night, as he had to get up two or three times a night. Our room was approximately 10 feet directly down the hall from his room. At about 1:00 a.m., something woke me from a sound sleep. I looked down the hall and saw a female "spirit" floating close to the ceiling of the hall, about to enter George's room. When I continued to look at this lady, who was very beautiful, she smiled at me, waved and disappeared into George's room. I got up and walked into George's room, only to find him sleeping soundly and, apparently, peacefully. Approximately two weeks later, I found George dead, sitting on the edge of his bed. I have wondered if the spirit lady was one of George's guides, who had come to prepare him to cross-over to the "other side." To my waking knowledge, I had not seen this spirit before that time, nor have I seen her since. I feel I was given a great compliment by being allowed to see that "spirit lady."

The Ark of the Covenant by Ray K.
Listening to a radio program many years ago (The Christian Jew Hour) about the history of the Ark of the Covenant, the following surfaced:

1. There is reportedly more than one ark. The Queen of Sheba supposedly asked Solomon to make a duplicate for her to take back to her homeland (the one presently in Axiom). Rumor has it that prior to her (or her son's) departure, the replica may have been switched for the original. We also know that what we consider the original was not, as it was patterned after the one in heaven.
2. The switch may not have taken place because it was necessary that the blood of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) be sprinkled directly upon it. Jesus was crucified in exactly the same place that God asked Abraham to offer Isaac up as an offering, today commonly held as the location of the Dome of the Rock. The earthquake that took place immediately after the start of Jesus' crucifixion split the earth at the base of his cross enough to allow his blood to drip down to the cave where the ark was hid, and his blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, making this the original Ark (the one made in Moses' time) and the one in Axiom the replica.
3. The only modern-day person reported to have seen the Ark at Axiom is Heily Salases (spelling?) and his wife, prior to WW2. The Ark is kept underground in a place prepared especially for it. Circular tunnels were dug in an inverted wedding cake design, seven layers deep, the ark residing in the lowest (and smallest diameter) level.
4. The Axis powers, at the outbreak of WW2, desired to acquire this Ark, which explains why the Italians attacked Ethiopia (not close by, geographically, and of no political or military importance) as their first conquest.

I hope this info will be of help in filling in some of the blanks to this mystery.

Brother Calls from the Grave by Marcia
It was in summer 1997 when I went with a friend of mine to Gisela's house, another friend. When I arrived at the house, I didn't feel comfortable because the house looked really scary. It was so hot that we had been inside the house all day. When it was night, we were so bored that we decided to go to Gisela's sister's room, which was at the very end of the corridor. When we were in her sister's room, we were singing really loudly. We decided to record it. So we put on some music, sang with it and taped it at the same time. It was really funny and we were really loud. Suddenly I heard a voice at the end of the corridors screaming softly, "Gisela! Gisela!" It sounded like the voice of a 20-year-old boy. At first I ignored it and kept singing with the others. Then I heard the voice again. Immediately I turned the volume down and I said to Gisela that somebody was calling her. She said that I should keep on singing. I did, but  still heard the voice. Again I turned the volume down and said to Gisela that she should shut up because somebody was calling her. I asked if it could be her father because maybe we were too loud, but she said that it was impossible because he was outside. Immediately she put the volume on but I started to scream at her saying that a male voice was calling her. I noticed that it wasn't the father's voice, so I asked if she had a brother about 20 years old. She looked at me completely shocked. Gisela said that her brother died in a car accident when he was about 20 years old. Then she turned the volume on and kept on singing, but all of us were scared. When I needed to go to bathroom, which was in the corridor on the other side from the room where we had been singing. I asked Gisela and the other friend to come with me because I was scared, but Gisela didn't want to. When we crossed the corridor I had the feeling that somebody was observing me and my friend from the end of the corridor. Then my friend and I went back to the room where Gisela was. She was sitting there staring into the air. I told her that I really heard that voice and that I didn't know about her brother. She then started to tell us that since her brother died strange things happen to her in that house. Since then strange things have happened to me, too - even in my own house.

The Red Face by Joshua R.
I had a paranormal experience at the age of eight. I woke up and there was a red face with an expression only describable as crazed looking me in the eyes. I began to cry, and when I opened up my eyes, he (or it) was gone. I didn't tell the story to anyone, but while lying in bed with my girlfriend, I imitated the face that I saw and she began crying almost hysterically. She was scared out of her wits! After I calmed her down, she told me a story exactly matching the experience that I just related, only it happened to her. My great grandma told me a story similar to what we experienced, except the face was outside the house and staring at her crazed-like from a window. Indeed, some time before that, a child I was babysitting recounted the same thing happening to him. Are all of these stories connected? Is there any documentation of these things happening to other people?

