We’ve all had that feeling like someone or something is watching us, but when we turn to look…there is nobody there. Did we imagine it? We usually brush these things off, telling ourselves it was nothing. Perhaps we are just tired or the days are so busy we become too preoccupied to notice our surroundings. More often than not we continue about our day, forgetting all about the uneasy feeling we experienced.

Not many are willing to describe such an encounter as paranormal. Ghosts are something we make up to scare our friends around a campfire, or are used to enhance a scary movie to make the audience believe it could be real. Even though we are fascinated by the idea of unseen spirits that walk among the living, we are equally skeptical that such a thing can exist in reality. Ghosts are just part of our overactive imagination, right? Regardless how many ghost seekers present us with evidence they claim proves that paranormal activity exists, many of us are still non-believers.

What I am about to tell you explains why I have believed in ghosts the past twenty-seven years of my life. It’s why I believe that some of us are never really alone; that something is always with us wherever we are and wherever we go.

I was six years old when my first paranormal experience happened. I can remember it so vividly because it still haunts me to this day, even though I am an adult now.

At the time, my sister and I shared a bedroom. To look inside our room from the doorway, our beds would be directly in front of you with the headboards to the wall. Her bed was on the left and mine was on the right. Her side had a large window with blinds that we kept shut at night. We kept the bedroom door closed as well. We never used a nightlight. I guess we felt safe enough in the dark to not need one.

On this particular night the moon was unusually bright and it filtered a bit of light into the room. I can’t say for sure if this was the reason I awoke or not. Maybe my subconscious could feel something just wasn’t right. Whatever the reason, I remember waking from my sleep. I don’t know what time it was, I just know it was late and the house seemed very quiet. As I turned my body to shift over my eyes went forward and there it was. A dark figure standing at the end of my bed. I honestly thought I was still dreaming for a quick moment, but I knew I was wide awake. My body went numb and I couldn’t move. My eyes darted over toward my sister, but she was still sound asleep. Ice cold fear came over me- should I look back? I did and it was still there. It didn’t move, it just stood there. The moonlight shining in outlined what looked to be a tall man. I tried to make out a face, but there was no face. Just a dark, black shadow of a man-like figure. Like any scared six year old might do, I threw my covers over my head and counted to ten. Slowly. It seemed like hours, but in reality it was no more than a minute or two. I pulled the covers down and my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. It was still there. I quickly put the covers over my head again and counted to ten. This time when I pulled them down it was gone. I should have had some sort of relief, but there was none. I just felt numb. I buried myself deep under my blankets and curled up into a ball. Eventually, I fell back asleep.

When I woke the next morning, I had the clear memory of what I saw the night before. I was too scared to tell my parents. Perhaps the same reason I was too scared to call for them at the time, or to run to their bed for safety once it had finally disappeared. What if it came back because I told my parents? So many thoughts went through my six year old mind. I tried to rationalize it the best I could. I didn’t dare tell my sister for fear she would make fun of me or use it to torment me. I decided if I didn’t know exactly what it was, how was I going to explain it to someone else?

What I do know is that moment changed me forever. To this day, I still fear waking up and seeing the same figure standing at the end of my bed. Whatever it was and the reasons why it chose to show itself to me at that time, I may never know.

But, it did…and that was just the beginning.