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More Than Just A Shadow Man

 

I've been reading stories on here since I was around 12 and have finally decided to post a few of my own.

I guess I should start with some introductions: You can call me Ally, although that's not my real name. I'm an Empath, and I've had a lot of supernatural experiences, some of which I don't understand (as is the case with the one I'm about to share). I thought I should start with this one because A) I'm still confused, and B) It's the least personal.

So this all started around 2013. At first I wasn't concerned because I'm very used to seeing shadow people, and that's all it looked like. Every night, as soon as I got in bed, it was there, standing in my doorway, watching me. It stood around six feet tall, and was darker than the darkness itself, if that makes sense. He didn't have a face, at least as far as I could tell, but somehow his expression felt angry. He didn't move much, except for occasionally stepping forward or back, and I may have been imagining things, but it looked like he was breathing. It made me uncomfortable, so I tried closing the door (even though it gets extremely hot in my room with the door closed) but when I turned around he had moved across the room to stand in the corner by my closet, so I gave up and let him be.

This went on for about a year when I noticed things starting to change. For one thing, he moved more. A lot more. He would stand at his usual post for awhile and then he would walk closer, until he was at the foot of my bed. Sometimes he would even put his hands on my bed, which needless to say nearly made me jump out of bed. I would roll over to avoid looking at him and he would immediately run across the room and stand by the closet. Another thing that changed was this intense feeling of dread. It felt as if I was a mouse and he was a cat playing with his food. I couldn't sleep. It got to the point where I was paranoid during the day, whether that was caused by him or the lack of sleep, I'm not sure.

It was driving me crazy and I wanted to know why. So I called my best friend over for a sleepover (let's call her Anne) and made a ouija board (yes, I know, I would be the first person to die in a horror movie). We decided to use her necklace as a planchette (Note: this necklace was heavy and flat so there's no way for it to roll or lift up on its own), and we both held on to the end of the chain, leaving enough slack so as to not accidentally move it ourselves. 10 maybe 15 minutes of asking questions and nothing happened. I began to think maybe I was just being stupid and it really was just another shadow person. We gave up after another 5 minutes and let go of the chain. Not a minute after it began to fall off the stool we had placed the board on, but instead of hitting the ground, it slid itself back onto the board and started to spin. After what felt like hours (probably just a minute) of stunned silence I couldn't think of anything to say but a joking "Probably just the wind haha...".

Anne wouldn't pick it up again after that but I was determined to get an explanation from this thing if it killed me. It refused to speak coherently with the ouija board (or maybe it couldn't?), only saying a few random words including "hex", "stew", and "toenail". Trying to think of ways those words could be put together in a sentence may just be more disturbing than the actual experience. But anyway, since I couldn't get it to work with the ouija board, even when I put my hand on the pendant instead of the chain, I decided to try something like automatic writing instead. I turned off auto correct and put the board over the keyboard of my computer, making 1 yes and = no. Then I closed my eyes, tied the chain around my hands without the pendant, and asked what he wanted. Whichever way I felt the end of the chain swing, I followed and typed a letter. Anne was watching curiously from the other side of the room but not daring to come closer. When I opened my eyes however, she asked what had been typed and I told her it would be better if she read it herself. Mostly because I didn't want to read it out loud. It flirted with her, calling her words I'd rather not repeat on this site. It used her name. Angry, I asked it what it wanted from me. It responded by cussing me out and telling me to give the board to Anne. I compromised by asking her to read while I typed. I again closed my eyes and started typing but promptly opened them when I heard my friend gasp. I read what was said and my mouth fell open. He had threatened to decapitate her crush (by name) with a rusty fork. We had not talked about him once since she had been over nor had his name ever been typed on that computer.

Now thoroughly disturbed I decided to ask one more question before saying goodbye: What is your name? He answered immediately "Griffin Goodbadive". This answer was dripping with so much sarcasm I could feel it. Griffin was the name of an imaginary foe I had made up when I was little. He was a cartoonish, one foot tall hunter that I would pretend had captured my stuffed animals and have my other toys "rescue". But I decided not to push any further and said goodbye.

Strange things happened for the next couple days, but he no longer stood by my bed at night.

Anne said she saw a skull in the mirror that night when we went to bed. I looked and I did see a faint glowing spot but not the skull.

The next day after she left a (different) necklace flew off my dresser and nearly hit me in the head. My closet door slammed on my leg. I finally learned a few cleansing rituals and used them. I even did an exorcism for good measure.

Haven't really had any problems with him since but the question still stands: Who or what was he? Was he a demon? Poltergeist? My house is new but it is on top of an abandoned coal mine. Please tell me what you think.

