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Bedford Park - On Another Level

 

Bedford Park is a southern suburb in Adelaide and ideally close to the university in South Australia. When my younger sister, Cara (names mentioned have been changed) rented this unit (apartment or flat) in 2002 with her flatmate, Bea, both of them had thought it was the ideal location to stay while they furthered their studies. They hadn't expected the other flatmate though (as told in "The Other Flatmate At Bedford Park").

During 2003 or 2004, Rex-T and I made the long drive from Sydney to Adelaide, across the south-western Hay Plains, to visit Cara for a few days. When we arrived at Bedford Park, the sun was setting and I remember thinking that the place looked rather bleak; like a giant block of Lego bricks or a severe hospital building. It wasn't a location I'd have chosen for myself.

I was startled by a dark shape racing across the floor in the foyer downstairs. I told myself it was probably a possum or large rat. Eh, rat? I really hoped it was a possum.

The dingy foyer felt empty, yet somehow not. I didn't know what I was feeling; only that there was something "off". Rex-T, practical and to the point as always, said he didn't like the general layout. My husband felt the place was like an office block that had been summarily converted into cheap student housing, as if it was an afterthought. We had no idea at the time what my mother, Cara and her flatmate, Bea have experienced there. All ghostly activity had quietened down by then, but I remember thinking that her place didn't feel too "comfortable" during our visit.

Since my sister's encounter with the shadow man, she and her flatmate, Bea had learned to co-exist more peacefully with their "other flatmate". Then a few years later, Bea decided to move into the unit upstairs when her sister Debbie came to stay in Adelaide. Their experience was of significance because it had also had an impact on Cara.

The layout of Bea and Debbie's unit was exactly the same as Cara's. The front door opened straight into the living/dining area, with each unit in the building arranged in the approximate shape of a quadrant:

* Left bottom corner - living/dining

* Right bottom corner - master bedroom

* Top right corner - second bedroom and bathroom

* Top left corner - kitchen.

To Bea's dismay, she soon found that the second floor unit was even noisier than the one below. Every afternoon, she and Debbie would hear unexplained knocking sounds and loud footsteps throughout the place. They checked with their neighbours on either side and above, but couldn't find any reason for the activity.

Once, on Bea's day off, she heard this persistent loud banging coming from inside the unit. She decided to do a thorough investigation to discover the source of the sound and inspect everything in the place.

Bea went to the bathroom; the door was properly shut. She glanced over at the umbrella stand in the corner; it was empty. There was nothing in it that could have fallen over.

The banging suddenly stopped. She continued her search. There was no wayward draft coming through from any gap that might cause a door or window to slam. All the windows were closed.

BANG!

It sounded very much like someone kicking at the door. She looked at the bathroom where the sound was coming from. The bathroom door was shut. She had already checked that there was no person or animal in it.

Then the noise started all over again.

By then, Bea had quite enough. She called on her parents again to have this unit cleansed, and blessed by a pastor as well. As it did before in Cara's unit below, the pastor managed to calm everything down.

But this time, the peace lasted only for a while. The prevalent feeling about the place gradually reverted back to that of uneasiness and unhappiness. Bea and Debbie went about their daily routine, doing their best to ignore the uncanny activity.

Then one day their mother, Ellen, came to visit them. Ellen immediately sensed the "other flatmate" in the unit with them. She felt that the feeling was strongest in the short hallway outside the bathroom that joined the two bedrooms.

The sisters had hung a mirror on the wall in that hallway. When Ellen came out of the bathroom on one occasion, she saw the tall shadow of a man in the mirror. There were no distinguishable features; she could only make out this longish dark mass. As Ellen was only about 5 feet in height, the shadow towered over her by a full head. It seemed to look down at her in a sneering kind of way. It didn't feel at all friendly.

The banging sounds started all over again after Ellen caught sight of the shadow man. Worried for her daughters, she immediately sent for her pastor to return to the unit. All subsided once more until Bea invited my sister, Cara for a sleepover. It was not a good idea.

