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Whistler

 

Let me start by saying I do NOT believe in "ghosts..." I will concede that the Earth is a diverse and mysterious place and we do not currently possess all the science necessary to understand much of it. Consider briefly how far we have come in the last century alone, how many of our misunderstandings are now known and how much of the mysterious has become almost mundane. Lighting is a meteorological effect and is not the result of angry deities, for example. I am a rational, highly educated 29-year old male from the United States. We have a rather limited amount of history in the "New World" and put a premium on science. I do not believe that the dead can return to Earth to interact with the living.

That said, I have no idea what happened to me last week in Holland. And now I wonder what I REALLY know.

My girlfriend and I checked-in to an old hotel on the outskirts of Amsterdam on Monday night, September 24, 2007. We had the room for two nights and planned to leave for Schipol Airport on Wednesday morning for a flight to Prague, Czech Republic. Monday night passed without incident, as did most of the day Tuesday. It was not until about 11:30 PM on Tuesday night that something occurred, the root of which I cannot explain.

We were packing-up our bags so we could check-out quickly in the morning. She was packing hers on the far side of our small 7 foot by 12 foot room. I was near the door packing mine. As I bent down to shove some clothes into my bag, I experienced a jabbing sensation on the right side of my back near my kidneys. It felt as though four fingers or blunt, prong-like rods or something poked into my back. Hard. And I mean with unmistakable force. I leapt up and wheeled around I was so surprised. I don't know what I expected to see, but there was nothing there. There was nothing even close by that I could have backed into except for the door and it was a good meter away from me. My girlfriend noticed that I jumped up very quickly and how startled I was looking around myself. She looked at me and asked what happened. I didn't want to scare her, but merely told her I thought something poked me in the back. She looked at me skeptically, but knows how logical I am and went back to packing. I tried to rationalize it as just in my mind, but this was difficult as I have zero doubt that I was deliberately and distinctly touched by something with force significant enough not to be disregarded. At any rate, we had to rise early, so I put it out of mind and we went to bed.

We had been given (much to our chagrin) a room with bunk beds. She slept on the top while I took the bottom bunk. I put in my standard earplugs I take traveling with me and we were soon asleep. But not for long. At about 2 AM, as I was sleeping on my right side, I felt something flicking at my left ear. I thought it was a bug of some sort and sleepily brushed at it without raising my head. Within a few seconds, something again flicked at my ear. Now I was wide awake because I thought there might be a cockroach or something on my pillow and the thought disgusted me, so I sat up and looked around. There was no insect. I laid back down on my right side and placed the right side my head on the pillow to try to sleep.

Immediately, something touched my ear again and this time, without raising my head, using my left hand, I pulled my earplug out of my ear. Absolutely immediately, within less than a second of having dislodged the plug something whistled LOUDLY in my left ear. It was as if someone's mouth was an inch or two away from my ear and whistled right into it with gusto. I could tell that it was organic in nature because it was not a perfect tone, that is, it was not manmade like an alarm or an electronically produced noise. It was imperfect, as if someone was whistling with lips too dry to make a good seal. It was a three-tone tune that I will never forget. I do not understand octaves, but suffice to say it went from high to low. And it was loud, very loud, so loud that if you were concentrating on something and a prankster friend snuck up behind you to whistle in your ear, it would make you jump. But I didn't jump; I froze. Solid. For about a minute. Sheer and absolute terror coursed through my body. I did not breathe, I did not move, I could not cry out.

I tried to call my girlfriend's name, but the words would not come. Finally, after about a minute (which seemed like an eternity) I mustered up enough vigor to say her name. On the third try, she awoke, startled, sensing the fear in my voice, "What is it, babe?!" And what could I say but, "Um, something just whistled in my ear. Really, really loudly... Can you please come down here and get in bed with me?" She complied and we proceeded to put two and two together. Whatever pushed me earlier was toying with me now. Again, I'm a 29-year old guy who goes camping without flashlights and teaches high school in a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York -- I am not a push-over. But here I was asking my girlfriend to get into bed with me because I'm scared of something I cannot understand. I'm hesitant to use the word "ghost," but I just don't know how else to describe this encounter.

But this encounter was not over. After about 20 minutes, she was asleep, but sleep eluded me and would not return. That's when my previous fear grew to epic proportions. Suddenly, I heard the whistling again, but fainter and out in the hallway right outside our door. This time, the three tones were following by several more so that it made a little song that I didn't recognize as anything formal. It was just as if someone was whistling a tune they were making up. It contained long and short tones, high and low and was quite varied. I heard it go from one end of the hallway to the other. There was nobody else on our floor that night. At this point, I was petrified. I have never been so scared in my entire life. It was sweltering under the covers with her, but I dared not expose anymore of my body than necessary due to extreme fear. These are the emotions and thoughts of a small child, but there I was, a grown man, scared of the dark.