Was I Becoming Invisible? by B..Sullivan
I was sitting drinking coffee at a cafe near my home and was being stared at by a women a few years older than myself. Under most circumstances there's nothing odd about that. Maybe she found me attractive and was showing that she was open to interaction on some level or other, and staring was her way of giving me an invitation of sorts. Naturally, not being unattractive, I can understand that - but not at all in this particular instance. She was staring at me with a fixed, unbelieving kind of expression - a look of amazement, uncertainty or disbelief. I felt a bit awkward and kind of looked at her looking at me, then looked away, but couldn't help but occasionally look to see if she was still staring. Yup, she looked away and then she was at it again. That was the way I left it until I saw her again several days later when curiosity got the better part of me. I got my coffee at the bar and approached her. I said, "Hi. I couldn't help but notice you last week and you seemed to be staring at me in a perplexed way. I'm kind of curious." "Yes," she said. "I was. I just couldn't help it. You were all kind of fuzzy, as if you weren't in focus, and i just couldn't understand it. I hope you didn't mind. I do apologize."

Freaky Family Stuff by Krysty
These events happened to various members of my family. I will start with the oldest one. It involved my great-grandfather and my grandmother. When he found out his wife was pregnant, he wrote on a piece of paper the weight, sex and date of birth and sealed it. Nine months later he was right about all three. My second story is about my mother and my aunt. When they were eight and six, they received a Ouija board for Christmas. While they were playing with it one night, there was a storm. The storm had not been foreseen, but had come quickly and suddenly - as soon as they touched the board. Well, I don't know exactly went on with the board, but I do know that their house was the only one that lost power that night, and that from that night they were not allowed to play with the board ever again. My third story is about my aunt when she was nine or 10. My grandma had gone to a PTA meeting, and while she was there my aunt's teacher got the call that told her that her husband had been killed in an automobile accident. My grandma came home. When she walked into the living room, my aunt instantly told her that her teacher's husband was dead. There was no humanly possible way for her to know that. The next story I will tell you is about my mom. When she was out with her husband and in-laws on a camping trip, she had a bad feeling. She asked if she could use the car to go to the nearest town. At first her husband said no; he said she was being silly. Anyway, she eventually convinced him into giving her the keys and she drove into town, 20 miles away. She called her sister and found out that her parents had been in a serious car accident about the same time she had started getting those bad feelings. They were driving through an intersection and two teenage girls (higher than kites) had run the red light and hit them from the side. Luckily, it was raining because the car slid. If it hadn't been raining the car would have rolled and my grandparents would have died instantly. I have one more story. This one is about my sister. The night before last, my sister, brother-in-law, my niece and nephew were at my house. They got ready to go and my mom tried to persuade my sister to leave the kids here and for her to go with her husband on a paper route that he has. Normally my sister would jump at the offer, but for some reason she said she just wanted to get home. They got home and he went on his route. My family got the call the next day that he had totaled the car. An animal had run across the street in front of him and he swerved and ran right into a telephone pole, taking out the passenger side. If she had been there, she would have been seriously injured, maybe even killed. Besides all those stories there is always creepy stuff with my family. For instance, my mom and sister cannot keep secrets from each other because they always know what the other is thinking. My mom and I often have the same dreams. Oh, I thought of another story! This one is about my mom, too! When my grandpa was very ill, she woke up at four in the morning and went over to their house without even brushing her hair. She and her father were very close and she somehow knew when he was going to go, because 10 minutes after she got there he died. She knew the exact time and told me, and it turns out I woke up at the exact time he died. I know I did because I woke up crying and I automatically looked for a clock. I cannot explain these events except that my family is gifted.

Halloween Madness on the Road by Jean and Frank
This happened to Frank and I last year on Halloween. We went to Dave's house to drop off some things. We left his house at 8:35 p.m. Frank said we should be back home by 9:00 p.m., taking the same route that we always take. All of a sudden, Frank said, "Where the hell are we? We shouldn't be here." He said we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, although I can't remember doing so. We carried on down the road and passed a pub where Frank says a mate of his used to live, which was near Tarpolin. The next thing we knew, we were on the other side of Biddulph Moor. We carried on down the road for about 10-15 minutes, then came down the road from Leek down to Bucknal. Frank said, "We should not be here!" The next thing we knew, we passed a sign saying Stockton Brook, which meant that we were totally on the wrong road. We drove on for about five minutes when he said, "I'm going to turn round. This isn't right." At a well-known post office in Stockton Brook, he turned his head to check the traffic behind before he reversed the car, and when he looked back we were then at a church where he used to study judo when he was younger, at Biddulph. We were totally amazed. We took a turning and carried on down the road. We were then driving through Knypersly. We looked at each other and thought, What the hell's going on? as we drove down the road towards the Raven pub in Cobridge. Frank stopped the car by the pub and covered the clock with his hand. He asked me if I could remember what time it was when we left Dave's house. I said it was 8:35. He then asked how long I thought we had been driving. I said about 45 minutes to an hour. He then moved his hand away from the clock to show that it was only 8.41 p.m. We had been driving for a good 45 minutes, but the clock said we had only been traveling for six minutes, about the time it would have taken us to drive from Dave's to here, except there was hardly any fuel in the car. We stopped for petrol on the way home and got back home for 9:05. Frank said to me on the way back, "I'm glad you were with me, Jean, because if I was on my own, I'd think I was having a breakdown."