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

priya- (1 stories) (19 posts)
+1
5 years ago (2019-02-27)
I enjoyed comments more than story itself, specially last salad specific reply by lady_glow 😊
So far, I understood importance of proofreading, detailed and clean post writting.
Hope author and her friend both are fine and unfriendly entity is gone.
Pink496 (guest)
+1
6 years ago (2018-07-10)
Hey I enjoyed reading your story! I am fascinated by shadow people so it was great to read your story. I wish you all the best!😊
Pink496
lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-04-01)
Alvara_Jane:

In case you ever come back to your story and, since you promised to describe your automatic reading session in a "tomorrow" that hasn't
come after FOUR weeks...I'd really like to try your method to communicate with the spirits of an onion and a tomato whom, I'm afraid, are haunting my chopping board after I killed them to prepare a salad.

I have washed the chopping board with holy water, have covered it with salt and even cleansed it with rook's method but... NOTHING has changed.

Please help! I want to help the little spirits to cross over and to be happy at the other side of the veil. 😭
Darkangel73 (4 stories) (127 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-03-09)
Ok!I had an experience with a shadow person, it's not fun. But like one of the members said, research that area with the coal mine. Mr Shadow Man may be related to the land.
Anno_Domini (3 stories) (167 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-03-05)
After all that talk about proofreading... The correct spelling is "PRIEST"! 😭
Anno_Domini (3 stories) (167 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-03-05)
Hi Alvara_Jane, I would like to weigh in on this story too. I am a Christian, but I mirror Integrist, lady-glow & valkricry's view that you shouldn't be casting out spirits at 13 (or even in your teens for that matter). Demons have been around since the formation of the universe, and it takes a certain level of maturity and persistence (and faith in God on the part of the afflicted I might add) to truly cast them out. IMHO the purpose of what they taught you at church camp might have been (reiterating AugustaM's opinion) to introduce to you the concept of the power of the Lord's name, not necessarily as a crash course in exorcisms.

I don't mean this with disrespect, but most of us here are older and have the benefit of life experience. In your teens, the spiritual world may seem intriguing and wonderful, and you embrace your abilities as an 'empath'. How this works in my view (and there are actually accounts of people who have realised this) is that (a) demon (s) has deceived you into thinking you have such an ability, planting thoughts in your head, etc. The evidence is in their knowing of your imaginary childhood character. They can even keep up the deception for decades, and their goal is to draw you closer to them and further from God.

My suggestion would be for you to refrain from these paranormal pursuits and enjoy your time as a teenager (I'm pretty sure many of us would give and arm and a leg just to experience those years again 😆), and if these entities continue to bother you, or if things escalate, please consult with a pastor or a priest, they may be able to help you.

Cool fact: Many Catholic preists don't necessarily believe that Latin is a more effective language for exorcisms, but they still use it because they don't want the afflicted to understand what they are praying, as it might influence the behaviour of the afflicted. For example, if someone sees a preist and the preist isn't sure if it's a true case of posession, the preist might recite a general exorcism prayer in latin to see if there are any adverse reactions. If the 'victim' can understood the prayer, they might very well take that as a confirmation that they're possessed and behave likewise.
Integrist (83 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-04)
Interesting story to say the least. With regard to exorcisms, I know that protestant groups don't really have any codified rules unlike Apostolic Churches (Catholic, Eastern & Oriental Orthodox).

What I did want to point out is that simply using the Lord's Name is not sufficient. We have the example in Acts 19 of this not going very well, because the demon did not recognize the authority of the person using the Lord's Name. Generally speaking for Apostolic Churches, major exorcisms are restricted to those with the ecclesial authority to do so. And these are undertaken in cases of confirmed possessions.

This case, however, seems to be one of diabolical infestation and/or oppression.
LuciaJacinta (8 stories) (291 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-03-02)
Interesting story. I'm not sure why there is question as to why you could do an exorcism at 13. If you can participate in a Ouija board session then you can do an exorcism.

I chose to participate in a Ouija board session also at 13, I regret that now and feel it caused more problems than it solved. I had some understanding of the spirit world and knew I could do an exorcism but I'm sure I was too scared to do one. I did know to use the name of Jesus if I was in trouble in the spirit world.

The name seems troubling to me, Griffin Goodbadive. Griffin... Ok he's been watching you since you were small? Were you aware of the shadow when you were playing that game? The last name seems like a trick of some sort... Why is it that?

Would someone have put a curse on you using your toenail in a stew?

