The Scariest Fortean Thing Ever To Happen To You

[Phattybumbum]

A similar thing happened to me. Out of curiosity and hoping to get a message from my late grandparentsI decided to go to a Spiritualist church ( I had never been to one before ..or since). We were told to sing hymns, apparently this attracts the spirits. While we were standing up singing I felt someone shove me on my right shoulder quite forcibly from behind. When I turned around, no one was there. As I have never experienced any thing like that again, I am beginning to wonder if it was my imagination somehow playing tricks on me. It was forceful though and was very real to me at the time.
During the 90s I was living in a new build house and had the day off work so I thought I'd have a lie in. My OH had gone out to work and about a half an hour later I heard the front door slam shut very loudly, then someone running heavily up the stairs. I thought it was my OH coming back for something he'd forgotten, but no one came into the room. I shouted his name out but got no reply. I was frightened to get up in case someone was in the house. After about 5 minutes or so hiding under the duvet, I got up and looked around but to my relief no one was there. I was very spooked.

 

[escargot]

What if it's spooky but not scary?

At my work, there's supposed to be a poltergeist or ghost. Y'know, rapping on walls, noisy doors heard to open and slam or someone singing when nobody's near, things being moved around, all sorts. I've heard big BANG and noticed my locker in a different position, as if someone's tipped it back and dropped it.

All of this rattles some of my colleagues but not me. NOTHING scares me.

t'other day one of my tasteful lime green Crocs, placed carefully on top of my locker behind a couple of other pairs of shoes, was found on the floor in front of it. There was only my manager in the building with me at the time. He said 'That's the poltergeist!'

I laughed. Pfft, is that the best it can do?

 

[Phattybumbum]

I would be a bit unnerved to say the least.

 

[hunck]

What if it's spooky but not scary?

At my work, there's supposed to be a poltergeist or ghost. Y'know, rapping on walls, noisy doors heard to open and slam or someone singing when nobody's near, things being moved around, all sorts. I've heard big BANG and noticed my locker in a different position, as if someone's tipped it back and dropped it.

All of this rattles some of my colleagues but not me. NOTHING scares me.

t'other day one of my tasteful lime green Crocs, placed carefully on top of my locker behind a couple of other pairs of shoes, was found on the floor in front of it. There was only my manager in the building with me at the time. He said 'That's the poltergeist!'

I laughed. Pfft, is that the best it can do?

A good attitude to take - these 'happenings' whatever is causing them, seldom seem to be harmful. More playful or trickster-ish. They never seem to happen in front of you - what if you were to actually witness something I wonder. No way to tell until it happens...

 

[Swifty]

A good attitude to take - these 'happenings' whatever is causing them, seldom seem to be harmful. More playful or trickster-ish. They never seem to happen in front of you - what if you were to actually witness something I wonder. No way to tell until it happens...

I've seen an unidentified flying object at close range that I'm still convinced was some kind of inflatable about 20 years ago ( I licked my finger to do the what direction is the wind travelling in test thing .. my car radio or electrics didn't fail either) .. the wind was going in the opposite direction though ..

I've seen a shadow person walk past in my direct line of vision but I was a tired hotel night porter with a pint of beer in front of him at the end of that night ..

Who knows ? ..

 

[hunck]

I've seen an unidentified flying object at close range that I'm still convinced was some kind of inflatable about 20 years ago ( I licked my finger to do the what direction is the wind travelling in test thing .. my car radio or electrics didn't fail either) .. the wind was going in the opposite direction though ..

I've seen a shadow person walk past in my direct line of vision but I was a tired hotel night porter with a pint of beer in front of him at the end of that night ..

Who knows ? ..

Well if it was an inflatable it won't have come that far, and seeing shadows whilst tired is not too uncommon...

I was talking more about poltergeist type activity where things get moved/disappear/reappear somewhere else. No-one ever seems to see these things happen.

 

[Swifty]

Well if it was an inflatable it won't have come that far, and seeing shadows whilst tired is not too uncommon...

I was talking more about poltergeist type activity where things get moved/disappear/reappear somewhere else. No-one ever seems to see these things happen.

