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IvanOffelitch
Well-known member
Many years ago, I had a few rather unforgettable experiences that to this day, I still have no logical or rational explanation for. I've told these stories to several friends, and one in particular drew a rather startling reaction from a business partner I had at the time.
Allow me to set the background;
I had taken up temporary residence in my grandmother's house after her health had failed and she had been placed in an extended care facility. The house is one of the oldest left standing in my hometown, and was built during the civil war era.The house itself had a rather notable "unusual" feel about it, which many of it's visitors had also commented on. Local lore purports that her house, along with several other older local residences, had at one time been part of the underground railroad used to help slaves make their way from the chains of the south to the freedom of the north. I at one time had attempted to verify this lore, but was unable to either confirm or deny said claims. I will say that the house stands very near a local river that was in fact used by the underground railroad to smuggle slaves to the northern states, and the house had some "odd" attributes; on several occasions, I found out exactly how "odd" those attributes could be.
First, the "not-so-scary but still kinda creepy" incident:
One night as I lay in my upstairs bedroom watching television with my recently acquired but already adamantly faithful companion, a 6-month old golden retriever, something strange happened. The house was quiet and dark save for the light and sounds coming from the television set and a little ambient light coming from the streetlights outside. My canine companion was sound asleep at my feet on top of the covers when something startled him awake. He quickly turned his head towards the bedroom doorway and began to grumble under his breath. I initially didn't think too much of this until he got down off the bed and stood directly in the doorway. I figured maybe a mouse had caught his attention, but his increasingly agitated state didn't lend merit to this deduction.
I muted the television set and got out of bed to see exactly what it was that had him so upset, when suddenly his grumblings took on a clearly serious note. His eyes were fixed straight ahead looking out of the doorway into literal "nothingness" as his grumble turned into rather fierce growls; every strand of hair on his back stood on end and an unsettling toothy snarl enveloped his otherwise innocent face. I could clearly see all the way down the hall and into the adjoining library room, yet I heard and saw absolutely nothing; but "something" certainly had his attention!
I again peered around the doorway to see if there was anyone/anything there, but again, I witnessed nothing aside from his suprisingly vicious discontent. I started to walk out into the hallway when he literally side-stepped in my path as if to prevent me from leaving the room...his gaze never broke from the hallway.
This went on for maybe 2 minutes. Then, as if none of this had just taken place, he suddenly returned to his normal gregarious self, turned around and jumped back on the bed. Since he'd relinquished his post as guard dog, I stepped out into the hallway to assess the situation for myself. Again, I neither saw nor heard anything to warrant his rather bizzarre behavior.
Then, something occoured to me. The bedroom I slept in at that time was the very same bedroom my great grandmother had passed away in more than 20 years earlier. Was it her "ghost"? I honestly haven't the slightest idea.
The sandman made a rather tardy appearance that night, both for me and my dog.
Now, for the "that's pretty damned creepy" story;
About a year after the above-mentioned incident, I had something happen that left me quite shaken up. Of all things to rattle me, it would have to be a stupid dream.
The basement in my grandmothers house looked like something straight from a 4-star 1930's-era horror movie. A nearly hidden doorway at the rear-most corner of the kitchen led down a rickety set of wooden stairs to the seemingly unfinished stone walled basement. Century-old artifacts littered the shelves along the walls, along with some slightly more modern items such as cleaning supplies and dried-up paint cans. Cobwebs adorned the overhead floor rafters as well as various nooks & crannies along the walls and into the corners. Bella Lugosi would have felt right at home.
Ever since I was a young child, that basement had given me the willies, and this particular spot at the bottom of the stairs had consistently been the worst offender. I've never been one to lend much credence to spooks, ghosts and hobgoblins, but there was just "something" about this part of the basement that had never sat right with me. It was this very location that was the highlight of my dream. I still remember it today as though it was real and had just happened yesterday.
