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A Rather Strange Company

 

This is a story where two have been combined. My own experience, which I only came to realise was out of the 'normal' because my grandmother mentioned (the second story) there was more to it. Therefore this story will be longer than the others have been, but I hope you'll enjoy it nevertheless.

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A small, modest, old village right in the heart of Norway, Heidal. That's where I'm from. As a fourteen year old girl it is safe to say there wasn't much to do. I'd either watch tv, climb a tree, build a tree house, visit friends whenever I could, or go for a walk. I didn't have much in the ways of technology so I found my fun in better ways. Like walking. The last of which I did several times a week.

My walks were my favorite thing to do. It got me away from my brothers as I was the only girl, I could have some me-time. I'd walk along the road, carry my discman in my belt and sing along to the only cd I had. I didn't even have to worry about someone hearing my awful voice because if someone else did turn up, they'd either be in a car, or I'd see them come walking long before we'd be close enough to greet each other, therefore giving me time to shut up.

It was a lovely day in July. The sun was hot, the breeze was mild, the skies were blue and clouds barely existed. I reckon it was the good weather in combination with Shania Twains beautiful voice that made me daydream and suddenly realize how far I'd gone.

Luckily I realized this just before the scarier part of the road began. There were trees on either side, and from that point on the woods were thicker, darker, people would be even rarer, and my great grandfather once encountered a scary animal there. I can't remember if it was a wolf or some other animal, but the forest is no longer its home.

I never walked alone once I got to that point.

It wasn't so much the woods as it was what could be hiding in them. I remember standing there with my music turned off, just staring down the road, imagining wolfes and bears. I turned around, picked up my pace and soon found myself on more safer grounds again.

" From this moment, life will go on " Shania sang in my ears as I drifted into daydreaming, again barely noticing my pace or where I was. Pretty soon I started singing too. I could hear myself through my earphones, and I remember thanking the heavens that there were no people around to hear me.

On repeat I sang that one song to myself. The more I sang it, the better I felt I got, and thereby ofcourse I made an attempt to sound better too, including volume. After a good while of walking, the sun was still hot, the breeze still mild, the day still beautiful, but I began feeling like I wasn't alone anymore.

The hairs on my neck began standing up, and through all the peace and birdsongs, I started feeling uneasy. So I did what anyone would do. I glanced back, quickly and discreetly looked over my shoulder.

About a good 20 meters behind me, there walked a man, clearly of an older generation. I remember this so vividly because his entire appearance struck me as oldfashioned. Never had I seen him before either. Not in the grocery store, not at the gas station, not at the diner, and I sure as hell had never seen him on that road before. As I walked that same road almost every day, I should've met him a long time ago, but I had never seen him.

He was bald on top of the head, yet had a very white, long beard. It reached him almost to his chest. He had a white sweater, suspenders, dark grey and old pants, and black, worn shoes. He walked slightly bent forward with his hands folded behind his back, and from what I could tell he had his eyes on the road, not me.

But this did not make me feel any better. I felt so embarrassed! I had been singing so loudly and really pretended that I was Shania Twain, and I knew that whilst I could hear myself, I could also hear the music, whereas this old man who must have been walking behind me for some time, could only hear... Me. Just me and the birds. This was excactly the kind of thing I never thought would happen, and now it had. The only reassurance I had, was the fact that I could see my driveway now. It wasn't far ahead.

Without singing another note, I picked up my pace yet I made sure not to look as though I was in a hurry in any way. The last thing I wanted now was to be 'outed' as a runner or a chicken by an old man. After having walked for a bit, I couldn't help myself but to glance back over my shoulder at him, once more to see how much space I had managed to create between us.

Perhaps it was only my imagination, or this guy played a game on me, but I had surely walked faster, and his pace had not changed at all, yet somehow the distance was still the same. I turned around and kept walking until I reached my driveway. A few meters down my driveway, I glanced back up towards the road. I could still see far down each side of it, but what made me stop was the fact that the old man was no longer there.

Somewhat hesitantly, and overly curious as to how this could be, I took a few steps up towards the road again, to see if perhaps he had turned around and walked on the other side of the road, where the trees previously had blocked my view. But no matter the direction I looked, he was nowhere to be seen. I imagined that he must have jumped behind a bush to spy at me, or he was really fast for being so old.

I didn't wait around to see if he showed up again. Instead I went down the road and back home. I told my grandmother about how I was singing and some old guy had heard me. About how embarressed I was.

