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Shadow Stranger

 

There is something in my room that likes to wake me up at night and mess with me. I fear that it may be some sort of entity that likes to take the form of my deceased mom.

About six years ago I moved from the city of Marysville, Washington to the small town of Stanwood about 30 minutes away. My dad and step-mom had found a bigger house out in the country that was fit for everyone. The history of the house wasn't much, we are the second owners of the house and the previous owners were the creators of this beautiful place in the 1970's.

Over the years nothing really bad has happened in the house, just occasional creaks and cracks caused by the old house. Every where in the house is fine except for my room. And this is where the experiences begin.

When I was little, my mom passed away from leukemia and my family cremated her body and put her ashes in a gold urn. I remember a tiny bit about my mom like her smile and how she seemed so strong even when she was weak. But I don't remember important things like her voice or her actions...

But we had put her ashes in a gold urn which my dad gave to me when we moved into the house. I placed the urn on my drawers and I've kept it in that spot ever since. And every night before I go to sleep I like to say goodnight to the urn and as I fall asleep at night I get a strange feeling. It's a feeling of being watched, and its not the good kind of being watched.

The first time it happened was a few years ago and I was awakened in the middle of the night paralyzed from neck down. I felt the mattress start to dip by me and I heard a whistling noise coming from that direction. My eyes looked to the clock to check the time and it was 3:33 A.M. As my eyes looked back towards the whistling noise, a dark figure sat there leaning over me.

Instantly, I closed my eyes and started screaming and the feeling of someone on my bed disappeared. Once that happened, I was able to move and I booked it for my dad's room across the hall. After I woke him up and told him what happened, he dismissed what I had told him and said it was part of my imagination. I reluctantly agreed with him...

Nothing had happened for a few years but I would occasionally wake up at around 3:33 A.M to strange noises in my room like knocking or things falling. But one night, around late January this year, I woke up to that strange feeling again. Something was stroking my hair as I woke up. This time I couldn't move my head along with my body so I moved my eyes around. My tv was on so I saw what was playing, some cooking show, and I also saw my mom's box which was laying on the floor like someone had dropped it plus I saw my clock which read 3:33. I was shocked to see my mom's urn on the floor, it was nowhere near the edge of my drawers and I never touched the thing plus that thing is a good 5 to 6 lbs, it should be hard to move.

The stroking on my hair slowly moved to my cheek, (the touch was very cold I must add) and I heard a lady whisper, "Shhh, don't freak out."

My eyes looked up as far as they could and they landed on a dark figure standing above me. It terrified me and I tried to scream but it came out muffled because my mouth wouldn't open. The muffled scream must've been loud enough to hear cause my dad, who was still awake in the living room, came barging into my room asking what was wrong. And as he turned on the light, the shadow disappeared and I was filled with a sense of dread.

Again, I told my dad what had happened to me but he just dismissed it as a nightmare. But if it was a nightmare, how could I know what was playing on my tv and know what time it was? I also had my own thoughts, which never happen in my dreams. So I definatly knew it was not my imagination including since it has happened before.

I went to my grandpa's house a few weeks later and he showed me a video of my sister and I when we were little. It was the first time I ever heard my mom's voice and I couldn't help but be shocked. Her voice was the same as the shadow figure's in my room.

Later that day, I was watching a show about ghosts and they were talking about how demons like to take the form of other things that seem not so threatening. They also talked about how they like to appear at the time of 3 because it is a demonic symbol. Plus by always getting that terrified feeling and sense of dread I knew by then that it was a dark enitity of some sort but not a very bad one at that.

I have had several encounters with the shadow since then and I usually tense up with fear but I've learned to just ignore it and fall back asleep. It hasn't made any attempts to hurt me and it's voice likes to take different forms but it usually uses my mom's.

