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As we all know, the spooky season is right around the corner. It’s the time where ghosts and spirits are all the rage. It’s when people sit in dark rooms with a candle and communicate with the spirits or share stories about them. Some believe in all of this and others just like the thrill of pretending for a month. Personally I have a strong belief in the paranormal as I have had several experiences of my own. Now, I’m not here to turn a skeptic into a believer, but for those who believe, they might find these tales interesting. I will confirm that all of these stories are in fact true and, based on context, all seem to be paranormal. 

I have spoken with several friends of mine who have been in my neighborhood after dark, and they all agree that there is definitely something off about the place, once the sun goes down. They all describe that they are just filled with a feeling of dread and uneasiness and honestly I have to agree with them. I’ve done some research about my neighborhood and have yet to find anything about it being on a burial ground. It’s just strange because almost all of the stories I’m about to tell you, took place in either my home or my neighborhood. 

Window Ghost

This first story happened at the church building that I go to. One night in late September or early October, my church was holding an activity. I won’t bore you with the details, but at some point, me and my friend decided to hang out in one of the rooms together. The room was a bit warm when we first went in; so we decided to open a window (this is important to the story). The lock was extremely loud when we unlocked it as was the sound of the window opening (again important). 

We hung out laughing and recording silly videos with one another until we got bored. As we moved some chairs back to where they had originally been, I watched my friend close and lock the window. I even had to help her lock the window because she was struggling. My friend then left the room and I went to follow but I noticed a chair that we forgot to move. I moved it then walked over to the door and opened it before turning off the light. The moment the light turned off, I heard the distinct sound of the window’s lock click and then the window sliding open. I was worried that I had misheard something so I turned to look and to my horror the window was wide open. I ran out of the room as fast as I could but boy was I terrified. 

The Tapper

This next story takes place at my home and is less of a story and instead something I have continually been experiencing. The tapping started last summer. I had been sitting in my room working on a novel when I started hearing a rhythmic tapping on my wall. At first I ignored it but it kept going. It continued to repeat this specific rhythm. I tried to identify where the sound was coming from, wondering if perhaps it was my brother tapping on the wall between our rooms. However, the sound wasn’t coming from that wall. Instead, it was coming from behind some shelves I kept on my dresser. The tapping was too rhythmic to be a bird outside (and the sound wasn’t quite right) but there was no possible way it was anything inside. It only got stranger when I went to investigate. I stood up and the moment I did the tapping stopped. It didn’t die out, it just abruptly stopped. It stayed silent the entire time I was walking around, but after a few minutes of being still it started again. 

This whole thing has been going on since then. I am unsure what it could possibly be because it’s not like it’s seasonal. Ever since its started I’ve heard it at random points throughout the year without any rhyme or reason. 

Something that made it weirder was a story my sister had told me. I had been camping with friends so I hadn’t been home for a couple days. My sister was just sitting in her room when she heard a rhythmic tapping coming from the wall between my room and hers. She ignored it for a while but after not too long she’d finally had enough. She sat up and said “shut up!” thinking it might have been my brother. Not a minute later the books by her bed went flying. It wasn’t just that they fell she described it like somebody would have swung their arm through the middle of it causing them to go everywhere. It was after I heard that, that I knew this was something paranormal.

The Giggling Girls

This third story is going to be a little shorter. This again took place in the summer of 2021. I was up late, per usual, and I was working on writing. It was around 2:30 to 3:00 in the morning and my window was open so I could have some fresh air. All of the sudden I just started hearing what sounded like two girls walking down the street giggling with each other. When I heard that I felt an unnatural chill and uneasiness. Any other time I wouldn’t have thought too much about it but the fact that it happened at three in the morning definitely made it unsettling.

STGF

This next one will also be rather short but similarly to “The Tapper”, it is a story that’s happened over a period of time. Not too long after my family moved into the house we are in now, I started noticing weird things happening. (I know so far this is sounding like the classic story and, I will admit, it kind of is.) Anyway, subtle things started happening. There were the classic hearing sounds around the house when nobody was home. There was movement out of the corner of my eye. Occasionally there would also be the faucet turning on. Of course, all of this seemed to happen when I was either home alone or when I was downstairs alone. 

The reason that the ghost is named STGF is because that’s the name the ghost gave us via Ouija board. My friend and I were curious about the strange stuff so we made a makeshift ouija board and called upon the spirits. Once we reached one and he confirmed that he was the one in the house we asked for a name and he spelled out STGF. That’s been his name ever since. He’s still around as well but he’s been a little less active. 

The Sprinter

This is another short story that took place last summer. It was, again, around three in the morning and I was just having a good time writing. Everything was quiet and I was actually getting ready to go to bed, when from outside I heard the sound of footsteps smacking against the pavement. After a couple seconds, there was this weird screeching sound and I felt genuinely terrified. The sound was then suddenly cut off abruptly after it had gone further down the street and I felt sick to my stomach. That was by far the most terrifying of these experiences. 

The Crying Man

This is another short story and it’s very cut to the chase. This again started last summer but for this one I have only ever heard him in the summer. I think I’ve only heard him in the summer because he too is outside and during the summer I keep my window open. I wouldn’t say that it was right outside my window, but it was close enough. Once I listened closer I could tell that it sounded like it was somebody crying. It wasn’t very loud but it sounded like a man on my roof was sobbing. I got up to check and I pulled aside my curtains but I didn’t see anything in the darkness. 

This spirit doesn’t come around frequently but occasionally I’ll hear him and when I do it’s always around the same time. It’s because of that and the uneasy feeling I get that makes me believe this is definitely something otherworldly. 

The Woman in the Attic

The final story happened a little over ten years ago, but I remember it vividly. Of all the stories on this list, it is definitely the one that scared me the most. 

I was about seven years old and I had gone with my family to my grandparents house. I had always really enjoyed going there but I hated going up into the attic, especially alone. There was just always something up there that made me feel very uneasy. Anyway, my cousins and I had been playing up there but it was time for us to eat dinner so we headed downstairs. When we got downstairs I realized that I left my stuffed toy up in the attic. I told myself that it would just be fast and I didn’t have to worry, which apparently worked because I went up there alone. When I made it to the attic I grabbed my stuffed animal and then the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It felt like somebody was watching me. I looked up and to my horror there was a woman standing in the corner. Most of her was pretty hazy but I saw her face clear as day. It didn’t necessarily look scary but I could tell there was something off about it and the room’s aura had changed drastically. 

Immediately I ran downstairs crying and told my dad that there was someone up in the attic. Nobody believed me and told me I just imagined something but I know what I saw. Note: I had never even watched anything remotely scary so my brain couldn’t possibly have pulled something from a movie. 

After that incident I never went up there again and only a few years later my grandparents moved away. Sometimes I question what I saw but I believe without a doubt there was really somebody up there with me. 

Those are all the stories I have that come to mind when I think about my experiences. For all those stories I have tried to come up with a logical reason for them but nothing seems to fit perfectly. Part of me wonders if I’ll ever be able to discover the truth behind any of these but I guess I’ll have to wait and see. Maybe answers will reveal themselves this spooky season. I hope everyone stays safe and whether or not you believe in the paranormal, be careful with it. I’ve found that once you let that stuff into your life it’s hard to get rid of it.