Demon Attacks by Tamen
I am a 21 year old female, and these attacks began four years ago. The second time it happened, I woke up and was unable to move. There was something flying around my room - a demon, if you will. It approached me and began to strangle me. I tried to move or call out, but was unable to. The creature flew away, but I was still immobile. It came back and choked me again until I saw black spots before my eyes. Again, it released me and returned a moment later. When it had finished trying to strangle me this third time, it flew off and I was able to move. For a long time, I was terrified when I had to go to bed. I could only sleep if someone (or one of my dogs) was in the room with me, and I had to be on my side with my arm draped across my neck. I was never sexually assaulted, and I never again saw this demon. In future episodes, I would hear things. A woman's voice screaming for Ed, or my own mother speaking to me from just beyond my sight, telling me I was lazy and could be just as productive awake teaching my bird (who has a broken wing) to do push ups. Once, when lying in a chair asleep, I awoke and could see into the living room, and I saw myself approaching the chair and reaching out to touch my own face. Another time I awoke to a "wind" that howled over my body and put a tremendous pressure on me. It was so loud I clapped my hand over my ear (I was lying on my side), but after I moved my hand I couldn't move again. The wind came and was very painful over my entire body. I tried to scream for help, but was unable to. My dog was sleeping against my back, and I was sure I had rolled over and was holding her. The wind came three times over me, and then I awoke fully. I was still on my side facing away from my dog. I firmly believe that these are episodes of sleep paralysis, and if I wanted to I could get help from a drug therapy. However, these attacks are infrequent, and other than a few bad ones, most are not threatening.

Hauntings Near the ParaWoods by LbGirl278
I live in Danbury, Connecticut. I have been noticing strange activity when I am alone - only me and no one else - in my home. Cabinets in my kitchen fly open or objects fall off tables. There are sounds such as rattling noises, shoes shuffling, creaking, faint moaning and sometimes I see faint white objects in the room. I live in a very old house next to what I call ParaWoods. I call it that because at night it is full of spirits, and you never want to be in the woods after dark (Para = Paranormal woods). My house is old, and when we moved in it had a rocking chair in the basement that was covered in spider webs - and it was rocking as if someone were sitting in it.

Pictured Di and Death by Lorna S.
I love your site. It really rocks! But I have my own story to tell. I am only 13 and I have had a lot of paranormal experiences, but none as freaky as this: I was in the car with my mom and we were driving from my best friend's house. On the way home, I had a picture in my head of Princess Diana and her boyfriend in a boat. I tried thinking of other things to get it out of my head, but it didn't work. When we finally got home, we just stepped in the door when we got a call from my friend's mother. She told my mom to turn on the TV to the local news. On the news, it said that Princess Diana had been in a tragic car accident! A few hours later, Princess Diana and her boyfriend were both pronounced dead. I told my mom about the picture in my head and she told me it was an omen.

The Tavern That Wasn't There by Tim R.
During WWII, my grandfather was in Massachusetts. He went down this street to go to a tavern and went into one that seemed very old. He noticed that people's dress was a bit dated, but being not particularly fashion conscious, he didn't think much about it. He had a beer, but then decided to go and get some buddies to join him. When he returned, there was nothing there! He asked an elderly gas station attendant if he was on the wrong street. The attendant gave him a funny look, then said that the tavern hadn't been around since 1908.

