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The Witch On The Window

 

"Do you believe in ghosts?" There are moments in my life where I have been asked this question. And every time I would answer "I'm not sure". I cannot easily reject it, because I know you cannot deny something that can't be seen by the naked eye alone, but accepting the possibility of an unknown and unseen being hovering near me at any place and time is... Quite unsettling. Though my acceptance of this particular issue is vague, my younger sister on the other hand is a different matter.

Ever since she was young, she would always claim to see 'things' that people don't normally see. My father used to tell me that when they both were driving along the federal highway, they came across a huge car pile-up and an ambulance near it, my father describe the scene as horrific, the cars were twisted and bent out of proportion, his first thought was that there was no way anyone could have survived it. As they drove pass, my sister looked and said "Why is that man standing with his clothes all red and dirty?" My father, eyes still focusing on the road, was astonished by that persons luck and said to my sister that he was probably hurt bad from the accident. When they arrived home, my father told our family of the incident and urged us to watch the evening news that would probably cover it. As the news unfold, the faces of the people involved in the accident were displayed on screen, my sister tugged at my father's shirt and pointed to the face of one of the victims. "Dad! That's the man I saw. What happened to him? " My father's face went pale. The faces shown were people who died in the accident, all of them died on the spot.

I was curious to say the least, I'm sure she wouldn't lie. But as I'm not there when it took place, I couldn't reach a definitive conclusion regarding the matter. As time went on, as most things in life, the memory faded away from me. The thought not resurfacing itself in my head. Until years later.

My family moved into a new house a while ago, it was a two-storey bungalow, with a large tree next to it; it looked like any typical house really. As a day of rigorous unpacking ends, we all went to our respective rooms; my sister's room was 'conveniently' located near the tree outside on the second floor, where it can be looked through the room's window.

I'm not sure if it was past midnight or before it, but the silence of our house that night was broken by the screams of my sister. I rushed into my sister's room, my parents arriving earlier. She was sobbing uncontrollably, tightly embracing my mother. I was about to ask, when I realized that this was probably related to her... 'sensitive perception'. I kept my mouth shut and quietly went back to my room. I'll probably get the clear answer tomorrow anyway.

As I've anticipated, my sister told her story the next day during breakfast. She claimed that when she was about to go to sleep, she felt a cold breeze coming from the window, she went to close it and then saw a figure crouching on the tree's branches, that of an old woman, hair as white as the moon itself, with claws of three on each hand, smiling and looking at her with crimson red eyes. I find her description at the time quite over the top, like something out of a stereotypical horror movie or something. I pushed aside my thoughts when she expressed her desire to change rooms. My father, who was quiet throughout the time, nodded, and asked who would volunteer to exchange rooms with my sister. I gazed upon my other siblings, their eyes facing the ground, showing reluctance, maybe fear. I glanced at my sister to see her dejected face, although I find the whole thing quite absurd, seeing the pained expression on my sister made me made up my mind. I volunteered, my sister, beaming with delight, expresses her gratitude over and over, but then she said "But brother, I know how you are. Please... Don't do something stupid. Please..." I nonchalantly nodded, not giving much thought to her words. Fate probably had disagreements regarding my attitude.

That night, after relocating my stuff to my new room, I went to my desk to prepare the report for my upcoming presentation, I sat there for what maybe an hour when I felt a cold breeze from behind, I glanced behind to see the window had opened slightly. At first I paid no heed to it, with the thought that I probably had not properly closed it. But then I felt the urge to go have a look through the window, to confirm for myself of what my sister saw. I took slow, steady steps towards the window, the sounds of crickets outside matches my beating heart, and with feelings of uncertainty, I looked outside towards the tree. There was nothing there.

Like an anticlimax moment in a horror movie, I felt somewhat... Disappointed, but somewhat relieved. It is then that I felt quite stupid regarding the whole matter. I chuckled slightly, my thoughts that the possibility of someone or something to be dangling on a tree outside my room to be absurd. And with a confident tone I said "Hey, if you're really out there why don't you show up in my face?"

