We're going to try something completely different, just this once, from our regular magazine-type format.. Over the past several weeks we're received far too many encounters to keep up with all of them. And, as our readers know, while we can't post everything (for obvious and not so obvious reasons), we do try to post as many as possible by selecting from each group received. That said, for this installment we'll be moving away from hard line editing, spell checking, etc. and simply post the stories in the raw form, just as we received them (this makes it easier to post several at once). One downfall is that we will lose separation of paragraphs, there will be misspellings -- and for that we apologize in advance. What you'll find below (this time only) are unedited encounters, no titles, and simply numbered as we go. Enjoy!

Encounter #1 (this one is really a question)

Hello, I have a question my house seems to have some issues. I think I see things ducking into doorways and when I go to look I don't see anything. I also when I am asleep just wake up with weird feelings. I am a pretty big coward and this stuff terrifies me. What does this sound like is happening? I have looked at things that say it is the history of the house but the house is only been here since 1976. I don't know if the location is it or what but if you would please answer I would feel alot better. Thank You, Jeremy

Visit your local city hall and county offices. Check their records for previous ownership (public information) and when your house (and tract) were developed and built. You can also do a "chain of title" to see all the previous owners. Then, you'll discover what the raw land used to be (a burial ground or simply an empty lot were possibly a tragic event occurred). To expand your investigation, visit your local newpaper archives (or your local library) so see if there are any articles matched with the names of the previous owners or the developers of your tract (neighborhood). And remember, those oldtimers at the barbershop or local tavern could give some personal insights as well. If nothing else comes of it, at least you'll know more about the place you reside in, your hair will look nicer and you'll make some new friends.

Encounter #2

(Submitted by Sue from Holley, New York)

I work in a train station that dates back to the late 1800's. We've just opened this business and in the last 3 weeks I've heard sleigh bells in the showroom and no one else is in the building. I thought I might be loosing my mind so I spoke to my boss the last time I heard the bells because the hair on my arms and neck stood up straight. He said he had heard the same bells the evening before when he was here alone. Later that same day with customers in the store the light in our popcorn machine blinked off and on 3 times, the other lights in the store remained on. Today, while waiting on a customer we have a wood stove burning in the corner with a sign that alerts people to the fact that the surface is hot flew off the stove. I am thrilled that we are experiencing these happenings - I just hope our spirit is friendly, as of now I think we just have a prankster in our midst. Merry Christmas!!!

Encounter #3

(Submitted by David H. of Falls Church, Virginia; took place in McLean, Virginia)

Throughout childhood I read books on ghosts and poltergeists from the time I was in second grade( I am now nearing 40). One night in bed after just finishing the book titled "Washington's D.C's Most Famous Ghosts", I decided to wish out loud for poltergeist activity. My bedroom was on the lower level of my house. Shortly after making my desires verbally known to the "powers that be", I began to hear footsteps come down the stairs and turn towards my room and stop at my bedroom doorway. This continued off and on for several months. Finally one night while I awoke to aformentions "footsteps" walking into my room to the foot of my bed. Something "punched" the my pillow really hard. I sat up in my bed, looked at pillow and saw a fist-sized indentation. The minute I saw the indentation, it snapped up as if the "invisible fist" lifted off the pillow. I then heard shuffling footsteps across my shag carpet going away from the bed out the bedroom door. I screamed at the top my lungs I heard the hard soled "unseen" shoes walk down the hall away from my room. My parents never heard a thing. (I've noticed other postings it that sleeps persons surround activity don't seem to wake up.) For a period of eight years after the footsteps, I slept with the light on in my room. Overtime, the footsteps disappeared, but when alone inside the house, I would sometimes hear my mother's voice call my name from upstairs. The moral is this story and a word of warning to others is don't seek the supernatural unless you know what your dealing with.

