The Black Man

Hi! I am an avid reader of ghost stories and I stumbled upon this site. I love the stories and have been reading them ever since. This is my first time to share a story of mine that happened to me and affected my relationship with my husband. I am a skeptic, and I usually don't believe in ghosts unless I, myself, saw it. I am well-aware that I am some what sensitive about the unexplained, but I ignore what I feel and what I see because I am pretty coward...So, here goes...

It happened in the year 2009 and lasted until the midyear of 2010. I and my husband were newly wed at the time my experience started. I presently live with my husband in a military camp here in the Philippines, most especially in the Island of Mindanao. My husband works with the Armed Forces and after our wedding, I decided to live with my husband. I was enamored by the way the soldiers and their wives lived so I made up my mind and joined them. From the city, I transferred to a rural area and was very disappointed to learn that there was no running tap water (you need to exert all your energy to pump water from a water pump), no toilet and bathroom! Imagine that. I know little about the background of this camp but the major historical events of it. The "other" things I learned from wives tales. It is said that this camp was a former campsite of rebels and there was a graveyard within this camp where fallen rebels were buried with stones and bottles to serve as their tombstone(my husband and I argue about this because I don't really believe in this tale) and they are said to haunt the camp.

It was about 7:00 in the evening of October 2009 when I had my first encounter with "The Black Man". As usual, I was doing my nightly routine of having my nightly bath and stuff when I noticed something or someone peeping at me behind a mango tree (a slight information, after I arrived, my husband made me a decent bathroom and toilet made up of issued military camouflaged raincoats and unused tarpaulins. It only covers my body and I can see what is happening about. Since our hut is far away from other huts and near trees, my husband placed the makeshift bathroom and toilet about 2 meters from our hut). At first I ignored it because it was a military camp and it maybe someone going to his post for duty. After a while I was uneasy. I really had that sense telling me that there was someone watching me. Alarmed I called for my husband, and told him that something or someone was behind the mango tree. My husband who is a skeptic laughed at me and proved to me that there was no one behind the tree by taking the flashlight and lighting the tree. Of course, I saw no one. But when my husband switched off the light I can see the silhouette of a head peeping from behind the tree. Frightened, I asked my husband to wait for me as I quickly finished my bath. It was the beginning.

Two months later in December, my husband and some of his companions went to the division headquarters for their physical fitness exam and things for their promotion. I was left alone with our son, who at that time was 2 years old. I was pretty confident about staying there alone because my husband would only be gone for 2 days. That night, I slept in the bed while our son slept in the hammock near our bed. He loved to sleep in the hammock and would make a fuss if he slept with us in the bed. About midnight, I heard the water jug being shook like my husband uses to shake it and heard the contents being poured into a glass. I thought it was my husband and was relieved because I was feeling uneasy about him being away. I waited for the door to open but it didn't. I was half-asleep that time. Our son started to cry and I started to swing my son to sleep, but he didn't stop crying. Annoyed, I turned to face our son's hammock and was surprised to see my husband, or at least the shape of my husband. It was like a shadow, and light doesn't seem to penetrate it. I wanted to ask if it was my husband but words cannot come out of my mouth. I was frightened. It was like 30 seconds before it vanished. I then quickly stood up and took our son. He stopped crying and was asking to pee. Shaken, I accompanied him to pee, and we both returned to sleep with him beside me and my back to the hammock. I told my husband about the incident but he shrugged me off. After that, things became strange. I had the feeling I was always watched and we started to fight. Our son became sickly. It was as if the atmosphere of our home became a hot spot of disagreements and arguments. Sometimes, I can hear footsteps going around the hut. We don't usually fight and argue because we always talk to each other about things, and when one of us disagrees, it just stays that way. I don't know what we were always fighting about but we were fighting, and it was constant. But, when time comes for his vacation and we would go to my parents house, we will become the same old couple, sweet to each other and we don't fight. But the fighting will start all over again when we return to the camp.

Then, I decided to transfer into another hut inside the camp, and we did. After we transferred, things were coming back to normal, my husband and I never fought and argue, and our son stopped being sickly. The Black Man never appeared to me again. My last encounter with him was when we transferred. It was about 8 months after. I was sitting in our living room and was watching TV when I saw his head peek out from behind the doorway into our hut. He peeked two times but didn't enter. It was a strange encounter, like he was saying goodbye to me. After that, couples near our former hut begun to fight. Is it because of the Black Man? My neighbors tell me that they have encountered the same man I am talking about. Who is this man? Is he one of the fallen rebels buried in this camp? Who knows? But for me, I am glad my encounter with him is over.

Thank you for reading my story.