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Mini-tornado

 

This experience took place in the late 1980's, while I was working as a secretary at a business firm in Los Angeles, California. I had been working at that location for awhile, and was rather comfortable with my daily work routine, albeit somewhat dull and tedious. The office environment was very professional, my co-workers were older than me and quite conservative. I mostly worked by myself at the front reception area, especially in the late afternoon when there was very little going on.

One afternoon, before closing up the office, I was sitting at my desk working on some filing when something caught my attention. The office front doors which were heavy glass and steel, began to rattle. I didn't really give that much thought, but I decided to get up from my desk and go secure the doors since it was so close to closing time. As I crossed the room to lock up, suddenly one of the glass doors blew open, and 'something' came into the foyer. The door that blew open was now shut (on its own), and what I saw just a few feet in front of me made no sense. In the middle of the foyer was a swirling, glowing green, mini tornado (dense, but somewhat see through). It stood about 3 feet tall on the floor, rotating constantly. The air within the room had changed, feeling sort of prickly. I realize this sounds very weird, but this is what I saw and felt. It moved slowly across the floor toward me, before disappearing completely; the entire incident lasted maybe 20 seconds. Once I got over the shock of seeing that thing, I ran over to lock both the front doors. Was this my imagination playing tricks on me? I said nothing to any of my co-workers about this incident because I didn't want to face any ridicule, or be dismissed from my job...

The next day, before heading off to work, I decided to have one last cup of coffee with my husband. After we settled on the sofa in our living room, I recall scrolling through tv channels, and then hearing a sudden loud popping noise. Then from beside the entertainment center (tv/VCR/stereo area), appeared the whirling, green mini tornado thing! I couldn't believe that I was seeing this thing in my own home now! Except this time I wasn't alone, my husband was seeing it also. I felt completely creeped out by its presence. I remember jumping up from the sofa and spilling coffee all over my lap. My husband had a look on his face like he was in total disbelief; I could sense that seeing this thing freaked him out too! Again, within seconds, it disappeared into thin air. Thankfully, that was the last time I saw the 'mini tornado' anywhere.

At the time of the incident, I don't recall any windows, or doors being left open in that particular room. Nothing seemed unusual about the weather that day, and nothing seemed off-kilter in our home during that time. Honestly, I couldn't figure out why I was seeing this strange thing? The internet didn't exist back then; we had to delve into the local library's paranormal/occult section for possible answers. We did a lot of reading, but never really found a solid explanation as to what we experienced (perhaps we weren't reading the right material?). All that I was left with were questions: why was I seeing this thing, and wth was it?

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LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-07-06)
Well Ruskin, that never even occurred to me! And yeah, that could definitely be another possibility; that maybe they weren't related to one another at all? 🤔
Recently I went on a tangent reading about energy vortexes and portals, thinking maybe it had something to do with the energy in that particular area which I once lived? I didn't really fine anything definitive yet...
RCRuskin (9 stories) (818 posts)
+3
5 years ago (2019-07-06)
Here I am, a bit bored, rain falling outside, and I thought I'd catch up on comments, and something just occurred to me. We're assuming that the thing you saw at work and the thing at home are the same entity. It is also possible, they are two entities of the same sort and there is no connection between them, other than both being witnessed by you.
LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-07-03)
Hi LuciaJacinta,

Honestly, I've never read anything by the Warrens, but I'm aware of who they were (Amityville Horror was a very sensational horror flick when I was younger). Regarding the "The Demon of Brownsville Road", I'm not familiar with that story either ~ I'll have to check that out to see if I can draw a conclusion from any of the passages. As far as any poltergeist connection goes, I don't recall anything stressful going on in my life at that time, nor chaotic. I was in my 20's, newly married (happily), and life seemed pretty mellow around our place during that time...