I tend to find things more often than lose them these days hunk .. and I'm still trying to tell myself that what I saw in the sky wasn't real although it travelled in a straight line against the wind that would have caused it to float about a bit but didn't .. I doubt it was Martians from space etc, I just haven't worked it out yet ..

 

[Ulalume]

I was talking more about poltergeist type activity where things get moved/disappear/reappear somewhere else. No-one ever seems to see these things happen.

Couple of things I can report-

When my cousin and I were 12, we were alone in the house one afternoon. We'd been drinking iced tea, and I'd left my glass on a table across the room while I went to sit at the piano. Cousin had gone into the bedroom to talk on the phone. The door was closed and I could faintly hear her chattering from the other side of the wall.

Suddenly, the glass came sailing past my head and hit the wall nearest me at full force. While I certainly didn't see my cousin anywhere near, I jumped to the most obvious conclusion, and went to the bedroom and demanded to know why she'd thrown her glass at my head.

She looked at me like I was crazy and showed me that she still had her glass in her hand. I went back to the living room to check, and it had been my own glass that had been flung; it had still had ice in it, while cousin's did not.

Even if this had been my cousin's idea of a joke (not likely) she would have had to pause her conversation without me hearing, open the bedroom door, come into the living room within my line of sight, fling the glass, then scamper back to the bedroom, close the door and resume her conversation like nothing ever happened. I'll also add that cousin was nearly six feet tall by then and gangly 12 year olds don't exactly have the stealth of a ninja.

Granted, I did not see by what mechanism the glass had been thrown. I didn't see it being lifted off the table. But it must have been, somehow. The glass was thrown hard enough that it could have caused an injury.

Second case - this was not me, but my eldest son who saw this at about 8 years old. He's grown now and still swears up and down this is true.

He says that one night, he watched terrified as the sugar canister slowly inched itself to the edge of the kitchen counter and turned over, spilling some sugar onto the floor. Of course, I thought he'd done it, and fussed at him. He recalls this as a time I'd been blatantly unfair to him, not believing him when he hadn't done anything wrong, plus been scared out of his wits. But who hasn't heard some wacky excuses out of their kids?

This isn't the same as seeing things disappear or reappear out of nowhere, but seeing movement without any apparent cause might count for something.

 

[Swifty]

Couple of things I can report-

When my cousin and I were 12, we were alone in the house one afternoon. We'd been drinking iced tea, and I'd left my glass on a table across the room while I went to sit at the piano. Cousin had gone into the bedroom to talk on the phone. The door was closed and I could faintly hear her chattering from the other side of the wall.

Suddenly, the glass came sailing past my head and hit the wall nearest me at full force. While I certainly didn't see my cousin anywhere near, I jumped to the most obvious conclusion, and went to the bedroom and demanded to know why she'd thrown her glass at my head.

She looked at me like I was crazy and showed me that she still had her glass in her hand. I went back to the living room to check, and it had been my own glass that had been flung; it had still had ice in it, while cousin's did not.

Even if this had been my cousin's idea of a joke (not likely) she would have had to pause her conversation without me hearing, open the bedroom door, come into the living room within my line of sight, fling the glass, then scamper back to the bedroom, close the door and resume her conversation like nothing ever happened. I'll also add that cousin was nearly six feet tall by then and gangly 12 year olds don't exactly have the stealth of a ninja.

Granted, I did not see by what mechanism the glass had been thrown. I didn't see it being lifted off the table. But it must have been, somehow. The glass was thrown hard enough that it could have caused an injury.

Second case - this was not me, but my eldest son who saw this at about 8 years old. He's grown now and still swears up and down this is true.

He says that one night, he watched terrified as the sugar canister slowly inched itself to the edge of the kitchen counter and turned over, spilling some sugar onto the floor. Of course, I thought he'd done it, and fussed at him. He recalls this as a time I'd been blatantly unfair to him, not believing him when he hadn't done anything wrong, plus been scared out of his wits. But who hasn't heard some wacky excuses out of their kids?

This isn't the same as seeing things disappear or reappear out of nowhere, but seeing movement without any apparent cause might count for something.