The Night Visitor by Cory S.
I am just your typical 27-year-old male. I live a normal life. I don't do drugs nor do I abuse alcohol. (I tell you that because I don't want anyone to think I'm making this up or I'm some kind of whacked out freak.) Last night I had a hard time going to sleep. I tossed and turned for hours. I turned the TV off and on at least three times. I finally got to sleep - at least I thought it was sleep - somewhere around 1:30 a.m. Here's where it gets interesting. I felt someone or something on top of me. I thought it was my girlfriend, but she was 200 miles away at college. The whole time I'm kind of in this dream state of being awake and asleep... well, at least that's what it felt like to me. I felt this pressure and whatever it was making sexual contact with me! I was thinking the whole time it was my girlfriend, until it kissed me, and I them knew something was wrong. I remember physically kissing it and thinking to myself something is wrong. I could feel myself struggling, kicking and screaming. I was calling my girlfriend's name over and over for help. I could feel my hands grabbing the sheets and my legs kicking. I was fighting it off the best I could. Then it stopped for a second and soon after that my body started shaking very violently. I remember waking myself up, looking to my right and seeing something (I assume) leave my body, and then feeling this peace come over me. It was a peace like I have never felt. I felt so relaxed. My bed was soaking wet, but I wasn't cold. My room seemed sort of hazy, but not cold. I wasn't scared. I have no idea what happened to me last night. I had a similar experience in my teenage years, but it was much more violent.

Visions of Past Life in Vietnam by Steve
I was born in October, 1971 and was diagnosed with Tourettes syndrome at the age of 12. Every once in a while, I had flashes of scenery depicted as dense jungle and open fields. The Vietnam War had come to a close long before I was even out of potty training, but I clearly see and feel like I was really there. These visions include my being a helicopter door gunner and being shot out of the sky, and being an infantryman killed by a mine. It may even be an explanation for my Tourettes syndrome. My family and I have traced the tree back as far as been recorded, and no one on either side has ever had it. It's a hereditary disease, yet no one could have passed it on to me. I have to live with these visions, and they almost make me feel like I'm home finally.

Powerful SLIder Experience by Neil S.
From the age of 24 I knew that something very strange was happening in relation to street lights going out on me. This has been happening for many years now with some powerful events often leaving me literally in the dark. It all seemed to suddenly become apparent in 1986 in Brisbane, Australia. My flat mates and I were all going out nightclubbing this particular night. We ran down to the bus stop, which was on the other side of the road to go into the city. As we reached the bus stop, the street light went out. We all made a big commotion, with lots of oohs and ahhs, had a good laugh and went on the bus. A few weeks later we all were going out again. I was running behind the others as my shoelace had come undone. My mates were already sitting at the bus stop. When I came across, the street light went out. Lots more oohs and ahhs, and my friends made a big commotion about me making the light go out. We all had a great laugh, and I actually remember saying, "It's just a coincidence." We didn't think any more of it until the next time we were all going out a few weeks later. We got to the bottom of the hill and one of my friends said, "Neil, you go first and see if the light will go out." I said, "Oh yeah, I'm sure it will go out again," in honest sarcasm. I crossed the road... and the light went out. I fell quiet. There was an uncomfortable laughter from my friends back across the road. Someone yelled for me to come back, so I did - and the light came on again. No one could believe this was happening, least of all me. We then all crossed the road together and the street light went out again. We all sat in silence. As we rode off in the bus, the street light came on again. It was at this point that I really did believe something completely foreign to my standard perception of the world was now being challenged. As the years have moved on, so to has my continued ability, though uncontrolled, to make the lights go out, the whole street go out, the suburbs around me go out, the towns go out, sparking light poles and even exploding light bulbs. The majority of times this happens to me is when I feel very content, and it usually happens when my friends are around - far too many times to be coincidence. This has made me wonder what is really happening here. No answers have been found, but one of my childhood memories, which I share with my best friend today, is the time we were mucking around as 10 to 13-year-old kids trying to conjure up a storm. It was an overcast day, but no rain, no wind, no storm and no lighting. We were pretending to use old spells to try to get a storm happening. All of a sudden, a fork of lighting hit across the paddock some 30 to 40 feet away! Of course, this scared the living daylights out of us, and we went screaming inside the house as fast as our hearts could pump. I'm not sure if it has any connection to the street light interference later in my life.

The Old Hag Has Claws by Brandon S.
Being a fairly-level headed person, I am quite skeptical of the paranormal. However, upon reading the article on sleep paralysis or Old Hag Syndrome, I recall an event that to this day I cannot explain. When I was around five years of age, I remember waking up one morning with my body turned completely around in my bed, in the opposite direction that I normally sleep. I was lying on my stomach (which is how I sleep), had opened my eyes and was looking toward the door to my room... when I felt what seemed to be two claws dig into my back. Unlike Old Hag Syndrome, I was able to scream, and I did so for dear life for what seemed like minutes. I was unable to breath, however. The hands or claws began violently pushing me up and down on my bed to the point that I was airborne. Finally, after a few seconds, my mother ran into the room, at which time the experience stopped. To this day, I can't explain it, and have never had anything like it occur again in my life. (I have experienced back pain and spasms, and this was not a spasm.) Just wondering if this too could have been Old Hag Syndrome.

