Haunted Times

We moved into this apartment a little over a year ago. It was nice, quiet and cozy. It had two bedrooms. Which was perfect since I worked at home I needed a space to write and work. It had big windows. The only thing was there were stairs going to the third floor that sort of blocked my office window. The stairs cut the window in a very odd shape.

Underneath those stairs was a bed frame of some sort. I have always wondered about that bed frame. It looked odd sitting there. It gathered lots of dust and spiders lurked around it. It gave me the creeps. But I was never the sort that easily gets scared. So I brushed off those feelings.

I brushed off the creepy feeling I felt, that feeling that there was someone looking at me as I typed into my keyboard. I ignored the shadows cast from underneath the stairs when I sat in front of my computer at night. I was too tired to even think about such childish scares.

But everything changed when weird things started happening to me. It all started when I cleaned up the area underneath the stairs. Bugs and spiders lived there and there was so much dust that I had to just clean it up. I had to remove all the dust and spiderweb clinging unto the bed frame.

A day after dusting off the bed frame my body itched like there was no tomorrow. I scratched myself raw. I cried from so much itch. The doctor said it was contact dermatitis. But I decided to find out about the abandoned bed behind the stairs.

I found out that at time, my landlady’s daughter had died a sudden death from over a year ago. She died so suddenly that her whole family was surprised.

Nightmares

Nightmares started visiting me recently. They have come a few months past but I brushed them off. I thought I was just too tired from working too much that I had very lucid nightmare where I can see my body but I can’t move.

You see, I have been sleeping in my office and not in our bedroom for a few months now. I fall asleep here because I was too exhausted. I felt very rested sleeping in this blue colored room. But when the nightmares come, I feel like death visits me.

And then I started seeing her. I started seeing a woman in my dreams. She calls me. She was not angry or anything. But she does not want me to get up. She wants me to look at my body as I slept. I could hardly breathe as she sat there next to me.

Sometimes, I see her there looking at me I knew I was sleeping. She told me not to wake I and stay asleep. But I knew I need to wake up. I knew that if I did not rouse, I would soon die. I tried moving my leg. I tried moving my arms but I couldn’t. I felt like someone was restraining me from getting up.

Since then, I never slept in the blue room beside the stairs. If I did I would only do so for an hour or two and left the lights open. I am not scared of her, but she wanted me to go with her. And I knew I should not, I should not go with her.

The Window

The window es shaped oddly. I was cut into the shape of the stairs. And in it’s tiny corner it looked into the underside of the staircase. The window stood behind me everyday as I worked. And there, from that tiny corner, I saw the shadow. I saw the shadow of a little girl. And her little yellow eyes looking at me as she peered into my window.

This story was shared to me from my friend from China. Before I tell you the story. Let me first tell you about the Ghost Month. The Ghost month normally happens in August, specifically August third. But the Ghost Month normally is celebrated on the seventh month of the lunar year, which of course would be in August. It is the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

During the Ghost Month, the spirits of the dead rise from the lower realms to visit the living. They wander about at night or in bodies of water. They ask for gifts and rituals in order to alleviate their suffering and for them to find peace.

There are many taboos that are to be followed on the Ghost Month to avoid bad luck and hauntings.

1. Do not stroll at night.
2. Do not swim. It is said that drowned evil ghosts might try to drown people in order to find victims for them to rebirth.
3. As the month is considered to be inauspicious, do not move to a new house, start new businesses or marry.
4. Do not hang clothes outside at night.
5. Do not pick up coins or money found on the street and if one does, never bring any home.
6. Do not step on or kick the offerings by the roadside. If someone were to step on any offerings by accident, he or she should apologize aloud to ameliorate the situation
7. Do not wear red because ghosts are attracted to red.
8. Don’t sing and whistle as these may attract ghosts.
9. Keep away from the walls as it is believed that ghosts like sticking to walls.
10. If someone is born during the ghost month, avoid celebrating his or her birthday at night. It is better to celebrate during the daytime.
11. Do not go out at 12 midnight as the ghost may approach you for food and other offerings for them.
12. Do not open umbrellas in the house. It may attract spirits
13. Do not take selfies or take videos. Ghost may appear in it. You may never know
14. Do not sleep facing the mirror or something reflective. It guides the ghosts.