As those words left my lips, the sound of the crickets outside and the breeze that blew just now suddenly died, leaving behind an eerie silence and nothingness. I stood there frozen in place; I didn't know what to make of the situation. My imagination was getting the best of me as I could almost swore that the branches were swaying on their own without any aid from the wind, as if the tree's itself was coming to life. Ridiculous as it sounds, I even started to hear things, whispers to be exact, of what topic I'm not sure. Given the nature of the circumstance, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an issue best discussed only in Hell. And to add it all up, images of a white-haired woman lunging at me kept popping inside my head. The whispers and images began to intensify to my horror, trying to push me over the edge of my own sanity. Suddenly, a knock came upon my door, purging my senses from those abominations.

"Brother, are you awake?" my sister said on the other side of the door.

The whispering, the moving branches, those horrid images in my mind, all had stopped. I bent on my knees, trying to catch my breath; I felt the wind had been struck out of me. I wiped away the sweat on my face, seeing the small puddle of perspiration soaking on the wooden floor under me. A second knock came upon my door.

"Brother, are you listening? Are you alright in there?" I could feel the urgency in her voice.

"Yeah I'm alright, my mind just wandered off a bit, anything you need sis?" I spoke out, trying my best to maintain my composure.

"Just checking up on you" she spoke softly, out of relief perhaps. After a few moments in silence, she said again "I'm worried about you brother"

"Nothing to worry about sis" I almost stammered "You should go to bed, it's getting late and I'm thinking of going to sleep now"

"...Okay" she seemed hesitant in her reply, but then I heard her footsteps moving away from my door.

As her footsteps faded away, I gathered my thoughts, trying to make sense of the whole matter. Was I imagining things? Did I become so paranoid; I let my imagination get the best me? My eyes darted to the clock hanging on my wall. 2.00 a.m.

I've been standing by the window for hours. Slowly, my gaze shifted to the window in front of me, and with all the resolve that I still have I picked myself up and looked through the window. There was nothing there.

I must be tired, I thought to myself. I closed the window, went to bed and hoped for a good night's rest.

I woke up the next day, feeling somewhat groggy. As the cobwebs cleared, I sat on my bed and tried to make sense of the event that occurred last night. Reaching no conclusion, I decided to consult my sister later. I got up from bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. As I drenched myself under the shower, I suddenly felt a stinging sensation on my back. The pain was so terrible that I almost fell to the floor. I got out of the shower and went in front of the mirror with my back facing it, trying to see if there were any cuts. To my horror, the reflection shown were six long scratch marks on my back, each three were on the left side and the other on the right side of my back.

I never told my family, especially my sister. I don't want to upset them. I tried telling myself to believe that I caused the scratches on my back when I was asleep. Some days I even believe in it. To my relief, for the few months that my family stayed there before we moved away for unrelated and trivial reasons, that was last time something like that occurred, as sudden as it happened, there were no longer similar occurrences happening, leaving behind a deeply imprinted memory in me. As I end this story, I try to reflect on what had happened, trying to make sense of all of this. Though regarding this matter, nothing is certain I suppose.

(Author's Notes: I envy the people here who can accept the existence of the supernatural. I also envy the people who can flat out deny it. Maybe there are things in life that It's best left not understood, but It can't be denied that the uncertainty, the conflicts between 'believing' and 'not believing', that occurs within me is quite... Tiresome)

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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, WhoAreThey, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments but I won't participate in the discussion.