After about another half hour or so (the parallax of time was confusing at this point as the seconds dragged by agonizingly slow) I realized my mouth was dry from nervous energy. I looked for our water bottle which I had sat over to my left when we got into bed. This was the exposed part of the bed since the right side was flush against the wall. At first, I could not make-out what I witnessed. What I saw was a milky figure blurring the area between my bed and the desk on which my girlfriend's backpack was resting. I knew our water bottle was on the desk with other traveling acutrements, but I could not see them clearly due to this mist. I sat up slightly and peered very hard and it looked almost like a wrinkled shower curtain between us and the desk, which was no more than a meter from the bed. It then dissipated and I could then clearly see the contents of the desktop. Suffice to say, I did not sleep the rest of the night. Eventually, she awoke at about 5:30 sensing that I was not sleeping and asked if we should just check-out then. I don't need to tell you my reply. We were headed for the airport hours early and glad to be out of that room.

That was a week ago today and I am still very shaken. I cannot explain what had happened to me that night and cannot wrap my brain around it. For a moment, I wondered if this was the commencement of dementia. I was questioning my very sanity, and it hasn't stopped there. I am now questioning everything I think I know about physics. I live alone and have never been afraid of the dark or anything like that. Now, I am almost constantly ruffled. We returned to the States last night and I am sleeping at my girl's place tonight. Eventually, I will have to go back to my apartment alone, but am wary to do so. I am not sure I will never feel the same.

Can anyone shed some light on this situation, please? I cannot state adamantly enough how honest I am being here. I have no reason to lie and am looking sincerely for answers.

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

Vannarra (2 stories) (26 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2008-03-27)
Wow. To be honest, I don't think you need to be scared. You aren't threatened.
In fact, I think that there was just a spirit that wanted you to know it existed.
❤ -Vannarra
mustang (5 stories) (749 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2008-01-14)
Hello Ohiowatha. I remember reading this story a long time ago when you submitted it but I never commented. Sorry! I probably got distracted by my kids or other. Anyway, you definitely experienced an intelligent haunting. I think it is creepy but interesting! It's obvious that it was bored and also liked being mischievious to the living. He wanted to let you know that he was there and then some. Although, the jabbing part wasn't very nice at all. Thanks for sharing your experience. ~Shelby ❤ 😊
mustang (5 stories) (749 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2008-01-08)
Hey you! Why haven't you read one of my stories that was posted in October 2007? Hmmm... 😊 I want to see what you think these beings were/are or what they wanted from me. When you get a chance. No rush. By the way, the story is called "Shadows in My Life". I am now convinced that they or it was not a shadow person at all because of how full-figured it was even though it was completely black. Martin changed the name of my story but it doesn't matter. I wonder what happened to Martin anyway? He must be really busy because he doesn't even comment on the stories he posts anymore. Anyway, I haven't gotten to all of your more recent stories. Sorry. I will in due time. =) Thanks! ~Shelby ❤ 😊
dre (8 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-27)
hey bro I'm afraid of the dark as well, I'm not lying but I everything I remembered that freak the hell out of me at night, I was always sleeping on my back :S, that's why I sleep on my stomach,
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-10)
Thanks for the useful comments, guys, I read each one carefully and really appreciate them all. I apologize for coming off as too aggressive. I write all of my posts with a smile on my face, but this sentiment doesn't always relay will into email--such is the poverty of written language.

Thanks again for the constructive criticism. I am really enjoying reading these stories, veritable or not! 😁
Abby (710 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-09)
Dear Ohiowatha,

I like your take on this matter scientific or not. It is a different slant coming from a person who didn't believe in such things and is now in the "wondering stage about it and might it be true phase".

The thing about expectations is that many times we don't end up with life experiences "we" expect regardless of science or the paranormal. Don't you love being a human being? All I can say is it is your responsibility to decide for yourself what you believe and you are the only one who will know if the answer you are looking for is the answer you wish to hear and accept and not expect.

And--Martin, I never knew you had it intellectually and lengthly in you, no only joshing, I did! Boy, I did, and I enjoy this side of you Martin! ❤ By the way, Ohiowatha, you just got Martin'd and Abby'd!
Hubba! Hubba! ;) 😆

I like both your thoughts and comments. Like salt and pepper with hot sauce. :)

Ohiowatha, in my opinion, I think you had a paranormal experience which was an encounter with a ghost. :)

Please do continue to share your stories, experiences, thoughts and comments with us.

Welcome Ohiowatha!