This story is a tale of a girl who broke the taboo and went for a swim on the ghost month.

Mei Ling Ong

Mei Ling Ong was a typical Chinese teenager. She had a lot of energy. She has a good fashion sense and loves hanging out with her friends. She would often try to wear the trendiest clothes. Mei Ling loved life and adventure.

But Mei Ling did not come from a rich family. So she worked in part time job in a hotel. This was an old hotel and she worked cleaning the rooms and doing errands here and there. She loved her job. It was not so difficult as there weren’t many guests.

One warm day in summer, Mei Ling was in the reception area all alone. This was the ghost month but she was not afraid. She always heeded what her parents told her about the things she should not do. That night she had to stay there because the receptionist was absent.

She sat there listening to music on her phone staring into space when a handsome young man came in. He was about twenty five years old. He wore a suit and looked tired from work. He went up to the reception area.

Mei Ling was stunned by how handsome he was. He smiled at her and asked about his reservation. She tried to check it in the computer but she could not find it. He tried to smooth out his beautiful hair and told her if he could stay the night and will just pay for the room.

Mei Ling was so happy and she felt butterflies in her stomach. As she was handing him the key card, his brushed against hers. His hand was cold, but maybe because he just came from outside.

Mei Ling led him to his room and he smiled at her. He asked her if they have a swimming pool. She said they have one at the top floor. He smiled and said “You look like my girlfriend before”. Mei Ling blushed. As she was about to go, the man asked her if she could escort him to the pool later on. Mei Ling said that they have a pool staff upstairs and that he can just go up.

He frowned a bit and then smiled. He said “Well, I’m kinda shy and I don’t really talk to others but you seem really friendly. Could you please guide me upstairs?”

Mei Ling could not say no.

After an hour of leaving the man, Mei Ling got a call on the front desk phone. She was really hungry. She sometimes worked as a reliever for the receptionist but she was tired today from cleaning the rooms. The call was from the man. He wanted to go to the pool.

The Man

The man was dressed in a pair of shorts and a white shirt. He was handsome as before and looked happy. He introduced himself. He said he was Xin Lim. He was twenty five years old and works for his father’s business. He said he was single because his girlfriend was gone and left him. But now he is ready for love again. He said he wishes to find a girl just like his girlfriend.

Mei Ling blushed again.

They walked quietly towards the higher floor. He touched her elbow. His hand was cold but not as cold as before.

They got to the pool but the pool attendant was not there. As Mei Ling was about to leave, the man held her close. She was shocked. He said “I’m so happy to have finally found you.”

He came close and tried to kiss her. She was really surprised but she did kiss him back. They stood near the pool. It was a warm and sensual kiss. She felt shivers all over her body.

And then, he finally whispered “Now my love can return..” Mei Ling got shocked but it was too late. He held her close and they both fell into the pool. Mei Ling tried to swim, but the man kept his lips on her. It was eternal kiss of death. Mei Ling could not breathe and she felt her life slip away.

Her mind was strong and she could feel her self being lifted away. But when she looked, she saw her body with the man. Her body lay beside the pool. The man was there holding it. And then the man kissed her body’s mouth again. And she saw it awaken. But it was not her. It was someone else.

Both her body and the man looked at her. She felt herself being pooled in by the pool again. She felt that this time she was really drowning but she was conscious and there was no death to free from drowning. She tried to swim but she was now only a spirit.

The End.

I have heard this story from my friend who was from a third world country in Asia. She now lives here in Australia and the things she told me really horrified the wits off of me. Let us call my friend Susan.

Susan has lived in her mother country for about 19years. She got pregnant early and because of the fear of shame she wanted to have an abortion. This was normally frowned upon in these places so she has very few options. She heard about this small lying-in clinic that secretly did abortions. She decided to give it a visit but first just to look around.