After setting up a makeshift bed for herself on the sofa in the living room, Cara tossed and turned all that night. She had gotten used to the unobtrusive company of the shadow man in her place downstairs and didn't like the presence she could sense in Bea's unit. It dominated the entire hallway leading from the bedrooms. There was a pervasive, eerie sense of lethargy and general tiredness that spread out throughout the unit.

Cara also felt strangely cold. The season at the time was late spring in Adelaide, giving way into early summer. She had not needed her winter quilt on her bed for a while now, but she was glad she had brought it along. It gave her something to hide under and keep warm.

She closed her eyes and tried to settle. But after lying there for a while, Cara was frightened to feel a heaviness pressing on her chest. She was still wide awake and could move all her limbs. She flailed wildly about, struggling to sit up. Gasping for breath, she couldn't even call out loudly enough for Bea or Debbie to hear her. She prayed fervently in her mind for help.

As suddenly as the sensation appeared, it left her. Cara sat up on the sofa, resigned. Since she wasn't going to get any sleep that night, she turned on her laptop to do some work and stayed on the alert until the rising sun chased the last of the night chills away.

When morning came, Cara told Bea about the incident, informing her that she wouldn't be spending another night there again. She stated, 'Your place is not comfy.'

Some years later, after everyone involved had graduated from university and moved away from Bedford Park, Cara attended an alumni reunion in Singapore. She met up with Bea and while they were reminiscing about Bedford Park, her former flatmate revealed that she had met Ann, the previous tenant before them when Bea had initially inspected the unit. Ann had made a point to ask Bea several times: 'Are you sure you want to stay here? Are you really sure?'

Bea had chosen not to tell my sister any of this at the time. It could be that Bea really had wanted to stay there it was because the rent was cheap and the location was so close to the university. She hadn't wanted to scare Cara off with any hint of weirdness, as she needed her help with the rent.

It was as if destiny had specially planned it, because my sister ended up meeting Ann at the same reunion. She took the opportunity to ask Ann if anything had also happened to her at Bedford Park. But Ann wasn't forthcoming with any details. She was reluctant to talk about her experiences and wouldn't admit that anything strange had ever happened.

In 2015, Cara had a chance meeting with Roger, her former landlord from Bedford Park. She and Bea had gotten along well with him. His wife had even insisted that their rent not be increased for all the seven years they lived there. Roger told her that he wished all his tenants had been reliable like them and began to complain about his current lot of tenants.

The South Korean couple who now stayed in Cara's old unit argued and fought constantly, disturbing the peace of their neighbours. The other tenant in Bea's unit upstairs was an Indian man who seemed extremely sensitive to the spirits. He complained within the first week of moving in that the unit was "noisy" and he could barely get any sleep there. When his wife and young family joined him from India, things became worse for them. He and his wife both said the unit had a "negative" feel and their children felt frightened there.

Cara asked Roger for more details on the feedback the other tenants had given him. The litany of complaints was remarkably similar: they all felt that the units were already occupied by "other flatmates". There were constant banging sounds in the unit on the second floor and the bathroom was especially noisy in the night.

The Indian family only lasted eight months before they packed up and left, refusing to renew their lease. They told Roger that the unit was just too "noisy".

I asked Cara if she ever tried to tell Roger what was really wrong with his property. My sister shook her head. All such efforts were pointless since Roger was a sceptic and a staunch non-believer of all things paranormal. Even when faced with the numerous complaints from his tenants, he refused to accept there was any otherworldly explanation for his problems.

He would never believe about the other flatmate. Or that his problems came from another level of existence.

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

Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
 
5 years ago (2018-10-27)
Hi Miandra, glad you enjoyed the account. We had just finished dinner and were still at the table when the subject of ghostly encounters came up. When my sister starting talking about Bedford Park, I rushed to get my notebook and pen out, asking a hundred questions in the true YGS manner. 😁

Mmm...popcorn. 🍿 I used to work near a popcorn factory. The gorgeous smells that wafted our way when the wind was right.

Thanks for dropping by. 😊
Sleeping-with-steve (guest)
+1
5 years ago (2018-10-26)
Hello Jubeele,

I enjoyed your post. The only thing missing was popcorn.

