HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! It’s my favorite day of the year, and I thought I’d celebrate by sharing one of many paranormal experiences I’ve had in my life. At the time, I was 24 and newly arrived in Sweden, where I would study for the next six months under a Swedish Institute scholarship.
This was long before I met my husband, so my Swedish-American boyfriend (back in the States) had arranged for me to stay in his grandmother’s empty house in Stockholm for the week leading up to nyårsafton (New Year’s Eve), after which my studies would begin. It was a small, quaint dwelling with numerous knick-knacks and—as I would soon discover—a tragic past.
The bedroom where I slept opened onto an alcove, above which the trap door to the attic was poised. My first night, I woke with a start…to darkness and an acute sense of someone hovering in the alcove. The space was alive with creaking floorboards and a bluish light.
A flashlight? An intruder?
My heart pounded. I shifted in bed to gain a better view.
No one was there. Or so it seemed.
I slid out of bed and tiptoed around the house, just to be sure I was alone. The doors were locked, and by the time I climbed back into bed, the strange light was gone. I fluffed up my pillow and rearranged the bedcovers.
All at once, scraping, scratching sounds filled the alcove. Had rats infested the attic?
Then a sudden rush of emotions slammed into me. Despair. Dread. Distress. Not mine but another’s.
Every night brought the same experience: the light, the sounds, and the mood. When the phenomena ceased, I sought sleep again, but as you can imagine, it took a while before I drifted off.
Months later, I learned the truth. My boyfriend’s uncle had committed suicide years before. He’d hung himself in the alcove, not ten feet from where I slept. If I’d known that at the time, I would’ve tried to help him move on. I hope he has since found peace.
And I hope you have a wonderful Halloween. Stay safe and enjoy yourself tonight! 🙂
Judith Sterling 