Encounter #4

(Submitted by Kristi of Triplett, Missouri; took place in Kansas City)

This story did not happen to me but it did happen to my mother. It was Christmas time and I was born two months earlier in October of '85. Being an only child my mom and dad wanted to get me good presents for my first Christmas. I don't remember how long before Christmas it was, maybe Christmas Eve or so, mom and dad had to make a trip to the Toys R Us to get me a doll they had been searching for for days. The store happened to have it and so they went to pick it up. My mom went in the store, got the doll, paid for it and went to walk out the doors. There infront of her sat a lady ina wheel chair and a man standing behind her. The lady sat there and smiled at her. My mom politely said "excuse me" and squeezed past the lady and FELT the wheelchair brush up against her leg as she walked past the couple. When mom got back into the car which was close to the doors she asked my dad if she had seen the couple at the door. He said no one went in after she did. Mom said that they were kind of transluscent looking and looked exactly like her aunt and uncle. The lady looked like her aunt in the way that A.) she was in a wheel chair and b.) she had a leg missing due to amputation. But the thing was ... both had been dead for several years.

Encounter #5

(Submitted by Tom of Trappe, PA; took place in Northampton, PA)

I have a few Stories about my Great-Grandmother who “haunted” the house I grew up in. I will start with the first time my family realized that “Mammy” had moved in with us. In December of 1978 my Great-Grandmother on my fathers side passed away. At that time my family consisting of my mother, father, and brother Dave lived in an apartment hoping one day to be able to afford a real house. My Great-Grandmother “Mammy” had always said that she would love to be able to help us buy a home so she could she Dave, and I have a real yard to play in. However Mammy had no money to speak of. Well, when she passed away her home and land were sold, and the funds split between her grandchildren. With the money my father received from her estate we could now afford to buy a home. We moved in July of 1979. (I have another story that started then, that I will share another time) My father told us it was due to Mammy’s passing that we could always have the home she wanted for us, and dedicated our home in her honor. He even imbedded a penny in our front walk from the year she was born. In December of 1979 my father told us he was going to decorate our Christmas tree with all of Mammy’s ornaments and lights, since she loved Christmas so much. We all help decorate the tree, and were telling stories about all the fun we had with her growing up. One of the items on the tree we her “bubble” lights. These lights had tubes filled with colored water, and would bubble after 10 minutes or so when the light under them got hot. (They still sell these, and they look great on Christmas trees.) We had a great first Christmas in our new home, and left the house around 2pm to visit my Aunt & Uncle. On the way out the door my mother reminded my father to unplug the tree before we left so as not to start a fire. (Why do parents always fear the worst?) We got to our Aunt & Uncles house, and stayed until around 9pm. We always had dinner there with other relatives, and us kids played with our new toys while the parents relaxed. When we pulled into our driveway my mother noticed through the window that the tree lights were on, and asked my father why he didn’t unplug them? He said he did unplug them, and told us follow him into the garage. He said he thought someone must be in the house, and he would go in first. (Again parents fearing the worst!) He grabbed a baseball bat and started through the door connected to the lower level of the house. We walked slowly a few steps behind him, and talked loudly to let any intruder know we were home. My father kept saying things like, “If anyone is in the house, go out the front door, we don’t want any trouble.” “We won’t call the police.” Now I thank my father being so level headed at that moment. We were all a little scared, and after a minute or two went upstairs. We got upstairs, and found that no one was there. My mother then proceeded to tell my father she was right that he forgot to unplug the lights on the tree by pointing to lit tree and the plug in the outlet. It was then that my father noticed that the bubble lights weren’t “bubbling”. If they were left on all that time they would be hot enough to bubble. We all touched them, and found that the tubes were cool. My father unplugged the lights, and plugged them back in. In about 10 minutes the tubes heated up and started to bubble! The only explanation I can come to is that Mammy wanted to see her tree all lit up again. In the years to come my family came to accept that Mammy was living with us, and many more “visits” came to pass. I will share these with you in the future.

Encounter #6

(Submitted by Jodi of Christchurch, New Zealand; took place in Hoktika)

