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Not Another Night Fright

 

After the incidents related in "Bedford Park - On Another Level", my younger sister, Cara (names mentioned have been changed) took in Fran as a flatmate at Bedford Park in Adelaide, South Australia. Then Fran graduated from university and started at a new job that was some distance away. She soon found the long commute too tiring and wanted another place that was closer to work.

In 2010, Fran came across a newly-renovated unit (flat or apartment) in Maylands, a suburb also in Adelaide. It was a "clean-skin" and freshly-scrubbed - surely far too new to harbour any dark history.

'Everything's nice and brand-new,' she assured Cara. 'There won't be any trouble.'

'I hope so,' said Cara. 'I've had quite enough of ghosts.'

After seven years of dealing with "other flatmates" at Bedford Park, my sister was tired of negative energies, odd shadows and noisy things that went bang in the night. She was persuaded to trust in Fran's judgement and left all the setting-up details such as signing the rental lease, connection of the phone line, electricity, water and gas to her.

Meanwhile, Cara still had to pack the rest of her belongings, get in the removalist, cancel the utilities and other such matters at Bedford Park. A month of hectic organising later, it was all done and she finally moved into the new unit at Maylands.

The building was long and sprawling, and built somewhat along the lines of a classic drive-in motel. Six units sat side by side each other, each shielded by a security grill, with another six arranged right above it. External fire stairs hugged the side of the building on either side. The covered carports were positioned directly opposite from the unit block.

Cara liked the location of their new place in Maylands, its proximity to the shops and other facilities. Fran had a discerning eye for all the right amenities. The layout of their unit was modern and an open-plan, the kitchen was a streamlined galley-style and the rooms had adequate storage space. My sister was really hopeful that things would be better this time.

But as soon as the dust from the removalist had settled, Cara began to feel something was not-quite-right about the place. The prior renovations, flurry of moving men and furniture reshuffling had obviously disturbed the peace. Someone or something was clearly not happy about it.

My sister wasn't happy either. This couldn't possibly be happening again. Not after all the trouble she'd gone through at Bedford Park.

She did her best to ignore the nagging feelings of negativity for a while, telling herself it was just her imagination. There was nothing wrong with the unit. If she tried hard enough, maybe all the strangeness would just go away?

Shadow, what shadow? There was no wispy shadow slipping away into that corner. Her tired eyes were playing tricks on her.

Nor was there was anything spooky about the three-panelled mirror that faced the bedroom window. It was just a play of light.

There was nothing menacing staring in at her from the window either. It was only her imagination.

But her denial only delayed the inevitable. It was all brought to her attention one night.

Cara had gone to bed as usual when suddenly she woke up gasping for air. She was choking. There was something heavy sitting on her chest and suffocating her.

She struggled to awaken fully and move her arms and legs. But she felt something was deliberately holding her helpless and trapped in a semi-dream state. It was like being held under water and everything moved slowly, and with great difficulty.

The Lord's Prayer came to her mind. Cara began to fervently say the words aloud. As soon as she began reciting, the feeling of being held down by a weight began to lessen. She could move her limbs again.

Taking heart from this, she continued praying for help and protection in the Name of God until she felt free of the oppressive weight. Then finally, she prayed for the unit to be blessed by God's Grace.

Being a trained nurse, she was aware of the various triggers of sleep paralysis. But she did not suffer from any sleep disorder or abnormal sleep cycles. She had not been sleep deprived. Neither had she been under any psychological stress, nor on any medication.

This had been a timely reminder to heed what her senses had been trying to tell her. She got out a sheet and covered the mirror that faced the bedroom window. As a precaution, she hung a rosary blessed by a priest from church at the windowsill.

Next, Cara sat down with her flatmate and questioned her thoroughly about her family history, and if she had brought along her own "shadows". My sister heard that Fran's family, who lived opposite a cemetery, often saw strange things too. Like the wardrobe door in her parents' bedroom that sometimes wouldn't open. Then one day after a mighty yank, Fran's mother found the shocking sight of an old woman twisted up like a pretzel and stuffed into the wardrobe. She hastily shut the door and when she got the courage to open it again later, of course the woman was gone.

Fran had known all along that something wasn't right about the Maylands flat, but hoped that Cara wouldn't be able to sense it. Like Bea, Cara's previous flatmate from Bedford Park, Fran had thought that the strangeness would just go away on its own if no one said anything about it.

Thoroughly exasperated, Cara laid down the law in no uncertain terms. For a gentle-spoken person, my sister could be very firm when she had to be.