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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, StarGazer22, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

StarGazer22 (1 stories) (1 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-07-10)
At BJJ, I ment to put urn instead of box I didn't catch the mistake before I posted.
lsandhu (2 stories) (360 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-07-10)
Agreed, Rook. It's not a stretch to understand the origins of our fears of the dark (I'm sure our earliest ancestors were beset by all sorts of dangers at night, especially before they harnessed the power of fire - it's only adaptive). But this 3 am nonsense has got to end. Time is a human construct and although it is loosely based on celestial positions, it's also arbitrary to a large extent (and lots of physicists question it's very existence). For example, does the spirit world have daylight savings time, and if not, is the witching hour 2 am or 4 am at certain times of year? Ridiculous.
rookdygin (24 stories) (4458 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-07-10)
lsandhu,

Thank you for those, the Shakespeare I should have remembered... That one and the others demonstrate what may have inspired Washington Irving to use similar words in 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'.

So let's break it down... We now have 17th, 18th and 19th century references, not one of which mentions an exact time of night and only one of which mentions anything concerning 'Hell'. What can we deduce from this? While bad things happen in the dark of night it doesn't take a particular 'time' for people or 'spirits' to be 'evil'. So I once again say the 3am phenomenon is a 20 / 21 Century 'creation' to scare people.

Respectfully,

Rook
lsandhu (2 stories) (360 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-07-09)
Rook, strictly for interest's sake, here are some other literary references to the witching hour, witching time and witching night (taken from the OED):

1604 Shakespeare, Hamlet, iii. Ii. 377: "Tis now the very witching time of night, When Churchyards yawne, and hell it selfe breakes out Contagion to this world."
1743 R. Blair, Grave, 6: "Such Tales their Chear, at Wake or Gossiping, When it draws near to Witching Time of Night."
1835 E. Bulwer-Lytton, Rienzi, I. I. Xiii. 169: "It was now the witching hour consecrated to ghost and spirit."
1849 E. Bulwer-Lytton, King Arthur, vi. Lxvii, "Just as the witching night begins to fall."

I certainly agree this 3 a.m. Business is hokum and largely a creature of Hollywood. Often, I will quit reading a post the second 3 a.m. Is mentioned.
rookdygin (24 stories) (4458 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-07-09)
I may not be able to explain everything that you are experiencing, but BJJ has a point. S/P can be accompanied by hallucinations and I'm sure with just a bit of research you can find that information on the internet...

As far as the whole 3am being the 'Demon's Playtime' or the 'so called' Witching Hour... It's a 20th century phenomenon... One of the first references was by Washington Irving in his Story 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'...except an exact time is not mentioned...it's worded "that witching time of night."

Hollywood has also 'hyped' the 3am thing to the point it has taken 'root' and many people simply take it as fact... Movies like the Amityville Horror... Based of the 'tale' of the Lutz Family is 'suspect' as a true Haunting but with in the pages of the book and used in the movie was the time of the murders that happened in the home before the Lutz's bought it. The murders happened between 3:00 -3:30am...I'm pretty sure the movie uses the time 3:33am... (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong)

I'm a former Witch... I practiced for 11 years (give or take a month or two) and I never encountered a reference for a 'Witching Hour'...So I can say... At least from my point of view... The 'Witching Hour' is a creation of 20th century media hype.

Start keeping a Journal, write down each experience as they are fresh in your mind... Then go back and do your best to debunk everything that did happen. Please take into consideration your age, some of the moving objects may be due to Poltergeist activity...I'm going to guess your age to be 16? If all this started when you were 12/13 then the Poltergeist activity is even more possible.

Please try this method for cleansing and shielding, it may help you...

Recipe for a Home Cleansing/Shielding... (allow for two or 3 days to complete)

Day one: Open all curtains window and doors with screens installed, let fresh air and sunshine into the home. Have all closets, cabinets and other 'dark spaces' open so that as much natural light as possible can enter those spaces. After 2-3 hours take a broom and 'sweep' out each room (this is symbolic and you do not have to really sweep) focus your thoughts on sweeping (pushing) out all negative energies / entities /thoughts. Close home up after completing each room of your home... Please do not forget your garage if you have one. (Optional) Light incense (sandalwood or Dragons-blood works well for me) and let aroma fill the home, and/or play a tape that contains your favorite Church/Positive, Upbeat (songs that give you good thoughts) songs before you begin sweeping.

