The Southern Sands Spirit

Gulf Shores, the second home dear to me, right next to Birmingham City, as number one.
Growing up in Alabama, as a child, me and my family would travel down to the elegant beach of Gulf Shores, just about every summer. Every reservation was in a different condominium every trip we went. I always loved experiencing varieties of them. Gulf Shores was always a beautiful, pleasant place to me. But then again, there were always those uneasy, hair raising, spine tingling times, I would always endure. These long, almost unending hours, unfortunately, would always occur at nights in the condominiums. Everyone would be off to bed and every sound in the condominium would be dead. It was always the most pain-in-the-you-know-what moments for me, every night. I was always filled to the very brim with fear. That type of fear when you feel like "someone" is watching you. That type of fear, when you feel like something bad, is about to occur, with in the blink of an eye. Being a tense person I am, my stress level would be bolting through the roof and anything was bound to scare the *explicit* out of me.

Any who, enough with the drawn-out-details and on with the story. Just thought I'd give you kids good feedback and tell a little about myself.

One fine summer of 2000, when I was only 10 years old, my family made reservations at this one condominium, called "Southern Sands". I wasn't so sure how old this place was, but just by the look of it, it seemed like it was there for a good while.

When we first walked into it, the place really appealed to me, it was very warm, cozy and humble looking. I really felt right at home, here.

I remained very comfortable, throughout my stay here (only through the hours of dawn). That still didn't change the fear I dealt and slumbered through out the nights. I and my sister, of course, would stay in the bedroom, with the twin beds, my parents in the master bedroom and my brother would sleep on the pull-out-mattress couch, which of course was in the living room. Usually, he would sleep because of the telly and him being a severe insomniac, most of his nights. Things were pretty enjoyable, staying in this condominium. We didn't have the best view of the beach, but still, it was a very decent condominium, compared to some of the other crappy ones we stayed at. I never knew after our departure from Gulf Shores and this condominium, I would here something very queer.

One night, my father was struggling to fall asleep, because of his constant migraines; he has been cursed with and has endured, throughout most of his life. Around at least, the middle of the night, his migraine was so outraged, it forced him out of bed and to go into the bathroom to take some medicine. After he had consumed the pain relievers, he staggered out of the bathroom, to return to bed as quickly as possible. Once he was out of the bathroom, into the pitch black, bedroom, he suddenly froze in his very tracks. My father distinctively, saw this elderly woman - what appeared to be - standing over my mother, who was sound asleep. She appeared to be standing, or at least leaning over her, though he couldn't see her transparent bottom half, from waist down. My father stood there, rubbing his eyes at least once or twice. He never said that he felt terrified or scared, just startled. He claimed that it felt like walking into another room and seeing another person. Only this wasn't a person, or at least a living one, but a mere incredible apparition, so it seemed. Naturally, it could have been just have been the illusion he was probably having caused by the possible side affects of the pain killers. Or possibly the other medications he consumes.
My father described this woman as dressed as a nurse from the Victorian era. She wore a white bonnet, with a blue dress (possibly a casual, kind of Victorian dress), with a white apron. From what I have mentioned earlier, she was elderly, the age of a grandmother. He also described her having a kind appearance about her, that's the reason why he wasn't afraid of this possible apparition. She seemed to be at least praying or watching my mother, maybe the way a mother looks upon her child, lovingly, he exclaimed, "It was just... well... peaceful."

Any who, to continue on with the story, After staring at this anonymous, unexpected stranger, she then looked up at him, acknowledging his presence and then vanished into thin air. My mother mentioned she was awoken that night to see my father waving his arms over her, as if he were trying to fan away smoke. Obviously, it seemed that my father was trying to make sure the visitor was gone. At least.

One another note. My brother mentioned that through his sleepless nights, in the condominium, he felt his skin crawl, to the feeling of someone watching him, through the curtains of the condominium sliding-glass door, in the living room?.. So was this visitor, perhaps gentle or maybe a mere dark spirit/demon in disguise?. Or maybe this apparition was accompanied by another one who was the exact opposite of her.
You be the judge my, friend.

Like many ghost stories I've read and the paranormal I have studied and was always fascinated with as a child, there are a million logical theories to the unexplained we witness. Most times there are religious explanations through the eyes of the spiritual ones. In a good example, my mother being a devout catholic and my father Baptist, it was simply a holy spirit sent from god to watch over my mother, a guardian angel, if you will. But except me, being the one who leans more toward the motto, "Anything is possible". I, obviously, feel that it was a spirit, rather than a guardian angel, though, I am catholic. But I really wouldn't think an angel would wear Victorian era clothing. Then again, through the eyes of Christianity and Judaism, god works in mysterious ways.

Thanks for reading, you spook lovers! :)