Thanks for sharing.

Miandra
😘 ❤ 😘
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
 
6 years ago (2018-06-03)
Hi Ajay! It's good to hear from you, bro. That was a rather spooky place and I wouldn't have liked to live there. Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it. 😊
ajonverge (6 stories) (84 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-06-03)
This is Jubeele. I trust each n every word written. Its mesmerising.
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-29)
DarkStar, the idea of parallel universes and multiple realities have always captured my imagination. Are we, through our daily actions over an extended period of time, producing 'echoes' and are somehow 'haunting' ourselves?

Miracles brought up a fascinating theory about living residual energy on another account, "A Ghost Sleeps Inside Me":
"Living residual is energy we, the living, provide by going about our daily business, doing the same routine over and over. You said you have worked there for 8 years, so it's safe to assume you have built up a fair amount of energy in that amount of time to 'create' energy of you."

Jack L. Chalker - it has been years since I read 'Midnight at the Well of Souls'. I'll be sure to look out for 'Dance Band on the Titanic'.

Thanks for adding to our discussion with your great input. 😁
DarkStar (1 stories) (25 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-29)
Rex-T's comments on parallel universes are along the lines that I have been thinking about whenever I read about timeslips. The possibility of multiple realities overlaid on each other could account for some incidents that are now considered paranormal, like timeslips, doppelgangers, precognition and others.

If you've ever listened to reel-to-reel or cassette tape, there's a phenomenon called print-through or "pre-echo" where a faint "echo" of a sound is heard just before the actual sound. This is caused by the magnetism in one layer of tape transferring some of its energy to the layer right next to it, since it's wound up on a reel. I sometimes wonder if we experience effects like pre-echo in our reality as things like deja vu or precognition, as a sort of print-through from another layer of our reality.

Speaking of fiction about a Multiverse, there is a great story about a place where multiple realities overlap, and their inhabitants can travel between them; it's called 'Dance Band on the Titanic' by Jack L. Chalker...

DarkStar
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-28)
Yikes, lady-glow - the spirits marking out territories and setting up their own "haunts"? And comparing notes too? Now that's a seriously scary thought! 😨

My sister was convinced there was another entity in the floor above. She said it "felt" different from the shadow man she'd gotten used to. It was probably telling her that the 2nd floor unit was already too crowded and to go back to her own place. (I still like the idea of her being mistaken for a lumpy sofa).

For me, half the fun in sharing these experiences is the different comments and theories from everyone, whether they be ghostly, non-ghostly or more down-to-earth. They're all interesting and I learn something new all the time. 😁
lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-28)
Hi Jubeele - interesting experience, I had a great time reading not only your narrative but the comments too.

Do you think there was a different entity 'living' in each one of the flats/storeys?
I wonder if the 'other flatmates' from both units ever got together to discuss the disturbances of the 'other duellers' in their house.

Thanks for sharing.❤
CuriousDee (8 stories) (631 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-27)
Yes, it's really me 😊 I did see those posts. We have awesome mods that took care of that lickety split! I chose to ignore them though (taking the high road is tough sometimes).

Any who, yes I agree, a person with extreme emotions can influence the atmosphere and some sensitive people. I've felt it... Not fun 😜

The shadows and sounds theory; fascinating! Or perhaps a shadow is a spirit that is unable to manifest? The possibilities are endless.

You have a great attitude about learning and keeping an open mind. I admire that. I joke that my brain goes into ADD mode; I can spend hours researching and reading when something piques my interest. Like a dog with a bone! Lol 😉

Dee
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-27)
Thanks for bringing up gravity waves, Rex-T! I'd forgotten about that. Hmmm, I wonder if the research lab at the university was experimenting with a gravitational-wave prototype and had a "oops" moment all those years ago. 😜

The happenings at Bedford Park were fascinating. Drat - and I still can't do that cool raised eyebrow thing from Mr Spock! 🙄
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-05-27)
Hi Dee! I'm glad it's really you and not that pretender briefly 'reincarnated' (if you've got no idea what I'm referring to - all the better). 😉

I do feel we must be on our guard against negative energies and the insidious danger they pose. Ever notice how quickly one person in a bad mood can dampen the atmosphere in a room? I've been told that people with empathic abilities are especially vulnerable to negative energies and must always remember to shield. There's something to be said for the power of positive thinking.