I do have a feeling this might be something that has a tie to natural energy particles; this is just a hunch, more intuitive than factual. The reason why I mention this is because the mini tornado I witnessed had sparks within it that looked a lot like energy. Dust devils create electrical fields because the dust/dirt particles become electrically charged as they rotate and move. I'm not convinced this was a dust devil, but I feel this has a connection to kinetic energy. Although it's rare to find, I wonder if it had anything to do with a type of natural plasma? What doesn't make sense though, is the fact I witnessed this thing in two different locations...
Thank you for your thought provoking comment 😉
LuciaJacinta (8 stories) (291 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-07-01)
I think I've heard stories like this. Try reading stories from people like The Warrens. I swear I read a story like this in one of their books. Also, I swear I read something like this as well in "The Demon of Brownsville Road". I guess these things could be paranormal. Or maybe associated in some way. Concerning these things, I think there may be a scientific explanation though somehow associated with your own energy along the lines of how poltergeist can be explained. Were you going through any traumatic periods in your life? Were things seeming chaotic? Do you have a lot of bottled up emotions? I'm just wondering. I feel there must be a plausible explanation.
LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
 
5 years ago (2019-06-29)
Hello Alaviya,

That makes sense that stronger beings would present themselves as bigger whirlwinds. From what I've read so far about Djinns, they are classified as spirits that inhabit earth, who have free will. They can shape shift into either animal or human form, and are not necessarily good or bad (can be neutral, yet influential). There's really so much information to read out there regarding Djinns; there are many broad descriptions of how these spirits present themselves to people, and how they interact, or affect us...

There are a few Native American tribes that believe dust devils, whirlwinds, and tornadoes represent evil spirits that come from underground to disturb the living and create chaos. It's really interesting to me to learn about how different cultures perceive the spirit world in correlation to Earth's natural environment.
BTW, I enjoyed your comment 😉
Alaviya (2 stories) (15 posts)
+4
5 years ago (2019-06-28)
In Muslim culture we believe that a lot of djinns tend to manifest themselves in the form of whirlwinds. I don't remember it exactly, but my mom told me this year's ago. Stronger beings can appear as bigger whirlwinds too. Djinn again isn't a small category, it stands for everything that's hidden from the human eye, so I don't know what category they r.
LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
+3
5 years ago (2019-06-24)
Hello Biblio,

I'm leaning more and more toward the idea of this being an elemental, or nature spirit, which follows what both you and RCRuskin have recently suggested. Aside from what you've detailed in your description of the elemental spirits, some of the material I've read about elementals do fit the situational factors (newly developed business zone built over farmland in a growing city). Although, I too find it very strange that it followed me home from my workplace. From what I've gathered in reading, some people believe that elementals are mythical, and some believe that these nature spirits actually exist. I suppose it depends on how 'open' one is to the idea of earthly spirits. I was young, open minded, and have always been a nature lover, so maybe I was vulnerable to this type of experience?

Thanks again for the detailed info. 😉 ~ LightMight
Bibliothecarius (9 stories) (1091 posts)
+3
5 years ago (2019-06-23)
Greetings, LightMight.

I was curious about this series of events, and my thoughts *initially* tended in the same direction as RCRuskin's. In my experience, though, elementals tend to be highly territorial spirits, in that a specific natural landscape or area is *theirs* to patrol, maintain, defend, and cultivate. Sometimes, these nature spirits will remain after the habitat has been "developed" into new housing, highways, and the like, and will announce displeasure at having been supplanted by modern human infrastructure through sabotage or intimidation. Such angry behavior, through, tends to be immediate in manifestation & continues at that site for some time (they seem to experience time on the same level as trees or geology, not in days so much as *eras*). To have one follow you home to appear only once is well outside of "normal" behavior, though not beyond the realm of possibility.

Looking for resources on the idea of elementals presenting as "dust devils" (or Warner Bros.'s Tazmanian Devil), I can only find connections in the realm of Dungeons and Dragons fantasy gaming. Most of the elementals I've studied appear as abnormal, hybrid, over-sized creatures or as manifestations of ambulatory forest life (see D.C. Comics' Swamp Thing, especially as written by Alan Moore). The behavior of the entity as a whirlwind/dust devil calls to mind the Djinn of Islamic lore than it does anything from European or American narratives.

A bunch of my folklore resources are currently locked in my office, so I can't get at them while I'm at home, but nothing from Native American lore leaps to mind. Those that I can find tend to be in the American Southwest, especially in the mythos of assorted desert peoples: the Navajo call dust devils "chiindii" and treat them as dead tribal members who were not buried with proper rites; the "Siwulogi" of Arizona's Sinagua Indians and the "Remolinos" of their Latino neighbors; etc., etc.