One night as I lay sleeping, I had this incredibly vivid dream where I was in the kitchen late at night, and I heard strange noises coming from the basement. I went to the basement door and tried to turn on the stairwell light, but it wouldn't come on. By chance, there was enough ambient light coming from the streetlights outside for me to cautiously make my way down the stairs to investigate. The instant I opened the stairwell door, I realized the noise was coming from the very bottom of the stairwell. Not thinking that anything was amiss, I ventured down the steps to see what was going on.
As I'd made my way about half-way down the steps, my eyes began to adjust to the limited light and I was able to distinguish some sort of movement at the bottom of the steps. Just as my eyes adjusted to the light, the movement ceased and the noise stopped. I went to the bottom of the steps and turned the corner to head towards the light switches for the bottom of the basement. As I fumbled for the switches, the noise started again. I pulled the light switch, and as I turned to look towards the bottom of the stairs, what I saw left me frozen in fear.
From across the basement, I saw what appeared to be a small, "gnome-like" creature standing at the bottom of the steps. I can still see it in my mind's eye as clear as day, but for personal reasons I'm not going to go into detail of it's description. In its hands it held a pickaxe, and it had begun to dig a hole in the basement floor just off to the side of the steps. Hence the noises I'd heard from the kitchen. I'd barely missed falling down the hole when I'd descended the steps.
I know this next part is going to sound very "Amityville Horror"-ish, but it really isn't. Someone, something told me in my dream that this creature was a demon, and it was there to dig a hole in the floor down to hell itself. It was at this instant that this "thing" turned and looked me dead in the eyes, as if it were telling me not to try to interfere with its task.
At that very moment, I awoke from my sleep, literally soaked in sweat, my heart nearly beating out of my chest. I did what I could to dismiss the dream as an overly vivid imagination...or perhaps I'd eaten too much pizza that night before turning in. It didn't work. I didn't catch another wink of sleep that night. I caught what little sleep I could over the course of the next week or so. I had never had, or have I had since, a dream that was anything even remotely close to this one in regards to vividness or emotional impact.
I must add here that, in regards to this creature, it was nothing like anything I've ever seen on TV, nor have I ever heard anyone else (save for one person which is detailed below) describe anything to me that was even remotely similar in appearance and/or mannerisms. I can not emphasize this point enough.
"Little creatures from 'Phantasm?'" Not even close.
"Demon from 'The Amityville Horror?'" Nope.
"Poltergeist?" Again, nope.
"Aliens?!?" Hardly.
So you say: "So what, you had a creepy dream. Big deal!"
Not quite. This is where the story really gets creepy.
I kept this dream to myself for about a week, but I just couldn't seem to shake it off. About that same time, my business partner "Mel" (not his real name) and I hopped in his truck to head off to a job site one morning. As we drove away, he asked me if I was feeling OK, because he said I looked like I hadn't slept in a week. I told him he was pretty much on the money.
I hadn't told anyone about this dream up until this point, but after considerable prodding on Mel's part, I reluctantly told him what had been bothering me.
Here's where it gets strange.
I got to the part where I saw the creature in my dream...just after I'd found the basement light. I hadn't even had a chance to begin to describe the creature I'd seen when Mel stopped me mid-sentence, and proceeded to describe back to me exactly what the creature I had seen in my dream looked like in PERFECT detail! Mel was as white as a sheet, and his hands were trembling so badly he couldn't drive. He pulled off to the side of the road so he could regain his composure. I asked him how he knew about this, and in such perfect, and specific detail. It was then that he informed me that he had a dream himself (different dream and circumstances) and saw the exact same creature in his dream! He then informs me of what night he'd had his dream. It was the very same night I'd had mine. The chill that went down my spine was indescribable.
We sat there in his truck for a good 10 minutes before he regained his composure enough to drive again. Neither of us said another word for the rest of the drive.
Later on that day, I asked Mel to elaborate on his dream, but he refused to. He'd barely said anything at all to me for the rest of that day, and over the next couple of weeks, his demeanor got so bad that I could no longer work with him and we broke off our partnership. I never heard from him again.
We wound up selling her house > 10 years ago. It's been through 3 new sets of owners since.
I now have my own theories to try to explain what happened. Note that I said "theories", not "explanations." Some may be inclined to think I'm bullshitting them or just telling "campfire stories," but it doesn't matter to me whether you believe me or not. I know they happened and that's all that matters.