The clinic was fairly small. It was pretty much closed up with metal pull down shutters that cover the doors and windows. You normally have to call for an appointment. So Susan did so. When she went there, the place really smelled funny. A mixture of chlorinated smell yet there was a bit of rotting in the air. The place looked really run down with a small dim off white bulb. The lady who sat in the front desk looked bored and a bit crazy. She had this creepy smile on her face. The receptionist, who was also the nurse was very thin and her skin has a sick yellowish tinge. She told Susan to sit down and wait because the doctor was with someone else.

The doctor came out, so Susan stood up. He beckoned to for the nurse receptionist to go near him. They looked at each other and both smiled a creepy toothed smile that gave Susan the shivers. The receptionist went back to her desk and told Susan “Just give Doc about 15 minutes and he will be with you shortly.” Susan got terrified and asked where the bathroom was but she secretly crept out and left hurriedly.

Susan did really want to go through with the abortion since she was young and not prepared to have a child yet. Two weeks passed but she did not go back to the clinic. One day she overheard from the neighbour that one of the pregnant women who was supposed to give birth next month died. She was just went to the clinic for a check-up but she was never seen again until today. She went home looking really pale and shocked. She was able to stay there for some time but suddenly collapsed and died. When they checked her, they were supplied that the baby was gone and all the amniotic fluid is gone but her belly was still big.

Susan wanted to know more. She felt that this was the same patient that went before her on the day she went to that clinic. So she decided to go back to the clinic, anyway she had no choice because she really wanted to get the abortion before her belly becomes big. When she got there she was told that the lady who went before her had stayed in the clinic because she needed daily supervision but they are not allowed to discuss the case. She was then ushered by the thin receptionist to the bed. She was sweating and feared what was going to happen next.

The receptionist suddenly put a metal strap on Susan’s arm, Susan being strong fought her off before she could even put the strap on the other hand. They struggled. Suddenly the oxygen tank fell down and started hissing. She took this opportunity to free her left hand. She ran but she ended up going more into the deeper part of what seemed to be a small clinic from the outside but was a really big place. She ran and ran until she got into the part where there was a trapdoor on the floor. She opened it and went inside. She was engulfed by a very horrid smell. She saw the man who looked like a doctor with his back turned against her. He was then facing a woman on a table and he had a long tongue sticking into her belly. She was unconscious but alive. Susan slowly crept away backwards. The doctor did not notice him at all and he continued to suck at the woman’s belly. Susan went back up and then run as fast as she could out the door. She started bleeding profusely and the doctor must have smelled the blood because he was suddenly behind her as she bolted out the door. But he never chased after her. He stopped by the door, looking like a normal man and waved at Susan as she went running out looking back at the clinic. Suddenly there was an explosion. The oxygen tank blew up. But Susan could still make out the silhouette of the man and the thin woman.

Even though she bled out a lot, Susan did not lose the child. She decided to keep him. He is now seven years old and it has been eight years since Susan left her country. She said she wanted to go to the police but no one would believe her. She has heard some stories that the clinic, the doctor and the nurse moved to a different town now.

Be careful who you trust.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s Ghost of Okiku

This story was shared to me by my friend who lived in Japan. When he was young many teenagers committed suicide. Many say that is because of failure to enter a reputable school but some say it is because these students where pulled by a strange entity to end their own life.

My friend was an outsider in Japan, a gaijin as the locals would say or a foreigner. He was excluded by the other students all the time. Being an outsider also gave him some benefits. He was able to observe his classmates from a safe distance. Most of the time the other students were quiet and disciplined in school. Some of them even went to cram school to get better results in the entrance examinations. Most wanted to go the famous Tokyo University or Kyoto University. Sometimes my friend who we will call Tomo, who is a half Japanese and half Canadian, would see classmates laughing and having fun. They acted like normal students. But deep inside Tomo, he felt that there was something peculiar happening to some of his school mates.

