Only When I Am Alone

Hi, my name is Yok and I have a built in sensitivity to the dead (lucky me). I have submitted a story to COS in the past with the promise of writing more later on. Well, here is some more things I, and some people I know, have experienced. I hope you get a kick out of it.

MY HOUSE

I recently moved into a house in Sydney's inner-western suburb or St Peters, an old area, mainly industrial and a lot of shacks were built here, mainly workers housing. My house in particular is an old weatherboard (and possibly asbestos) cottage, a large one for the area and for this street, one of the larger single story homes, as most of them are tight terrace-style buildings which are identical.

I moved in after answering a flatmate wanted ad, and after meeting the current tenant (SL) and checking the place out (It has a nice grungyness about it and some interesting design in places) I decided to throw down cash on the spot and claim the available room. I have had many discussions with SL about ghosts, spirituality (which he has studied) and the like with a cold beer on the front porch of the evenings. At one point he asked me if the house was haunted. I, at the point, wasn't exactly too sure, there was the slightest feeling of 'something' but it wasn't enough for me to be able to base a real answer off.

Over the next few weeks, small things began to lean towards the possibility of there being another, and older, tenant in the house. I wasn't really trying to find anything, and there was nothing around really concerning me anyway, besides the creepyness of an old house at night, and odd feelings of being watched, which, seriously, I get all the time.

A few days ago, SL left for a few nights up in Katoomba (I highly spiritual place I am fascinated with, he just went to see friends though), the newbie flatmate we signed on a week before was still AWOL, so effectively, I was alone in the house at night for the first time, well, since I moved in as far as I remember.

Being alone here made the place change, apparently, he won't come out when anyone else is around. I am used to having things be attracted to me, maybe my sense is equaled with their sense, and they just seem to know. But they seem to pick me, which in this case, was more of a relief than a problem.

It started, innocently enough with me thinking someone was home every time I was in the toilet, which is located at the far back end of the house. I would hear the old floorboards creaking and somebody thumping about with heavy, deliberate steps, going through the place wherever, just as one would sound like if you lived there. Sometimes I heard voices talking, never made out anything, but I could hear them, but when I came out of the toilet or bathroom, the place was empty and nothing had been moved, though it sounded like things had been moved around, somewhat hurriedly. This got on my nerves slightly, because I always thought someone was home and I wouldn't feel so paranoid on my own.

Anyway, as I prepared to go out to the city to have a few drinks with my brother, I guess it had the mentality of 'now or never', I was tying my shoelaces, one foot up on my computer chair, with my bedroom door to my left and the door itself half open. It took me a second to process what was standing there, I could make out most of the lower half, and parts of the right side of the body (the head was out of view), standing at my door, about a foot back (into the lounge-room), just watching. He (I maintain it is a He) had something of a greyish-yellow mixed hue (more denser around accented lines, and with a residual glow, somewhat) and managed to project himself rather well, though still looking like he was made up of a concentrated dust-cloud. I froze for the faintest second, just so I could concentrate at what was at my door, then kind of jump once I realised what it actually was. This sudden movement, disappointingly but predictably, caused the apparition to disappear before I could refocus. With that, within less time I had re orientated myself and checked the lounge room, poking my head through my door, one shoe on, I just laughed heartedly and said 'Heh, you scared the hell outta me man!'. The way I figure it, since it gave off no negative vibes that I know of, it can't be THAT bad. I tested for sense of humor at least.

The house has seemed a tad more light-hearted since. I told SL when he got back (he rang me, since I was out), he sounded rather excited about this, but since he had been living here for some time and never seen anything, I think also maybe he was jealous. I explained that, in a lot of cases, they pick who sees them, better luck next time...

OLD HOUSES
(places I have lived and stayed)

I just spent 6 months living and working in Brisbane, up there, for the most part, living in a beautiful old Queenslander (type of house, look it up) in the inner suburb of Spring Hill. Surprisingly, most of the time I was up there, very little actually happened. There was only one experience I had in the house I lived in, and that was seeing someone, dark shadow of sorts, standing in one of the doorways leading out of the lounge room. But honestly, I am not even certain it really happened.

On the other hand, the house I was staying in prior to my QLD jaunt was much the opposite. I would even go to saying this place was something of a battleground, not for volume but of extremities. See, there was one outside, and one inside. The inside one was more a lone soldier, sentinel kinda thing. There was very little emotion around it and it rarely popped up. But it gave me the impression of protection, like it was keeping what was outside out. I only ever really saw this one once, I would see it's form in the darkness of the laundry/toilet area regularly, but would pass it off as sudden differences in atmospheric light and the time it took to readjust ones eyes, but a lot of that was just keeping myself calm.

The best view I ever got, I was walking back from the kitchen to the small sun room I was sleeping in at the time, to get there I had to go through the dining room and the lounge, no hard task in the slightest. The dining room light was almost perpetually on, since no one in the house had a real sleeping pattern. The lounge light remained off after 12 usually, maybe 2, and the front room had a lamp which I used, all in all, the place wasn't very dark at all. Anyway, walking back through the dining room, I noticed someone standing at the doorway into the lounge, just behind the lights reach. It wasn't short, but wasn't as tall as I am, and had the stance of a soldier, I remember it had a very burred look, fuzzy lined shape and was a rusty red color. I merely stopped and blinked a few times, completely aware at what I was seeing (Since he was in the doorway and I thought it to be rude to walk through him, I have walked through a ghost once, don't do it). I think he was just checking me, because a few seconds later he side stepped and shifted facing direction as if he was letting me through, I accepted the gesture and continued to the front room, thanking him on the way through.