Interesting concept about parallel universes, isn't it? Are we seeing shadows and sounds during a glitch when the different planes of existence overlap? Or are they echoes from the past or future? Could we in turn be the mysterious shadow people glimpsed by others from their own reality? 😲

My mind sizzles at the possibilities. I feel it's a far better thing to ask questions and learn from different perspectives, rather than hiding behind locked doors and cowering in fear.

Thanks for coming by - it's always good to hear from you. 😁
Rex-T (5 stories) (288 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-05-27)
To pick up on Mayank's point of did the Indian and/or Korean tenants experience pressure on their chests reminded me of a reported male aversion of seeking advice from a doctor on this and other alarming symptoms. In other words, knowing something is 'wrong' but staying silent, maybe hoping not to confront the cause, either physical or paranormal.

In my 20's I read an entire series of novels written by Michael Moorecock who described the 'Multiverse' - a group of parallel universes that did overlap from time to time. Star Trek also had episodes where this theme was explored but I'm talking fiction.

Albert Einstein predicted gravity waves warping both space and time in his theory of relativity. Then last year, the Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to 5 scientists for their role in detecting gravity waves.

Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_wave

RCRuskin, you've now got me thinking is this place ghostly or non ghostly - likewise, forbidding or a place of wonder? Add Melda's idea of reincarnation and the possibilities... I need more time to wrap my logical head around this one.

As Mr Spock often quotes with a raised eyebrow - 'Fascinating Jubeele'.

Rex-T
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-05-27)
Melda, my sister's also a trekkie fan and she'll be intrigued at the idea of a mirror universe at Bedford Park. Not sure what her reaction would be to be called a lump on the sofa though... (tee-hee) 😜

I've got this other theory that maybe some tenant in the past opened a portal in the building by fooling around with a spirit board (yes, the dreaded OB). So several entities could have ended up festering in the shadows, trying to provoke the hapless tenants and cause disharmony because it provides fuel for their existence.

It's an irrefutable fact of life that housecleaning is never done, be it be physical, metaphysical or spiritual. My sister eventually learned that the only way to avoid being stuck with an unwanted "other" flatmate was to do the inspection and choosing of the place herself. But that's another story...

I remember putting a comment about reincarnation on one of Manafon's accounts:
Http://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=24118

Once in a while, I've had dreams where I seemed to be experiencing events through the eyes of someone else, while being aware I'm a separate individual looking on. The sensations seem so real; full colour, sound, touch and even taste. I feel so disoriented whenever I awake from these dreams and it takes me about a minute to remember my present reality. In such instances, was I reliving a past memory only accessible from my unconscious state? 😉
CuriousDee (8 stories) (631 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-27)
Jubeele,

Another interesting account. 😊 I was thinking along the lines of negative energy produced by previous tenants/owners too. Perhaps that could draw in negative spirits or a previous (now deceased) tenant acting as they did in life (grumpy, nasty, etc).

I also find the theory's of parallel universe's and metaphysical windows very interesting. Definitely food for thought. Thanks for sharing. 😊

Dee
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-26)
Well Val, once the logical and tangible reasons have been looked at for the "who" or "what" responsible for the sounds, I'd also ask "why?" Attention-seeking ploys from the "other flatmate" or a cranky entity wanting to rest in peace? 🤔

RC's idea of YGS in the otherworld gave me a chuckle. I could just imagine the tall shadow man posting his story in the mirror universe of seeing these weird women who were 'fleshy-looking' and olive-brown-pinkish in colour. 😜 He'd complain of that uncomfortable lumpy sofa and how 'noisy' they were: "I tried banging on the bathroom door to tell them to be quiet, but they just wouldn't get the message!" 😁
Melda (10 stories) (1363 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-05-26)
Jubeele - Cara and Bea certainly seem to have had a rough time of it in that block of flats 😨 At least they weren't physically harmed but trying to live a normal life in that sort of environment is daunting at best.

