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The Hooded Specter

 

My friend and I love to go on long walks, to be outside, and we also love to try to communicate with spirits. So when we saw the opportunity to do both, we jumped on it.

It was a place that we went to rather frequently when we were in high school. We always felt this odd pull to this place, and always talked about going back just to see if the feeling was still there.

When we heard people having some odd occurrences at the site, it was our final little push out the door. We got in my car, with a few things for our trip: a camera, a recorder, some flashlights, and drove across town to The First Bride's grave.

As soon as we parked the car we immediately felt that pull. Because we got there so early we walked through the area like old times, even climbed one the trees that seemed to call out to us.

We did this for hours. My friend got tired so she lay down on the ground. Still too energized to accompany her I climbed one of the hills and started to take some pictures. For some reason I glanced back and saw a male standing back in the trees. He was wearing all black and had the hood of his sweater pulled up so I couldn't see his face, but somehow I knew he was about our age.

I looked back down at Amaya and then over where I had seen the guy but he was gone.

So I just shrugged it off and carefully climbed back down the hill to where my non biological sister still lay. I didn't tell her about the guy I had seen, I just figured I hadn't seen correctly.

Soon our play area was becoming dark, so we took out our flashlights and left the recorder turned on on the picnic table before once again roaming.

I distinctly remember the feeling of being watched, which is the norm, but it wasn't the same person, this was by someone else.

No matter where we walked we could hear twigs snap up in the trees next to us. Coming back down a little slope our feet slipped on the loose dirt, making us laugh and causing some of the tension to dissipate.

From there we grabbed the recorder and headed up the steep hill towards the actual grave. For those of you that have never been there, it is a b*tch to get to the top. The hill is very steep, and it's quite some time before you get to there.

Finally making it to the top we turned right down the path, feeling a slight presence.

We stayed for some time, asking questions and just talking in general, but nothing happened. We decided to call it a night and head back down the hill.

As I've mentioned before, this was not our first time to The First Bride's Grave, and it was not the first time that we had climbed that steep slope at night, but somehow, we were lost.

Confusion set in pretty quickly as we glanced around at our surroundings, though this is on the hillside swarmed with trees, we could tell we had been turned around.

We had went down the same paths we had come up on, the same ones we always took whenever we went there, yet we were in the middle of the woods with our sense of direction spiraling out of control.

We're not ones to be deterred simply because we had gotten lost in some way or another, but for some reason we became nervous, even slightly intimidated.

I couldn't, for the life of me understand why we would feel intimidated because we were lost, we always found our way out of situations like this before with no problem, but then I saw them.

People peaking out from behind trees, watching us.

Amaya and I glanced at each other with the same question in mind: Do you see them?

With a frightened nod we looked back around, knowing they were still there but no longer able to see them. They had hidden themselves in the darkness.

What should have been a short walk back to the open field below, took an hour. An agonizingly long hour of being watched.

No matter how far we went they were there, peaking around the trees before slipping back into the darkness.

A couple of times we could feel them right behind us, feel them practically pressing into our backs. We never looked back, just pretended nothing was happening.

Once we finally reached those crumpled old stairs down to the opening a slight smile graced our lips, until we felt arms around our legs.

However, it wasn't malicious, almost calming.

These weren't the same as the spirits still watching us, these were children.

We slowly pulled ourselves away, not looking back until we were safely in my car.

With a sigh we went back to my house and sat on my bed, covered in a blanket and began to talk about our experience.

Taking out her phone Amaya clicked on an app we liked to play with every once in a while, just a silly ghost radar.

Obviously we know that it's fake, but that night, it had some very odd coincidences.

At around two thirty in the morning Amaya left to head home.

Not even five minutes after she had left she called me.

She explained to me that once she was on the main road, I live out in the trees a ways out on some dirt roads, she had to slam on her brakes because someone had ran out in front of her car.

She explained in detail what the guy had looked like, a guy about our age wearing all black, his hood up to keep anyone from seeing his face.

And he was running towards the cemetery, which isn't even a block from my house.

I was shocked. I had to recall whether or not I had told her about the man I had seen at the grave, but I already knew I didn't.

That night we did some research on The First Bride's Grave, hoping to understand why there was a man in all black showing himself, but there was nothing.

The only thing we found was that we weren't the only ones to suddenly get lost while trying to leave.

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

shelbyloree (5 stories) (285 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2017-03-11)
Sounds like you got tripped up in fairy country or something along those lines?

Reminds me of when I lived by the San Francisco Peaks - every time I went up there, there seemed to be things peeking around the trees. Only later did I find out the peaks used to be where the Hopi buried their dead (closer to heaven kind of thing). All I know was it was always spooky.

Sounds like some nights there is some funky energy at that graveyard, and the boy could have been the bookends of the experience. As soon as you see him, disorientation. The second time all goes back to normal.