Your flying glass report sounds like authentic phenomena to me, I'm not doubting your son's honesty but your second report could also have been caused by vibrations that rattled the sugar jar over.

 

[Mag-ona]

Couple of things I can report-

When my cousin and I were 12, we were alone in the house one afternoon. We'd been drinking iced tea, and I'd left my glass on a table across the room while I went to sit at the piano. Cousin had gone into the bedroom to talk on the phone. The door was closed and I could faintly hear her chattering from the other side of the wall.

Suddenly, the glass came sailing past my head and hit the wall nearest me at full force. While I certainly didn't see my cousin anywhere near, I jumped to the most obvious conclusion, and went to the bedroom and demanded to know why she'd thrown her glass at my head.

She looked at me like I was crazy and showed me that she still had her glass in her hand. I went back to the living room to check, and it had been my own glass that had been flung; it had still had ice in it, while cousin's did not.

Even if this had been my cousin's idea of a joke (not likely) she would have had to pause her conversation without me hearing, open the bedroom door, come into the living room within my line of sight, fling the glass, then scamper back to the bedroom, close the door and resume her conversation like nothing ever happened. I'll also add that cousin was nearly six feet tall by then and gangly 12 year olds don't exactly have the stealth of a ninja.

Granted, I did not see by what mechanism the glass had been thrown. I didn't see it being lifted off the table. But it must have been, somehow. The glass was thrown hard enough that it could have caused an injury.

Second case - this was not me, but my eldest son who saw this at about 8 years old. He's grown now and still swears up and down this is true.

He says that one night, he watched terrified as the sugar canister slowly inched itself to the edge of the kitchen counter and turned over, spilling some sugar onto the floor. Of course, I thought he'd done it, and fussed at him. He recalls this as a time I'd been blatantly unfair to him, not believing him when he hadn't done anything wrong, plus been scared out of his wits. But who hasn't heard some wacky excuses out of their kids?

This isn't the same as seeing things disappear or reappear out of nowhere, but seeing movement without any apparent cause might count for something.

What a fascinating story! If something like that ever happened to me, I'd be worried about what's going to happen next. A glass flying across the room like that ranks right up there as a very scary experience! That falls in the poltergeist category.

 

[FilthyleDog]

The flying glass story reminded me of my much more gentle poltergeist experience many moons ago.

I lived in a shared house of ne'er do wells and desperadoes (I fell into both categories at the time) and not long after moving in held a small party for some friends. The couple in the small room next door to mine in the attic were present and at some stage myself and a few friends wandered into their room and were talking to them in there. They asked if I had ever witnessed anything unusual - as in paranormal - happening in the house...which I hadn't...but as we were discussing this, a plate that had been lying on a chest of drawers next to their bed (these were tiny bedsit rooms) floated into the air and moved onto an empty chair close by.

Excuses were made and we left straightaway...

 

[Ulalume]

What a fascinating story! If something like that ever happened to me, I'd be worried about what's going to happen next. A glass flying across the room like that ranks right up there as a very scary experience! That falls in the poltergeist category.

Yeah, despite my childhood interest in poltergeist activity, very few things happened in my own house, even though I wished they would. Well, not until recent years, anyway. The couple of times incidents did happen in those days, that same cousin happened to be visiting.

Also, the year previous to the flying glass episode, that particular cousin and I had had a memorable "panic in the woods" incident. This is posted on the board somewhere, but darned if I can find it now. Anyway, this cousin had grown up in my grandparents house which was jam-packed with spooky happenings., so perhaps she was a magnet for such things back then.

 

[hunck]

I've had just one experience of a flying glass incident which happened years ago at a small party/gathering at the flat of the younger sister of a friend of mine at the time. I didn't see it directly from start to finish but my memory is of a tumbler moving from the centre of a low table with lots of other glasses on it, & ending up on the floor. Attracted by the movement, I saw it from when it was in the air over the edge of the table 'til it hit the floor. I didn't see it 'take off'.

To do this it would have had to jump over the glasses surrounding it on a crowded table. Enough people witnessed at least part of it to remark on the occurrence but the sister was known for weirdness happening around her & not that much was made of it.