One day, as Tomo was walking home he heard a girl crying and struggling. So he tried to look for where the sound of cry was coming from. It was dusk and the street lamps just lit up. He saw the girl beside a big tree in the empty parking lot of his school. She seemed like being pulled by an invisible force. She was crying quietly and incorrectly. She seemed to be struggling to break free from something. But Tomo could not see it very well. Then he saw the girl’s face. The look in her face froze Tomo completely. Her eyes were glassy and blank. She looked like a frozen doll. Her lips were closed but she was trying to move them as if begging for help. She clutched her neck as if trying to pry something off of it. Then Tomo saw under the bright street lamp, a shadow. The shadow did not look much different from what the girl’s shadow should look like but it did now seem right. Instead of showing the exact form of the girl, the shadow seemed to be skewed. And then Tomo saw it, the shadow had long bird like fingers with talons at the ends, grabbing the girls neck from behind. Suddenly Tomo snapped out of his reverie and tried to help the girl. When he was inches away from her she suddenly collapsed. Tomo caught her. She breathed fast and shallow. Suddenly her eyes opened and was shocked to see Tomo. She looked at her hands. They had a little blood in them. She glanced at Tomo and suddenly ran away. Tomo sat there, puzzled and scared. He had cold sweat running down his face. He could not understand what happened.

The next few days Tomo looked for the girl in school. He could not find her. He did not have any friends in school so he could not tell anyone what had happened. At night he could not sleep. He feared for whatever happened this girl. He could not forget that strange look on her face; a twisted eerie blankness that took hold of her. Tomo could not concentrate in school anymore.

One Saturday afternoon Tomo and his mother went out to go shopping for groceries. As they were about to go home Tomo felt weird again he could not understand why. He stood on the train flat form all frozen. Then suddenly he saw the same girl. She was wearing her school uniform. She looked at Tomo. She smiled. Suddenly the expression on her face changed. She looked at the incoming train. Tomo ran towards her but she already jumped. Tomo froze. He couldn’t stop her. He was not fast enough. People screamed around him but he did not hear any of it. All he could think about was he was about a split second away from saving her. His mother ran to him and pulled him away from the crowd and hurriedly dragged him away from the platform and all the people in there.

They took a cab home. Tomo went to his room all dazed. He could not eat or sleep for days. His mother was very worried about him. She talked to his father. He heard them talking about going back to Canada. Tomo snapped out of his confused state. He needed to know why it all happened.

He tried to be brave and asked some of his classmates if anyone noticed this girl and anything weird around school. At first no one would talk to him. He was the outsider. Finally, one day as Tomo ate his bento box in the school canteen a gangly looking boy sat down across him. He introduced himself. He was the girl’s brother. He did not tell Tomo his name. He just sat there and then suddenly said “Did you see it too? The shadow of my sister?” Tomo was shocked he did not know what to say. The boy just stared at his hands for a few minutes and then told Tomo everything he knew. He said that his sister was not the first one to have had a shadow. He has heard of other students who have had them as well. But no one really wants to talk about it. He said that the shadow started appearing after his sister came back from an old bookstore and brought home with her a comic book that had some weird drawings on it. The younger brother said that he was not bothered by it at first because he said that most Japanese comic books are full of weird stuff. He said that his sister started acting strange after reading it. She would sleep walk at night and would act violently suddenly.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s portrait of Oiwa.

Tomo was scared. He had just been to that bookstore and he also got a weird looking manga. He went home and burned it. He said that after that he went to his mom and said that he really wanted to go back to Canada.

Tomo is now a grown up and works in a bank here in Vienna. He has visited Japan several times but has never bought another comic book. He sometimes dreams of that shadow with long fingers and talon like nails.

The End.

See our page on Japanese Ghosts or Read more Japanese Ghost Stories here

schaeffler / Pixabay

There are many places in the world that are considered at the most paranormal, and at the least a little spooky.  These places draw ghost hunters and searchers for the paranormal alike to see if they can find and record something seemingly out of this world.  You might be asking yourself, “What kind of equipment do these people take with them?”

Lets take a moment to review some equipment for ghost hunting and recording paranormal experiences.

