An Unsettling Visit

Congratulations, Unquiet. You are the first author on YGS to scare me with a story. Many of the recountings here tell of friendly or neutral encounters, or even pleasant visits from the dead. The horrific stories can captivate and ensnare a reader but have not terrorized my soul. Now, I see more clearly. A shared experience drives the spearpoint home, and the memories emerge afresh like blood from a wound.

You have brought to mind, to the forefront of my mind, an experience that utterly terrified me when it happened. Now, 60 years later, the fear has returned, though, thankfully, not the paralyzing terror.

I remember resorting to silent prayer, though I do not recall what my mind spoke. I remember praying with the covers over my face, yet I do not recall how I managed that. I think it was just before I bolted to my mother's bed.

There was no temperature change that I recall, though at night the uninsulated room would quickly cool. This happened in Michigan and nights range from cool in summer to intolerable in winter.

Whatever raised that much fear in me was not benign. Beyond that, I have no idea who or what it was. I hope to never encounter it again. Having my memory refreshed is quite enough.

And the occult? Sometimes I think it chooses us rather than the other way around. Perhaps we had a passing encounter with one of its emissaries.

MrRiggs

Dear MrRiggs,

Your story did a satisfying job of describing the intensity of fear I felt that night, very similar situations indeed (however I was too chicken to get up and run).

Your "studying and assessing" comment adds quite a new level of horror to ponder. Whatever "it" was that visited was not benign, even the dog agreed. And it never progressed beyond the fear/ temperature change, so maybe it was assessing (shivers).

I've heard that when you look into the abyss, it looks back - I sometimes wonder if my interest in the paranormal was a beacon of sorts and the abyss took an interest (I don't engage in the occult, I just read a lot).

Here's to hoping that our dark visitors found us unworthy and returned from whence they came.

Cheers!

Unquiet,

If someone has not experienced this for themselves, they may not actually understand how utterly terrifying it can be.

During the pleasant days of Spring and Fall I spent a lot if time in our large unfinished attic. It was the ideal place for a boy to read comic books, day dream or just nap in the old feather bed with down filled pillows. There was no quieter or peaceful place in our house.

One afternoon I fell asleep in the old bed. It was so restful and safe. "Conking out" is a good way to describe it.

I awoke after dark and was instantly intensely fearful. I was petrified as I felt the presence of evil. Though I could see nothing in the dark, I could feel it, what ever it was, watching me. Now, as an adult, I'd say studying and assessing is a better description.

I can't say if I was experiencing sleep paralysis or not. I was awake, terrified with fear, and wanted to run down the stairs to escape. I was just too afraid to do it. Petrified with fear seems an accurate description of my state. I breathed in silent, shallow micro-gasps, afraid it would hear me.

Finally I could stand it no more. I sprang from the bed and went down the 8 or 9 stairs with the speed if a sprinter, barely touching them on the way down. I ran into my mothers bedroom, jumped into her bed with her, and hid behind her. She thought me daft. I think I was 14 at the time.

What a few paragraphs can never convey is the intensity of the fear that travels to your very core. In that moment in time there is only you, and terror so intense that the mind can conceive of nothing else, that your reality is only primal fear and your involuntary responses to it.

I wish that on no one. That was me almost 60 years and the memory is indelibly stained into my being.

So, Unquiet, you have touched a nerve. That you referred to your fear as "extreme" is something I understand. Let's hope we don't encounter that kind of experience a second time. Once was quite enough.

Apologies for the late acknowledgments but I want to thank all of you for the considerate replies! I only turn the light on the hallway when I have to get up in the dead of night, I'm ok in the daytime, haha.

I think Biblio may be onto something with his suggestions "1&2" and they may be quite worthwhile avenues to investigate.

I have read many accounts of what were called "pass-throughs" in most of the pieces I read. Essentially wandering spirits that are not tied to any one specific place - sometimes they seem to be almost free wandering sometimes tied to a general locality (like a town or a former battle ground etc). They may come now and then or once and never again.

Just based on my own life experiences (so hardly empirical) and the consequences I have suffered when I have not done so, I recommend trusting your gut feeling in your estimation of this entity. If your gut says "evil" -that's what I'd go with. I also look to the reactions of my animals when I suspect anything fishy is going on - they pick up on so much that we miss and are pretty good at threat assessment. As an example, I raised 3 feral cats almost from birth. They were always a bit skittish because of their wild roots and tended to run for cover whenever company came in the door - but, generally, after folks had settled down to regular conversation, they would ghost back into the room and skulk about checking them out and if they came over regularly enough, they would get closer and closer eventually allowing themselves to be stroked and scratched. The ONLY of my boyfriends they invariably hid from and even hissed and growled at (behaviors that were completely out of character for them) was the one that wound up nearly killing me. Since then, I have rarely doubted their assessments!