Kiego (2 stories) (52 posts)
+1
11 years ago (2013-06-12)
This story sounded a little off to me. The way the "author" wrote it just seemed like he was eager to use some of his writing "skills". If that's the case why don't you just write a novella, not a novel... A novella (a short story) Forgive my disbelief but I'm just not feelin it. The tale reminds me of an episode of the twilight zone or something.
Amie_16 (2 stories) (104 posts)
 
11 years ago (2013-05-02)
Hmm, your story is nice and scary enough! I must say it's well written and also you're a good story teller!
So coming back to it do you know the history of that house? The tree maybe very old and possessed 😕
Pjod (3 stories) (978 posts)
-1
11 years ago (2013-01-07)
perhaps it's still used in Malaysia- to address your siblings as such.
GreyFeather (44 posts)
-1
11 years ago (2013-01-07)
Who says to their sibling "Brother, are you awake?" It sounds like you live in the early 1900's or before, on a prairie. And, a witch is a bit cliche. First of all, how do you know she's a witch? Really?
lizziebee1992 (2 stories) (37 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-01-10)
thats pretty scary I aint going to lie. That wound scary me to death if that happened to me.
Moongrim (2 stories) (871 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-01-09)
When it comes to denial, I'm willing to give someone an even chance, provided they are consistent.

If they are not consistent, then I deny. After all, there is the very real possibility that what someone else describes is just nothing more than a story they concocted in an effort to get sympathy, or a desire to have a name for themselves.

The Aztecs mythology spoke of the 'need' to rip out a human heart to sacrifice to the Gods so that the Sun will continue to rise the next day.

It's been many years since anyone has been sacrificed in such a manner, yet the Sun continues to rise every day...
cosmogal926 (9 stories) (1223 posts)
+2
12 years ago (2012-01-09)
I enjoyed this story very much. You have great writing skills and had me on pins and needles the whole time. I am so glad I have not seen this "old hag" and I don't ever want to. The mental image I have is enough to last me a lifetime. That must have been so scary to see 6 scratches going down your back. You are a good brother trading rooms with your sister after her experience. I'm glad you and your sister were not bothered anymore by it.

Thanks for posting. 😊
anneke8 (10 stories) (274 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-01-09)
When I was a child I had a 'dream' that I was sleeping in my bed, when someone knocked on my window. When I went to look, this old hag was standing outside my bedroomwindow, asking me to open up. I did not know who it was though, because she had a black veil over her face. She told me she was lost and asked me to help her. I opened the window (not scared of anything I was) and she climed through. Then she started to strangle me! I could not scream, or even breeth. My mother came charging inside because of the sounds I was making, and I 'woke'.
I am still not sure what happened there, but it was WEIRD.
aussiedaz (19 stories) (1565 posts)
+2
12 years ago (2012-01-09)
So true Jav, She feeds on fear and if you give it to her, she'll have her way, you know it was some 20 odd years ago when I was attacked by one and that was before the Internet and mobile phones? So no information at all about the old hag, who she is or what she looks like and for years I wondered what happened, when you read stories like this one and put together the pieces you come to realize that some of these things are not creations of mind but rather manipulations of evil forces and thank's also to the author for sharing it, it was foolishly brave calling her to show herself too you, but I can understand your position of wanting to stick up for your sister... For that mate heads up!
Javelina (4 stories) (3749 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-01-09)
[at] aussie,
Hey Aussie, my old man got attacked by that butt ugly old hag once too. He fought her off and she hasn't been back since. So yeah, you can get rid of that thing if you treat her like the pest she is. Don't elevate her ego by being afraid, or she'll never leave you alone.

Jav
aussiedaz (19 stories) (1565 posts)
+2
12 years ago (2012-01-09)
I can understand why your sister described what she saw as a witch and in one of my stories here I gave the same description and believe what I saw was the same thing as your sister, but I called her a 100 year old witch from memory and unintentionally offended some of our community here who practise witchcraft and I certainly didn't mean to offend any of our good witches, but this old sheila with claws and all is butt ugly... This thing is no witch by the way, it is the old hag herself and when your confronted by her the sheer terror some people feel can break them down into submission and leave them vulnerable and possibly opened for demonic possession?... Interesting your sister saw her outside on the tree and not in her room?...I believe our children are protected from her in close quarters and when I kick the bucket God willing I won't be letting her near any of mine, perhaps there was forces of good around your home keeping her at bay? But for you young mate, you were kind of calling her bluff by asking her to show her face...there's only one way to beat her, you must hold your nerve and show no fear, I had her on top of me and pinned to my bed only inches away from my face and fortunately for me, I held my nerve and have done that a few times over the years when these things find there way to me... Unfortunately for your sister, these experiences come with the territory.
Javelina (4 stories) (3749 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-01-08)
[at] Nysa,
I agree with the assessment made in your comment. Factual and to the point. I also learned something new, so thank you for that.