I was seated in an old, brown leather chair in my grandmothers livingroom, when I told her about it. Everything from the singing, the uneasy feeling, the man and his appearance and how he was gone all of a sudden.

The more I spoke of this experience, the more she seemed to find it special.

It was as though my grandmother wanted to comfort me, and she tried to do so by telling me that I was not the first to tell her about this man. She had heard a similar story, many, many, many years previously.

I could feel my face twist into a horror expression. Sure, I'd seen spirits and dealt with them before, but this time was so very different! This time I had no way of telling him apart from the living. I truly believed it was one of the elders of our village that I had never met before, and one of the reasons I told my grandmother at all about it, was because I thought she could tell me who it was.

" My father once saw him too. " She said. I was ofcourse instantly eager to hear more, as always. This was one of her stories that I had not heard before.

When my grandmother was a young girl like myself, they lived up in her old childhood home, which lies beyond the ' scarier part of the road' as I mentioned at the beginning of the story.

Her father often walked when going to the grocey store or had other errands to do, as they did not have cars. " It was during winter." She said. Her father was walking home one late evening, about the time it got darker outside. Whilst walking, at some point on the road, just as it had with me, he noticed that he wasn't alone.

His company however, was infront of him. She said her father saw an old man walking slowly, dragging a slay behind him. " There were no homes for a good while yet, so this stranger and my father would be sharing the road, and he thought they might as well keep each other company. " Grandmother told me.

By this point I had nearly forgotten how we got into this subject, I was busy imagining everything she said.

Her father had spoken up, and asked the old the man if they could walk together, but the old man did not turn around, did not answer, he did not stop. So her father had picked up his pace alittle, and spoke louder, repeating his question. Still with no responce.

He didn't give up, and for each time he spoke up, he picked up his pace, trying to get closer to insure the old man would hear him. It would have been nice with company. But as I had experienced as well, it did not matter how quickly my great grandfather had walked, for the old mans pace remained the same, and so did the distance between them. Eventually great grandfather gave up and walked the rest of his journey home, staring at the old mans back in quiet.

The latter continued along the road past great grandfathers home, and he could see the old man slowly vanishing into the dark the further away he got, until he was completely gone. " He thought it was strange, but he didn't think of it or tell any of us about it, until the next morning. " Grandmother said.

Apparantly, he had gone out the next morning. There had been no snowfall during the night, and when he walked up to the road he could clearly see his own footsteps from the previous night. But it wasn't so much what was there, as what was not. The tracks of the old mans boots and his slay, were nowhere to be seen.

I have walked that road plenty of times after, and when using a bicycle I have felt brave enough to venture further than where my walks would stop. Into the scarier parts of the road, and all the way up to where my grandmothers childhood home used to be. (Relatives live there now, in new houses and a little higher up the field from where her old torn down home once laid). I'd stop and look, imagine all the stories grandmother has told me about the things she and her family experienced there. It's hard to believe that something so wicked and strange could occur at places so beautiful and seemingly peaceful.

Sanguirina.

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

Aaru275 (4 stories) (55 posts)
 
7 years ago (2017-10-14)
Nice story. I think the old man might be your family's guardian angel.
matrix899 (1 stories) (67 posts)
 
7 years ago (2017-10-05)
Sanguirina,

I hope you are still monitoring these comments, because I have a question about your sighting.

Did you observe the way the spirit of the old man moved?
Were the movements similar to that of a living human walking? Movements of the legs, head, hands etc.

If you want to know why I am asking this you should read my own account here on this site titled: "Woman at the cemetery"

Thanks.
rookdygin (24 stories) (4458 posts)
 
7 years ago (2017-10-04)
Sounds residual to me...HOWEVER...can a residual 'haunting' change to fit the seasons?

For Great Grandpa he was dressed for winter and pulling a sled... Grandma described about the same as the O/P.

Makes you wonder.

