Happy Halloween! Anyone have scary stories?

[MissFormosa]

I thought it might be fun to start a thread with true life spooky stories for Halloween! It's good to hear a good ghost story or local urban legend this time of the year! Boo! And I have a good one to start out with!

When I was 9 years old, we moved to California - in the middle of nowhere near Death Valley (China Lake). It is rumored that the main streets in town spell out the word "HELL" if you drive up into the hills and look down at the lights! It is a strange place. Very desolate. Nothing for miles and 3 hours from Los Angeles. There are caves there where devil worshipers sacrifice animals and all sorts of abandoned mines. They say you could throw a body in one of the abandoned mines and it would never be found.

The house we lived in was newly built in 1985. However, it was built on land where the naval base housing from the 1950's used to be. They had picked up the old houses on trailers, hauled them off into the desert, dumped them, and left them to rot. So they could build our new housing tract. I remember helping my mother plant trees in the backyard and finding old pieces of plates and toy cars. Living in that house was really awful and terrifying and I lived there up until I was 18 years old.

My first weird experience came when I was about 10 or 11 years old, leaving my brother's room while watching TV in there and saw a kid that looked like he had no legs! I ran after him, but he just disappeared in the middle of the street. I did not experience this ever again, but it definitely gave me a taste of what was to come.

After that, I remember reading in my room at night and hearing what sounded like the TV on in the living room. The first few times I thought my parents were up watching TV. I know they had Cinemax, and liked to watch the late night movies. After getting enough bravery up to check once when I was sure I heard them go to bed and found no one was up, I decided not to come out of my room at night anymore. It seemed as soon as I got close to the living room, it was quiet. This went on the whole time I lived in the house.

I would also wake up in the middle of the night because I felt what can only be described as feeling like spiders or bugs were crawling all over me. I would carefully check under the blankets. Then I would have to sit for a few minutes and get enough courage to check under the bed and around the room. There was never anything in my bed! My heart would be pounding!

Later on when I was on the verge of being a teenager, I began to feel like I was constantly being watched. Constantly. I felt if I let me guard down, I was going to get hurt. That is how strong this feeling of being watched was. I would walk with my back to walls. I was afraid to use the bathroom or shower with the door closed. I still do not allow any closed doors in my house now. Also terrifying was vacuuming. I was so scared that I felt if I had the vacuum cleaner on, I wouldn't hear whatever was after me coming! I would shake and sweat if I knew I had to vacuum. It would take such mental strength to do it, it was unbelievable. Mind you, my mother was a compulsive cleaner and I had no choice but to do my chore. I felt like crying!

No one else ever noticied...yet! They thought I was just being eccentric. The animals noticed though and refused to be alone. ALL of the animals in our house would get sick and die long before their time. We had a total of 9 dogs and 6 cats while I lived in that house over the years. My mom and dad never could comprehend what could be wrong. They thought chemicals from the navy base must have gotten into the water supply. When I went in the Army, my 12 year old cat became psychotic and pulled all of her hair out, refused to eat, and was put to sleep. I think she could not stand being alone in that house without me.

Around the time I was 15 or 16, my grandfather died. He died in Colorado. However, shortly after, my mother took a chair from the dining room set and put it permanently next to her side of the bed. I asked her one day why. She told me that my grandfather came down the wall as a blue light and visited her at night. Whew! I wasn't the only one losing my mind!

It was also around this time that my parents bought an RV so they could go do stuff on the weekends...alone. That meant I would have to stay home alone and take care of the animals! I tried to get my friends to stay over, but none of them wanted to stay in the house. Even for a friend to come watch a movie made them uncomfortable enough to not want to come back again. The constantly being watched feeling never went away.

Two big incidents, besides the usual ones described above, happened between the time I was 17 and the time I left home that scared me to death! One I was awakened at night being choked to death. Above me was a black figure. Completely black. You could not see through it and I had two night lights in the room. I couldn't see through the figure to see the night lights. It was wearing a hat, the shape of a type of fedora hat. It was very angry, cold hands around my neck and so much pressure I could not breathe! Some sort of growling moan came from where the mouth would be if features could be seen. It lasted only a few seconds. I remember laying there in disbelief, not even being able to cry or scream. Just paralyzed.