The Spirits at Night by Fern S.
I am a 40-year-old female and have had sleep paralysis for years. However, there is one incident that stands out from the rest. Several years ago I was involved with with a man with whom who I fell deeply in love. I felt as though we were soul mates. One night while we were sleeping at my mother's, I started my sleep paralysis. This time, instead of allowing it to run its usual course, I called out to my boyfriend asking him to help me. I knew I was still under and he could not hear me no matter how hard I tried. I eventually woke up, calmed down and went back to sleep thinking that it was just another bad dream. Days had past when all of a sudden he mentioned that he had gotten spooked a few nights before. Curiously, I asked him about it. He said, "Remember when we stayed at your mother's house?" I replied that I did. He went on to say that he had heard me calling him and when he turned to face me in bed, I was still sleeping. Thinking that he might of been dreaming, he went back to sleep. He heard me calling him again and he turned toward me once more only to find me sleeping. He said he knew it was me and it became apparent that he wasn't dreaming and was being haunted. I could not get over my astonishment. I admitted to him that I did call out to him, but I did so when I was in my dream state. I did not know how to explain it to him, but he believed me. He admitted that (since he met me) he was getting bothered by spirits while he slept. The only thing, he said, was that they were after me and he was trying to protect me from them. I knew in my heart that he was my soul mate. We are no longer together, but I think about him from time to time, and I honestly believe he is my soul mate.

Protected from the Crash by decker2k
Saturday, the 17th of December, 1960 was a nasty winter day. It was snowing. The last four Saturdays before Christmas, most of the shops were open until 6:00 p.m. My mother was working in the bakery. We closed at 2:00 p.m. She gave me some papers for the bank to put into the mail box. The bank was one mile away from our house. To get to the bank I had to take a small descending street. On the corner was a tramway station. When I went down the small lane, I heard a noise in the air. My view to the nearby church showed me an airplane hitting the cross of the church tower. The plane was flying in my direction. A few moments later, my feet were running in the other direction - not to the place where the plane crashed in the same moment. I heard nothing. My ears were "protected." Behind me I felt burning fire. It was very very hot. I ran toward home, breathless, and told everyone about the plane crash. Nobody believed me. In our house, all of the windows broke because of the pressure in the air. Yet my ears were safe. The plane crashed into a very crowded place in the city of Munich. When the plane was coming down, the wings took the electric wires of the tramway. Two wagons burned and the crowd in the wagons died. It was one of the Saturdays before Christmas, and everybody was in the city for shopping. A few days later, my parents brought me to a holy place to pray. They had noticed that my coat was burned; it had been a red one and now was brown. My head ached and my hair was burned. The plane was from the UK, carrying a football group, and a memorial was erected at the site, which still stands. The wonder was that I heard nothing and that I ran into the right direction. I was very close - only 20 meters (65 feet) away, but I survived. And I love airplanes... I fly them.

Computer Contact with the Dead by Jessica R.
My cousin was in Virginia after my grandmother died. Her computer was totally off. All of a sudden, it turned on and typed: "Hello, Jocelyn. How are you doing?" My grandmother used to visit the house. It was my aunt's computer and she had not programmed it to do such a thing either. Also, my friend's mom communicates with her dead father by light bulbs and the phone. After his death, he would call constantly, hanging up when she answered. In some cases, he called when she was feeling down. Light bulbs would burn out nonstop, showing his presence through this electricity. This is weird because light bulbs last a certain amount of time, and they would sometimes blow a day after they were put in. It wasn't always the same socket either. 

Old Hag and the Crawling Worms by Daniel G.
I read your article on Old Hag Syndrome (OHS) and it struck me odd as to how similar it was to an experience I had grown use to last fall. After all-day soccer practices, I had gotten accustomed to hallucinations due to my lack of sleep. But one night I remember seeing the hallucination - worms crawling over me - but not being able to do a thing. I tried to twist and turn and fight them off, but nothing. I soon thought that maybe that this was just part of the hallucination and tried to let it pass. Soon it did and I found myself okay. But the next time my sleep-deprived body caught up with me, I found I had the same problem. I just kicked and kicked and got no physical reaction whatsoever. Unfortunately, this one lasted awhile, and was very trying. I had a few more after that, but soon soccer season ended and with it the OHS.

