I was a person who never believed in the paranormal, I just assumed everyone who did was crazy or imagining things, now I can say with great certainty that I WAS the person who never believed...
I had been driving from Texas to Key West Florida as a vacation and an adventure, I just broke up with my girlfriend of several years and was looking for a change, so I got in my car stopped to fill up with gas, and headed to the highway. I decided to follow the coast line until I reached the end, Key West Florida, at that point I would be able to go no further unless I had a boat.
So there I was, after many hours of driving I decided it was getting late, the stripes in the road where all blurring together almost as if they had become a single line, and my bottom began to feel like lead was being injected into it. That was about the time I looked over and saw a sign for a motel that had a 24 hr diner a few miles up ahead. I pulled into the diner parking lot, when I got out the smell of jasmine lingering in the air, mixed with the dusky scent of the late night sea breeze, brought found memories of my childhood, playing alone the Texas coast.
The motel set directly across from a bay whose shoreline, just across the road, was cluttered with debris, not the kind from people, but the kind that nature sheds, logs, limbs, dead leaves. I also noticed that a majority of the trees were Cyprus, you know the kind that grow in the swamps with the large trunks. To me this was creepy and beautiful all at the same time, and then add the large moon that seemed to hover just above them, almost as if it were helping them to create some type of strange shadow, sinister, but not threatening.
As I entered the diner, which was also the check in lobby, I found myself to be very tired, so I quickly paid for my room. At that stage I was really oblivious to the surroundings as all I wanted to do was shower and sleep. (SPORTSMAN LODGE ROOM 2) So I headed to my room which was across a small gravel parking lot, no need to move my car, and went into my room which seemed quite clean and cute in a southern way, and although very small it seemed to have a wonderful southern charm so I had no problem falling asleep after a nice warm shower. I had set the A/C to medium as it only had three settings, low, med, high, the night was very muggy and heavy with the moisture, so medium seemed to be a good setting. At last sleep, the bed itself was soft and hugged me, the pillow though rather flat, felt good to my road weary head, and I could still hear the hum of the tires as they aimlessly rolled over asphalt. My eyes begin to close, the steady sound of the running A/C, and the various vehicles whining as they traveled to and from some unknown destination...sleep.
several hours later I awoke, the room had this strange aura to it almost like some neon light was shining through a window behind a tree branch, and leaving ominous shadows fixated on the rooms walls. The air was now very cold and left me wanting to get up and turn down the air, but not wanting to leave the comfort of the warm blankets that I had surrounded myself with I decided to stay put. Then I felt the bed depress, someone had just sat next to me. What was this a robber, murderer? I became very frightened. Then I felt a hand from some empty space placed on my shoulder, I had been sleeping on my side, so whoever this visitor is they were sitting behind me. I wanted to turn around to see who had came to remove my things or possibly my life, and I found that I could not move. I tried to shout but found myself unable to. It was as if something or someone had ran a current of electricity and froze all my muscles, unable to move I was in terror, was this the end! Then she pressed her lips against my ear, I could feel the breath caressing my hair as she whispered these words to me " Emily, tell him to meet me in the other room."
It was an unusual request as I am not Emily nor am I female, so did my killer want something else, did the one that came to burgle me decidedly want nothing more then to converse? It was at that moment that the room returned to normal, although if the sweat that my body was covered in was an indicator, you would have thought that I had just returned from a sauna not the blizzard I just fared. Now able to move and talk, no longer cold, I got up and turned on the lights, not seeing anyone in the room nor did I find traces that anyone had been there. I checked the A/C, still on medium. I must have had some type of nightmare that was really vivid. I do not do drugs or drink, no mental disorders that I am aware of, what happened?
So now I have come to the realization that I was just dreaming, and with my anxiety leaving, I am still tired, I see that it is two in the morning and I do have a long drive tomorrow, no one seems to have been in my room. I checked the only window, locked, no vents, door, locked, no other way to access room, am I crazy? As I lay my head down and snuggled into the clean smell of fresh sheets, I return to that place I refer to as breaking glass, you know, right before you enter the deep sleep, but barely asleep, then came the dreams. Everything seemed to be in place, as if I were making a movie for some famous Hollywood director with an unlimited budget, it was all there, the Cyprus tress, warm breeze coming from the bay, horse drawn buggies swiftly traveling down a freshly built dirt road with little puffs of dust rising gently behind as they passed, the sun felt warm and bright. Their were ladies in beautiful flowing dresses walking past, the strings from their bonnets seemed to dance around their face as if music that only they could hear sang out to them, gentlemen with capes and large hats stared out at the younger shirtless men removing a variety of crates from a small boat, shouting out orders. I could hear the voices as they chattered in an almost alien yet recognizable jargon, mid century American, I can only presume. This place was beautiful in all its visually stunning colors, smells, and sounds.
Then I was pulled from this perfect place, ripped from something I can only refer to as Eden, and back to the freezing realm that I now refer to as my room, at least for this night. The entity that had once terrified me decided to grace me once again with her presence, but now knowing that it was not a serial killer that wanted to dissect me, or some robber who wanted to relieve me of my belongings, I was not as frightened, still scared, but not the overwhelming terror from my previous visit. Then came the cold, that seemingly familiar arctic blast that would freeze me in time, the bed began to move as my new, not so invited guest, sat behind me, the sweet feel of her lips as she whispered those haunting yet riddling words, the all to familiar feel of that soft breath softly blowing in my ear, and again she said, "Emily tell him to meet me in the other room." A sentence that will forever play in my mind as I wonder what the mystery meant, what was the connection to the past? Did she die by the hands of a jealous lover? Perhaps a fit of rage from some stranger she just met? Why was she here reaching out to this scared little man, I know she meant me no harm, I could feel it. This poor girl was stuck here in a loop, like a broken video, playing over and over throughout time, I now did not fear this lost soul but wished I knew how to help her. I became overrun with sorrow for her and hatred for whoever caused this to happen, to my new...friend?
Shortly after the second visit and I had retained all of my mental facilities, it was already morning and time to get back on the road. I got dressed, packed my bags, and prepared to leave, but before I walked out I turned to look once more where my inner terror was dangled before me, and I could not help but to feel pity for this women, trapped in this lonely room with only the occasional visitor to reach out to, a tear formed in my eye as I slowly closed the door, a sadness that I had not felt since the death of my father overwhelmed me, and in silence I said goodbye, as I turned to leave I felt what I can only describe as some kind of embrace, perhaps a thank you for the time spent together, or the understanding, maybe a please don't go...
The room was # 2 at the Sportsman Lodge somewhere in southern Louisiana about 20yrs ago. I do remember when I got coffee that morning at the diner, I told the girl working there my story, and she replied "honey, this motel has been haunted by a female spirit as long as I can remember, and room 2 seems to be the worst." Had I known that, even as a non believer, I would have gone to the next motel...
I have since tried to find this motel but to no luck as I don't remember the name of the town, and I cannot find any info on the Sportsman Lodge, If anyone knows please send me a message, I think now that I would like to go visit my long ago friend, and see if I can help. And by the way I do believe. It touched my soul so deep that I still dream of it. So much sadness in such a beautiful place...
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