I have always grown up with ghosts, spritts so naturally i am used to them now. My father and grandfather are speakers to both worlds. But only now am i comfortable with them. We used to live in a house that was built in the 1920s. It was on old villa on the west coast of the south island in new zealand, in a place called hoktika. I had a friend who lived there before us who said that the place was inhabited and that it scared her alot. She woulden't even come into my house. I was only 11 and and being only 11 i didnt beleive her and thought it was a load of crap. I had the smallest room in the house and it was always cold in my room.One of the first nights i was in there the netting above my bed, that was pinned to the ceiling, always moved and shook. I thought it was just the rats in the ceiling so the next day i had my father come into the house and check for any nests or rat holes, but he felt none. He was very reluctant to come into our new house for some reason i didn't understand then, but do now. There was nothing, but i knew he was spooked by something. I was alone in my room and it was 11:00 at night. I was reading a book when i looked over the top and saw a young man sitting on my bed. I just about jumped out of my skin! I thought he was real until i threw a pillow at him and it went through him. He just looked at me and walked through the door. I was freaked out so i put my radio on and drifted off to sleep. The next night i was writing and something touched my shoulder, i turned around only to see the same guy who was there in my room the night before, i looked at him and then he went through the window. This continued to happen for about 4 months, in which i slept with my radio on all night, and i wrapped myself up tight and never opened my eyes for i was too scared to see the young man. One night me and my dad were in my room and he was takning to me when he turned to me and said, you have a visitor jodi. I turned to see the young man sitting on my chair looking at me and my father. I turned to him and said " what do you want from me?" the man still sat and looked, my father turned to him and said, is there something that hasn't been done, is there something in this house that still connects you to this room. The young man went to the window and looked out at this old red beech tree. My father looked at him and said so it will be done. The next day my father got a chainsaw out and cut down the tree. IT was cut up for firwood and we had the stump pulled out and new pohutakawa tree replaced in its spot. That night i lit a candle and asked the man to appear. I coulden't see him, i looked out the window at where the new tree was placed and saw the young man there. He looked at me and smiled. Then he disapeared. I looked around our town library at the newspapers that had been kept. I was flicking through them when i found the same young man, with his family, standing in front of my house, standing beside the red beech tree, which was only a baby then. The article was how he and his family had just built the house, and they had decided to plant a tree in the yard. I read on to the next page, which was the next days newspaper, only to find out that he had drowned in the river and the tree that had been planted, was the tree he actually planted the same day of his death. I now live in a different town, but i still sleep with the radio on, more out of habit then fear.

Encounter #7

(Submitted by Erin of Minneapolis, MN )

I actually have had four encounters happen to me while i lived at this apartment. I live in the same building but i moved downstairs to a lower apartment. Anyways One afternoon, I had asked my daughter to put a dish in the sink for me and she did. A secound later i hear the water running. I thought to myself thats odd. So i walked inot the ktichen and the dish was sitting on the bottom. It was a tupperware dish so there was no way that my daughter couldve hit the faucet to turn it on. One another time I went ot put a kool-aid pack on top of the fridge and i walk back to the living room and The next thing i hear klunk. The kool-aid fell on the floor. There was nothing else on top of the fridge. I lived on the top floor so I one time had to go put a box in the attic. I open the door and I start walking up the stairs and I could feel hands pushing me up the stairs. I wasn't frightend more intriuged than anything. I saved the best for last. When it was time for me to go bed, My bed was dacing directly into the kitchen. I lived in a Efficeny/ I turned off my kitchen light and i climb into bed and as soon as I look into the kitchen I see a ghostly figure walking out of the fridge straight across. I remember this figure had a flannel shirt on. My dad passed away fifteen years ago and he used to wear flannel shirts.

Encounter #8

(Submitted by Joey of Gallatin, Tennessee; took place at a friend's house)

Let me start by saying this is a true story. It happened about five years ago at my friend walts house.We threw a big party for our friend kims 21st birthday.There was about 30 pepole at this party and almost half seen what Im about to tell you.It was about 1:30am,and the party had been going on for about 5or6 hours.Well kim had a little to much to drink so we took her out back on the deck where she threw up all over the place.(Keep in mind my friends house is out in the country)So we are all laughing an jokeing on her when a woman and little girl came walking out of the woods behind the house.The woman was wearing bluejeans an a white shirt and had long black hair.The little girl had on a long brown dress that came down to her ankels and was barefooted.At fisrt I thought It was someone at the party but I knew there was no kids around.They both walked up to the deck I looked at walt like who are they he just shook his head.I noticed that there eyes looked glazed almost as if they were wearing contacts.The woman looked at kim and asked us is she sick walt said no she just had a little to much to drink.At that time the little girl steped onto the deck an walked past me and rite into kims puke.She turned an looked at the woman the woman nodded, she turned back around and walked to the back door to the house.I looked down were she walked threw the puke and there was no footprints in the puke or on the wooden deck were she walked.The girl turned around again an looked at the woman the woman nodded once more.Then the girl walked into the house.I looked at my friend jessica an motioned for her to go after the girl.Once jessica went into the house ,I turned and asked the woman do you live around here.She said oh no I just wanted to see if your friend was ok but I must go now.She then turned and started walking back to the woods.I said hey lady hold on what about your child she kelp walking.Then we all started yelling at her to stop an come back.She stoped an looked at us and smiled then disappered.We all looked at each other in horror.A few other friends went to go look in the woods for her but I knew what I saw.About that time jessica came out and said I can not find that little girl anywere an no one in the house has seen a child.So we all looked all over the house and around the property.But there was no woman or child to be found. None of us knew what to think or do.Any way about two weeks later walt an I wear siting in his living room playing a game of chess and he told me that he belives the little girl was a ghost and is haunting his house.He said he can hear her laughing and runing threw the house.Well to end this long story he ended up moving less than two months later.He told me it was because of the little girl.