I would also refrain from putting too much emphasis on your own abilities as an "empath" to solve this situation. I'm not trying to put you down in any way, just looking out for your safety. You may have some abilities, but this shadow man has obviously been there for quite some time and knows you very well, including the friends you have and their names. You don't know "his" abilities as well or his true name or what he is capable of. I would definitely be wary. I would pray protection around you. Do whatever methods you believe in that will urge this shadow to move away from you. Take care.
Maelstrom (23 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-03-02)
Alvara...as Christians, we hear and see a lot of good and evil. Backing up our beliefs by reading the Bible is essential. You did right. Banishment by using the name of Jesus is a form of exorcism and cleansing. Not sure where sage and the such came from in history, but that works also. I look forward to reading your other stories.
valkricry (48 stories) (3257 posts) mod
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-02)
Alvara,
Truth be told, typos can be very sneaky. I know even on my own stuff, a few have ambushed me. It happens.😉
I agree, researching the mine may be key to discovering what you actually experienced. Pay close attention to the dates the mine was in operation and the when and why they closed the mine.
Personally, I do not believe that this particular shadow was a demon, and definitely not a poltergeist. Let's take the latter first. Poltergeist literally means 'noisy ghost'. Generally, they are more about action then appearances. Think temper tantrum, that's their calling card.
Now demons, were never alive to begin with, and are more powerful then an evil spirit, although folks confuse the two all the time.
The main differences, that I can think of off the top of my head, is that a demon never had a physical body (being one of Satan's fallen angels) and two, they can kill you. Their whole mission seems to be to seek and destroy. Demons can possess an individual, which means they can completely take over the person and make them do anything they want. They are extremely difficult to get rid of, and are not as prevalent as Hollywood and most folks like to think. In other words, just telling a demon to leave, would not be very likely to work.
An evil/bad spirit on the other hand, was not the nicest person when alive. Think of them as bullies. I believe in Scripture these are the 'unclean spirits' referred to. They like to generate fear because that is like 'food' to them, making them stronger. They can inflict pain, and even make a person sick. Evil spirits are often accompanied by a spontaneous feeling of tremendous dread, anxiety despair, or of constantly being watched. They too can manipulate a person into doing things, believing they're a 'friend' or someone they know. They are more apt to employ oppression than possession. But that isn't saying that they can't inhabit a person. You still need to be very cautious if you think you're dealing with one. The good news is they respond well to cleansing/blessings.
If indeed, your shadow person was the same as the one you used the OB with, then it sounds like a bad spirit. Not truly evil/strong enough to cause real damage, but certainly not nice at all.
BeautInside (3 stories) (326 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-02)
Hi Alvara_Jane,

I'm happy to know that you came back to the topic, and by replying and given it a second chance makes believe that what you experienced is real.

What makes me wonder is the Exorcism part, I know that if you have a strong faith you could send an evil entity away. But, in my opinion, the Exorcism Prayer- as mentioned by Val- is very important too but for me it takes deeper knowledge (don't get me wrong). So I believe you casted away (that's the actual term I'd like to use) an evil entity but hoping you won't mind I'll have to leave a question mark on Exorcism. Still, it's good to know that you succeeded. 😉 Also, if you could make the questions lady_glow pointed out a bit clear I'd trully appreciate that!

To finish, I know that you're not trying to convert anyone 😉, it just reminded me about my former colleague and it made me wonder.
Take care and keep us posted if you find anything about the mine.

God bless. ❤
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-02)
[at] AugustaM thank you for taking us back to the actual topic of the story and the question I need answered. Yes, nearly all of my experiences are at home. I never thought about the water in the mine but that is a good point. I'll work on finding out more about the mine, I never gave it too much thought but when you put it like that it could be the reason for all the shadow people I see. Thank you for the information!
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-02)
[at] valkricry Thank you for being mature. I did proofread, over and over, I don't know how I missed it. And thank you for explaining it, you said it so much better than I did and definitely more calmly lol People like you make the world a better place ❤
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
[at] jubeele, don't worry, that was my first and last experiment with a OB lol
And Anne is fine, she was included in the cleansing rituals.
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
[at] beautInside, that's okay, I'm not here to convert anyone. Although my beliefs are nothing like the man's you describe I guess mine do appear just as bizarre from an outside view lol
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
Okay, I guess I should start with some apologies. Clearly I have shown ignorance towards others beliefs and I have made careless remarks that were rude and uncalled for, and for that, I apologize. I will try to do better in the future in researching the connotations of a word before I use it and will refrain from here on from expressing my views on other faiths and instead try to understand where they are coming from. [at] Dreyk, I know I don't deserve one, but I hope I can have a second chance. I would like to hear your questions.
[at] lady-glow, We are both very sarcastic people whether we mean to be or not. That does not give me an excuse to mock others beliefs, and I shouldn't have. I will try to clarify more on the OB thing tomorrow, but for now it's getting late.
AugustaM (7 stories) (996 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
Nothing wrong with a sincere gesture now and then;) lady-glow ❤ I am a girl from the South and I have shocked the shorts off of a New Yorker riding shotgun with me in Manhattan;) ha ha ha

