Do You Like Scary Stories?

Boo! It’s finally here.

All Hallows Eve
Samhain
Fright Night
The one time of the year when kids are allowed to take candy from strangers (and parents are allowed to sneak candy from their kids.)

Halloween is the Super Bowl of the paranormal. Magic is in the air, and it’s sensory overload taking it all in. The crunching of leaves beneath our feet. The crisp air nipping at our cheeks. The smell of kettle corn. The dazzling lights and hanging ghosts and inflatable Frankensteins and ten-foot-tall skeletons. What a time to be alive!

In honor of the holiday, I thought I would share a couple of spooky occurrences I’ve had. It’s hard to choose just a few because I’ve seen my share of unexplained events. I could tell you about the time a ghost dropped a crystal down the back of my shirt while I was writing at my computer. I could write about the disembodied voices in the register vents at my old house in Benson. I could even describe the time a jet-black specter rose from the floor and dashed across the room faster than an Olympic sprinter before vanishing into the wall. Moments like these get the heart pumping faster than a game of pickleball.

I’ll start with an experience that involves a ghost who forgot to wipe its feet upon entering my house. You see, it was wintertime, and I’d arrived home for the evening after a nice dusting of snow. Upon entering my home, I noticed my dog Zico whimpering, panting, and looking very anxious. This was out of character for him. My first thought was that someone had tried to break into my home. The house alarm had been set while I was gone, and I hadn’t received a notification that it was tripped. So, I began to investigate.

I looked out the windows, scanning the home’s perimeter. Nothing seemed amiss. I kicked off my shoes and walked downstairs to inspect the walk-out patio door. However, while going down the stairs, I felt something cold and wet on my socks. Bending down to inspect each step more closely, I noticed they were wet shoeprints - roughly a men’s size ten with the tread from the sole clearly visible on each step.

The tracks continued further down into the main area of the basement. With a lump in my throat and hair standing on end, I peeked out the curtains of the patio door. To my surprise, there were no footprints on the freshly fallen snow. I stood there in disbelief, trying to think of a rational explanation. The air inside the room was still and quiet, like I was existing within a vacuum; as if the room’s energy had been sucked out by an unseen force.

I called my mom and sister, who were the only two people who had keys to my house. Neither wore a men’s size ten sneaker, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. Not surprisingly, both said they hadn’t been at my house.

Still to this day, it’s a paranormal experience that leaves me completely baffled. Whoever (or whatever) it was… the wet footprints did not originate from outside but from within my own living space. It’s as though a ghost had been walking down the snow-covered street and suddenly materialized into my house. As to why or how… it’s a question I’ll never be able to answer.

The next story takes place in that very same home. It wasn’t nearly as haunted as my house in the Benson area, but it did provide a few unforgettable paranormal experiences. One day, I returned home, and upon entering the kitchen from the garage, I was stopped in my tracks by something that looked completely out of place.

My kitchen table was situated directly under a hanging light fixture. Like most people, I like symmetry and balance, so the light fixture hung over the very center of the table. However, in the time I’d been gone, the table had been moved four or five feet closer to the living room. In fact, it was nearly in the living room because it was now resting so close to my recliner.

Grasping for a logical explanation, I wondered if my dog had come running through the kitchen and bumped into the table, causing it to move. I quickly dismissed that idea when I realized that all four chairs had been neatly pushed back in.

Once again, I called my mom and sister to make sure nobody was pulling a joke on me. Once again, they assured me they hadn’t been to my house. I was left with only one possibility. Someone from the spirit world felt like rearranging the kitchen while I was gone. I desperately wish a camera would have captured the action while I was gone. Can you imagine? It would be so strange to witness something as large as a kitchen table and four chairs moving on their own. To pull off such a feat would require a tremendous amount of energy from a ghost or spirit. I mean, flickering a light or opening a kitchen cabinet is impressive enough (I’ve seen that happen, as well.) But a table weighing close to 100 pounds is quite impressive.

As always, there wasn’t much I could do… other than move the table back to its original position and get on with my day. Such is the life of a psychic and paranormal researcher. Was it a scary experience? Not really. I just wish that if a ghost had the energy to move tables, perhaps he or she could pitch in with some laundry or dishes… you know, something useful. I don’t mind them living in my space rent-free, but the least they could do is help out every now and then.

If you enjoy spooky stories, you can find more over on my Facebook page. Just last night, I asked followers if they’ve had any ghost encounters, and several of them shared interesting stories.

---

If you become a paid subscriber for just $5 a month, you can gain access to weekly videos, extra content, and full-length articles…. such as THIS little bonus.

Below is a list of paranormal phenomena that scare the living daylights out of me. (Ghost doesn’t even make the cut, by the way.) There are far more sinister things to be afraid of, and some on my list are so obscure you likely haven’t heard of them before. If you’ve got nerves of steel and are looking for some nightmare fuel… enter at your own risk.