Respectfully,

Rook
Gayatrishiva (3 stories) (121 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-10-03)
This story is very nice I think it's not a wicked spirit I guess it might be a forest spirit or protector spirit as we call it in india which dwells on trees, forest etc and it guides people usually when someone is afraid or in present moment one can see them showing the way or as in this above case just being with them until the end of that road nor stretch... These spirits also show their affection towards people who love nature... Anyways it's an awesome story.
AugustaM (7 stories) (996 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-10-02)
I am glad that matrix899 brought it up and to find that you didn't think the old gentleman was wicked - I didn't get that impression either:-) As your grandfather saw him too and as he seems to change his clothing with the seasons... Perhaps he is not residual. Maybe he is a spirit of the forest - meaning no harm to any person but not wishing to interact with them either. Or perhaps a time slip... But I am leaning towards woodland spirit. I get a rather good feeling about the old fellow:-)

I love that both you and your grandfather saw him giving you an experience you can share with a relative you were never able to know in life. I have a few little experiences like that with my grandparents who passed when I was about 5 and I know how wonderful and special those little things can be ❤

Your home town sounds positively charming and I truly hope my travels take me that way one day.
matrix899 (1 stories) (67 posts)
 
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Hi Sanguirina,

The account I referred to is described by Violet Tweedale (1862-1936) in her book:
"Ghosts I have seen: and other psychic experiences". I assume it is okay to mention this book here since you asked the question.

You will find a copy of the book if you google the title. If I can help let me know; and thanks again for sharing your experience.

Matrix
Sanguirina (7 stories) (19 posts)
 
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Matrix899 - Is this account you speak of to be found on this site? I would very much like to read it. ^^
The 'wicked' I referred to was not about this particular account, but to the strange happenings that occured at my grandmothers childhood home.
Regards,
Sanguirina
matrix899 (1 stories) (67 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Sanguirina, Thank you for sharing this experience.

The detail about not being able to close the distance, experienced by both you and your grandfather, is an interesting detail that I have seen only once in another account.

In that account of a daytime encounter with an apparition, the lady was aware of what she was seeing, and actually started running in an attempt to close the distance, but she found that she could not get any closer, in spite of the efforts to close the gap.

One more detail to puzzle over in the strange world of the paranormal.

At the end of your account you say: "It's hard to believe that something so wicked and strange could occur at places so beautiful and seemingly peaceful."

I realize there may be cultural differences in the use of words, but judging from your account, I would suggest that there was nothing "wicked" about this sighting and experience. I guess it is human to be frightened by something unknown and misunderstood.

Thanks again for sharing your experience.
Melda (10 stories) (1363 posts)
 
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Sanguirina - I don't believe that residual spirits change, however I would like to hear some other opinions regarding that.

Regards, Melda
Sanguirina (7 stories) (19 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Lady-Glow - Perhaps he is. I do not think he wishes any harm, no. If he did i'm sure he would have made me feel more than just embarrassment, and i'm pretty sure he wasn't aiming for that either, hah.

Melda - I never had the pleasure of meeting my great-grandfather, so in a way I like to think of our similar experiences as one tiny little thing we had in common. Perhaps this spirit was residual, yet I wonder if residual spirits change? Considering he had no slay when I encountered him. Hmm, penny for your thoughts?

Jubeele - If you do visit Heidal, make sure to spend a night up in the mountains. Such peace is good for mind and soul. Favorite place on earth to me!
Never thought about that before! It is an idea i'll take with open arms, anything which can offer some answers. ^^
Never underestemate the acoustics in a bathroom! Haha
Thank you!❤

L_Melb - The town stretches along the river, and is certainly a place where everybody knows everybody (and thinks they know everything too at times). Unfamiliar faces do get noticed fairly quick, if they're not there as tourists that is. The river is known to be perfect for rafting.

Thank you all for reading, and for your feedback! It is much appreciated!^^

Sanguirina.
L_Melb (220 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Another enjoyable read 😊
I was wondering how big the town is. Is it the sort of place where everyone knows everyone? How likely is it to have a stranger out on that road?
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Jubeele (26 stories) (899 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-10-01)
Now I really want to come visit Heidal... I wonder if he followed you to make sure you got home safely? As for your grandfather, maybe he was leading the way to see him home? After all, he vanished when you reached home and didn't follow either of you inside.

I remember singing along to songs on my Discman and stopping whenever anyone came along too: "Man! I feel like a woman!" Nowadays, I'm a shower diva - great acoustics in the bathroom. 😆 Enjoyed all your stories. Thanks!❤
Melda (10 stories) (1363 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-09-30)
Sanguirina - What a very interesting experience, for you and your great-grandfather.

It seems that the man was totally unaware of your presence, so it sounds like a typically residual event to me.

Regards, Melda
lady-glow (16 stories) (3197 posts)
+1
7 years ago (2017-09-30)
Perhaps he's an old dweller of the beautiful forest that still enjoys a peaceful stroll?

I imagine how unnerving this encounter was but, in my opinion, the old man (spirit) didn't mean any harm.

Thanks for sharing this nicely written experience.

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