A bit different, but years later I lived for a while in a flat in which we were always finding broken glass fragments without anything being broken, in both kitchen & living room. We'd clear it up but give it a few days & there'd be more. We just took it as 'one of those things' in the end.

 

[spinaldeath5000]

When I was 6 years old my family moved to a 17th century property in the county of Powys where we lived for the next 10 years.

It was a fairly run down village store which my parents did a wonderful job at rejuvenating before it became apparent that it was not a viable business and it needed to be closed. My parents learnt one thing from their second foray into self employment and that is you do not extend credit to farmers, as who knows when they will pay their bills (the answer is never).

But I digress. The property originally consisted of two separate properties which were joined together, with the smaller property being slightly older. At some point it was converted into a single residence. It was the older part of the property where the strangeness happened.

The strangeness was a feeling, a feeling of utter dread and evil. It came from the upstairs of the property which in it's last life was a storeroom for the post office which used to be the downstairs. Who knows what it could have been over the years. I never saw anything, I never physically felt anything. But there was that sense of pure hate, pure horror that came from that part of the building.

Due to my young age at the time, I would have put it down to an over active imagination, but both of my parents and my siblings experienced the same feeling. My dad is very level headed and doesn't believe in 'that sort of thing', but he felt it and described it in a similar way.

I ended up refusing to go up to the bathroom (which was in the larger part of the house) on my own because I had to walk past that room and I could feel that hate, that evil, that utter dread focussed on me the entire time I was up there. My parents ended up buying me an Old English Sheepdog to go with me everywhere and help alleviate the fear.

Eventually, after the shop was closed my parents had the property completely renovated and modernised. After that, the presence was gone, never to be experienced again.

Before the renovation there were other unusual occurrences in that house which I would be more than happy to share if there is interest.

 

[oldrover]

When I was 6 years old my family moved to a 17th century property in the county of Powys where we lived for the next 10 years...

Before the renovation there were other unusual occurrences in that house which I would be more than happy to share if there is interest.

I'd certainly be interested. Could you say where in Powys this was?

 

[spinaldeath5000]

I'd certainly be interested. Could you say where in Powys this was?

Not far from Lake Vyrnwy.

 

[oldrover]

I know the area quite well.

 

[Draheste]

Please, Spinaldeath, do tell us!
That impression of evil reminds me of what my favourite English-speaking writer of fantasy, SF and Horror stories, the regretted Tanith Lee, was telling in one of her short stories about a real event when she was a child. Her parents were ballroom dancers and )moved about a lot to find jobs. Once, they viewed a basement flat in a nice area in Camden Town (it was the 1950's) Tanith, when she came inside the flat, had the feeling of utter evil and anxiety. She said it was not because of the bars on the windows, which could be removed, or the bit of dampness and darkness of the place, as she was used to that in previous places. She was terrified of living there. And she said, in that barely fictionalised story, 'Down Below' in 'Forests of the Night':
'All I see now is a sort of yellowish dark brownness. All I feel is I must get out.'
The deal fell through and they never lived there, which was an immense relief to the girl, as she had the feeling she would live in hell. Later, in her adult life, she never found out why she was so terrified of that place.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I met Tanith Lee once at a British Fantasy Society convention.

 

[Draheste]

I completely envy you! If it was the 2004 convention, I nearly went there. But I knew too late she was going to be present and as I was working that Saturday, I could never swap and go to London! However, I sent her one of my paintings about 10 years ago and she replied to me. I still got the letter and treasure it. She was such a great writer and artis and seemed to have been a great person, as well.

 

[Mythopoeika]

I completely envy you! If it was the 2004 convention, I nearly went there. But I knew too late she was going to be present and as I was working that Saturday, I could never swap and go to London! However, I sent her one of my paintings about 10 years ago and she replied to me. I still got the letter and treasure it. She was such a great writer and artis and seemed to have been a great person, as well.

No, it was sometime back in the 80s. She gave a very interesting talk, where she mentioned she'd joined a coven as part of her research for her books. I got a copy of Death's Master signed by her (well, monogrammed 'TL' rather than signed).