Be the scientific spice, but remember to be nice. --Abby ❤
Martin (602 posts) mod
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-09)
Ohiowatha, if, like you said, put a premium on science, I believe you can also understand the value of not necessarily reinventing or reevaluating every concept which were built upon from hundreds of years of observation and witness acounts. The difference here is we don't use instruments and we don't have a laboratory with controlled studies, because these can barely be controlled, if at all. But a certain vocabulary and system of thoughts, free from old wives tales and superstitions, has been built from all these experiences.

Just because it is not tangible doesn't mean we cannot use the empirical methodology of studying and cataloging these phenomenons. Like you said, it's just a matter of having the imperfect tools for now, but the theories are there and science may catch up one day. Meanwhile, witnesses, stories, ghost hunters and even psychic mediums provide our material and instruments.

Now, it doesn't mean you should believe anyone who says something is a "demon", "fairy", "werewolves" or a "jinn", of course, because very often these people come from a religious tradition that are hundreds of years old, not from more neutral and modern methodologies. They are free to voice their opinions and you are also free to consider them or not. I sometimes think they may have some value to them, as many legends have some historical truth in their origins, and sometimes not.

But terms like "entities", "ghosts", "hauntings" or "poltergeist" have proven to be valuable neutral concepts, free of religious tradition, to study these things among rational experts open to its reality and it would possibly be a waste of time trying to reinvent the wheel. I guess you should "humour us" for the time being until you accept them or do your own research. You'll see that there is a lot of literature supporting the current concepts used on this site, and they seem to work. We have a lot more reasons to believe that a ghost is a departed soul rather than, say, aliens, solar flares, animals from the 9th dimensions or what not.

I do appreciate your intellectual maturity and rational side, though, and you are welcome on this site. Just remember to stay respectful of those from the more "intuitive" camp. I do publish stories that are no always credible because an author has proven to be a valuable contributor to this site, as is ghost_whisperer, and we have more reasons to believe them. I usually try to be discerning, but I also stay open. There are stories that were very difficult for me to accept but had many credible witnesses and entire books or documentaries were done about it, so I guess I also stay open (up to a point). The younger ones are more prone to confusing imagination and reality, but as many haunting studies have proven, they are also often the first ones to detect and even interact with these phenomenons, since they are naturally so open-minded. So it's a double edge sword. You can probably figure it out by yourself if something is true by studying the story itself. You are right, for example, people witnessing a ghost will not usually just go back to sleep. There are many clues in a story that demonstrate its veracity, and you can can use them to question the authors, while staying perfectly respectful to them.

Just because the topic is the paranormal doesn't mean you have to drop your critical mind. But as you probably realized from your own experiences, the current state of scientific knowledge of the world seem to be limited on the tangible and physical world since its methodology requires that an experiment be replicated and demonstrated. It doesn't mean non physical existence isn't real. It's just not demonstrable in a predictable fashion at this stage, outside of collecting people's personal experiences, such as yours. You will be surprised how 90% of the stories on this site have very strong common elements that are not simple coincidences, so there really is something to it.

If you think some stories are infantile, you can ignore them, or point to their inadequacies, with any luck, the author might bring up stuff that weren't included in the story to explain themselves, or you can just focus on those that you deem credible.
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-09)
Great explanation, Bellisima. I'm not sure what I'm looking for here. This is a great site. A lot of the stories seem credible; many are obviously fakes. I thought at first this was a more "professional" site, if you will and didn't realize it was more of a story board. I do appreciate it for what it is, though, and thank you for that.

I have more stories to submit. I guess there simply are no answers to this type of thing.

But you know what I'm saying about assuming we understand this stuff, right? I mean, it's pretty arrogant to label forces we cannot understand, isn't it? Wouldn't it be wrong to assume these forces are the reincarnations of deceased human beings when we really have absolutely no evidence to suport such a claim? Isn't it reaching a bit to think your dead grandmother is trying to reach out to you because a pillow case falls on the floor, or whatnot? I just don't think people approach this topic objectively enough. You hear a lot of talk from people throwing around terms like "psychic powers" and "demon" and whatnot when I'm not convinced they know what they're talking about. I just don't want to be dealt any snakewater, is all. I believe there are things on Earth that cannot be explained with science. But everything on Earth is bound by science--we just haven't discovered a science sophisticated enough to do so with these apparitions. I would like conjecture for such stories to be addressed as such, ideally.