Anyone else have any spooky or scary stories to share?
Allow me to set the background;
I had taken up temporary residence in my grandmother's house after her health had failed and she had been placed in an extended care facility. The house is one of the oldest left standing in my hometown, and was built during the civil war era.The house itself had a rather notable "unusual" feel about it, which many of it's visitors had also commented on. Local lore purports that her house, along with several other older local residences, had at one time been part of the underground railroad used to help slaves make their way from the chains of the south to the freedom of the north. I at one time had attempted to verify this lore, but was unable to either confirm or deny said claims. I will say that the house stands very near a local river that was in fact used by the underground railroad to smuggle slaves to the northern states, and the house had some "odd" attributes; on several occasions, I found out exactly how "odd" those attributes could be.
First, the "not-so-scary but still kinda creepy" incident:
One night as I lay in my upstairs bedroom watching television with my recently acquired but already adamantly faithful companion, a 6-month old golden retriever, something strange happened. The house was quiet and dark save for the light and sounds coming from the television set and a little ambient light coming from the streetlights outside. My canine companion was sound asleep at my feet on top of the covers when something startled him awake. He quickly turned his head towards the bedroom doorway and began to grumble under his breath. I initially didn't think too much of this until he got down off the bed and stood directly in the doorway. I figured maybe a mouse had caught his attention, but his increasingly agitated state didn't lend merit to this deduction.
I muted the television set and got out of bed to see exactly what it was that had him so upset, when suddenly his grumblings took on a clearly serious note. His eyes were fixed straight ahead looking out of the doorway into literal "nothingness" as his grumble turned into rather fierce growls; every strand of hair on his back stood on end and an unsettling toothy snarl enveloped his otherwise innocent face. I could clearly see all the way down the hall and into the adjoining library room, yet I heard and saw absolutely nothing; but "something" certainly had his attention!
I again peered around the doorway to see if there was anyone/anything there, but again, I witnessed nothing aside from his suprisingly vicious discontent. I started to walk out into the hallway when he literally side-stepped in my path as if to prevent me from leaving the room...his gaze never broke from the hallway.
This went on for maybe 2 minutes. Then, as if none of this had just taken place, he suddenly returned to his normal gregarious self, turned around and jumped back on the bed. Since he'd relinquished his post as guard dog, I stepped out into the hallway to assess the situation for myself. Again, I neither saw nor heard anything to warrant his rather bizzarre behavior.
Then, something occoured to me. The bedroom I slept in at that time was the very same bedroom my great grandmother had passed away in more than 20 years earlier. Was it her "ghost"? I honestly haven't the slightest idea.
The sandman made a rather tardy appearance that night, both for me and my dog.
Now, for the "that's pretty damned creepy" story;
About a year after the above-mentioned incident, I had something happen that left me quite shaken up. Of all things to rattle me, it would have to be a stupid dream.
The basement in my grandmothers house looked like something straight from a 4-star 1930's-era horror movie. A nearly hidden doorway at the rear-most corner of the kitchen led down a rickety set of wooden stairs to the seemingly unfinished stone walled basement. Century-old artifacts littered the shelves along the walls, along with some slightly more modern items such as cleaning supplies and dried-up paint cans. Cobwebs adorned the overhead floor rafters as well as various nooks & crannies along the walls and into the corners. Bella Lugosi would have felt right at home.
Ever since I was a young child, that basement had given me the willies, and this particular spot at the bottom of the stairs had consistently been the worst offender. I've never been one to lend much credence to spooks, ghosts and hobgoblins, but there was just "something" about this part of the basement that had never sat right with me. It was this very location that was the highlight of my dream. I still remember it today as though it was real and had just happened yesterday.
One night as I lay sleeping, I had this incredibly vivid dream where I was in the kitchen late at night, and I heard strange noises coming from the basement. I went to the basement door and tried to turn on the stairwell light, but it wouldn't come on. By chance, there was enough ambient light coming from the streetlights outside for me to cautiously make my way down the stairs to investigate. The instant I opened the stairwell door, I realized the noise was coming from the very bottom of the stairwell. Not thinking that anything was amiss, I ventured down the steps to see what was going on.