The Digital Camera

Though many people consider a digital camera to be a useless tool, being able to take high quality photographs is the best way to record what is happening around you.  Having a camera that can be modified to see into the infrared spectrum as well as ultraviolet will make them even more useful.

Video/Voice Recorder

The one thing most people think of when they think ghost hunting equipment is a video handheld recorder.  Having a recorder that is capable of picking up fine sounds is crucial, as one of the many ways that people have reported hauntings is through sounds.  Be sure to state the time, place, and any other relevant details prior to beginning your investigation.

Flashlights

A practical necessity, having flashlights with extra batteries is common sense.  Many places you may be checking out will not have lights and can be a challenge and possibly even dangerous to navigate through.  It is also believed that spirit activity causes batteries to lose their charge quicker.

First Aid

Having a first aid kit will make sure you and your group can treat injuries that might occur from navigating through the dark.

Notebook

Logging your journey, as well as anything that may feel out of place is the best way to create a better understanding of where you should return to after the fact.

EMF Detector

Officially known as the electromagnetic field detector, the EMF is used as a tracking device for ghosts.  It is believed that ghosts release an electromagnetic field that can be tracked using these devices.  If you have one of these devices, then look for fluctuations between 2.0 and 7.0.

Compass

A Compass is a helpful tool in indicating when there is spiritual activity near by.  You will be able to tell when the needle refuses to point in a single direction, fluctuating wildly instead.

If you are wondering where to buy ghost hunting tools you can check this site

The unknown is equal parts scary and intriguing.  From the paranormal to ghost hunts, not knowing what can be found around the corner brings people to investigate some of the most haunted places in the world.  If you have been invited to go along on a ghost hunt, and it is your first, do not fret!  There are a few simple things you should keep in mind.  Lets review how being helpful, being mindful, and staying calm can make your first ghost hunting experience into a success.

Being Helpful

Depending on the organization of your group, you may be asked to bring things along.  Most beginners will be asked to bring along their own flashlight, as well as several pairs of extra batteries.  In addition, having a phone for easy contact will make staying with your group much easier.  More likely then not, your group will already have most of what it needs, including more expensive paranormal hunting equipment.  They will also take the time to let you know how the ghost hunt will go down, and your role in it.

Be Mindful

Many places where you can go ghost hunting will be either abandoned or in poor shape.  The best thing you can do is to work as hard as possible in being mindful.  When checking out a place, know where other people in your group are.  Do not get separated, especially if you are wandering through a large place.  In addition, take into consideration everything around you, and try to memorize the location of objects you come across.  The more mindful and aware you are, the easier it will be to spot paranormal activity when it takes place.

Stay Calm

One of the biggest problems people new to ghost hunting have is shaky nerve.  This is perfectly understandable when you take into consideration wandering around in the dark in a place that may be haunted.  However, you cannot let your nerves get the best of you.  Try your best to refrain from yelling or shouting if something happens, as this will only make a situation worse.  Instead, work to get the attention of somebody else as quickly and as quietly as you can.  Some paranormal activity will flee when people raise their voices, and the last thing you want to do is be the one responsible for scaring away the ghosts!

thomashendele / Pixabay

This tale is based on a true story.

This story happened many years ago. I was only six and was in my final year in kindergarten. My mom and dad had recently had a huge fight and my mom decided to run away from home or leave my dad.

Before I begin this tale of horror, let me give you a bit of background into this story. In May 1987 my family moved to my aunt’s big house. She allowed us to rent it until we have completely paid for the mortgage. The house was really big but I have very little recollection about how it looked like when we moved in since I was only about two at that time and I could only remember some blood stains on the wall.

When I was about three I had experienced many strange things in this house. Since I’ve had a spiritual awakening, I’ve begun to think more deeply about these times.  I was inspired after reading an article about spiritual awakening on a good occult site I found called Signal River. So here is my story to share with you.