Greetings, unquiet, and welcome to YGS.

As is often the case, I'm looking at your detailed description of the events from way out here in left field. The temperature drop, in and of itself, can feel upsetting or disorienting; it is a phenomenon associated with physical manifestations of spirits of both good and bad intent. The initial fear that you felt in response to this is quite common, too, as you're in the middle of a flood of sensory data while your rational brain's reaction is "No! Not Happening! Not Paying Attention! Lalalalalala... I Can't Hear You."

That said, the continued feeling of fear as you scanned the room for "normal" interruptions, and your postponement of checking that hallway, "I felt more afraid. The source of my fear was very definitely coming from that area," suggest to me that your rational mind was seeking the reassurance of a routine nocturnal disturbance. You did not want it to be what your worst fears were suggesting it was.

As you now use the electric light when passing through the hallway --I presume that's both day and night-- you've got some residual terror that has accrued & has been reinforced by the "safety measures" you've employed (including the light). Have you ever sought out a therapist to talk over this phenomenon? I think that the stress is low-level, now, but it has been entrenched by your new behavior. I don't think that this will be a life-time of therapy visits or anything, I believe that you need to further explore/unburden this issue that is still bothering you in your home, even if it *was* a one-off event.

Though I'm seldom a fan of poking around in the subconscious mind, I'd suggest that you do not need a psychotherapist for this problem, but a pleasant, personable hypnotherapist (with positive reviews either on Google, Yelp, etc.) would be able to help you revisit and come to terms with that event over 4 or 5 sessions.

I have no agenda I'm pushing, here, as I do see a psychotherapist when I get stressed out, but I've never been to a hypnotherapist. My concern in this is the the disproportionate nature of your reaction to the event even years later. This suggests two possibilities to me: 1) This was *not* a one-off event, but it is the only time you remember it happening; 2) This is an event that reminded you of a long-repressed traumatic memory of some kind, which is why you've had trouble dealing with it. It may be that a hypnotherapist can unlock some connections in your mind, giving you a sense of perspective. *If* there are further events or repressed traumas in your mind revealed by this therapy, I'd suggest scheduling an appointment with a psychotherapist to discuss these findings. Bear in mind that neither a hypnotherapist nor a psychotherapist will be able to proscribe anything stronger than tea or coffee. A psychiatrist would need to be consulted for any such medication, and I'd only suggest that route if the psychologist recommends it to you.

Please, take care of yourself.

Best,
Biblio.

Hi, Unquiet -

Has anyone else in your household experienced anything like this? I know what it feels like to be really scared and not know why since you don't see or hear anything. It's just an intense fear that comes out of nowhere.

I'm glad to hear it was a one time thing.

Greetings and welcome to the board!

I would caution that your dog's reaction doesn't really verify your observation. A dog is quite capable of picking up on your fear and reacting to it. I'm with CuriousDee on this. Especially as this seems to be a one off event.

Should it repeat I'd begin to worry.

Unquiet - I understand the fear that you would have felt, even if the entity was not evil.

It's quite possible that this was a wandering spirit who decided to pay a visit, never to return. These spirits are not uncommon. You mentioned that you have never encountered anything paranormal before or since.

I don't know whether the swords had anything to do with it but if this entity is attached to the swords, you would probably have encountered paranormal activity in the area where the swords are now kept.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards, Melda

Hi there Unquiet,

Welcome to YGS. Definitely an interesting experience. I agree with Lady-glow's comment. I started thinking that you experienced something called a Hypnopompic hallucination, but your dog's reaction doesn't fit. A Hypnopompic hallucination occurs just as the person is waking up and is akin to a dream figment. You don't have to have sleep issues for this phenomenon to occur either.

A few questions if you don't mind; Do you know if anyone played around with or experimented with a Ouija Board prior to this incident? I know it sounds like a random question, but thought I'd ask. Do you have children? Sometimes kids or teenagers can cause a manifestation of poltergeist activity (not that I think this is poltergeist related).

Just a few thoughts, looking forward to your response. Thanks for sharing an intriguing read. 😊

Dee

lady-glow, thanks for the warm welcome. It took some time to work up the courage to post it 😊. I had not lost any loved ones at the time of the visit. I did however have two very old swords in the closet mentioned in the story. They had been there for some time with no other issues but I did relocate them the next day "just in case".

Unquiet - thanks for sharing your experience with us.

I find your encounter quite unnerving and interesting.

Do you remember if any family member or acquaintance passed away around that day?
Perhaps your reaction can be explained as fear towards something invisible that should not be there, than the presence being a negative one.

In my opinion, whatever it was, was meant only for you to witness, it's a good thing your dog sensed it too.

Welcome to YGS.