The Thing in the Cemetery by Lorene D.
Well, I never thought to look this up on the web before, so tonight I did. I still do not have any explanation to what happened or any similarity as of yet. It was quite a few years back now that my friend and I were having a few "cold ones" in a nearby cemetery. Okay, I know what you may be thinking, and no, we were not that intoxicated. It was a place the younger kids used to hang out at all the time, so it was nothing out of the ordinary to be there. Like many times before, we parked the old "bovine" in the back corner where you could see anyone coming or leaving the cemetery. Woods surrounded the place and a cliff that leads down to the river was to our left. The cliff is quite steep and it is a good distance down to the river. We were there for 20 minutes or so, just talking and killing time. My window was cracked slightly to let out my cigarette smoke, but it was cold out being the fall season, nearing winter. That is how we could hear "it" coming up the hillside. We both expected to see a deer come charging up the hill because of how fast it was coming from the sound of the leaves on the ground. The best visual description I can come up with is: it looked just like one of those "Jawa" things from the movie Star Wars. I know it doesn't sound all that scary or anything, but you had to be there, I guess. It was yelling as if it were shouting profanities, but none of it was English, if that's the case. It grabbed the bumper on the rear of the car and shook the whole car a couple of times. Then it jumped up onto the car and ran the length of the car and jumped off the front of the car and stood there yelling at us as if to challenge us in some way. There it was, standing in front of the headlights plain as day. I'm telling you it is a scary thing when you can't explain something that is right there in front of you. Our doors were locked at this point, and it eventually walked off. But we sat there for a good 10 minutes before we said a word. I looked to my friend for an explanation, as he did me, but we both knew there was none. We never told anyone about it for a long time, but the "weird experience" subject came up one time and I spilled the beans. Of course, everyone thought I was full of it, but my friend knows what he saw. I am curious if anyone else has had a similar type of thing happen to them. Or what to even make of it.

Afraid to Go to Bed by Chastity
This guy died at my house about a year ago. Since then, I'm always scared to go to bed. You see, he died because I killed him. I'm not happy to say I did, but he was trying to rape me. He had a knife up to me and said if I didn't do what he wanted, he would kill me. I got out of his arms and got my mom's gun. I shot him. About three months after that happened, I woke up to find that I couldn't move. I felt a cold draft of air go through my body. I would try to scream, but something inside told me not to, like when you know something is not safe. I would try to move, but it felt like an overweight man was sitting on me, holding me down. When that was done, I ran to the bathroom to get away. When I looked in the mirror, I had bruises all over. My mother sent me to a psychologist. She said that I was in denial and that I was just going through a lot. Well, I'm not. She even said that I put the bruises on myself. Every day I wake up to find myself hurt. Could it be the guy I killed, or am I really going crazy?

The Ouija Knows by David T.
I had an experience several years ago. It was with a trusted family, who has worked with the Ouija for generations. I learned my spirit's age, my guardian's age, God, and that evil, as well as good, truly exist on Earth. I am one of those people who has to experience it to know it's real. I have never touched the Ouija again because my friends told me that you need to know what you are doing or evil will enter through the window. Enough said.

I Smell Bacon by JK
Last week, I was driving down the highway on the way to volunteer at a museum on the North Shore of Long Island. It started to rain, so I had to come back home. We had been planting spring bulbs and since the weather turned bad, it was cancelled. I was really disappointed since I had attributed this day to this event only. As I was sadly driving through the forest, the thought of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches came to me. I craved them. I could smell them. I would have one upon return to my cottage. As soon as I came upon the preserve where I live, I entered my neighbor's house, whereupon she asked me if I had some extra bread for her bacon sandwiches. She was frying bacon and didn't have enough bread. I don't know what to make of this. This is not the first time that I had a weird encounter with the inhabitants of this preserve. Sometimes I really think that I am under the spell of a witch. I just hope she is good.

Old Hag and My Aunt by TC Tran
When I lived in my old house - I was nine or 10 then - one night I was sleeping in my parent's room when my aunt came in and asked if she could sleep with us. Somehow, she was so freaked out. I had known her to be afraid of ghosts and stuff, but this was ridiculous. The next day, my aunt claimed that in the middle of the night she awoke and heard the sound of someone laying keys on her dresser. She thought that it was her husband, who had come home from his night job. Instead, she couldn't move or turn around to see who it was. She was scared as heck. She felt someone touching her back. When she finally could move, she ran to my parent's room. We thought it was just her imagination. However, after she had a baby, my parent's moved into my aunt's room and my aunt moved into their room, since it had a separate bathroom, perfect for taking care of a new baby. One night, my mom had an experience with the "old hag." She told everyone in the morning that she awoke to someone touching her, but she couldn't move or turn around to see who it was. She immediately prayed (we're Buddhists) and it completely stopped. Now that I have moved out of that house for many years, I have a feeling that there was something wrong with that house.

