(For once, I decided to write about something that actually happened to me. This isn't a fictional event.)
For context, I've seem strange things in my family home for as long as I can remember. My mom said that my grandfather's side of the family is sensitive to these things and she's had some experiences as well. Apparitions, shadow figures, stuff moving on its own, strange feelings, doppelgangers and more. One summer I even got a small, misty, white figure behind our back porch in a picture. I still got that photo.
The earliest encounter I can clearly remember was as a toddler, sitting on the middle cushion on the couch in the den after dinner with my grandfather next to me. My grandmother siting in the nearby leather recliner watching a cooking show with the volume up too high. The tv trays still infront of them a foot or so away. I'd looked just in time to see blue jeans and black or brown shoes round the corner of the hallway, past the basement door and into the kitchen. The pants and shoes looked exactly like what my grandfather was wearing, but then realized I hadn't seen anything above the waist. All that registered was a bit of flannel fading into nothing, not even what exactly the color was. Dark Red... A dark blue or green maybe? I wasn't sure. I was confused so I squeezed between the tray and grandpa's legs, went into the kitchen, but only saw my mother. I'd told her exactly what I'd just seen and asked her if she'd seen the legs too. She did and looked a little perturbed by it, but switched to saying it must be her grandfather watching over us or something. I wasn't too sure though.
That and many other encounters made me numb to seeing them. It was normal after a while. Just another daily occurrence.
After a few years I wasn't just seeing them at home, but in elementary and other places too. They got clearer, but fewer as I got older. The sightings never stopped outright, but became sporadic and rare. For the most part it became a strong, heavy, suffocating feelings. I felt like there were eyes staring a hole into my back whenever there's an open area behind me, but not as often when I was outside.
At some point, I took an interest in researching old myths and legends. Towards the end of highschool I took a particular interest, borderline obsession, with Native American legends. Like skinwalkers and wendigos. I feel like this encounter has some ties to that. Like this was a warning for me to stay away and stop sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. That I needed to BACK OFF.
The encounter:
This happened around two years ago, between November 2019 and February 2020. A little over six or so months after graduating highschool. I can't remember exactly when, but I know it was around that time since I was unable to work on my game due to messing up the code. Badly. It was a relief to finally fix the issue after that long.
I was sitting at the dining room table with my laptop either working on a script or adding new sprites. The only two lights on in the house were the one directly behind me in the living room and the small light over the kitchen sink. Like most nights I felt something watching from somewhere behind me, but tried my best to ignore it. I had my glasses sitting on the edge by the screen above the keys. Every few minutes I'd glance at the reflection in my glasses to see if there was anything behind me.
It was around 2: 30 to 3 am when I decided to take a break from being hunched over, staring at pixels for hours. I paused the video I'd been listening to as I worked, letting my bluetooth earbuds hang around my neck. I dragged my stiff butt outta the chair, stretching as I walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light. I grabbed the cutting board and placed it at the far end of the dinner table.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aMmRleSSK
Before going over to the cabinet to grab a bowl I glanced to my left. For a moment, I stopped. Walking around the corner from the left was a shortish, black figure. It stood infront of the lamp, turned and stared at me. Silently. I just shrugged, looking away. I walked over to the cabinet reaching up and grabbing a bowl. I figured it was nothing, just another shadow figure that'd vanish by the time I looked back. I turned, walking over to the table and placed it by the board. When I looked up, it was still standing there. Glaring at me. I was frozen, nothing I'd ever seen was EVER there after looking back or look directly at it. I felt a lump in my throat, holding my breath as my nails dug into my palms.
Slowly, it stepped forward. It's gaze never left me, darker black sockets locked on me. That's when I heard it. Breathing. Its breathing. Low, deep, slow breaths. I felt like my heart would stop at any moment. Something in the back of my mind was screaming at me to move. That if it got to me, it would hurt me. That there would be lasting damage if it got too close.
I finally let out my breath, taking a few shaky steps to the right as it rounded the corner of the table. Once out of its line of sight I rushed towards the light switch. Scurrying around the table as quietly as possible. All I could think was to turn on the dining room light. I held my breath again as i reached for the dile, turning it and waiting to hear anything. Or see something round the corner to attack me. Nothing. There was nothing. I let out a sigh of relief as I peaked around the corner to find the room empty. But felt a a chill envelope my body as my blurry vision tried to focus on the rug. I took a few hesitant steps forward, trying to come up with a reasonable exploration for the now clear divots in the rug.
They looked like footprints, but couldn't have been mine. These prints were less then half the size of my feet. And for some reason the prints retained their shape rather then the rug fibers bouncing back moments after stepping there. That's when it sunk in. I heard its breaths from across two rooms, it wasn't see-through or misty and it was heavy enough to leave footprints. It was PHYSICAL or at least partly physical. If it really was strong enough to have this kind of presence, then... I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMspNO8P8to
I should just be glad I reacted before anything could have really happened, but I wouldn't be working in the dark for at least the rest of the week. I pushed down the remaining dread and paranoia, opting to focus on my lunch rather then the waking nightmare I'd just experienced.
I still worry I'll see it again, but be too terrified to react in time. I feel like that was a warning more then anything... I hope I never see that, whatever it was, again. And I wish I didn't remember it so vividly. I remember its appearance so clearly even thought I shouldn't have been able to without my glasses. Sometimes, I still wonder what I'd look like If I saw it clearly and if that would have made any difference.
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