The last incident was even more disturbing. It was shortly after I graduated high school. My parents were away and my boyfriend was going to come over to keep me company. I worked the night shift at a nursing home (I wonder why I didn't want to be at home at night!) and needed to be able to sleep during the day. He was going to come over and just keep watch on things. I was laying in bed waiting for him to come over and just trying to fall asleep. My bed was situated in such a way that when I slept on the side I preferred, my back was to my bedroom door. Well, he had a key so he could let himself in. I heard the front door open and close. I started feeling quite relieved. The felt the covers lift up and pressure on the bed as though someone sat or laid on it next to me. I remember smiling, my eyes closed, waiting for him to bend over and kiss my cheek. A second later I felt a cold embrace, like a hug...but icy and sharp - like pieces of ice scraping on my arms. That freaked me out, so I turned around. Nothing! My boyfriend arrived about 20 minutes later.

As you can imagine, as soon as I could, I left home! For many of my adult years, I did paranormal investigations and worked with several paranormal teams in Fullerton, on the Queen Mary, and in Hollywood. I wanted answers! I've also wondered if perhaps it was all in my mind?

Scary? I still get goosebumps!

[xoLauraox09]

:O
That was some story.

[WheekiePiggy123]

Wow those were some amazing stories! I think I would be traumatized after all those weird experiences.

[MissFormosa]

I hope I'm not the only one! Anyone else have some spooky stories or spooky local legends?

[wigglesgiggles1]

My great uncle has a bed and breakfast in Bayhead. It is extremely old and haunted. One story he told me was that one night he got so many complaints that their was kids playing, running and screaming all night long in the hallways. He checked who was there and there was no kids at the inn. Then he looked back into the history of it and it turns out there was a little boy and girl who had lived there and were killed at the inn, before he had owned it. I love spooky stories. I bet those kids are haunting it in a not harmful way.

[MissFormosa]

I always feel bad when I hear of a child ghost. I feel so sad that they are stuck and don't know how to move on. It must be lonely for them. I especially feel bad when you hear one looking for it's mother.

I did some paranormal investigation work aboard the Queen Mary with Peter James about 6-7 years ago. There is said to be two little girl ghosts - Jackie and Dana.

Jackie supposedly drowned in the 2nd class swimming pool, which is now a theater. However, she prefers to hang out in the 1st class swimming pool. When searching the archives, there is no record of a drowning child. There could be reasons for this, especially if she was actually a 3rd class passenger. Another story is that she was sliding down the railing in the 1st class swimming pool area, fell, and broke her neck. Despite that, there is definitely a little girl in the pool area. I have heard her on two separate occasions call out "hello" and once "yes". There was a photo kept in the paranormal offices on board that showed a little girl peering around from the stairs when there were no children in there. The photo eventually was stolen and I wish I knew what happened to it.

The story with Dana is a little more vague. I haven't heard this story in years. When it was told, it involved a father going berserk in one of the rooms on B Deck and murdering his wife and child. I haven't seen or heard Dana, but oddly enough, they say she plays in the boiler rooms.

There are other stories about soldiers and strange noises in the bow where the Queen Mary plowed through the Curacao. There is also a captain in the engine room. I thought I saw him out of the corner of my eye once and it caught me off guard. I jumped back and gasped. I also have a strange photo in the 1st class swimming pool of a white mass coming around a pillar on the second floor. And I do not like the area near the infirmary. There is also a story of a cook being thrown in an oven because the soldiers did not like the food he was making...!

I take all these stories with a grain of salt, though. Many times, places make things up to increase the attraction factor. If I could find these incidents in the records and archives, I might be more willing to believe them - even though I have seen and heard strange things on board. The only one I can confirm is the captain's death. I believe his name was Captain Stark, but I am having some trouble remembering exactly. And the incidents with the Curacoa. That is fact also.

[Peggysu]

My boyfriend and I visited the Queen Mary last year and went on a tour with a paranormal investigator. It was fun. I have had some strange encounters myself that have no explanation. My appartment is definitely haunted.

[vicky2]

I've seen a thing on the travel channel about the Queen Mary. Very creepy, but it would be cool to go and see it.
My friends grandma tripped on her stairs, broke her hip, and passed away when she was at her house alone. She said that everyone has seen her ghost except her youngest sister in third grade. They refuse to move because it would be like abandoning her.

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by Peggysu

My boyfriend and I visited the Queen Mary last year and went on a tour with a paranormal investigator. It was fun. I have had some strange encounters myself that have no explanation. My appartment is definitely haunted.

Tell us more!

