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Roommates Who Don't Pay Rent

 

My brother, I found out recently, reads this site and when he saw my previous posting, he asked if I'd share the experienced he and I had sharing an apartment while going to graduate school. We shared a few apartments, actually, but at only one did we experience anything truly odd. This happened back in 1996, a fact I remember because the Olympic Torch Relay happened to go on the street in front of our apartment. Somewhere, I hope, I still have the photos of the motorcade.

Brief summary of the layout, as I recall it:

The apartment was in a three story Dutch colonial style, and my brother B and I shared the top floor apartment on the west side of the building. Coming in our front door, you'd enter the living room, which was furnished in typical college bachelor style, and which we also used as our dining room since the dining room table didn't fit in any other room. A hallway, which shared a common wall with the other third floor apartment, ran to the back of the unit and the dining room. The first door led to my brother's room, then the bathroom, then my room. We used the dining room for storage, and the kitchen was in the very back of the unit, with stairs leading to the laundry room and dumpsters in the back.

The first paranormal thing I experienced involved a bright light which woke me up one evening. Being as I hate getting up, I tried to ignore this thing and say prayers. Eventually, it left, heading towards the window. The light, however, remained steady, and at a consistent height above the floor. That made me sit up since, as I said, college bachelor that I was at the time, my room was not neatly organized.

The experience my brother most remembered from that apartment was the Shadow People. He reported them to me a day or two after we'd watched some documentary on ghosts or demons. At first, he said it was whispers but later, as reported in an email to me just today:

---

I [that is, B] was up late one night in the living room of 3W, with my back to the door leading to the rest of the attic. I mean apartment. There was light in the hall, and I became aware of a shadow falling across the carpet. I thought it was you, but when I turned around, you weren't there. No one was standing in the hall.

I searched my room, and all the common areas of 3W. I found nobody. From that night, I remember that as soon as the sun would set, I would see three-dimensional human and non-human shapes everywhere in the apartment. Some were tall, others were short. Some were transparent, others were translucent or opaque. There were more of them in the living room near the closet than anywhere else, but there would always be at least one in each location in 3W.

There were never any outside 3W. They did not seem overtly menacing. However, I did not enjoy knowing about them or seeing them.

---

Given that I tend to fall asleep around 9:30 PM, I [that is me], would have been asleep in my room at this time. I personally saw shadows out of the corners of my eyes at times, but did not see anything definitive until we were packing to move out. I was carrying a box full of junk to the dumpster and had to pass through the dining room, where I apparently interrupted a meeting of three shadows which quickly faded. Also, on the day we turned in the keys over to the landlord, we took one last look through the apartment and could hear faint whispers.

I did not bother to investigate this since we were moving out, but I wonder if they were evil? My brother reports he never felt threatened by them, but they might have just been an advanced scouting party?

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

Cherubim (14 stories) (245 posts)
+3
5 years ago (2019-12-12)
Fascinating! I wonder why they stay there? If I saw anything like that I would pack and leave. Since you are alright now I'd say they probably weren't evil. Glad you and your brother are okay.
Mimi81 (203 posts)
+2
9 years ago (2015-11-28)
RCRuskin, I guess you and your brother's experience proved the old saying about being careful about what you wish for.
CreepyBattenberg (1 stories) (26 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-24)
Hi again RC, thank you for your consideration. Here is the link for my latest episode of Scary True Tales. You will find links to other content on my channel there.
Https://youtu.be/nuW-eq21vYU
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-23)
Mimi and Tweed:

I don't recall the ghosts being present the entire time we lived in that unit. I do remember annoying neighbors the entire time, however. Like the neighbors in 3E who got evicted within two weeks of their moving in, and my brother and I did not complain about them.

We began to notice the ghosts around Halloween after we watched some spooky shows and joked about how interesting it would be to live in a haunted house.

If the spirits were tied to the location somehow, perhaps they felt that was permission to make their presence known.
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-23)
Battenberg, let me discuss it with my brother, please, and I will get back to you.

Also, may I have a link to your channel? Thanks.
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
+2
9 years ago (2015-11-23)
Shadow, I'd be happy to read your story, as soon as I can find it. Do you have a link since it does not seem to be on your profile. Thanks.
shadow5 (1 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-22)
Hi RC I had a similar happening. Read my story whistle? Please help me! 😕
CreepyBattenberg (1 stories) (26 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-22)
Hi RC! Thats a really awesome story! Even though you say that the entities were not menacing it still must have been a very creepy experience for you and your brother.

Its a fascinating story and with your permission I would like to use it on my you tube series Scary True Tales. If this is permissable you can either reply to me on here or send me an e mail on marzipanhorror23 [at] gmail.com.

Thank you for sharing your story!
Tweed (36 stories) (2529 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-20)
Hi RC,

Since nothing bad happened while you were there, or since, I'd guess the title of your experience sums up pretty much who these ghosts were. It might sound lame, but there are times when ghostly presences are just 'there'. It's not always linked to the people sensing them. Most likely they were linked to the location, in this in case. The whispering you heard was probably idle gossip about you moving. It sounds like they were maybe comfortable with you.

Thanks for sharing.
Mimi81 (203 posts)
+2
9 years ago (2015-11-19)
You and your brother had some unique experiences. The phrase "interrupting a meeting" really caught my attention. It's most disquieting to think of shadow people collaborating.

Thank you for sharing.
RCRuskin (9 stories) (847 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-19)
Lady-glow, no. This event has not been a factor in my life since, although my brother has reported some events in his work that may or may not be related to this.

There was another event I experienced that has affected my life. Although it was claimed spirits of some kind were present, my investigation and subsequent events revealed they were not the problem. I am pondering sharing that event, but since ghosts were not involved, not sure if it would be accepted or not.
lady-glow (16 stories) (3186 posts)
+1
9 years ago (2015-11-18)
Well, all this happened almost twenty years ago... Have you been affected in any way by the memory of these events? If the answer is no, I guess the best thing to do is to put the past to rest and move on with your life.

Thanks for sharing.

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