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Slaveholder Ghost

MI, USA
May 2001

Ok this story happened to me when I was just a kid. I was about 8.

We just moved into our new house in a boring suburban area. It was very woody, and the city was about 30 miles away. The houses were pretty far separated, about a half of a mile away from each other. The area got very dark and extremely quiet at night, and all I can remember is being scared. Well with that all covered I will get onto the story...

Well my house was kind of small, with a porch, and the interior was not big either. It contained a small kitchen, and 2 bedrooms. Me and my two brothers shared one. There was a basement also.

This basement contained NO electricity. The house was old and I believe that it was used to keep farm animals down there because there was gates and some hay on the ground still.

Well on a Friday night, this would be the night that my whole entire outlook on ghosts would change.

I was doing some homework in the kitchen when I heard someone whispering. I have never heard this voice before, and it sort of scared me. So I decided to go to my parents..."we didn't hear anything." I was frustrated because no one heard it. Suddenly I heard footsteps, like giant sized boots walking slowly in the basement. I started to get nervous, and I went to my parents again. For the second time, they did not hear anything. I decided to check out the situation myself so I went down to the basement.

It was quite dark but I used a window with the moon shining through as a source to find my way around. This was very stupid of me because I thought I was so brave. I had a broom as a weapon just in case anything out of the ordinary happened (stupid idea).

I looked around, and saw nothing. The basement was very small, so there wasn't anything to look at. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a low voice speak. I cannot remember what it exactly said, but it sure scared me. What I can remember is ..."Get back in your chains," ...and I think he/it said this "The towns people caught you again."

I was scared, the voice was all around me and it seemed as if the voice started to get closer. I ran up the stairs, as I was running up the stairs I heard the boots start up again, this time running after me! I started screaming and yelling as I ran up the stairs. I heard the boots reach about the 3rd step when I got up to the top of the steps, as I was shutting the door they stopped.

I never EVER went in the basement at night again or without my parents. This situation scared me. But when I was older, I did do some research on the history of the city (Athens, Alabama) and it seemed as if it was big pro-slavery city in the middle 1800s. So from my own knowledge I am guessing that the house was about 100 and 60 years old or so. I am guessing that the vast majority of the land was full of plantations with slaves. This is a guess but I do believe that what I talked to that night was a Slaveholder. He probably put his slaves in the basement and dead bolted the door until sunlight.

I now live in Michigan. But I never really told anyone about this story, but I definitely now believe in ghosts and if it would have caused me harm I do not know, but I am sure glad I used my common sense.

MI, USA
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