Lifetime of Weird Visions and Old Hags by Aloysio B.
I'm 33 years old. I'll give you a little background so that you understand were I come from. After reading your article, I must admit - I was right all a long. To start off, I was born dead, black as night. I was brought back to life by doctors. Sometimes I wonder if I should have stayed dead or if there is a purpose for me in this new life given me. On my mother's side we had the famous witch, Sao Cipriano, and on my father's side, Amazon Indians from the Tupi Guarani tribe. So I know there is a very strong mystical force in my family. My first experience was when I was about seven. I was going to my grandfather's bedroom to pick up his pipe for him as he asked. As I was in the room, I had this strange feeling that someone was watching me. I tried to leave the room as quickly as possible. As I was walking out, something grabbed my leg and started to drag me under the bed. I screamed and fought hard to escape. And then my grandparents and parents came to my rescue. They found me half-way under the bed. As they lifted me up, they noticed a large hand mark on my leg.

My next experience was when I was about 13 and was in my grandmother's new house. I was standing in the living room and started to hear voices. As I tried to walk away form the living room, they got higher and louder - it felt like the whole world had come right inside my head. I screamed, my grandmother came... and they stopped just as quickly as they started. But when it stopped, my head started to itch, like there were things touching my head. I thought i was going mad. When my grandmother brought holy water, it stopped. This happened twice. I later found out that where the house stood was once a slavery farm and that many people had died there.

I was 15 at a party, someone's birthday, I think. Suddenly, a man started to shout and curse, speaking a language no one could understand. Of course, all the kids were asked to step outside while the others held the man down and prayed over him. I understand now that what happened seemed like he was possessed. But the weird part is that he screamed and pointed at me. It still sends chills to my spine. Why was he pointing at me out of all the people that were there? My grandma never spoke a word about that to me again; she just told me all was well.

When I was 19, I was sleeping and having a great dream when suddenly everything turned dark. I was pushed to the ground, and my hands and legs felt tied down. I had a vision of a door opening and this light flashed before me. I began to be dragged to the light. I was afraid, but I kept fighting. When I got near the light I got free. And when I woke up, I was near the open door of my bedroom. The strange thing is that I slept in the other side of room with my door always locked.

When I was 21, I was just lying down on the floor in the living room, sleeping. I woke up to see the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She just looked at me as I closed my eyes again, and she disappeared. I figured it was my imagination. So I placed myself on the sofa, and as I was about to close my eyes, I had this feeling.... Every time there is a presence near me, my heart beats faster. It's like an alarm. I opened my eyes and there it was: a face of a boy coming up to me. I froze and watched as it got closer to me, and when it came by my face, it disappeared. Well, after that I wanted to turn and hide - and there was the girl lying next to me! Then she disappeared. A number of weeks passed and there was nothing. Then one day I was at this girl's house and we started to mess around. But then her baby started to scream, so she left me alone in the room. From out of the ceiling, the beautiful girl came down and I could see the anger on her face. I jumped out of bed and left. Another month passed when one night I felt a presence behind me. As I turned around, there was the girl looking at me. I reached out and touched her face. She shed a tear and she smiled. I have never seen her again. Later on I was told she was my soul mate who had come to check on me... but who knows?

Now here comes my version of the old hag and succubus. I was having a dream when suddenly everything went black. I didn't know what was going on as I felt something was touching me. I immediately awoke, not being able to move. This happened to me several times. Sometimes I was just lying there when I felt like someone or something touched me and tried to perform a sexual act with me. Every time it started, I would somehow push "it" away and be fine. But one day I wondered what would happen if I didn't. It felt like it was sucking the life out of me! After struggling, I got lose and felt drained. Once in a while I can feel them breathing down my neck or just placing their mouths on me. Last night they licked my ear and I could hear their smile.

Old Hag and the Marchers by Jennifer R.
When I was a teenager, I had a good friend who lived in a "haunted" house. She would tell me about feeling a presence in certain rooms and seeing figures out of the corner of her eye. Once she even saw the figure of a ghost in her room - it looked like an old missionary priest (we lived in the San Fernando Valley in the Los Angeles area). I never had had any encounters with the supernatural at her house and spent a lot of time with her and her family. One night I was sleeping over after one of her family's parties (I did this often). We were sleeping in the same bed. In the middle of the night she woke me up and said, "Do you feel it? I feel the presence." Sleepy, I murmured, "No." A few moments later, I was absolutely paralyzed. I could not move or speak. I did then feel a presence and was terrified. I think I lay awake like that for hours before I finally fell asleep from exhaustion. I told her about it the next day and she acted like, "Oh yeah, that's normal." My sister had a similar experience. She went to Hawaii for a couple of months with friends to "study" at the University of Hawaii. They would do a lot of partying, and the local students would entertain the mainlanders with stories of the "marchers," ancient tribal soldiers who would march through the jungles at night - and anyone who saw them would die. One night my sister was in bed and heard the sound of marching coming from the forest outside. She also thought she heard drums and chanting. She was suddenly completely paralyzed - she couldn't move or speak and was sweating profusely with terror. Like me, she stayed this way for what seemed ages before finally passing out in sleep. What's the deal? I don't think it's an old witch/hag; I think it's our minds' and bodies' reaction to a supernatural experience, whether real or imagined, or a supernatural entities' influence over us so that we'll pay attention. Hmmm. Cool.

