ATS Ghost Stories

I've always been very interested in the paranormal, in particular, a good ghost story. Having never experienced anything along those lines myself, I thought I'd start a thread where members can contribute their own creepy/paranormal experiences.

What I'd like to avoid though is urban legends. If you directly know people involved, great, share away, but if the story comes from your friend's uncles roommates cousin three times removed, then this isn't really the place. It's more a thread for people to share experiences they can't quite explain that they, or someone they know have had.

Anyway, I'm interested in reading some of the strange things that have happened to people. And also, let's try and keep it respectful. Someone might share something that's hard to believe, but let's not ridicule them, let's listen, discuss, and analyze in a respectful and productive manner.

When I was probably about 13 or 14 years old, a friend of mine and I decided to goof around in the church. We were running around in the halls and stupid crap like that. Anyway, we ran up the stairs and into the choir loft. I got there first and was just standing in the middle of the room while the other girl was still trying to get up the stairs. She had gotten about half-way there when this white entity appeared in the middle of the doorway. We were both immobilized w/ fear until the thing disappeared (which took about half a second, though it seemed so much longer) and then we bolted down the stairs. I was so freaked out I didn't even think about the fact that I was running through the very place where this thing was. I keep calling it a thing, b/c I am honestly not sure if that was a ghost. Most ghost sightings I hear of involve either nearly transparent entities or a more solid human-like manifestation. This thing was just a giant opaque white mass and it took up most of the doorway. I have a couple of other odd experiences, but I'll post them some other day.

Here you go I was doing the laundry I just folded clothes and was carrying some upstairs. I smoked at the time so I had my cig.'s and lighter in my hand under the clothes. I had to set the clothes down and go back and get something, when I returned and picked up the clothes my cig's and lighter where gone. I was the only one home at the time.

I made many trips down the basement over the weeks and one afternoon after passing the area I had set the clothes previously there were my cig's and lighter in the exact spot. I checked the pack and none seemed to be missing.

I eventually named my ghost Fred.

On one warm spring day I was in my room cleaning and I was hot, I thought come on Fred turn the air on.... at that moment the air came on. On another occassion I had the air on, I woke up and my room was freezing. I was under nice warm blankets and didn't want to get out from under them to turn off the air so I again said Fred can you turn the air off for me and yup the air turned off. Fred liked to play with the lights turning then on and off.

One night when my oldest grandson was a tot and was in diapers he was in the dining room playing, he started to come into the living room where the adults were sitting. He came to a dead stop looked over toward the front door and slowly backed up into the dining room again. He couldn't talk he only pointed.

We never felt threatened if anything we felt protected. Whenever I move into a new house I always make it clear that good souls are always welcome in my home and I ask they protect my family and home from any badness.