[NicholsS10]

I really don't "believe" in all the paranormal stuff, I believe that there is a logical explanation for everything...

I can tell you that the town I currently live in is often referred to as "The Second Salem." There is also suppose to be a horror movie in the works based on the university I attend and the local folklore.

[Rnd210]

Okay this is what I have it is actually four places that I have lived that I know for sure they were haunted.

There is/was (since I don't know if it is still there moved when I was 14) I was 12 when we (my family) moved in to this house in Tuscan, AZ. Anyway, I met a little girl (she said her name Hanah) that was maybe 10-12 years old and we played together a lot more so in my room. It never really downed on me that she was a ghost, I thought everyone could see her and it didn't scare me atleast not right away. Then one day Hanah and I was playing cards on my bed I don't remember what game, but I do remember that I won the card game and that is when I realized Hanah was a ghost that lived in my house. It was weird and scary for me at the time, when she lost the card game she let out a loud scream that was really strange and turned into a black figure (almost like a black puff of smoke) with red eyes that stared at me and my room went so cold that I could see my breath. I never saw Hanah after that but then cabinets would open on there own and I knew she was still there cause I could feel her starring at me and I wound see my thing being moved without anyone actually touching them. I was glad when we moved. I did tell my mom about this and she said she didn't want to hear it and that poeple don't talk about that. I was told by a paranormal researcher that I was lucky that I won the card game because to him it sounded like Hanah was wanting to play for my sole in otherwards that if she would have won the game she would have taken over my body. That doesn't sound right to me but whatever and I don't think that that is even possible.

The last house that I lived at with my mom was haunted too, not too bad but you could feel that someone or something was starring at you, You could hear footsteps throughout the house when nobody was walking around and if you were laying in bed usaully before you fall asleep you could feel someone or something climb on to your bed and sometimes pull the covers really tight on you like tucking you in the night. That was just weird but not the heaby geabies scary type thing. A little history of that house was that back in the 1800's it was a railroad motel saloon type thing, a bording house for orphaned children. A few poeple died in that house too.

Then their was a house that I lived in before my current home that was haunted by a man. The man was the original owner and the person that built the house and you hear him walking around. The second night of living in that house I was awakened out of dead sleep from the feeling of someone starring at me and I sat up opened my eyes and he was there with his face against mine and I screamed and he said that I better take care of his house or get out. Needless to say we did no harm to his house.

And now the house that I am buying now is haunted to I think but not bad just my bedroom it seems that we have something or someone that likes to sit on our bed and pull blankets off. I have not researched anything on my house but many have asked my hubby and I how can you stand to live in that house it is haunted.

[luvmycavies]

I could tell quite a few scary stories, one of my other past times is working with a paranormal group and doing what you see TAPS do...but better. I am a "sensitive" and have had ghostly encounters my entire life. Maybe tomotrrow I will take the time to type out a few of them if there is an interest. for more infor on our group visit www.wspir.com

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by Rnd210

Okay this is what I have it is actually four places that I have lived that I know for sure they were haunted.

There is/was (since I don't know if it is still there moved when I was 14) I was 12 when we (my family) moved in to this house in Tuscan, AZ. Anyway, I met a little girl (she said her name Hanah) that was maybe 10-12 years old and we played together a lot more so in my room. It never really downed on me that she was a ghost, I thought everyone could see her and it didn't scare me atleast not right away. Then one day Hanah and I was playing cards on my bed I don't remember what game, but I do remember that I won the card game and that is when I realized Hanah was a ghost that lived in my house. It was weird and scary for me at the time, when she lost the card game she let out a loud scream that was really strange and turned into a black figure (almost like a black puff of smoke) with red eyes that stared at me and my room went so cold that I could see my breath. I never saw Hanah after that but then cabinets would open on there own and I knew she was still there cause I could feel her starring at me and I wound see my thing being moved without anyone actually touching them. I was glad when we moved. I did tell my mom about this and she said she didn't want to hear it and that poeple don't talk about that. I was told by a paranormal researcher that I was lucky that I won the card game because to him it sounded like Hanah was wanting to play for my sole in otherwards that if she would have won the game she would have taken over my body. That doesn't sound right to me but whatever and I don't think that that is even possible.

