Two Apparitions

Back in 1984, while I was serving the NATO during my military service as a proud Amphibious Commando, I came across the weirdest thing in my life.

I was at this base (classified info) which was supposed to be guarded by one of us. Since it was a duty where you wear your camo kit and get to carry your standard M16 rifle, it was just the thing a 20 year-old guy would ache for. Well here goes story no.1:

I was posted at this station for the "graveyard shift" ironic as it is, the base was neighbouring a cemetery indeed. My duty was to patrol the perimeter fence every hour and sit at the guard desk for the rest of the shift.

The shift was from 23:00 hrs. to 07:00 hrs. without relief. So you were supposed to carry along all your supplies. As any good vigilant guard does, I packed up my chicken and egg sandwiches, car mags and coffee flask. Doing so, I started off after the briefing and login. It was during my 02:00 hrs. patrol when I was scared white knuckled with the strangest of all the things I experienced in my whole life.

When I was halfway thru my patrol jerking the fence with my hand to see if it was OK and if any intruder cut a hole or something, I sensed that I was being conned upon (or watched carefully if you please.)

I looked around myself and ahead into the cemetery. There was this tomb over which an approximately 5'5" marble angel statue stood as if watching the tomb, with its arms and hands raised to the sky begging The Lord for mercy for the deceased's soul.

Right under this particular statue sat a pitch black man (his silhouette is a better description) He sat there like the famed "Thinking Man" statue of Rodin, except for the hand supporting his chin. The silhouette was as if it was absorbing the faint light coming from the moon and the stars.

The first idea which struck me was that the silhouette (which I still thought was a man during all that incident) was trying to distract my attention and put me off guard for a cross fire ambush. My first reaction was to crouch and swing my rifle around to see and nail whoever who was to shoot me in the back. Seeing no-one around, I swung back to the silhouette to find a pitch black cat sitting at the very same spot. I nervously giggled to myself and took a twig to throw at it cursing and mumbling "you little creep! I could've sprayed you into hamburger!" (BTW, I loathe cats). I can never forget what happened next...

The cat sprang off the marble tomb and ran away while emitting the most terrible sound, a howl which still echoes in my ears when I think of it. I am sure, as a person into Discovery Channel and National Geographics Channel all the time that it is NO CATS VOICE... It did not sound earthly either... The "cat" also left a bluish white trail of - "aura" I can call it - in the air which hung for a few seconds. I of course ran the opposite way.

After all these years, I still do not have the faintest idea of what it could be.

And for story 2 which is told to me by one of my friends.

Her father had passed away three years ago from a terrible case of cancer. She was of course struck badly by this loss. She went to her fathers grave every single day and wept. One day she wept for a long time and exhausted, fell asleep on her dear dad's grave. She awoke after several hours and noticed it was getting dark. She walked to her car to drive home when she heard this terrible howl and saw a tree shaking violently. She ran into her car and started off to see that the only road was blocked by a very thick branch. She started honking her cars horn and one of the keepers ran towards her. She got out off the car to show him the branch and after examining the branch, they saw that the branch was not severed or sawed off. It was ripped off the tree and the fresh branch's ends were in jagged forms. She thinks it was a bear or run- away ape which did this. A bear in a 14-million megapol ? Or a run away ape not told of on the 6 o'clock news ? Sounds impossible to me...