As for the possible erotica element, if those folk want to be seen, they'd probably want to be heard as well?! You would have heard more than the wind I would assume. But you never know.
KymEChimera (1 stories) (3 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2017-03-10)
Tweed
I have heard of dogging, I'm not quite sure if it happens here. There were no other cars in the parking lot, but obviously that doesn't mean much if they're trying to hide what they're doing.
The thing with the scouts is that there were no footsteps, or sounds, plus there were many. I would think for something like that maybe there would only be a couple? I'm not sure though. I hope to never find myself in a situation where I would run into something like that! 😜
KymEChimera (1 stories) (3 posts)
 
8 years ago (2017-03-10)
Melda
We did not know all of the factual information before we went, we went due to the stories we heard while growing up. It wasn't until after we left that we read up on it.
There are small legends on it that we'll hear here and there. About how the grave seems to move, that the bride is still there, just the normal legends that seem to go with most gravesites.
We were quite scared, but luckily made it through!
We're thinking maybe it's a guardian, we both know that we have one we've just never seen them.
KymEChimera (1 stories) (3 posts)
+2
8 years ago (2017-03-10)
Lady-glow
The only thing we caught on that recording was what sounded like a breathy laugh, but since we were outside we ruled it out as the wind. The pictures were normal orb manifestations, nothing too terribly out of place. Unfortunately this happened about two years ago, so I don't remember what the app had said.
My house and the cemetery are quite some distance from First Bride's. It's about a twenty to twenty five minute drive away if you take the interstate.
I've read of one other person getting lost in the woods there.
I've actually read that article! That was one of our pushes to go back. The other path he took towards the other side of the site leads towards a creek.
My friend and I should be going back soon, since the weather will be getting nicer. If anything happens, I'll be sure to post it!
AugustaM (7 stories) (996 posts)
+2
8 years ago (2017-03-10)
Hmmmm exhibitionist spectacular or paranormal? *giggle* It's not often those two get thrown together!

I don't know... I feel like a bunch of randy adults out in the woods for a cheap thrill would be unlikely to have access to cameras sophisticated enough to capture their romp in low to no light. From what information I can find on the subculture (googlers be ware!), a big part of the thrill is being seen... And dusky to dark woods certainly would make that difficult. If it really was a bunch of 'doggers' I feel like you would have seen more flash lights or lights from cell phone video cameras.

At this point I honestly can't make out what was paranormal from what may not have been - to be sure you certainly experienced a very unusual evening on that mountain! I tend to lean towards at very least part of it being paranormal - especially the guiding spirits:)
Melda (10 stories) (1363 posts)
+2
8 years ago (2017-03-09)
Tweed - That is absolutely atrocious, I have never heard of such a thing! I don't know why I'm so shocked, thought that humans had lost the ability to shock me 😲!

Kym - did what Tweed mentioned ever occur to you? I am at a loss for words, which is quite rare for me.

Regards, Melda
prashantkumar (17 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2017-03-09)
Good story it is, is that a spirit of a dead who onced lived in the black hooded attire or something to do with the look with the entity.
roylynx (guest)
+1
8 years ago (2017-03-09)
Senhora Tweed, I had grins on my face after realizing that its "dogging" that you were saying in your comment and not...err... Sorry bad English, I do not think what I was going to say is appropriate after all lol

Like Melda I had checked Senhora Lady-glow's link too. What a beautiful legend!

It took a while for me to remember that people especially going to mountainous places temp to get lost easier than normal place, but I remembered from my experience that me and my sister once had been "escorted" by some unknown force and got lost even in a small park.

About the man you guys saw, is it kind of like a "shadow people"? Like an active shadow without a "body" just shadow like figure. I wish you can share some pictures if possible;)

E.Lynx
Tweed (36 stories) (2529 posts)
+3
8 years ago (2017-03-09)
Hi there Kym,

Ummm I don't know how to say this without it sounding rude or troll-ish. It's not supposed to sound bad, but it's a possibility I think should be ruled out.

I don't know what this is called in America, or if it even happens there, but we have this subculture (and goodness only knows why people do this, but each to their own I suppose) it's called 'dogging'. It's an adult pass time, which involves 'sex acts' in front of onlookers, out in nature.😐 'Spectators' video and upload it.😐 It's all rather seedy and sad in my opinion, but there you go.

Anyway, I can imagine this subculture might use a location like that, and have a few 'scouts' to watch out for members of the public, or park rangers.

If you go into the woods today you're in for a big surprise. 😲

I like the idea that you were escorted back to your car by an unknown force. But the rest I'm a bit skeptical about because of the stupid dogging subculture.
Melda (10 stories) (1363 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2017-03-09)
KymEChimera - I was about to ask you about the history of the First Bride but then read lady-glow's link, so I have the answer to that. You said that later you did some research but did you know the correct facts at the time of your visit?

Is there a legend that over the years has developed around the First Bride's grave? I'm simply curious about that as legends tend to stray rather far from the truth and can be very interesting on their own. Legends fascinate me!

I would have been terrified out of my wits, especially at night, if I lost my way and experienced all those faces peering at me. Fortunately you had a warm welcome back from what you took to be children!

Possibly the hooded figure was some sort of guardian just checking on the two of you but why your friend/sister saw him on the highway heading to the cemetery is another mystery. Perhaps two separate entities? Very interesting.

Regards, Melda
lady-glow (16 stories) (3193 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2017-03-08)
Did you capture any sounds in the recording? Did you take any pictures showing anything abnormal?
What did you get while using the app?
How far are your house and the cemetery from 'The First Bride's Grave'?

"When we heard people having some odd occurrences at the site, it was our final little push out the door..."
Do you know if other people experienced the same as you?

I read the following link about someone having a paranormal experience in that place, though it is very different to yours. Do you know if this resembles what you heard people talking about?
Https://paranormalpodcast.wordpress.com/tag/first-brides-grave/

Anyway, you girls sure had an unnerving experience. I hope you can answer my questions and add more information about it in the comments section.

Thanks for sharing.

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