I've had several experiences with strange happenings and
the unexplained over the years. And I've come to the
conclusion that our minds protect us from the unknown. We
block out memories that we don't accept at the time, and
years later they pop up again. Incredibly this memory came
back to me after reading about someone else's experience
with shadows. So here is something that happened to me
almost 20 years ago that has come back to memory.
I was about 9 years old, we lived in New Jersey
back then and I spent most of my time inside since it
wasn't one of the best neighborhoods. At that time in my
life I was having a lot of problems going to sleep at
night, mostly on account that my parents would leave all
the lights in our apartment off at night.
Pitch black is
the best way to describe the summer vacation nights in that
old apartment, with very little light coming in from the
street lamps. I remember that I would wake up late at night
with some strange but distant noises. I thought it was only
my imagination since it didn't bother my younger brother,
who shared my room, but still I had a feeling someone was
there in the dark.
Weeks went by and every night I would
either wake up with some kind of noise, or a cold feeling,
or with strange nightmares that would force me to wake up.
I never told my parents since they were die hard
non-believers in the supernatural, which would have made me
look insane or an exaggerated liar. So I tried different
methods to deal with it including; watching TV late at
night, pillow over my head, and exhausting myself so not to
wake up. But non-of it was the answer. So I did what I did
best at that time, learned to adapt and survive to the
surroundings.
If I had learned to avoid gangs of bullies, drug
dealers and all-out-guys who for no reason wanted to pound
me... I could learn to avoid these things that were
happening at night. So I decided not to be pushed around in
my own room and use the best weapon I had their, ‘The
Dark‘. So I would wake up between 12 to 2 a.m. at night and
learned every hiding place there was. After a few nights I
had the whole area mapped in my head, I knew every hiding
place in all the rooms, the closets, the kitchen and
bathroom.
So I lay in wait one night in a corner to see what
I could see. And then they came, I was surprised but I
never felt fear (pretty strange for a 9 y/o not being
afraid of the dark). I could just barely make out shapes in
the shadows, they weren't that large but still it was
impressive. Some of the shadows actually looked like part
dog shaped, others seamed like lizards, and some were just
formless shadows moving. They weren't too many, five at the
most, but were all moving around the apartment. I stayed in
that corner for almost an hour until they left.
The next night I decided to fight back, where I got
the courage to do that I don't know. So I stayed hiding
again the following night until they came. When I saw them
I decided to do something most people wouldn't even think
of doing, I decided to sneak up on them. So I moved through
the dark and got behind one of them and just ask “Could you
get out please”? Amazingly it turned around as if it were
looking at me. It scattered across the room but all I could
find to say was, “I'm not impressed now leave.” This
happened a few more nights until the activity seemed to
stop.
But about a week later I had woken up at about 2
a.m. and felt the need to slide very quietly out of my bed
and hide in a corner, which I did as quickly as possible.
Then I saw ‘him’, who ever that was. He was human form but
completely dark like the other shadows. The only thing I
could make out is that he had a hat, but nothing else. He
walked to the edge of my bed and bent over looking for me.
Again I felt no fear and figured he would go away like the
rest so I said out loud, “Get away from my bed.” He turned
his head to me and then just vanished.
The next night I had
awoken at the same time with the same feeling, again I
slid slowly out of my bed but decided to hide under the
table in the kitchen, since with the door open I had a good
view of my room from there. Again the shadow man showed up,
first he went to look in the corner where I had hidden the
night before and then went to my bed to look for me. This
time I had decided to play the stalker. I had come out of
my hiding place and sat down in the doorway of my room with
my legs and arms crossed. Then I let out a low-level
chuckle and waited for him to turn around again. He again
disappeared but I still felt his presence, so I gave out my
message, “Stop trying, this is my room. You can never find
me here, but I can always find you. Leave and don't come
back ‘cause I don't fear you.”. I believe he left soon
after I said that. After that night I never got that
feeling again, I had no problems sleeping at night. School
started again and my nights were very calm.
But like I said over the years I had forgotten
about those nights. I never told anyone about it, but I
never felt afraid in the dark after that either. I guess
that sometimes courage is the best weapon against these
things.
If anyone has had an experience like this please
write to me at: licia069@hotmail.com.
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