 

[Draheste]

I didn't know that, thanks for the info! The Flat Earth books are brilliant and I heard that before her death, she wrote one or two books of the cycle, but they are not yet published, alas! She died far too early. I was heartbroken.
The Birthgrave is one of my favourite book in English.

 

[Red Steel]

Early 1980s, in Detroit. A friend and I broke curfew and we're walking around. The street we walked hosted a cemetery on one side and an old, fenced in compound on the other. Many buildings were vacant but some housed a few city and state activities including an annex for the sheriff's office and a lock up.


We walked on the cemetery side. As we proceded along the cemetery fence and old man came around the corner ahead of us, walked towards us and entered the cemetery through a small, open gate. It seemed odd that a gate would be open; it was 3 AM. We continued forward and he same man came around the corner again and again he walked towards us until he reached and entered the small side gate.

We passed the gate and reached the corner. We both joked and remarked the old guy must be coming back out from some other opening; however we could see the large enterance for vehicle traffic was closed and secured. Looking ahead, we saw the old guy approach. He hobbled, but seemed to move quickly for his age and obvious infirmities. His clothes were worn and shabby like what you'd see a derelict wear.

As he passed us he looked at each of us with a lopsided grin. His teeth looked to be in a band state. After he passed I said to my friend, if I see him again I'm running across the street, to hell with traffic. This side of the cemetery was bordered by a huge double highway, three lanes on each side. It hosted scores of bars, gas stations and cheap hotels. The bar-closing time traffic was out in full force. My friend responded that if the old guy reappeared he'd be out in front of me and I'd be in his dust..

Of course, we turned forward to see him approach again and we both tore off across he street. Based on the honking horns and cursing, I'm sure we scared the he'll out of a few late night drivers. Onice we reached the other side we looked back and saw no sign of him. We stood for a while and watched but he didn't show

We wondered around for about another hour while contemplating the nature of the strange old man. I hadn't seen him again; but my friend claimed to have seen him follow from a distance. This would mean the man broke off his pattern and changed direction. He said once he crossed a bridge the old man stopped following and seemed to amble off back towards the direction of the cemetery. Note, this was about five miles from where we first saw him at nearly a straight shot down a major thoroughfare.

 

[spinaldeath5000]

Please, Spinaldeath, do tell us!
.

Before the main renovation activities took place, my parents felt that it was essential that the old stairs which led up to the room where the presence originated were removed due to the fact that they were incredibly narrow and our elderly Old English Sheepdog (not the one purchased later to act as my companion) struggled to get up them and would constantly stumble. The last straw was when I slipped down the stairs and ended up with a badly bruised back.

So, the old stairs were ripped out and a larger set of stairs were built leading from the now closed shop area up onto the landing, thus circumventing the old part of the house.

Shortly afterwards the dog had to be put to sleep. But from that day, until the day the house was gutted and renovated, we would still hear the dog stumbling on the stairs. It was a vivid, clear and unmistakable sound, right down to her chain collar clanking on the steps.

 

[Draheste]

Thanks, that was scary! Anyway, I think that building in some way or other, was acting like a tape recorder, including ' bad atmospheres'.

 

[KellyM]

Early 1980s, in Detroit. A friend and I broke curfew and we're walking around. The street we walked hosted a cemetery on one side and an old, fenced in compound on the other. Many buildings were vacant but some housed a few city and state activities including an annex for the sheriff's office and a lock up.


We walked on the cemetery side. As we proceded along the cemetery fence and old man came around the corner ahead of us, walked towards us and entered the cemetery through a small, open gate. It seemed odd that a gate would be open; it was 3 AM. We continued forward and he same man came around the corner again and again he walked towards us until he reached and entered the small side gate.

We passed the gate and reached the corner. We both joked and remarked the old guy must be coming back out from some other opening; however we could see the large enterance for vehicle traffic was closed and secured. Looking ahead, we saw the old guy approach. He hobbled, but seemed to move quickly for his age and obvious infirmities. His clothes were worn and shabby like what you'd see a derelict wear.