Day two (or three): Once again open all curtains, windows and doors. Take a White candle (Optional) to the center most point of the home, sit on the floor and place candle in front of you. Light the candle (visualize a white ball of light) and then focus on the flame... Visualize the flame (white light) filled with positive thoughts, energy. (Say a prayer at this time if you so desire... Ask for cleansing positive energy to fill the candles flame/white light). Hold this 'image' in your mind and then visualize the flame (light) slowly expanding outward, visualize it filling the room your in, every corner and 'dark space'. Continue to visualize it expanding...it's outer edges pushing away (burning away) any and all negative energies/entities out and away from each room in your home. Once you have visualized this flame (light) filling your entire home, picture it expanding to your property lines. Hold this image in your mind for a few moments then visualize 'anchoring' this flame (light) where you are sitting which is the center most point of your home. Once you have done this. Take a deep breath, relax a few moments and then blow out the candle. (If you didn't use a candle just let yourself relax a moment or two.) "

Now you can create a shield for yourself using the 'home shield' technique but instead of focusing on your home visualize the 'flame' simply surrounding you instead of your home... Best time to do this is after a nice shower using a rosemary scented soap (rosemary is good for purification and protection.)

Please keep us updated and ask any questions you may have.

Respectfully,

Rook
Bbrave (1 stories) (131 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-07-08)
Sleep paralysis can only explain your not being able to move. And the feelings of dread you felt since not being able to move itself can be scary. But I highly doubt that the incidents you speak of can be explained away as sleep paralysis.

[at] BadJuuJuu What she's describing might sound like her experiencing sleep paralysis but even if that's the case it doesn't explain why she was awaken twice at exactly 3:33 am or why the urn filled with her mother's ashes had fallen from her dresser. Or the mysterious shadow figures she saw when awake.

So how can you be so sure it was simply an episode of sp? It's too convenient an explanation if you ask me.
It can't address the question of why the urn fell or the presence of the shadow figure that she saw both times. I do agree she should try to remain calm as possible. But doubt she experienced sleep paralysis it just doesn't add up.

Lastly I find it impossible to believe that she was hallucinating I mean I've experienced sleep paralysis before and never hallucinated due to it. I think that it's an excuse used to explain what man can not since no one likes not knowing
BadJuuJuu (guest)
+2
12 years ago (2012-07-08)
Alot of what you described sounds like sleep paralysis, you might want to research it. The gist of it is that your mind starts waking up before your body, and you're unable to move, but somewhat aware of your surroundings. Hallucinations are a common occurrence. Sometimes the hallucinations are frightening, sometimes not so much frightening as...illogical. My last SP experience involved my bedroom furniture being rearranged. Not scary, but the realization that "this bookshelf belongs over there" woke me up entirely and my furniture was back in it's proper places.
That's not to say you don't have some activity going on, but true demonic incidents are a lot more rare than tv and paranoid individuals would have you believe. Try to keep calm when things happen, I doubt anything is mimicking your mother. If anything, she may be trying to communicate to you that it's time to move on. You sound like you are still grieving for her. It's natural, but the grieving process must stop eventually. If it goes on indefinitely, it can compromise your emotional health. It can also interrupt our loved ones' journey in the afterlife, keeping them here looking after us instead of crossing over as they need to.
I truly don't think anything dark or dangerous is happening to you. Dismiss your fears and try to stay calm and in control. Everything seems so much more frightening if you're already afraid, so don't give in to fear.
Also, you didn't mention in your account (and as meaningless as this question seems it is relevant) but who replaced the urn on your dresser?

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