The peculiar point about this is that Washington State, where your narrative takes place, is hardly renowned for its deserts. Rainfall, logging industry, Cascade mountains, serial killers, and coffee shops: yes! Broad swaths of desert sands: no.

I'm a longtime student of elementals (like RC, I'm not an expert), but to have one follow you home, wait until morning to surprise you, and then never appear again is really, really odd.

I do hope you've found something in your searches; if you have, please let us know!

Best,
Biblio.
LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-06-21)
Ruskin,

My curiousity is now piqued; I'll definitely be spending a few hours learning more about elementals in order to see if I can draw more of a conclusion. Thanks for your insightful input!
😉 LightMight
RCRuskin (9 stories) (818 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-06-20)
Hmm. 🤔

Time slip events are more my specialty, not that I have any specialty in this area... Just a curiosity. A "picker up of shells on the shore of that great, unknown ocean." -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Well, he was talking about science at the time.

You saw the same thing in two different locations you report: the office and at home. As Lady Glow points out, something could have followed you.

You weren't on anything likely to cause hallucinations, unless perhaps it had been a stressful day at the office. That might cause you to see things.

"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn't tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth."
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The experience seems to most closely match encounters with elemental spirits. Guess that some air spirit wondered where the trees went, while visiting your office park, and then followed you home.

If someone knows more, I'm listening.
LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-06-20)
hi RCRuskin,

Thank you for commenting
I journal a lot, mostly about my experiences that seem unusual, and this experience was one that I definitely kept notes on because it struck me as profoundly weird. With that being said, I can provide a few more details. I'm not assuming this was a 'haunting' necessarily, but it was certainly unexplained in my opinion.

Aside from the height (3 feet tall from the ground up), it was around maybe 5-6 inches wide at the bottom of the 'tornado', then it gradually grew wider toward the top. I didn't have a tape measure, but my guesstimate would be about 2 feet wide at the top of the funnel shape. So around 3 feet high x 2 feet wide at most.

Something else that struck me as very odd, was that I could see (within the funnel itself) that there appeared to be flashes of sparkly energy inside of it while it was rotating. I didn't 'feel' any presence when it was near me, or at any time when the 2 incidences occurred. The air did feel prickly, much like static energy feels. I'm no expert, but I couldn't really say if 'it' had a consciousness, or not.

The weather during that time, was typically warm and sunny (nothing unusual for that area). Both incidents happened during daylight hours, in fully lit rooms. I was not on medication/drugs, either was my husband to my knowledge, nor were we drinking anything alcoholic. At the time, I was not living in a 'haunted house', there were no strange happenings at that rental home. As for the business park I worked in, it was a newly developed zone, built over orange groves and orchards from what I know of that area.

Anyway, I'm hoping maybe you, or someone else, can shed some light on my experience as to what this thing possibly could've been? 🤔
RCRuskin (9 stories) (818 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-06-20)
Hi, Lightmight!

Speedy Gonzalez was not my first thought. Either a dust devil, which is pretty much the same meteorological event as a tornado but on a much smaller scale, or an elemental spirit.

Since I don't think you have strange air vortexes around your TV, I'm inclined towards the second option, but more data would be nice. This was 30 years ago, though, so probably no more data to be had.
LightMight (4 stories) (137 posts)
+2
5 years ago (2019-06-19)
Lady-glow,

Well, I suppose it's possible that it could've been Speedy; after all, L.A. Is extremely close to Mexico and home to many rodents...
😆

As far as I was aware, no one close to me (or my DH) had passed. I don't recall feeling threatened, but more perplexed and definitely creeped out by the second appearance it made.

Thanks for the chuckle!
lady-glow (16 stories) (3157 posts)
+3
5 years ago (2019-06-19)
It probably was Speedy Gonzalez... Or the Tasmanian Devil? 🤔

LightMight - welcome to YGS.

What an interesting experience!
The fact that the little tornado follow you home makes me think that it was trying to get your attention.
Are you aware of any relative or acquaintance passing away around that time?
Shock aside, did the tornado make you feel threatened?

Your experience is so unique that it's hard to say what it could have been, but it seems that it didn't mean any harm to you.

Thanks for sharing.

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