After the stern dressing-down, Fran meekly agreed that all future accommodation would have to be personally inspected and approved by Cara before anyone signed on the dotted line. As a matter of fact, Cara would be one choosing their next place.

When the one-year lease on Maylands was up, it wasn't renewed.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Jubeele, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Fenrispro (58 posts)
 
5 years ago (2020-03-16)
Ahh ok. I watch paranormal witness, yea some mention dormant spirits can be angered when people make changes to their house without telling them. The psychics interviewed said before starting anything is better to explain to the ghosts first. Wonder if it wld be better?
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+1
5 years ago (2020-03-16)
Hi Fenrispro

I'm not sure if the landlord or landlady ever knew. I wonder if that why it was newly-renovated? Was it an effort to cleanse the place and attract new tenants? Or did the renovations stir up trouble and cause some previously dormant spirit to be cranky at being disturbed? 🤔
Fenrispro (58 posts)
 
5 years ago (2020-03-12)
Yuck dishonest landlady. How can hide a dark secret and cause fright to the tenants?
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-07-11)
Hi lady-glow, I said a prayer for that woman to be at peace when I heard about her. Wonder if her story has ever appeared on a ghost site somewhere in the world...😨

Rex-T thinks it's peaceful to read in the carpark of a cemetery. He did get scolded by a magpie sitting on a headstone once. But that was the closest he got to an Edger Allen Poe moment. Nevermore!

Glad to hear that your house is peaceful. I don't think any ghostie would dare misbehave around you or it'll risk getting the cleansing of its afterlife! 👻

If I hear of any more experiences from Cara, I'll be sure to share them on YGS. I've tried to get her to submit her own experiences but she prefers to just tell them, and then have me write them out for her. 😆

Thanks for coming by - always love how your eagle-eyes show us another perspective on things. ❤
lady-glow (16 stories) (3194 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-10)
Jubeele - thanks for sharing this interesting read. Like the previous posters, I feel sorry for Ms Pretzel and hope she has escaped from such a cramped space to a place full of light and freedom.

I can not help but to worry when reading about hauntings in places close to cemeteries... I live very close to a graveyard and the local mailboxes are just beside its gate, I walk there every day to check for mail... So far, so good; my house couldn't be more peaceful.

"We're hoping to visit Cara in Adelaide one of these days. I'll ask her if she's experienced anything in the hospitals she's worked as a nurse."

With her luck, I'm sure we'll be reading several fascinating stories!

Looking forward for the next one!
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-10)
Haha, Melda, I did tease Cara about being a spirit "magnet". She assures me that her house is now "clean". No more housemates to introduce unwelcome "pests". But she also wears this green jade bangle that she never takes off. It's like a talisman for her to keep her focus calm and positive. She believes in preventing the build-up of negative energies as a precaution.

Oops. Didn't mean to put anyone off "pretzels". I'll phrase it differently next time. 😐

We're hoping to visit Cara in Adelaide one of these days. I'll ask her if she's experienced anything in the hospitals she's worked as a nurse... 😜
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-10)
Well Dee, Cara did say that Fran's family had many strange encounters due to their proximity to the cemetery. But I think it's also due to their sensitivity. In summer, just before coming to pick me up from work, Rex-T used to read in the carpark of the nearby cemetery where his grandparents are laid at rest. He felt it was shady and peaceful. Haha, that's my Mr Skeptic. Natural shielding against negative vibes. 🙄

I'm not sure about windows or mirrors either. But I'll ask Cara if she keeps in touch with Fran. Or at least see if she would be willing to share the stories.

Oh drat - the system won't let me give you any more points. Here's a BIG hug instead. I do enjoy your company and comments. ❤
Melda (10 stories) (1363 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-10)
Jubeele - I'm beginning to think that no matter where Cara goes she is going to pick up on something - even her flatmates seem to have had experiences, either themselves or their relatives!

Fortunately I'm not crazy about pretzels but if I were, I'd think twice about eating another one 😟

Regards, Melda
CuriousDee (8 stories) (631 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-09)
Jubeele,

I'm not sure how I would react to seeing the pretzel woman... But I 100% agree that something could have been done. A simple prayer or speaking out loud to her spirit explaining the need to move on would have helped I'm sure. The woman obviously showed herself on purpose.

The theory of mirrors and windows acting as portals is fascinating. I must admit, I'm on the fence with this. However, I believe Hollywood has tainted many minds. 😉 If it is true, I feel it doesn't happen all too often.

