Close encounters of the ghostly kind?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

To our good Mods: I’m not sure this is the proper forum for a topic like this. If any of you feel it is unsuitable, by all means, please move it.

Are there any people out there who could honestly say they’ve been witness to something they’re convinced is ghostly, or otherwise paranormal?

I’ll open with two of my own experiences to start things off. Any stories from others, or comments, are welcomed. :slight_smile:
While reading up on the thread about “Childhood Creepies”
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=59108 I was reminded of a river I grew up next to as a child with my grandparents. I had heard on and off as a child from not just them, but from other people in the “Village” that the Weeping Woman (La Llarona) of ghost-lore fame could be heard haunting the river at night, searching for her eternally-lost children.

I’m both a big skeptic, and an open-minded person. But I was -17- years old (I’m 18 now) when I stayed overnight in that old house and, while up late watching TV–was suddenly startled by a shrill scream from outside my window (the edge of the house was barely a few yards from the river).

The sound was very vaguely human, but not quite. And it was unlike any animal I had ever heard before. And I’ve seen and heard a lot of animals, including the local fauna. It scared the bejeezus out of me–and it recurred about 15 minutes later–and again about an hour later. I’m still convinced that whatever I heard wasn’t normal.

My second paranormal memory- My house was always creeped me out a little bit. It seems like when I’m home alone–not all the time, but sometimes, things start getting weirder. I hear the sound of heavy breathing coming from somewhere in the livingroom—I see something move out of the corner of my eye…while in my bedroom at the corner of the house I hear the faint sound of footsteps or drawers opening and closing in the kitchen. A light that I could have sworn was on a moment ago is suddenly off.

Strange–but since nothing incredibly weird has happened, I’m willing to believe it’s just my poor mind being paranoid and overactive…but -this- is harder to explain:

On a rainy night–I lay on my bed, listening to the raindrops landing in the swimming pool on the other side of my window.
“Drip drip drip drip drip”
“KER-SPLASH!”

Startled, of course, I look out the window, but other then the raindrops, the pool is perfectly normal. I even go outside to check. This happened again a second time–during the day–when there was no rain. A loud, heavy-sounding splash coming from the swimming pool. I go outside to check–and the water is perfectly placid.

What makes it more intriguing? While idly discussing creepy things with my family sometime afterward–I mention this in passing, and my mother immediately claims that -she- had heard the same phenomena.

So what about you? Any stories of your own, or do you think I’m just losing it? :wink:

-Ashley

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Have you ever heard a cat in heat? This cry sounds almost human and very creepy especially at night. Plus a body of water will carry a sound much further than you think.

I did have a wierd expierence that I never figured out. I used to own and operate a movie theatre in Norman Ok. (the Hollywood theatre on 1210 McGee Drive) When I first got the place one of my older brothers who had lived in Norman for a while told me that the place was supposed to be haunted. The actual wierd events were;

The theatre was and old fashion single screen with a curtain. The controll for the curtain was in the projection booth upstairs. During the movie when nobody was upstairs the curtains shut themselves. This only happend a few times and I checked the controls for shorts but did not find any.

Also in the theatre the drawer to the box office would open and close itself. I can accept that it would roll downhill by itself but it moved both ways. Never did figure that one out but I know I was alone in the building.

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When I was eight, we lived for a while in an old crofter’s cottage in Scotland. Lore was, the house was built in the 1600’s by two brothers; during construction they had a falling out & one killed the other. I don’t remember why, but supposedly the house was haunted.

Anyhow, one night my mom had just said goodnight to me & headed downstairs. As soon as she left the room, a red-bearded man wearing a blue scarf entered, and just stood at the foot of my bed staring at me. I had a brief feeling that he was trying to tell me something, then I got scared & screamed.

My mom had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she heard me scream & ran back up. So, it’s unlikely that I dreamt this, and I was - and am - a fairly pragmatic person, not given to fantasy.

To this day it’s a vivid memory. Whether it was just an eight year old’s overactive imagination, or something else, I have no idea.

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I’ve heard cat calls before at home, if that’s what you mean. But now that you mention it–there’s no telling whether or not the local sounds I’ve heard before were the female calls that you describe. So it’s a good guess, so far!

Yours and Carina’s stories sound creepy, too. But is that it?! Over 50 views, and barely 2 posts? Geeze–all of my threads die before they even begin. :expressionless: Oh well. :slight_smile:

-Ashley

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If yer gonna get HUFFY about it… :wink:

My guess was the hot cat, too. Scared the bejeezus outa me the first time I heard it. Thought it was a baby crying in my room. Then it started spitting and howling and I closed the window and went to sleep.

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I don’t believe in ghosts! That said here is my story.
I was alone in the house and in my bedroom. he door was open it was in the afternoon. From the hall just outside my door I heard a voice call my name. Just once and not scarry and ghostly. Just my name. I turned and asked “who is there?” No reply. I looked all over the house, no one home. A few weeks later same thing happened. I heard my name as before. I did not recognize the voice as anyone I knew nor could I tell if it was male or female. This time I said, “Yes it is me. What do you want?” No reply. I was scared now! I know it is not uncommon to think you have heard your own name in a noisy situation but the house was quiet and it is not old. No one has died there and I have no reason to think of ghosts. I told no one about this until a few weeks later. I told my sister. Her bedroom was right next to mine. She got all upset and started to cry. I said," So you heard it too?" She said yes. I asked if she had heard it say anything but her name. She said, “Oh no. I heard it call YOUR name!”

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We’ve had ghost threads here, but Uncle Beer shot all that down with his skeptisism.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42918