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Midnight Coughing Ghost

By Violet91
(1 stories) (1 posts) (the author is a young adult)
Date: 2014-05-05
Country: Australia
Paranormal Category: Apparitions / Voices / Touches

Myself and my partner have just moved into a lovely semi-detached brick house in a cute street in Prahran, Melbourne, Australia.

I've always been hyper aware of supernatural beings, and haven't had any negative experiences yet. We moved into to this house around a month ago, and the vibe was quote dark and negative. I was also seeing shadows in the corner of my eye, bad dreams and an all around bad feeling. So I did a sage cleanse, and after that the house feels great! A much lighter feeling, and pleasant dreams.

But for the last three evenings, I've heard a man coughing in my lounge room when I've been in bed, reading. Always quite late this occurs, and my partner has been asleep. So she hasn't heard it. It's a rather brief cough, and it's definitely a male - it's almost like he's clearing his throat whilst reading the paper, very casual if you might say!

I've got two cats (they both wear bells on collars) and they sleep in the lounge room and also in my room at night, but last night they were in the lounge room - when I heard the cough again, I heard both of my cats bells jingle, like they were startled - but were obviously not phased and fell back asleep. I'm a firm believer in cats being a type of medium, and I trust there observations.

Basically, I'm curious... I'm wondering if this is a spirit that was previously living in the house a long time ago? As it's an older Victorian style design.

I don't feel threatened, at all. It's kind I oddly comforting. I'm just curious as to why it's just the cough I'm hearing, and not words or movement? And if anyone else has had something similar occur?

Thank you:)

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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, Violet91, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will participate in the discussion and I need help with what I have experienced.

JeunaBella (3 stories) (58 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-12)

Try asking the previous owner or your neighbours. Who knows, it might unlock the details behind that repeating cough mystery.

Violet91 (1 stories) (1 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-11)

Wow this is all so interesting! Such a good feeling knowing I can talk about this situation!
An update on my chesty resident - last night around 3:30am I couldn't sleep, at all. And i'd been on my phone looking something up, when I heard the cough again, but it was a female this time!

My cats were asleep on my bed with me at the time, and one of them actually woke up rather lazily, jumped off the bed and went into the lounge room!

I followed my cat down the hall to the lounge - but of course nothing prevails.

I find the aspect of a type of 'tape replaying' over in time imbedded in the walls very interesting! Sounds stuck in time ect. I'd love to know more about the previous tenants...

valkricry (49 stories) (3268 posts) mod

10 years ago (2014-05-11)

Well...it could be residual. But have you checked to see if there is any other mundane explanation? Or any other activity? For example, when you hear this cough do you go check it out?

awakentaken (7 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-10)

Okay then, instead of residual, I meant resident. A resident spirit.

JeunaBella (3 stories) (58 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-10)

I got your point Taycaoco. Residual spirit and interaction doesn't fit together so it was either residual or intelligent. But some residuals with strong energy and heavy emotions can indirectly make itself known to the living beings i.e deep sadness and grief will be passed off to the surrounding and delivers the message of pain and grieving to us.

And my apologies for not answering the O/P original questions earlier. Commenting has driven my focus from the real subject.
Since the house was old probably from the Victorian age, a number of people might occupied the house before and after they died, their imprints, energy and emotions might still attached to the place (thus become residual). Think of the residuals as recording, playing over and over again. They are harmless and since you didn't feel any negative vibe I think it's a kind or common residual i.e reading newspaper, having chat or just passing through.

They are probably previous tenants of the house so you don't need to get worried. Residuals can be in various form like visual, sounds or merely emotion.

mamachong (11 stories) (228 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-10)

Oh I am sorry, Taycaoco, you already explained it, I guess I need to read the comments before hand lol.

mamachong (11 stories) (228 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-10)

awakentaken.
From my understanding, a residual ghost is a ghost that repeats the same things and movements over and over and over again. The residual does not respond to people because it is not a actual ghost but just a continuing imprint on time and space. A residual is not aware of their surroundings.

A intelligent ghost is a ghost that responds, thinks, talks, etc, can interact with us, and is aware of their surroundings.

Hopefully someone can explain better than me?

awakentaken (7 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-09)

When I say residual spirit, I mean a spirit that is attached to a place. I've lived in a house with a residual ghost before, and let me tell you he was very much aware of us and liked to make his presence known.

Taycaoco (2 stories) (5 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-09)

[at] JeunaBella: That's why I used the conditionnal "if". If the ghost is residual, it didn't try to interact with Violet. If it did try, it's not residual. Residual and interaction can't go together so awakentaken made a mistake I think.

NorthCoastie (4 stories) (72 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-09)

That's pretty creepy! I lived in employee housing one summer when I worked at a big amusement park, and there was a choking ghost in our apartment that we all heard. Maybe someone died there who had a chronic cough and carrying it over to spirit form.

JeunaBella (3 stories) (58 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-09)

But it could possibly a residual too. Since Violet91 has just moved into the house a short while ago, the residual goes unnoticeable due to another presence of stronger and negative entities. And when everything has calmed down and probably the O/P has taken more attention to it that the sound is now more audible to sense. If the sound was repeating at almost the same time at night, it was possibly residual because there was no interaction involved.

Taycaoco (2 stories) (5 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-09)

[at] awakentaken: Sorry, but I don't think so.

[at] Violet91: I'm sorry, but I totally disagree with our friend awakentaken. I believe that he doesn't use the proper terms. An intelligent spirit is aware and tries to communicate with alive people like you, but a residual ghost does not know you're there.

An intelligent spirit is usually what we see as a ghost. It is the spirit of a person who is related to a place and who tries to interact with inhabitants of the house. A residual ghost can not interact with you and doesn't know you exist. Because of an intense emotional event, it remains bound to a place and is condemned to repeat its behavior all the time. This ghost can be seen taking the same actions in the same order at regular intervals regardless of whether you are there or not.

Therefore, if that "thing" wanted to make its presence known with a cough, it can't be a residual ghost like awakentaken says. It's something else.

awakentaken (7 posts)

10 years ago (2014-05-09)

I'm glad to hear that the house is more comforting after the cleansing. I'd say this spirit is a harmless residual one, since it's still around after the cleansing. Perhaps it just wanted to make its presence known with a noise that wouldn't scare you? I've heard spirits like to do little harmless things to make themselves known.

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