I'm glad to hear Cara and Fran cleansed the Maylands before leaving. It's such a kind act, and shows they were thinking of the new tenants welfare as well. From your previous stories, I had guessed that Cara is sensitive to spirit. I think many people are, but don't realize that sensitivity can be as simple as a feeling.

It sounds like Fran needs to join YGS and share her family's experiences as well. 😊

Dee ❤
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-09)
Hi LuciaJacinta, when my sister described the old woman as being "folded-up", with her limbs at an unnatural angle, I thought at once that a terrible wrong had been done. If only Fran's family had thought to look into the history of the wardrobe and tried to somehow help the spirit, instead of reacting out of fear. Poor woman - may she rest in peace.

It's true that spirits can "follow" us or attach themselves to us, and we may not always be immediately aware of it. My parents were very strict that shoes be left outside or near the doorway, and that we wash our feet when we came home. Washing with running water is a type of cleansing ritual. They believed that the water 'breaks' the trail for any curious wandering spirit. Also, clean feet are happy feet. 😁

My sister suspected that something could have tagged along with Fran from her parents' place to Maylands. But once she realised that Fran was sensitive as well, she made sure that they both took part in the cleansing/blessing at their next place.

Today, all Cara has to worry about is fixing the leak in the roof, the weeds in the garden and the mortgage repayments. Only mundune, down-to-earth problems. That's more that enough to keep anyone busy.

Thanks for coming by. 😊
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-07-09)
Dee, the knee-jerk reaction to discard a haunted object is understandable, but I was still sad that no one thought to do anything for the poor woman in the wardrobe. Just a little prayer? Maybe get a priest from the church that they attended? 😢

My sister still wonders about her strange feeling that something was looking in from the window. Can windows (like doorways and thresholds) or mirrors be used as a portal by certain entities? Can mirrors somehow magnify energies? Whatever it was, something definitely got her attention that night.

I also asked Cara that same question about being "followed" to their next rental. She made sure there was no "weirdness" when she did the inspections. As a precaution, they cleansed and blessed any possible heebie-jeebies out of Maylands before they left and did the same to the new place. Fran, like her, is sensitive to the spirits; apparently her family has their own share of stories. 😲

Thanks for taking the time to read and have a chat. ❤
LuciaJacinta (8 stories) (291 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-07-08)
The pretzel woman. Poor thing! I wonder how she got there?

I think spirits can follow you from place to place. Seems like something likes to tag along.
CuriousDee (8 stories) (631 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-08)
Jubeele,

Yikes! I can't get the image of a woman folded up like a pretzel out of my mind. That poor soul. 😟 I hope she has found peace too.

I was wondering if Cara would assume she had experienced sleep paralysis. You've given me some food for thought with this. I've always thought sleep paralysis stemmed from sleep deprivation, emotional turmoil, mental stress, etc. However, Cara wouldn't fit into that category. It does sound like something or someone was trying to get her attention and not in the nicest way.

I was wondering if Cara and Fran brought their unseen guest to the new location, but with Fran's background/family history, I'm not sure now. Maybe they are also sensitive to spirit energy?

Thank you for sharing another thought provoking account ❤

Dee
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-08)
That woman folded up like a pretzel is another story in itself. It was most likely a residual as Fran's mother didn't have any interaction with the sighting. I had the saddest feeling that the old woman had met with foul play and only wanted someone to know what really happened to her. But Fran's parents gave the wardrobe away in a great hurry. Regrettably, they didn't try to find peace for that poor woman or cleanse the wardrobe for the next owner. I hope that poor soul is now at peace. 😟

I have a similar theory about hauntings. Non-human entities would be tied to the land or the element they have the most affinity with. If the house were to be demolished, the activity would probably still continue. A once-human spirit, unwilling or unable to move on, would most likely be attached to their last familiar place, object or person that had the most significance to them. This could be a loved one, family home, long-term work place or favourite object.

Hmm...I might ask my sister about the items from home Fran could have brought along with her. 🤔

Thanks for coming by to "chat", RC. 😊
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-07-08)
The flats may be new, but the Earth itself is quite old. Truly older than dirt.:)

That your sister's roommate's family lived next to a cemetery gives the most likely spiritual source for this issue. The pretzel woman intrigues me especially.

This story makes me wonder. Places can be haunted, and objects can be haunted. But could a house be considered an object that is in a place? If so, would the haunting be the place, the plot of land, or the house built on it?

Overall, I would say more evil entities, as well as elemental spirits would haunt the place. Ghosts of people would haunt houses and objects since they would be most familiar with such things.

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