And I agree with you that the method of the automatic writing sessions does, in all fairness, need a bit more explanation. I can't quite figure out the process either. Some things are tough to explain in words and I get that but I hope the OP will have the patience to get creative and find a way of clarifying the picture for us.
lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
"He (the devil) is tied up like a dog on a chain, and can only bite someone who, deathly sure of himself, goes near him. Wouldn't you think a man a fool who let himself be bitten by a chained up dog?"
Saint Augustine.

Though I understand the point of telling kids at church camp that they could banish a bothersome spirit just by faithfully naming God, I hope they were told, too, some ways to protect themselves and to be aware that there're situations in which it is better and safer to retreat and ask for help.

I would compare some hauntings to child molesters, some might walk away when facing a kid that fights back but some others won't be deterred at anything and might approach their victim acting in a deceiving way.

Alvara: I hope you realize the importance of proofreading a story before submission, I apologize if my comments came up like utter hostility but, by now, it must be easy to understand that a simple, and apparently, innocuous letter, can affect the whole image a reader forms in their mind about the events happening in a narrative.

Still, I can't make sense of your automatic writing session, either it's leaning to the far fetched side or I'm a rotten skeptic.
It would be helpful if you could provide more details like the length of the hanging loop of the chain, how far was your hand from the keyboard and if the chain was moving with a pendulum like oscillation or pulling your finger like an uneducated pooch dragging its master during a walk.
Is the keyboard a standard one?
The way I visualize it makes me wonder how could you decide what letter to press if, say, the chain was hanging from your right index finger (assuming you're right-handed, as most people are), and you felt a pull towards the left upper side of the KB, how did you know if the chain was pointing to the "Q" or the "W"?

Lastly, I have a total of ten fingers and, I'm afraid and ashamed to admit it but, the ones I used the most are the middle ones, specially while driving... I know... SHAME ON ME!
AugustaM (7 stories) (996 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
I am rather with valkricry on this one. If one's ability to get rid of paranormal baddies (be they demonic or otherwise) is dependent upon the level of one's belief, then few adults can ever believe in anything the way a child can. Though I wouldn't send a child of mine in to perform exorcisms (or spiritual banishment etc), I can possibly believe that a thirteen year old could manage the task - especially if we aren't dealing with the grand poobah of all demons or possibly even a demon at all. And I can absolutely see a kid taking the kernel of something mentioned at camp and running with it.
So, it worked - at very least, maybe she got lucky.

I do think the OP should research the mine. Mines often have rivulets of ground water running through them. We have discussed on this site before about the possibility of running water having some sort of paranormal effect - whether as a beacon, source of energy, conduit or signal booster. Many cultures also ascribe spiritual importance to caves - a mine constitutes a manmade cave but either way both are rents in the earth, perhaps both might possess some spiritual aspect. There are also cultures that believe that certain entities live in mines such as Kobolds and Knockers.

Personally, I think the defunct mine may have a significant role here. Where do most of your experiences occur? At home or elsewhere?
valkricry (48 stories) (3257 posts) mod
+4
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
Drey, never-ever allow comments to prevent you from asking a question, unless that question has been addressed by the comments. 😉

Alvara has stated, that the chain was only wrapped around one hand, the s in her story being a typo. Shows why PROOFREADING before you submit is important. So let's put that to rest, ok?
Next: the ability to exorcise an evil spirit at age 13, and whether you can learn that at a church camp.
I remember as a young child, perhaps 9 or 10, learning of Jesus casting evil spirits out by commanding them to leave, in Sunday School. (Where we also sometimes did arts and crafts, and other fun things.) I fail to understand why this could not also be covered at a church camp? The idea being, that if you have strong faith, then the 'impossible' becomes possible. But, then no one expected kids to interreact with demons, either.
What it doesn't cover is it also matters the strength of the demon and your ability to handle it. A possessed person might be restrained to prevent damage to themselves as well as those present. Or that a naive, untrained person could quite as easily become possessed by the same 'exorcised' demon. My understanding is your faith needs to waiver for this to happen, and that's where the reading of the Exorcism Prayer (usually said in Latin) comes into play.
We talk about asking/telling unwanted entities to leave all the time, we just don't say we exorcised it. But, technically, by definition we did. Face it, even the word conjurs up visions of Linda Blair type antics, and how many of us could stand up to something like that?
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
Alvara_Jane, lady-glow's eagle eyes picked up a typo on one of my accounts too. But it was good because she helped clarify things for others (plus I do need new glasses). 😲

About that OB, even if it was a makeshift one, I do hope you're really sure the session was properly closed and you safely got rid of it. I'm rather concerned about your friend, Anne. Is she alright? Since most of the hostility seemed to be directed at her, did you include her in the cleansing rituals as well?