Encounter #9

"Robbie" writes: I have been reading these stories and was wondering if they are real encounters.

The people who write them say they are (for real) and for the most part we try to post the ones that seem more likely to be as close to real as you can get (ie: the ones we generally pass on end something like this: "... and as the moon rose over the cornfield, several bleeding, headless scarecrows came to life brandishing swords, chasing my girlfriend, cutting her head clean off and (somehow) I managed to live to tell this tale."

Nuff said.

Encounter #10

(Submitted by Amanda of Glyndon, Minnesota; took place in Moorhead, Minnesota)

Okay my story starts in Moorhead minnesota I was 14 at the time.I had gone to a fair that day and i came home . i have 3 sisters and 2 brothers so it's a pretty big family. but my brothers and sisters had gone to my grandmother's house. and we lived in a trailer. it had 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom also a living room and kitchen. but it wasn't that nice. anyway with my brothers and sisters gone i could get some peace and quiet. i was siiting on the toilet seat in our bathroom(i wasn't going bathroom). And i was clipping my toenails and all of a sudden i heard in the distance aamaaaannndddaaa"(amanda) and i said "what?" thinking my brothers and sisters were back. but no one answered. i heard it again calling in the distance "Amanda" i said "what?" getting annoyed. no one answered i got a little spooked but not really. i wasn't the type that got scared very often. i was kind of emotionless. but thinking really nothing of it and went in my room and laid down on my bed. i was thinking and i heard it again"aammaannddaa" i said"what?" thinking maybe it was one of my friends. then i heard it again aammaannddaa" then i turned over in my bed and saw a little girl sitting next to me saying"aammaannddaa"i ran out of my room as fast as i could into the living room of our trailor where my mom was. i didn't say anything about it thinking she would laugh at me if i told her.then our door has a little window on it. and i looked over at the door and i saw the same little girl except her face was pressed up against the window and through it she was still saying "ammaanndda" and i shouted at my mom to look at the door but she said she didn't see anything i looked back at the door and she was still there. i burst into tears and looked away. i had never been that scared in my life! but i guess i was the only one she wanted to bother.

Encounter #11

(Submitted by Jamie of Summerdale, Alabama; took place in her house)

In summerdale out in the country may seem nice. but if you found out the things i did, you wouldnt live here! everynight about 12:00 am you can hear chains dragging on the floor.and people walking when noone was walking or up at the time. things come up missing all the time, you walk out the front door and you can see images of people walking around and following you. the bathrooms sound like people useing them 3am. and noones in thare when you walk in. the bedrooms are always busy cause when you turn out the lights you hear whispering. you have over 5 bad dreams a night. this place i have done research on and i know what it use to be used for. prisoner slavery grounds for the convected..back in the 40s. they use this ground to brake rocks and work on road side for punishment.

