Nighttime Shadows

I wrote this for a college writing assignment some time earlier last year. It is a bit long as it details my first encounter with shadow people and am hoping to gain insight as to it possibly being something such as my eyes playing tricks on me. I have heard others saying that these things are inter-dimensional travelers of some sort and am interested to hear other opinions. If I happen to receive positive feedback from the community then I may very well write a few other encounters. I hope you enjoy. Also if you can, try to wait until you are alone with the lights out until you read this to hopefully gain the maximum effect.


BOO! Perhaps this, accompanied with a wrinkled bed sheet, is what would be someone’s mental image when hearing mention of a ghost. At least this would be the case expected from an older generation than my own. Thanks to the advancement of technology and members of the film industry attempting to make money, ghosts portrayed in the current media are of a whole new breed. Quite often these supernatural beings can be seen wielding chainsaws or machetes and whose sole purpose is to kill and maim unsuspecting individuals. Although this may be entertaining for fans of the genre, this just simply is not what typically happens in a ghostly encounter. I should know after all; I have experienced this phenomenon since my early childhood.

Born in the mid 1980’s, with the ability of viewing the deceased, I was not entirely discouraged of this capability by my family as some might think. My father encouraged it, thinking of it as my imagination; perhaps it had something to do with his choice of profession in psychology. Possibly because this was also the same time this particular genre of entertainment gained popularity with the general public. Either way nobody was truly concerned with a little boy who acted a little strange and had an imaginary friend or two. At least not until various items in the house would either relocate to another room or just plain disappear from existence. Sometimes items would reappear a few days later exactly where they were left. In the beginning everyone pointed fingers at whoever they personally believed was behind all the mischief. Oddly enough after a few years of this it simply became the normal routine. If something vanished no one said anything and we all just waited for its eventual return. Sometimes it worked, but for those times it did not, really what else could have been done? One cannot exactly call the police for a missing remote. Such was life in our household. At least it was until the following Christmas.

At six years old on Christmas day I received a children’s easel from the elusive Santa Claus. Over the course of the following year my parents began to notice a trend in my drawings, a green masculine figure with red eyes. He never had a name but was always present, always watching. Whilst my mother thought of it as nonsense, for some reason or another it actually troubled my father. Maybe it was because he could finally lay eyes on the “imaginary friend” I would occasionally play with. This seemed to be more of a reality to my father as my drawings over time remained constant in nature. It was the same shape and size and always off to the side or in the background of the pictures I had created. While troubling my father, I saw “him” differently. He never took a threatening stance toward me and always seemed to be keeping me company. For my father he reached his conclusion by asking me only one question, “Do you see him when we go to church?” I replied with a simple “No”. My father, no matter where we were at the time, would yell out in a demanding voice for it to promptly leave us whenever it was around. After some time this thing reluctantly left as my father commanded. To which my father insured it remained so by constantly asking, “Is he here?” Indeed it was over and this satisfied my father; however, this peace was short lived for only a few months as it allowed the exit of one spirit and the entrance of three others.

One of the things my father and I used to do together was watch a television show called Fish Police. I remember I would wake up in the middle of the night, eat some doughnuts while watching the show, and then return to bed. This became the new routine that created a bond between the two of us; as previously mentioned however the peace within the household was not a long lasting pleasure. For the final experience of bonding I got out of my bed to go watch TV, just like any other evening, and proceeded out of my bedroom. I walked down the hallway toward the living room and stopped abruptly just before stepping foot into the living room. My father’s mood quickly changed as he realized what I saw. He knew something was present in the room but not to any detail. As I remained motionless, standing in the hallway, I was witness to three “things” that stood in a circle surrounding my father, two of which were halfway embedded into various furniture pieces. I knew then that they saw me and they knew I saw them. One began to walk toward me as I quickly responded by running back to my room. In the background my father could be heard yelling at imaginary people in a very angry tone. They did not listen to him, and I did not get out of my bed. The following night when I awoke one of these things, a black silhouette with no distinctive features, stood before the entrance of my room simply staring at me. I went back to sleep. The thing that scared me the most, besides the intimidating manner in which they were received, was that I could still see them in complete darkness. Darker than pitch black on the darkest night, always watching.