As I'd made my way about half-way down the steps, my eyes began to adjust to the limited light and I was able to distinguish some sort of movement at the bottom of the steps. Just as my eyes adjusted to the light, the movement ceased and the noise stopped. I went to the bottom of the steps and turned the corner to head towards the light switches for the bottom of the basement. As I fumbled for the switches, the noise started again. I pulled the light switch, and as I turned to look towards the bottom of the stairs, what I saw left me frozen in fear.
From across the basement, I saw what appeared to be a small, "gnome-like" creature standing at the bottom of the steps. I can still see it in my mind's eye as clear as day, but for personal reasons I'm not going to go into detail of it's description. In its hands it held a pickaxe, and it had begun to dig a hole in the basement floor just off to the side of the steps. Hence the noises I'd heard from the kitchen. I'd barely missed falling down the hole when I'd descended the steps.
I know this next part is going to sound very "Amityville Horror"-ish, but it really isn't. Someone, something told me in my dream that this creature was a demon, and it was there to dig a hole in the floor down to hell itself. It was at this instant that this "thing" turned and looked me dead in the eyes, as if it were telling me not to try to interfere with its task.
At that very moment, I awoke from my sleep, literally soaked in sweat, my heart nearly beating out of my chest. I did what I could to dismiss the dream as an overly vivid imagination...or perhaps I'd eaten too much pizza that night before turning in. It didn't work. I didn't catch another wink of sleep that night. I caught what little sleep I could over the course of the next week or so. I had never had, or have I had since, a dream that was anything even remotely close to this one in regards to vividness or emotional impact.
I must add here that, in regards to this creature, it was nothing like anything I've ever seen on TV, nor have I ever heard anyone else (save for one person which is detailed below) describe anything to me that was even remotely similar in appearance and/or mannerisms. I can not emphasize this point enough.
"Little creatures from 'Phantasm?'" Not even close.
"Demon from 'The Amityville Horror?'" Nope.
"Poltergeist?" Again, nope.
"Aliens?!?" Hardly.
So you say: "So what, you had a creepy dream. Big deal!"
Not quite. This is where the story really gets creepy.
I kept this dream to myself for about a week, but I just couldn't seem to shake it off. About that same time, my business partner "Mel" (not his real name) and I hopped in his truck to head off to a job site one morning. As we drove away, he asked me if I was feeling OK, because he said I looked like I hadn't slept in a week. I told him he was pretty much on the money.
I hadn't told anyone about this dream up until this point, but after considerable prodding on Mel's part, I reluctantly told him what had been bothering me.
Here's where it gets strange.
I got to the part where I saw the creature in my dream...just after I'd found the basement light. I hadn't even had a chance to begin to describe the creature I'd seen when Mel stopped me mid-sentence, and proceeded to describe back to me exactly what the creature I had seen in my dream looked like in PERFECT detail! Mel was as white as a sheet, and his hands were trembling so badly he couldn't drive. He pulled off to the side of the road so he could regain his composure. I asked him how he knew about this, and in such perfect, and specific detail. It was then that he informed me that he had a dream himself (different dream and circumstances) and saw the exact same creature in his dream! He then informs me of what night he'd had his dream. It was the very same night I'd had mine. The chill that went down my spine was indescribable.
We sat there in his truck for a good 10 minutes before he regained his composure enough to drive again. Neither of us said another word for the rest of the drive.
Later on that day, I asked Mel to elaborate on his dream, but he refused to. He'd barely said anything at all to me for the rest of that day, and over the next couple of weeks, his demeanor got so bad that I could no longer work with him and we broke off our partnership. I never heard from him again.
We wound up selling her house > 10 years ago. It's been through 3 new sets of owners since.
I now have my own theories to try to explain what happened. Note that I said "theories", not "explanations." Some may be inclined to think I'm bullshitting them or just telling "campfire stories," but it doesn't matter to me whether you believe me or not. I know they happened and that's all that matters.
Anyone else have any spooky or scary stories to share?