It was said that the house used be an abortion clinic at the second floor and a gambling den in ground floor. Just to give you a bit of a picture, the house was big. It had a garden parking space for two cars, a backyard which was a filled with an assortment of old discarded things. The first floor housed my dad’s office, a big living room, a storage area, working space for our other employees. The second floor had enormous bedrooms, a playroom and a weird small hallway that was lined with several bathrooms and the last one on the hallway was barricaded by wooden planks. That hallway gave me the creeps. It smelled funny. It smelled of death. It was said that behind that door was the bathroom which the abortionist used to throw and flush down the fetuses.

This house was a haunted place. Many entities were said to live in every nook and cranny.  We will park those stories for now. We will first delve in to the story of old abortionist that haunted this house. Many of our neighbors say there once a nice doctor who lived in that house. She was always smiling and friendly, yet very quiet. Many women visited her. Most of them looked pregnant. The neighbors before found it strange that whenever a woman visits they never see her leaving from the front door. The fact of the matter is some of them use the back door to leave but some of them never leave at all.

Efraimstochter / Pixabay

When we moved to this house, as my older brother tells me; there was a lot of blood stains in the second floor. Most of this blood was found in the hallway that had five bathrooms; two on each side and one at the very end. He said that there was even a woman who knocked at our door asking for a “Doctora”. The house frightened me a lot.

I was a very imaginative child. I had imaginary friends. But unlike most children I had a gift. I could see things other people could not see. I was born partially blind. I had congenital cataracts on both my eyes. This made me unable to use my central vision. So I relied looking the side of eyes; in my peripheral vision. At first, I thought it was nothing. But as I grew I started seeing spirits. I felt things behind me, sometimes on my back, sometimes holding my hair. When I would turn to look they would show for a split second, but then would vanish right away.

So let’s we go back to that day, when my mom left. I was alone in second floor kitchen near the mysterious hallway. It was Holy Week. The house was very quiet. My sister and brothers weren’t at home. It was just me and our nanny there. She was in the playroom folding our clothes. Since I was but a child, I played that day. I was not aware of the horror that was to come.

howliekat / Pixabay

The sun was shining brightly outside and the sky was so blue. I felt curious about the mysterious hallway which I was told never to come near to, specially the door at the very end. Maybe it was boredom, maybe it was a strange pull; I found myself going into the forbidden hallway. I never went close to the barricaded door before. But I really wanted to see it. I had to go near since I can’t really see from afar. I slowly crept closer and closer. The smell of the place was dank. The air suddenly felt cold. I wanted to touch the wood nailed to the door to prevent it from opening. I slowly moved my hand close to the door.

Suddenly, there was an old woman. She gripped my arm. It hurt a lot. My body froze. I could not move nor could I scream. She looked at me with big grey eyes. She looked wretched. Her hair was a gray mop. Her skin was so wrinkled it looked like the bark of an old tree. Her skin was grayish too. She wore a gray tunic like rag of a dress. In her left hand was a long walking stick or a staff. Her hand was very cold.

I finally got a hold of my body. I walked slowly backwards… Then I finally ran to my nanny in the playroom. The woman followed me. I screamed. She was still behind me. She got into the room at the same time that I was about to forewarn our nanny. Our nanny was stricken with fear. Her eyes grew big and jaw dropped. She had cold beads of sweat all over. Finally the old woman spoke.

“Leave my house! Leave! Leave my house or someone in your household will die!”

She stood there looking at us. She seemed very enraged. Suddenly she vanished. I fell on my knees and cried for fright.

My mother returned that night. We sat in the table eating dinner. I told my family my story. At first they would not believe me, but the nanny saw the old wretched witch as well. They were all frightened. My mother and father decided to leave the said haunted house. We decided to leave not just because of what happened to me. But because of many, many creepy surreal things that has come about in that house.

PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay

It was said by people near our house that the doctor who lived there was woman who whose heart was broken. She was impregnated by man who left her so she decided to abort her child. She was said to have lost her mind afterwards and decided to devote her energy into removing fetuses and even almost full term children from mothers’ wombs. They said that the woman felt happy at the sight of blood. It was also said that she was almost arrested for her illegal acts and the death of some of her patients. Before the police came to get her, she committed suicide in that very bathroom.