The last house that I lived at with my mom was haunted too, not too bad but you could feel that someone or something was starring at you, You could hear footsteps throughout the house when nobody was walking around and if you were laying in bed usaully before you fall asleep you could feel someone or something climb on to your bed and sometimes pull the covers really tight on you like tucking you in the night. That was just weird but not the heaby geabies scary type thing. A little history of that house was that back in the 1800's it was a railroad motel saloon type thing, a bording house for orphaned children. A few poeple died in that house too.

Then their was a house that I lived in before my current home that was haunted by a man. The man was the original owner and the person that built the house and you hear him walking around. The second night of living in that house I was awakened out of dead sleep from the feeling of someone starring at me and I sat up opened my eyes and he was there with his face against mine and I screamed and he said that I better take care of his house or get out. Needless to say we did no harm to his house.

And now the house that I am buying now is haunted to I think but not bad just my bedroom it seems that we have something or someone that likes to sit on our bed and pull blankets off. I have not researched anything on my house but many have asked my hubby and I how can you stand to live in that house it is haunted.

Have you ever considered that you might be a sensitive?

I've heard that children can see ghosts better than adults could. When I worked with psychic/paranormal investigator Peter James, he said when he was 7 years old, living in Rochester, NY, he had playmates that looked like normal living children to him. One day he found out that they were killed, burnt to death in their apartment building may years before he was born. He was apparently able to see and sense the dead.

[MissFormosa]

How about possessed objects? Does anyone believe in those?

In 2005 I was on a TV show which aired Halloween night on the TLC channel called "Possessed Possessions" with James Van Praugh. My friends insisted I had to apply to be on the show and take my doll because it creeped them out. According to my friends and family, the eyes move, the head turns, and they feel terrible around it. I don't feel anything, really, but other people apparently do.

I have this Norah Wellings doll that would have been sold on the Queen Mary as a souvenir during the late 1930s. I bought it on eBay for $1.00, when normally they sell for around $20+. The owner said she found it in her mother's belongings after she passed away and it creeped her out and she wished to sell it. I was so excited because I collect items from the Queen Mary feverishly and it was one more thing to add to my collection! And cheap too!

The idea of the show was that a psychic would "read" your possessed possession and tell you the history of it. That part was really a crock of you know what. The psychic told me that she got a loving feeling from the doll and that it had been in my family for years. The whole thing was terribly cheesy. They put my doll on a lazy susan and spun it around to make it more spooky looking and kept carrying on about how it might do something freaky because it was back on the Queen Mary (the show was filmed on the Queen Mary).

They interview you after the reading and asked me several questions. The important thing is that I think I said something like "I was disappointed in her reading and felt she was far off from the truth". The magic of TV changed my response to something like, "I was thankful for her reading", pieced together from bits of my interview.

Personally, I'm a little on the fence about objects being possessed. I'm not sure I believe entirely in it.

I'll find some pics of the doll and post them in a few. Tell me what you think...

[Peggysu]

I don't think I have ever heard of possessed objects.

I'm a non-smoker and so is everyone else who lives here. My landlords live above me but use it as a vacation home. They visit maybe three times a year for a couple weeks at a time. I live down stairs.

When my landlords aren't here I hear foot steps walking up stairs. When people are actually above me it's very loud. So is this sound when no one is there. I smell cigarette smoke a few times a month. I don't have neighbors so it's not someone smoking outside. Usually the smell comes and goes pretty fast.

My landlord has smelled it to, but thinks it's the people smoking at the water treatment plant down the street. That doesn't explain the smell at one in the morning. I'll hear banging like something has fallen up stairs, but nothing has actually fallen.

My mom doesn't like being here by herself so when she takes care of the piggies she comes over before it's dark.

When I'm working and gone my landlord has heard my garbage disposal come on really late at night. I haven't had that happen when I'm home thank goodness because I would seriously freak out.

Whatever it is, it's not dangerous or bad. I've asked co-worker's that have been around and working in the community for a while if anything strange happened in this house more then 10 years ago. I think there was a suicide, but I can't prove it.

[MissFormosa]

Found 'em...

[NicholsS10]

He reminds me of the "stay puff" marshmallow from ghost busters!

[Peggysu]

You don't think he's creepy looking?

[NicholsS10]

A little... I think he's "creepy" by today's standards. He obviously wasn't considered creepy in the 1930's since he was a child's toy.

I think what makes him "creepy" is his eyebrows.

[MissFormosa]

Hee! Stay puff marshmallow man!!

I don't think he looks creepy. His face reminds me of the way some old ladies do their make-up.