Jubilee Spirit

I am a freshman at Fisk University, one of the premiere historically Black colleges in the United States. The school's campus is rich with history and a walk on the yard is like stepping into the past.

The main residence hall on campus is Jubilee Hall, named after the original Fisk University Jubilee singers who saved the school from financial ruin back in the late 1800's. The group toured the world and raised enough money to save the school and build Jubilee Hall. When the group sang before Queen Victoria, she was so moved, that she had her renowned palace painter paint a full size portrait of the singers. The painting now hangs in the Appleton room which is located in the lobby of Jubilee Hall where I reside. The Appleton Room is also located directly below my room. I believe my problem is centered around this painting.

The painting, which is deemed priceless, hangs rather carelessly out in the open with no protective covering or security device. A friend and I wanted to take a closer look at the painting one day so we stepped over the small wall that the painting sits behind. Upon closer inspection, I noticed small flecks of white paint on one of the faces of the singers from where the room had been previously painted. Outraged at such carelessness, I began to try scratch the paint off of her cheek and forehead. When my efforts failed I said a few curses and my friend and I left the room.

The next morning, I woke up with a very long, but very fine scratch on my forehead. It was odd to me because it wasn't there the night before and it was perfectly healed and scabbed over. I didn't think too much of it until in vanished without a trace a few days later.

One night, my friends and I were talking about how we thought Jubilee Hall might me haunted. We all shared our paranormal experiences and mostly had a good laugh. When I shared my story, however, the laughing ceased. When I told them what I had done to the painting they were shocked. That very next morning, I awoke with another scratch, this time on my left cheek. Like the one before it, it was long, fine, and perfectly healed. I shared the experience with my friends once more and they all volunteered to let me stay in their rooms that night. I declined sighting that it was probably nothing for me to worry about.

That night was uneasy and restless. When I finally felt myself drifting off to sleep, I was abruptly awakened by the sound of a loud thud against my closet door and a few seconds later, the creak of it slowly opening. I was holding my breath and when I suddenly and loudly exhaled, the door quickly stopped opening. My eyes remained on the closet for the remainder of the night and they didn't close until I saw the light of morning. The scratch on my cheek vanished without a trace a few days later.

The incidents I described happened a month ago. Though I have not received anymore mysterious scratches, there are still nights of unexplained restlessness. They say the spirit world runs deep in Jubilee Hall. I am truly a believer.