by Marie Price

Created on: April 16, 2009

For as long as I can remember my family home had played host more than one ghostly visitor. Grandma always believed it had something to do with our Irish Ancestry and Although I would never contradict Grandma I personally believe it had more to do with the house we lived in and it's proximity to the local cemetery.

The house sat on a hillside partially hidden from view by several large trees. The only thing visible from the street below were two windows that looked like a pair of menacing eyes under a black hat. The house came complete with assorted creaks, moans, groans and the usual unexplained noises. The only entrance to the property was a long dark dirt road that also led to the cemetery. All things considered I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise when I had my first encounter with one of our ghostly visitors.

It was a very hot July night and I was desperately trying to find some relief from the heat. As I sat in front of an open window hoping to catch even a small breeze I had the eerie feeling I was being watched. Slowly I turned around to see a elderly man standing at the foot of my bed. He was dressed in faded jeans a blue denim work shirt and a pair of old worn boots. I sat there for a long moment just staring at my nocturnal visitor.

My first instinct of course was to run, but I couldn't move. My second thought was to scream and wake my parents,but when I open my mouth nothing came out. It was as if I were paralyzed . Suddenly The old man began to smile and for reasons I still don't understand I smiled back. He continued looking around the room as if he were looking for something. Then slowly he turned around and started down the stairs. He looked back and smiled again and then he was gone. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I didn't know if I should wake my sister or scream for my parents. In the end I climbed back in bed and waited for morning.

The next morning I couldn't wait to tell my family what I had seen. As I thought about what I would tell them it all started to sound pretty silly. Did I really see this man or was I dreaming? In the end I decided to pretend it hadn't happened. Several days went by without any more late night visits but I still couldn't shake the feeling, that despite my resolve to just ignore the incident ,my encounter the the ghost had been real.

As the summer wore on and l got back to the business of enjoying my summer vacation I thought less and less about my ghostly visitor until one night in early August I saw him again. He was standing on a step looking down at the street below . Slowly he turned, looked at me and then walked away. I continued to see him for several years until I moved away from home.

The old house was finally torn down about ten years ago and I often wonder about my spectral friend? does he still roam the hillside or has he finally moved on? I guess I'll never know.

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