Ghost Stories & Paranormal Encounters

I grew up in a farmhouse built in 1852. Many times as a child, I heard footsteps when no one was there. I grew up with this, so it seemed almost normal. As I got older it wasn’t just footsteps. Things would be moved about in rooms where no people or animals had been. Doors would shut. My cats would stare into nothing and suddenly run off as though spooked. On more than one occasion I heard my name being called, both softly and quite loudly when I was home alone. Soon I adopted the practice, “if the cats wont go into a room, neither will I.”

This all culminated late one night (or early one morning, I’m not sure of the exact time). My Aunt and I were the only people on the property. I’m sure of this because the dog, the horses and the peacocks always without fail let us know if anyone was on property.

My Aunt had gone to bed many hours earlier and I too needed some sleep. I opened my bedroom window to smoke the last cigarette of the day. I lit my cigarette and proceeded to lean out the window a little so my room didn’t smell bad. For some reason instead of looking out at the stars as I usually did, I looked down at the yard. To my utter shock a woman in white or light colored clothes was staring back up at me. I knew she was looking right at me even though her face was all shadow – I could just feel it.

My first thought was that my Aunt (who suffers from insomnia on occasions) was out for a late stroll. I ran across the hall and opened her door. There my Aunt was, SOUND ASLEEP! I was spooked, but didn’t feel that the lady in white in my yard wished us harm.

I went to go back to look out the window she was gone. I shut the window, and slept on the couch in my Aunts room till the sun came up. I went out into the yard to look under my window, but there was not a single print in that soft red Virginia clay. I supposes the lady had lived on our farm once and loved it so much she never wanted to leave. What do you think?

Sent in by Sarah Butler Phillips, Copyright 2008