I'm not surprised that the pastor's blessing couldn't keep these entities at bay permanently - there were just too many of them and they kept coming and going as they pleased.

It does seem very possible that the negative energy caused a lot of the tension and arguments between the Indian couple.

The idea of a parallel universe is extremely interesting. If one pairs it with a belief in reincarnation it could be a huge discussion point, at least to my mind.

Looking forward to the next one Jubeele!

Regards, Melda

PS: I don't think Cara would like to be described as a lump on a sofa 😁
valkricry (48 stories) (3257 posts) mod
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-26)
If we accept the theory that malevolent spirits feed off negative emotions, then sleep deprivation would make excellent fodder. Folks get cranky, and are easily irritated.
Running with RC's parallel universe idea, what if it believed it was not sitting on Cara - but there was this strange human-like lumpiness to its sofa?
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+2
6 years ago (2018-05-25)
Hello Mayank, thanks for your interesting comment. I've had a similar thought about the loud noises and uncomfortable feelings in the place. There seemed to be something there that didn't want people around. If people weren't getting enough rest, they'd be irritable and easier to provoke, and be more vulnerable all sorts of influences. Then more negative energy will be produced, causing more trouble. 😟

I think my sister and the other two girls were able to stay there for so long because they did the spiritual cleansing and blessing. Then over a period of time, the negativity would build up and the place would need to be cleansed and blessed again. My sister wears jade to help keep her focus calm and ward off negativity. It must have worked for her because her place downstairs was the more peaceful one. 😊
Mayank3102 (4 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-25)
Hey! As you have mentioned that there was a shadow man in that same house in the previous part then the banging noises are possibly caused by extra negative forces which were attracted by the shadow man. Its possible that the negative forces collected there because of shadow man's presence and they just stayed there to cause mischef.
They caused banging and prevented people from sleeping because they know that if a person has not slept properly then he is easy to scare then and to attract there attention, as we all know that they enjoy our fear and attention.
They didn't actually wanted anyone to stay in there as they think that its there property and human souls are not allowed there.
The indian family and the korean people went away from that place because they found it 'noisy' but a question arrises that did they also felt pressure on there chest? If yes then they probably didn't told the landlord because they thought it might look weird and crazy or if they didn't felt that uneasyness then its probably because they lived on the area which was not that negative or they had some spiritual protection. But they eventually went away because of the noises.

Note: I am litterally tired and its 12:30 pm night here and I am reading this story! I am feeling a lot sleepy and I had a really busy day too so I am not able to use my psychic abilities properly but I found out these things and I was getting confused between some visions and I don't have the energy to go more deep so I used the word 'possibility'!
I m going to sleep! Bye guys!
TaKe CaRe Julia!
GoOd NiGhT😪😴
Jubeele (25 stories) (882 posts)
+3
6 years ago (2018-05-25)
RC, I thought about negative energy breeding negative entities and how stressed uni students could have added fuel into the mix.

The unhappy couple were from the floor below, so the Indian family couldn't have heard any arguments through the concrete slab. I think they were also bothered by banging sounds from the bathroom. The mood around the place was unhappiness and discontent. When my sister was there, she felt that someone really didn't want her around.

Mirrors as portals or metaphysical windows? Interesting. YGS in the "mirror universe", huh? Could that shadow man have been a glimpse from the past or future? I might mention this to my sister the next time I speak to her.

Thanks for dropping by to leave a comment, dear Brother "Brat". 😘
RCRuskin (9 stories) (811 posts)
+1
6 years ago (2018-05-25)
An Indian couple arguing, yet they found the unit too noisy? Makes me wonder if they were the ones arguing in the first place.

Only non-ghostly explanation I can think of is that somehow in Bedford Park, two parallel universes bleed into each other. Perhaps right now in that other universe, folks are discussing on its version of YGS about a couple of young ladies who appear in the mirror of a man's apartment?

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