Just Another Ghost Story

I've had a few incidents happen to me since my last posts, mostly two years ago (can't believe it's been two years already), feels like all this happened less than a year ago).

In 2014 I was staying in Westdene-Melville near the Westdene dam, my favourite place in Johannesburg- very artsy-fartsy the nightlife's amazing. It has lots of art galleries, pop up restaurants, thrift shops and book shops. It's basically hippie heaven.

I was at that time working as a Casting Director for a casting agency (fun times) which wasn't far from where I stayed. There was also a University close by so most people turned their houses into boarding houses for students and young professionals like myself.

I'd just gone through a nasty break up with my ex (I stayed at his place), meaning I had to quickly find a place and move out. Lucky me, I found a very cheap one bedroom cottage with a beautiful yard, bay windows in the lounge and bedroom that ran from ceiling to the floor. I'm not great at describing layouts but I'll try. When you entered the cottage you walked into a very spacious lounge with the windows to your right. The left hand side was a small kitchen with a sink and fridge. Very small cupboard space but I lived alone and had sold most of my furniture when I moved in with my ex so it was fine. When you carried on straight there was a step you took that led to the bedroom. In the room again the windows were to the right and on the left hand side was a shower and next to it a toilet and tiny sink. There was a sliding wooden door that separated the bedroom from the lounge. It was perfect for single me.

Okay on with the story...

I moved in and nothing seemed amiss for the first couple of weeks other than the place was unusually cold and dark considering the windows ran from top to bottom along the entire right side walls. I dismissed it as the cottage's position, it faced away from the sun. I'm not sure when it exactly started but I started feeling a presence in the house after a few weeks. It was just a lingering presence at first but as time went by it too made its presence more pronounced. I always closed the door when I slept because it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. When lying in bed I'd feel it was standing in the lounge facing the door trying to figure out who the new occupant was. Then it started pacing up and down the lounge. Just walking up and down.

I remember one night I was in bed reading, I had the lounge/kitchen lights off and the bedroom lights off, leaving the bathroom light on. I never felt scared, only uneasy. As I was reading I felt the urge to look up into the living room and when I did I saw an elderly white man. He was solid but not solid if that makes sense. It was like he was in front of me and in my mind's eye at the same time, I can't explain it. He was expressionless but I felt he just wanted to make himself known to me. He was wearing a brown knitted jersey, white or cream shirt and I think his trousers were brown or gray, not sure but he was definitely a 'boer' man.

After that night I didn't feel as uneasy and he also seemed to feel more at home (again). He still paced but when I was sleeping I'd hear the tap water open and it'd be like he was washing his hands and I'd feel him move towards the towel and dry his hands. I always just kept my eyes shut and listened. I mean I know he's there but seeing him once was cool enough for me. There were times I'd get scared though and when that happened I would say out aloud, "You're scaring me now" and the feeling would go away.

I had one friend, my best friend (he passed away same year, that's another story) who was gifted in a way and he seemed to sense him more than me. No one else did. Sometimes while we're sitting and chatting he's turn to me and say, "Tell your old man to stop being a nuisance." He always stared at him (maybe not used to gay people:D) and eavesdropped in our conversation which I guess annoyed my friend.

Sorry this was long but I miss the old place and hope whoever stays there now gets along with the old man cause he was really harmless, even comforting sometimes cause I was really going through a rough time. Sadly after a year of living there I has to move because I developed pneumonia from the cold and dampness of the house. I have other incidents that have happened, nothing major though. One involving my best friend who passed away.

Funny how I always wanted to live in haunted houses, now it seems like every place I stay in is haunted. Talk about being careful of what I wish for.

Thanks for reading.

T