Death Pays a Visit by Ellielynne
A few weeks before my husband passed away, I was awakened by the sound of loud footsteps. I immediately worried about whether I had locked the doors or not. I turned over on my right side and opened my eyes, and there next to the bed was an apparition that was as tall as the ceiling with red eyes and wearing what looked like a filmy, pinkish-colored hood with a cape. I pushed it away with both hands and said, "Go away" - and it disappeared. Soon after that, my husband died. I have always wondered if it was death paying a visit, to soon return.

Weirdest Story of the Month

From a Schizophrenic Point of View by Jim H. Five years ago, when I was living in San Antonio, Texas, many nights there were these sounds of loud machinery - noises sounding like jet or propulsion. I call them UFO landing noises that have occurred outside of my home on more than 10 occasions. Light bulbs literary burst and a glass shelf crashed to the floor by itself. I can see imagery of aliens, people in masks and ants while I concentrate staring at a street lamp at night. When I walk outdoors, sometimes there are mini tornadoes. Street lamps dim as I pass from one to the next and return to lit as I travel past. I can imagine 10,000 or more people in the city can hear my thought broadcasting. Cars that drive by my home have drivers in them that are as if in a race, and they speed up or slow down according to my whims or my thoughts at any given moment. When I give a wrong thought, the train yard, the police car, the worker hammering away in a factory across the road are all giving me noise signals (predetermined and coded) to my continuous flow of thoughts. I venture out to take bus rides, and people seem to read my thoughts as they talk back to me. I watch television shows and, by and large, the commentators and the television producers are programming the shows to communicate and awe me. Even actors and scenes are sometimes instantaneously converging on the topic left on the day before. I go to the hospital and a god-like presence is there... of dead and the slaved as well as the alive and the masters. I saw a great glowing circle 10 times that of the radius of the moon extended outward and shining down. I think dreams and even movie-like dreams that were projected into my brain when I sleep at night. One night when I walked out, I thought my father turned into a bat and flew out. I saw and heard noises made by the bat; it is eerily colored, like pink or something. On many occasions I have met the people who are shadow forces, people who can run very fast, hide an indistinctive amount of time, and sneak in to steal stuff. They accompany me in all different situations and odd hours. I call them Shadow People or Shadow Generation - poor, poor souls. I sometimes wonder if God or many factions of supernatural forces occupy my deep-rooted real or unreal delusions, but I know they can't be explained and they are all so real to me. They awed me at every single instance. Many times there are traffic jams wherever I go - the aftermath of a traffic control center calling in vehicles to ghost me wherever I travel. A lot of the time I was ashamed that my mind is broadcasting to all of them - other chip-implanted folks (200 to 300,000 of them). It can be thoroughly intimidating, the forces at work that is. I believe there are some mind-reading satellites, and a pentagon agenda as well as paranormal and secret laboratories at work producing all those effects in terms of the manpower and delusion creation that it set to be cumbersome me or my neighbors. I know it is true because a police officer told me so. Either the State Dept. or NASA or some trillionaire is making communications work in ways no one understands to ignite the Robotic Neighborhood Live theory in my case scenarios. I constantly experience flashbacks and racing thought sessions about my experience. My father told me, "Don't you know by now who you are?" Or rather for me to ponder constantly: "Don't I know by now what made those events and the parties involved?" Since three months ago, all had stopped, and I am just recovering back to my normal self again. I am quite terrified as I retrace my memory to date as to what happened to me. Could it be explained as a significant economic or agenda- type experiment? All I know is, something else more dire did occur, such as earthquakes and planes falling out of skies, etc., and it does sound like Acts of God to me. I also constantly hear UFO landings on my balconies and on the next floor above my apartment occupied by Mid-Eastern (Arabic speaking neighbors). During one of my three- day fasting streaks, I envisioned the UFO landed and did three rungs of Magnetic Resonance Imaging through me. Could all these experiences be alien originated, experimenting on my city?

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