Thank you so much for allowing me to post on this site and hope for the best. It is a very entertaining site and I hope I can find some useful explanations or approaches to dealing with this sort of thing. Thanks!
Bellissima (12 stories) (792 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-09)
Hi, Ohiowatha. I guess that since this site is called 'Your Ghost Stories', and the first line of your story was "Let me start by saying I do NOT believe in 'ghosts'", We misunderstood what exactly you wanted from us, on a site where we believe in the supernatural, including ghosts. I think we felt, by the tone of your story, that you were asking if we thought you'd had an experience with a spirit. You asked us to 'shed some light' and offer 'help with your experience'. I don't think anyone here could have known about your past and the things that have happened in your (excuse the expression) 'haunted' house. By the story you submitted, it sounded like this was a situation of the sort you'd never encountered. People were trying to offer answers to help you figure out what happened or didn't happen. People with religion would offer the solution that you should pray. Others, like myself, tried to offer solace and possibly an explanation as to why you had no reason to worry now that you are away from the 'haunted' (for lack of a better word) hotel. Frankly, I did think you were scared since you claim you don't want to go back to your own place, that you're wary to be alone and you were questioning your sanity. So, that said, I don't know what type of help you are looking for and your comment just made things more confusing. The only help I guess I can offer is to tell you that something happened to you that cannot be explained in a way that is satisfactory to you.
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-09)
I don't believe that one religion has sway over another, so to chant Christian dogma seems misguided to me.

I'm not sure how one can "over rationalize" something like this. It is my nature to consider all sides of an experience and not close any doors or become too myopic about it.

And for what it's worth, I never said I don't believe in what I cannot see, I just don't believe in labeling things we cannot possibly fathom. One person will call this force a "ghost," another an "angel," another a "demon," another an "alien," and another "science"--they are all right and they are all wrong.

My family lived in a house that could be called "haunted," though I hate to employ that word because it implies that we know full-well it is inhabited by "ghosts..." all we know for sure is that incredible things occurred there. What caused them or who is a mystery and I refuse to degrade the place by calling it "haunted..." My step-father, mother, and one brother have repeatedly seen large black lightless shadows move through it. My mother has heard voices and my little brother was harrassed on and off for fifteen years. My experience in Amsterdam was merely the first time something so overt has happened to me.

Haley, I think you misinterpreted the whole account if you think I'm still in a state of disbelief. I merely refuse to downgrade the experience by pretending to know these were "ghosts" instead of some other mysterious energy.
Bellissima (12 stories) (792 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-09)
Hi, Ohiowatha, It sounds to me like the spirit is attached to the hotel. I'm not sure if that is much comfort for you. You don't mention anything happening since your return so you'll probably just go on with your everyday life, only a little more enlightened. I can understand that you'd be pretty freaked out about things, especially since you've had your skeptical mind put to the test. The spirit seemed non-threatening, though being a skeptic, you know something you can't explain has happened. You've had a taste of the supernatural. Don't let this experience rule your life, this type of thing happens all the time, and sometimes worse. If you've never sensed anything else in your daily life, then I think the hotel ghost might have picked on you because he was giving you a lesson you wouldn't soon forget!
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-08)
I do not know how many people I have been intruduced to, who "never believed and never will" only to have their minds changed after joining friends and myself on our little investigations. It also seemed to turn their worlds upside down as it "seems" to be doing to you. Not saying that it is, just that it seems to be. For now all you have been taught is being tossed right out the window and you are having to reformulate your thinking process. It is good to have a skeptical side, don't get me wrong, just don't shut off your mind to other possiblities, for we as humans don't have all the answers. You could state that all spirits, ghost, entities are caused by the string theroy, I believe that is the correct physics term, if not I apologize. Do we know that for sure? No, we can only speculate. Can any man, woman or child truely know for sure what awaits us on the other side? No, it is all based on faith and what we have been taught through out our lives. Who knows maybe nothing is there and all hauntings, spooks, spectures, ghouls, and goblins are nothing more than some partical that has moved between the dimensions and bounced off a sensitive persons brain forming the image or sound. Not an impossibility, just highly unlikely. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.
ghosthost (guest)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-08)
Sounds like you had your first experience to me. Welcome to the club. There are things in this world that are way more complex than our minds can understand. Maybe you need to just succumb to the fact and think outside the box. Millions of experiences have been recorded for centuries. Some of which I have written and I know I'm not a liar. I used to not believe either. Primarily I think to safe guard my mind so I wouldn't have fear. Then one evening that all changed. My thoughts is to just come to terms with it and be thankful its not in your home! Good luck to ya! 😳
haleybug (10 stories) (89 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-08)
well if that didn't make you believe then I suppose nothing can. 😲 but it seems that you may be over rationalizing this whole thing. 😁
Abercrombie (2 stories) (45 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-08)
Yeah, to not believe in ghosts can cause paranormal problems for the afterlife does not like to be looked upon as a childish topic. You should take my advice I have posted eerywhere: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, I demand you to stop this nonsense and leave immediately, never to return!" And you will sense and feeling of calmness about yourself and where ever you are. Best of luck!

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