As he passed us he looked at each of us with a lopsided grin. His teeth looked to be in a band state. After he passed I said to my friend, if I see him again I'm running across the street, to hell with traffic. This side of the cemetery was bordered by a huge double highway, three lanes on each side. It hosted scores of bars, gas stations and cheap hotels. The bar-closing time traffic was out in full force. My friend responded that if the old guy reappeared he'd be out in front of me and I'd be in his dust..

Of course, we turned forward to see him approach again and we both tore off across he street. Based on the honking horns and cursing, I'm sure we scared the he'll out of a few late night drivers. Onice we reached the other side we looked back and saw no sign of him. We stood for a while and watched but he didn't show

We wondered around for about another hour while contemplating the nature of the strange old man. I hadn't seen him again; but my friend claimed to have seen him follow from a distance. This would mean the man broke off his pattern and changed direction. He said once he crossed a bridge the old man stopped following and seemed to amble off back towards the direction of the cemetery. Note, this was about five miles from where we first saw him at nearly a straight shot down a major thoroughfare.

Do you mind my asking what cemetery? Is it in the city or the suburbs?

 

[spinaldeath5000]

Thanks, that was scary! Anyway, I think that building in some way or other, was acting like a tape recorder, including ' bad atmospheres'.

Agreed. We also use to hear footsteps coming from upstairs when all animals and family members were accounted for in the downstairs living room.

I would add though that we also used to suffer from a case of the borrowers in the same house. I did not witness this first hand, but my mother and sister were adamant that the event that I am about to describe definitely did happen.

Of course this was pre-renovation of the property, as I've previously stated, all unusual events completely ceased post renovation, but this was after the shop closed and the room with the horrible presence was our upstairs kitchen at the time.

In the kitchen was a large oak table. At one end of the table were numerous condiments. On this occasion my mother and sister were preparing themselves some toast for breakfast and were looking for the catering sized pot of Marmite that normally lived on the table. For the life of them, they could not find that unmissable, large pot of Marmite anywhere.

At a loss they proceeded to remove every single pot of jam, mustard etc off that table until finally they were presented with a completely bare table. They were in the process of discussing how strange it was and what 'Dad' could have done with it (perhaps they thought he had hidden it due to his dislike of Marmite and he wanted to tease them! Who knows?!?) when they turned back to the table with a great big pot of Marmite slap bang in the middle of it!

In shock they both ran out of the kitchen to tell my Dad who was fairly disinterested and dismissive of the whole affair, attributing it to over active imaginations.

I should clarify that the table was at the far end of the room closest to the front of the house and the entrance to the room was at the the other end to the rear of the house with my mother and sister stood between the table and the door, so no one could have sneaked in to play a practical joke.

 

[Draheste]

That is really cannot be explained by sudden blindness, as it is common at the library where I work, when Theology's or Philosophy's students cannot find the book the want on the shelf, that and the classification system (Library of Congress) which is a bit complicated to say the least.
Not with a huge pot of marmite! Impossible. I think your house was rather haunted but were defeated by renovations. How fascinating!

 

[oldrover]

Shortly afterwards the dog had to be put to sleep. But from that day, until the day the house was gutted and renovated, we would still hear the dog stumbling on the stairs. It was a vivid, clear and unmistakable sound, right down to her chain collar clanking on the steps.

That's similar to something my family and I experienced in a former house. I'm deliberately using the word 'experienced', rather than happened. Because I'm not sure what lay behind it was internal or external to us, even though more or less the same thing was heard by two people. My mother and myself.

There were four of us in the house at that time, my parents, my then girlfriend and myself.

Anyway, the sound of our dog, again very distinctive, running up and down the stairs. Also sniffing, scratching and padding about outside the doors of the bathroom and main bedroom. And again, while everyone plus dog was downstairs behind a closed door.

Once I remember my girlfriend I heard it together, but mostly it was my mother and I who experienced it regularly. Strangely though, I once heard something like a loud scratching coming from inside a bedside cabinet. My girlfriend though heard nothing. Even though the cabinet was right next to both of us.

Like your experiences, it all suddenly stopped.

 

[Red Steel]

Do you mind my asking what cemetery? Is it in the city or the suburbs?

It's at Michigan Avenue and Merriman Road.