Now the other one, the outsider, this one annoys me. I think it is just very immature in approach, it goes for windows at night and bothers you, tries to get your attention, but skulks around shadows when you are outside, and more often, runs away. My friend who lives there, Millhouse, was well aware of this one, as was some of the other people who had stayed in the front room, which as it turns out, was one of it's favorite places to try and get to people. Cooper, a friend who was staying there before me, was heard to mention hearing noises outside the window at night, he freaked out a lot easier though.

Inside, when I was there, it would try to get my attention, desperately it seemed, every few nights. Usually by thumping the window next to my head while I was at the computer or throwing around small bits of light, like seeing a moth glowing while it flies erratically around the light of a street lamp, but coming through curtains. This would amuse me at best. I would generally ignore it, which wouldn't prompt it to stop, but accelerate some until it finally lost interest. Millhouse had told me of a few times where it had been at his window at night, bothering him. One in particular when their dog, a large, old bull-terrier went spaz at the window, and wouldn't shut up growling for around an hour. He does that at time in the backyard, near the back fence, where we regularly get the idea the outsider is hiding around the old orange tree there (which never fruits). I have seen shadows run along those fences many times, one night, walking back from the train station, I was coming up to the house and saw what looked to be a tall, skinny and slightly warped shadow at the side window of the front-room (you guessed it, the window it bothers me from). I think it saw me, because suddenly it sort of 'ran', as far as shadows run anyway, towards the backyard. In that time, it grew taller, ganglier, then disappeared over the fence without a sound. I went inside and found Millhouse in the front room on his computer, I enquired whether he was getting much activity to his direct left before I arrived. He looked at me and said 'How did YOU know?'.

I spent a lot of time at my ex's place, there are four separate ghosts there I know of. There is her dead uncle for a start, a catholic priest who died of cancer a while back, he passed on in his bedroom, which was the front room of the house. He is very much still there, those who believe he is avoid being in there at night without adequate lighting or the TV on, I have had to stay in there many a time. You know he is around when a sudden unexplained cold spot comes over you. For about a minute or two, you breath suddenly becomes visible and there was no way to stay warm, then he just goes again, and everything goes back to normal. I should really remember to take temperature readings next time I am in there alone. Apparently he has also been seen sitting behind you if you focus on the computer screen to see the reflection. This hasn't happened to me yet.

There is another one in the lounge room, seems he was the original owner of the place because he acts just like every other ghost of a house owner who died there and doesn't want anyone else living there. He is a very pissed-off looking old guy, I haven't seen him myself, but many people who have been there have. I have felt his presence many times and do not wish to press further.

There is an unknown about, very rarely notice that one at all, it isn't bad, doesn't bother anyway, is just there. The other one, a shadow man, seems to go where he wants, while the others are confined to rooms and the ground level alone (The upper level was built only 20 years ago). This is odd, we are not sure where he came from, or what he wants.

There is a main road in front of the house which has many perilous corners and crap drivers. The area is a blackspot and people have died as a result of accidents many times in front of the house, I can't help but think this has something to do with it. We have all seen him around, he is slightly bothering, not totally evil, but a concern at the best of times. I have seen him on the staircase the most, not sure how many times. The most vivid was while I was walking up the stairs, this is the first time I saw him by the way, he was standing on what might have been the middle step, halfway up, holding onto the banister as far as I remember. I couldn't make him out properly, I took it a fuzzy eyes conveniently giving the anomaly of the shape of a man. I was wrong, as soon as I pushed on through, ignoring common sense with this matter, onto the same step he was on, my whole outlook changed. The weirdest feeling came over me, and I felt fear. I was bombarded with a confusion of negative emotions, but it stopped the second I made it to the next step. He could have stuck himself to me, done what he wanted (Something I need to get my sister to explain, ghosts CAN do that, I am just glad most don't.) but rather he stayed where he was and let me move on. He hasn't been too bothering since, but I still see and feel him about.

OTHER THINGS

Everyone knows how skinheads are, quite stubborn, ignorant maybe, not adept to believing bugger all really. One I know, Bug, told me about how he and an associate (another skin) were drunk on the north shore and wanted somewhere to sleep the night off, they figured the old Quarantine Station would be a great plan. (BZZZT! WRONG!) He explained to me how he wished he never went in there. They were checking it out, totally oblivious to how tired they were, because the place just was not right. One room he found, he opened the door and was violently tugged in by his arm. It wasn't until he was alone when he found something he will never forget. Bug had made it into this hallway, not sure where his friend had gotten to, when he was stopped by two twin girls in vintage dresses. Just there in this dark hallway, alone. He couldn't take it, as soon as they moved towards him he bolted for dear life, up the road and over the fence as fast as he could and then some. As soon as he got his breath back, his mate rang him on his mobile asking him where the hell he was running to?. Bug implied he should leave the premises, I doubt in those words either, when he got the reply 'Why? What the hell are y---F***!!!'. Within seconds, his friend was diving over the fence, landing next to him.

Apparently he had come across the same twins.

An old babysitter of mine, Tabby, when I lived in Western Australia, told me and my brother a story of a school camp she was on, no-one slept the night and there was noises and screaming. There was something banging inside of the wardrobe in the room the girls were in and the beds no one was on kept moving, also the light kept flickering on and off. Funny, seems the stories are true. She said it was the old York Hospital, about 300 k's east of Perth, yes, that one.

I am going to fill up far too much space here if I continue, I guess the other stories will have to wait until later. If you wish to contact me about this, please email rather than add me to MSN, I haven't had the best run with kids adding me.