Jav
pinkparrot6202 (41 posts)
-4
12 years ago (2012-01-08)
this story is very dangerous to people, this lady can be an ancestor who wants revenge or a lost spirit that maybe thinks you took something away, not scaring you, am I? So I think you need to research about that tree, you moved houses so you might not need to.

Thanks ❤ 😲
Nysa (4 stories) (685 posts)
+4
12 years ago (2012-01-08)
Thestars you have to notice the origin of the story. Though modern American magical practitioners have embraced the term witch for themselves, we don't get to take over the whole meaning of the word. In Malaysia & much of the non-Western world "witch" already has a meaning that has nothing to do with Neopagans or New Age magical practitioners.

It's a rather creepy story thanks for sharing it whoarethey. You might find it a little less tiresome if you accept that we just don't know everything about how the universe works & strange things are going to happen but that does not mean we have to accept every fantastic theory people have come up with through the ages. Sometimes I too wish I could feel sure one way or the other. But on the otherhand it is fun to consider all the possibilities with an open but somewhat skeptical mind.

This comment from thestars is hidden due to low rating. Show comment

EmoGoddess (2 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-01-08)
I thoroughly enjoyed your story, and, though undecided by you, I am a believer and think that this was a very interesting phenomenon. It includes the everlasting innocence that makes it more likely for children to see the supernatural, as their minds are untainted by the social pressure of fact or fiction, and none the middle. My grandmother tells me of when I was young and spoke to things she couldn't see, and the conversations seemed strange, off, for a simple imaginary companion. I did have imaginary friends as a child, however did not speak to them in the presence of others, except for one, who went by the name of Charlie, which I did not decide. He stayed with me longer than any other friends, until fourth grade. He was only a shadow, not colorful as my other friends were. He started to scare me, and finally, I told him to leave, he frightened me even more after that, and unlike my other friends, I could not control him. I plan on writing this story as soon as the site once again allows new pieces. I very much enjoyed your story, as I said, and hope that one day, you may be able to choose a side of your dispute between the real and fiction of imagination. I hope to hear new tales from you soon, and I believe I will enjoy them as well.
aya22 (guest)
+2
12 years ago (2012-01-08)
You write extremely well! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and could feel the suspense along with you. And very good English, I might add.

What an awesome big brother you are! (Assuming you are older) Whatever it was, I bet it was very annoyed by you for switching rooms. It probably returned expecting your sister, and got you instead! And you went ahead and challenged it. I can tell this is an experience you've given a lot of thought to, and probably have had time to think about it. Hmm... As to the question, did you let your imagination get the best of you? It's possible I suppose, since you had a detailed description from your sister and your senses were 'on alert' so to speak. Is there any chance you could have scratched your back yourself while sleeping? Since the scratches were only on your left and right, that might've been within your reach. But don't get me confused, I only try to think objectively before I say what I really want to say. Your sister has a gift so you could have one too. You may not have been able to see this thing, but you could sense it without a doubt.

"The conflicts between 'believing' and 'not believing', that occurs within me is quite... Tiresome"...I couldn't agree or understand more! Believe me. Did you copy something off of my profile at one point? Kidding! You're certainly not alone in these experiences. There are a lot of people on this site completely open to discussion, which is why I'm disappointed you've stated you won't participate.

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