Ghost Stories & Paranormal Encounters

I’ve always been an insomniac. For as long as I could remember, struggling to go to sleep has been a nightly reality. I’ve heard it’s impossible to think more than one thing at a time. I can say, beyond any doubt, it is very possible, especially when you need to get to sleep.

On this particular night, I was about 13. I hadn’t been in bed long, but I was wide awake. The house my parents and I lived in had an L-shaped hallway that went from the living room, past the kitchen door, then bathroom, and straight into my parents’ bedroom. The second hallway went straight from the bathroom door into my bedroom. The bathroom light was kept on, so I could see perfectly out my bedroom door.

On this night, I tossed and turned. I opened my eyes to see the end of a pink gown trailing directly from my parents’ bedroom door and down the hall toward the living room. I only saw the end of it as it moved in a step-stop-step-stop slow pace. It wasn’t transparent or misty. The bathroom light illuminated it clearly. It was as solid and real as any perfectly explainable long pink gown. I lay there, watching it, until it disappeared.

Later, when I told this story, the common reaction was a scoff, followed by, “did your mom have a pink gown?” Well, no, she didn’t. And, for the record, neither did my dad. No one else was in the house.

After it disappeared down the hallway out of my sight, my first instinct was to investigate. My parents were asleep (I could hear them snoring in their bedroom), and it didn’t occur to me to wake them.

I looked for a weapon and only found a twirling baton near my bed. I grabbed it and walked carefully to my bedroom door. I stopped, realizing I shouldn’t go alone, so I looked back at my dog, Max, who was on the bed. I patted my leg and said, “c’mon, Max.” He looked at me like I was out of my Vulcan mind and lay his head on the bed. So I went alone, to the end of the hallway leading to my bedroom, and peeked around the corner and down the hallway leading to the living room. It was black and silent. It was the first of many ghost sightings for me.

Since then, I’ve learned the joy of Melatonin, a natural sleep aid.

Sent in by Angela Shafer, Copyright 2011