Encounter #12

(Submitted by Isabelle of La Palma, California; took place in Montpellier, France)

There was this apt I used to live in in the South of France. And my family and I just moved in. My mom is really sensitive about spirits and she already had a bad feeling about this place But my dad and I are the kind of persons that need to see it before we can believe it. At first it would just be little things, like the downstairs neighbors knocking on our door because all day all they could hear were footsteps coming from our apt. But we would usually be at school or at work.Then one night my little brother woke up screaming! We all rushed to his room and he told us that a woman was sittting at the foot of his bed. He said she was looking at the door but when he woke up she just slowly turned her head toward him and just sat there starring at my brother. She was dressed in white and she had black hair and eyes. My mom was a little worried but my dad just dismissed it as being a nightmare of some sort.Later on, it was the day after Christmas. And my little sister had to go to the bathroom. In that apt, to go to the bathroom, we had to cross the dinning in order to get there. While she was crossing the dining room, there at the dining room table was the figure of a bald man sitting with his chin in his hand looking out the window. When she told us the next morning, my father just thought that it was some kind of light tricks or something.Those spirits were really annoying, because the downstairs neighbors would always come up in the evening complaining about the heavy footsteps they could hear while noone was home. During the 6 years we lived there, we've had 4 downstairs neighbors that moved out because of the noise.Then one day I came home from school for lunch. My parents work all day so they would leave me food to eat for lunch. I had to go in their room to get a bathing suit my mom had packed in their closets. While I was in there, their radio suddently turned on by itself and the voice of a man suddenlly started calling out : "hey who's there?! Can you hear me? My name's Patric. What's yours?" At first I thought that it was some kind of radio show or so. And so I went to the radio to turn it off but the switch was already on the off position. And so I slowly got out of there.Another weird thing that happened there (I don't know if it had anything to do with the spirits) was a weird incident with candles. In our living room, there's this little Virgin Mary altar where we would lit up some candles every sundays. Well one day those candles, which are always well secured in their candle holders fell out. When my dad was in his room at the time and when he came out, the lliving room was full of dark smoke. Finally when the room was cleared everything in there was darkened by the smoke but for some odd reasons, only the statue of the Virgin Mary was intact and spotless.... During the summer of 93, we rented our apt to my mom's aunt's family. Her aunt barely stepped in the apt and she immediatelly knew that it was haunted. So while she was in our apt for her vacation, the stereo would suddently turn on by itself at night and blare out loud music. She even unplugged it but it kept on going for the remainder of her vacation.

Encounter #13

(Submitted by Pam of Torrevieja, Spain; took place in Spain)

Well spain has too many orange groves thats my personal thought and here's what happend on the last day of school are you ready? all those scared look away dont read this walking home from school with my friend Sara we were talking about Valentin the hottest boy in our class and how much this girl was flirting with him. as we had been talking we didnt notice we were taking the short cut but my friend got angry this way was the short cut for me but a long cut for her we started arguing and she walked off I kept walking cuz I had loads of homework and me and my family were going for a chinky to meet some new friends as I was walking I saw this person on a rock I couldnt see verry well but he was using his hand as if to say come here I walked a bit closer and he did it more franticly so I got frightened and ran off when I got home a guardia civil or Police man was talking to my mum aan escaped psyco killer was on the loose and he had killed one of there officers I thought back to the scene I had just witnessed and vowed never to take the short cut again.

(Added in second submittal:) Me and my friend were walking home talking about how we soo fancyed this boy in our class and how we hated this other girl (formerly our best friend) for flirting with him we stopped off at a sweet shop and talked some more as it got later my friend got in a mood she was going to miss feeding her new kitten so she took the long way home and I also was missing somthing going to a chinese with my boyfriend the highlite of my week so I took a short cut I'd never do it again cuz I was new here my mam had warned me not to but my mate had shown me a shortcut so just the once for the sake of true love (also for the sake of looking lush) so I walked the path through the Orange groves I saw a man sitting on a stone beconing me towards himso I went closer I got scared and ran home The next day a guardia civil (civil gurd like policemen turend up at our house said to my mum(I translated )that a police man was dead killed by they didnt know what that was the image I had seen the police man even in death trying to protect people I belive the they didnt know what was behind the stone.

We'll, as they say in show biz, there it is: Thirteen Encounters. Hope you enjoyed. I know there will be those who will write and say things like bad spelling, etc. etc. Save those e-mails, simply read the intro above. This saved a ton of time and if you did like this format (so that more stories are posted, it is ok to let me know). For now, here's wishing you a fantastic New Year in 2004 and remember, when you have a chance to do one nice thing for someone else, don't miss the opportunity -- it makes your day even that much better.

~~Keno