A shadow person could be an entity just needing that extra energy to manifest. Not a good idea to "feed" it any more - it doesn't seem to be at all friendly. Please, no more experiments with OBs, ok? They only make things more complicated.

Why don't you research into the history of that coal mine instead? There might be some answers there for you.
BeautInside (3 stories) (326 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
Seems to me that there might some strange religions out there. I was going to make some observations but after reading the account I noticed that our lady_glow had already done that for me, so thank you. 😉

A former colleague of mine once told me that she had been married to a man that belonged to a religion (can't remember how it was called) where they believed that even mood swings or a depressed behaviour was due to the person being possessed by a demon. At the time I thought that she was ridiculously overreacting given her history of making-up surreal situations. Now after Reading this account and the explanation (s) of the OP makes me wonder if Alvara belongs to a similar religion and if there was a bit of truth in my former colleague's story.
If there are such religions- I don't intend to offend anyone, this is just my opinion- it's scary and it's very wrong.

God bless. ❤
Dreyk (9 stories) (27 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
Old priests with spray bottles? I'm assuming you're referring to Catholic priests using holy water during the Roman Rite of Exorcism? Never heard of them using spray bottles before. The story was interesting and I had some questions I was going to ask - until I saw the comments.
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-03-01)
You know what? I'm sorry. I know I suck at getting my point across, and maybe I didn't word everything right. All I wanted was some answers. I've been reading stories on here for years, and I finally got the confidence to post one of my own experiences because you all seemed so nice and ready to accept what most people won't. I'm sorry if I offended anyone with the whole exorcism thing, I get that other religions do things differently and other sects of Christianity have different interpretations of things and that's okay. But please, I didn't come here for a religious debate, I just want answers. I'm sorry that I've been a bit rude in the comments I just don't appreciate being called a liar over a typo and a religious belief.

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

lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-02-28)
There's a big difference between "teaching kids that God can protect you from demons" and telling kids that they can perform exorcisms.
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
-3
6 years ago (2018-02-28)
[at] lady-glow, Wow! You're totally right! I put an "s" at the end of the word hand by mistake. Absolutely discredits the whole experience. I should just delete the whole story, too many plot holes. And where did you get that the board was somehow balancing on my hands? I said it was over the keyboard. It was made of paper, I could type without taking it off the keyboard. As for how I knew it wasn't just me shaking, A) I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have came out in coherent sentences and B) you can tell the difference between a pull and a shake. And as for the chain dangling from my finger preventing me from typing...? Do you only have one finger? Did you lose the rest to a ghost?

And yes, you're right, a church camp teaching kids that God can protect you from demons is absolutely absurd. Obviously he only protects old priests with spray bottles, right? And I'm sorry but I didn't realize this was a forum for religious debate.
lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-02-28)
Oh, my... Times have changed... When I was a kid church camp was about playing games, making crafts, and reading some passages of the Bible... Nowadays it has borrowed some activities from Hogwarts School.
lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-02-28)
"...I closed my eyes, tied the chain around my hands... Whichever way I felt the end of the chain swing, I followed and typed a letter..."

"... My hands weren't tied together, the chain was wrapped around just one of my hands, and with one end loosely dangling from my finger so I could feel it move.

First of all, in my opinion, both your statements contradict each other.

Secondly, would you mind to explain to more detail what you were doing? I don't get how the heck the chain could have been dangling from your finger if, at the same time, your fingertips should have been touching the keys on the computer keyboard and, on top of them (your hands) was the Ouija board.
Holding the OB, feeling the chain move and typing, all these done at the same time... That's what I call multitasking at its maximum expression!

I'm sorry but, how could you be certain of the direction the chain was moving? Are you sure the movements you assumed to be made by the chain were not your hands trembling under the weight of the OB?

Am I missing something?
Alvara_Jane (1 stories) (13 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-02-28)
[at] CuriousDee They do sometimes when I'm not expecting them, but I see them almost every other day so it's kind of become routine. The best way I can describe it is that one episode of spongebob where the Flying Dutchman stays at his house lol

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