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Heavy Smell Of Tobacco

 

Don't judge but I'm quite a heavy smoker, please before you jump to conclusions this story has no "smoky entities" in it.

I was round a friend's house quite late one night; it must have been well past midnight. My friend's windowsill is large enough to comfortably sit on and it's a tall sliding window so you can sit right out of it with your legs on his kitchen roof.

It was fairly cold and we were alone in the house. We only the window open a foot or so and were sitting on his bed underneath the windowsill. Ironically enough, we were chatting about our favourite tobaccos, whether we thought we could ever give up and smoking roll-ups when we both quite clearly heard a hacking cough coming from behind us, from what seemed his bathroom across the landing. We sat in silence for a minute but shrugged it off as someone walking past. My friend has no neighbours, it's a country house but there is a pedestrian pathway. Bear in mind it was past midnight.

Then it happened again but louder.

I know sound can be deceptive but we both could have sworn it was definitely coming from the bathroom and being the only ones in the house we put both our cigarettes in the holder bits of the ashtray and went to have a look. Now, we always leave pillows at the bottom of the door to stop the smoke from wafting out of his room so we made sure to shut his bedroom door behind us. We crossed the landing and for the first time ever in that house we had to push the door quite hard to get it open.

In the bathroom, it was clear, no mist, no dripping tap, no face in the mirror, no intruder; nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except one thing. The distinct and very heavy smell of tobacco, not our everyday roll up baccy but very strong pipe tobacco, almost woody and very thick (my grandfather used to smoke a pipe so I believe I'm familiar with it). The stranger thing is as soon as I asked my friend if he could smell it, he replied yes then it vanished.

I smelt my hair, yes, smoky but nothing like what we just experienced. Nervously we shrugged it off and went back into the bedroom to find my friend's cigarette had disappeared completely and mine had been extinguished, the end was literally stubbed but there was no mark on the ashtray, windowsill or anywhere else and even stranger still, the window was pulled completely up. My Zippo lighter was also open and hasn't worked since

Ok, my theories.

Its an old country house and my friends family only bought it a few years ago, there was an abandoned, dilapidated stony bungalow at the bottom of his garden (I say garden, more like a field). That was torn down about two months before this happened. There's an old barn on the property too that is being converting so obviously it probably was a farm house at one point. If I wanted to get hysterical and cry ghost then I think it would be someone to do with that and it's either a compassionate victim of a smoking related disease or someone who doesn't like us smoking on "their" property.

As for my friend's cigarette vanishing, it could have blown out the window. It is winter but a very hard frost and from what I remember, no wind. However, it is more likely that's what it was. Still have no idea how mine could have got stubbed out though (it was only half smoked and I'm not one for wasting nicotine) or how the window opened further, it's a damn creaky window by the way and we didn't hear it when we were out of the room. As for my favorite lighter, well I'm gutted it doesn't work anymore.

The cough, like I said, old house. Could have been the boiler or wood settling but hand on my heart it sounded very much like someone hacking something up in a sharp short burst. The smell, I honestly don't know and have never known such a strong smell suddenly vanish like that.

Thanks for reading

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

Kecoughtan (1 stories) (211 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-14)
Please let us know what you decide to do and what happens when you implement it, Hazz.
dreamergal72 (6 stories) (793 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-14)
hmm... That sound like my stepdad he is heavy smoker too and he cough all the time every years and yeah it may be a spirit that want to warning you and your friend.
hazzardsyndrome (10 stories) (121 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-14)
Kecoughtan, that's a really good idea. Couldnt hurt to try. I think we should try again and leave some sort of tape or video recorder on, because we already know what "provokes" this possible entity then maybe we can bribe it into giving us some proof! 😁
Wish id thought of that sooner!
Kecoughtan (1 stories) (211 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-14)
Thanks for sharing, Hazz. I like DeviousAngel's suggestion that someone wanted a tobacco fix and helped themselves to your friend's cigarette. Afterall, your Zippo was open as though it had been used, right? Although it does seem a bit cruel to disable your lighter in the process. Perhaps next time you are visiting your friend, you can leave a cigarette and ask the mysterious smoker to fix your lighter in exchange. Who knows what might happen.
hobbyholly (11 stories) (572 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
hazzardsyndrome:

Err tough break about the lighter. My favorite lighter died on me a few months ago. I just put in my little keep sake box... I can't bare to part with it;o)

Anyway; if you didn't feel threatened or anything, I would just take it as a former smoker wanting to join in. You know how social us smokers can be (especially when forced to smoke in the bitter cold... Thanks a lot Illinois smoking ban)
hazzardsyndrome (10 stories) (121 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
Hi Hobbyholly and DeviousAngel, thanks for your replies.
At the time I did first jump to the conclusion that someone had come in, there is a roof under the window so its a possibility... Quite an unlikely one but its still a possibility all the same, I like to try and keep a rational head but its still left me scratching mine. Strangely enough I actually hope it was just a playful spirit, then I wouldn't be so narked;P

I totally agree with you HH, it was definitely fresh so the smell vanishing was really puzzling. Unfortunately iv tried changing the flint, wick and putting in more fluid to my zippo but it still doesn't light: (
DeviousAngel (11 stories) (1910 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
I smoke too so I'm not going to jump your case for it.:)

I can't explain why but 100%, I believe your story. I have a different theory though. I believe that whoever was there was kindred to your guys' habit and wanted to join in. Perhaps whoever this spirit was, they were a bit of a trickster and wanted to lure you away from your smokes so that he could steal a hit and leave you confused. My only other possible theory on this (and it's a REAL stretch) is that POSSIBLY someone sneaked into the house, very quietly, and stole your cigarettes. Could anyone have reached in from outside and taken your friends', even stubbed yours out? Maybe used your lighter? I think it's possible, but again, a stretch.

Thank you for sharing your story!

Blessings,
DA
hobbyholly (11 stories) (572 posts)
 
15 years ago (2009-01-13)
hazzardsyndrome

Thanks for sharing. This reminds me of my great-grandfather who smoked. Shortly after he died, my father would smell "fresh" cigarette smoke in my great-grandparents home (As a smoker I think you know the difference between stale smoke and fresh... Just sayin)

As a smoker myself (I know I know) I am NOT one to waste a cigarette either. I'm sorry about your lighter. Have you checked the fluid in it? You might want to do that. OR take it to a tobacco shop, they may be able to fix it for you (its a stretch though)

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