A short time after these events took place my father passed away due to drowning. This baffled many who knew my father. Besides being a well-known excellent swimmer, he was also an ARMY Ranger. To this day most people believe that something unusual took place that fateful day. Personally I agree with these people; it just happens to be a deeply rooted gut feeling I possess to this day. No proof whatsoever, but I still believe there was a sort of foul play afoot. Occasionally I do still see a few of these shadow people, but considering the outcome of the first experience I do not pay them any mind. I must admit I get a chuckle whenever someone else can see these nighttime shadows as I do. The reactions are priceless. Honestly though, I cannot fathom as to why people act so surprised. Ghosts are plastered in movies and television making them rather common among people, especially by means of the internet. Even though this subject material has been overly exposed to the public I do not see the interest in it dwindling in any foreseeable future. This phenomenon is constantly occurring, turning skeptics into believers. For those out there who would classify themselves as true skeptics, I offer my hand in an invitation for you to come with me on a real ghost hunt. Remember this- if you ever get that feeling you are being watched, you most likely are.

This thread caught my eye immediately. I couldn't help but get a familiar chill up my spine as I continued to read your experiences. Ever since I was a young girl, I always felt that "presence". Sometimes I could see shadows, not to your extent, but in the corner of my eye, in the reflections of my switched off television (which to this day I can sometimes see). When I mentioned this to my father, he assured me it was because he allowed me to watch horror movies at an inappropriately young age. I've never told a psychiatrist because I would assume that anyone seeing things, would be easily diagnosed as schizophrenic (which I am not) - It's bizzare. Sometimes I see/feel nothing at all, but then "they" come and instantly know they are watching me. This lead me to be absolutely terrified of the dark.. Up until I was about 13, and to this day, am a little hesitant walking into a pitch black room.
I've come to a point where when I feel this energy, I asses whether it feels negative, or just ...there, and I talk out loud and make it clear that I am willing to share this space and mean no harm and usually any negative energy subsides - though, not always. Most of the time, I feel protected by these spirits. As if I'm being checked in on, or on an accidental occasion, have had my life spared in many situations where most wouldn't be so fortunate. Maybe it was my spirit-guide who has followed me as a girl, or maybe it was pure coincidence. Who knows..

I find that the worst possible thing to do is give into fear. It's almost as if they can sense that, feeding onto it.

reply to post by RooskiZombi


Thank you for your reply, now allow me to retort.

I usually do notice them at first from the corner of my eyes, at which time I glance over and they are still there. I have seen several different kinds of these shadow people ranging from different shapes to different colors. As for being protected by them, as you stated, I completely agree. The last time I was scared by one was when my bed was lifted off the ground by each leg of the bed in a circular motion completing two full lifts. That was the most scared I have ever been as well. I prayed for help all night, and the next morning I saw a gigantic light blue shadow person standing in my room. I got the vibe to not be afraid anymore as this one would stay and protect me.

You mentioned having your life spared, as have I. I always wondered if others had multiple "savings" as I have, I do not mean the ones where you could have died but rather the ones where you SHOULD have died. Freaky stuff. Hopefully you can share some of your accounts as I would greatly enjoy hearing about them.

In regards to being crazy, this I am certain I am not. I have had several encounters with others present, even two separate times with my wife being present. I always allow for whoever I am with to react first so as to not influence their perception. It is simply amazing how much people can react after seeing something like this for the first time.

Finally, you mention not giving into to fear. I have found that anger is far worse then fear. It seems to be like a steroid for them to manifest and cause problems. I can not even count the number of times I have seen something change state right before my very eyes. The most prominent was the case of locked doors. Several times I would see my wife walk outside and two seconds later the doors would lock right as I am watching them. I laugh, my wife, not so much.

My most recent experience involves someone standing at the foot of the couch where I was sleeping, walking away and then turning my bedroom light on. I thought it was a nice gesture though because I stated the night before I wanted to wake up early and play on the computer. As you could imagine this certainly woke me up.

Once again, thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts RooskiZombi.

reply to post by Timical


S&F
You had a childhood similar to mine, except my "ghost" wasn't green with red eyes. The first one I saw outside appeared as a light, almost white color. The one that stayed with me in the house was black... or just dark.
You can read all my experiences with the paranormal on my thread, so I won't bother re-typing everything.

Sorry about your father. That must have been pretty devastating. I may come back and respond more at another time, but now I have to get ready for a doctor appt.

Peace..........

Only read the first few paragraphs and already have goosebumps! Great job so far!
2nd line!