1 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:09,679 Hello everyone, Thank you for having me today. My name is Gabby, 2 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:14,599 and today I'm going to share with you some interesting, scary stories while I 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:21,719 lived in Columbia as a child. For the purpose of this memoir, I 4 00:00:21,839 --> 00:00:27,079 decided to write down the stories so I could keep the thread of the story 5 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:41,960 without getting lost in time. So here I go. When I was about 6 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,439 ten years old, my family and I lived in a colonial house or ined 7 00:00:46,439 --> 00:00:52,280 by my paternal grandmother. My family moved to the country, away from the 8 00:00:52,359 --> 00:00:57,799 bc life of the capital city and found refuge and the quiet and beautiful midlands. 9 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,680 My story is take place in the late nineties in a small town called 10 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:10,439 Chadala in the heart of Columbia's rural areas, and most of these experiences took 11 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:17,599 place in one particular house. These house was I would say, about two 12 00:01:17,799 --> 00:01:25,400 hundred hundred, two hundred and fifty years old and had seen absolutely everything the 13 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,640 outbreak of cholera, independence, row from war, from Spanish colonization, civil 14 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:38,959 war, and several ownerships throughout its life. The architecture showed the Spanish colonial 15 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:46,280 influence of the eighteen hundreds, i'd say, and it featured a wonderful square 16 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:53,519 courtyard in the middle lined with pavers in all draining systems. Around this courtyard. 17 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,680 There were open corridors with high ceilings and white clay walls, and I 18 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:07,120 remember there were beautifully decorated with perfumed bogambilia. The floors were unevenly covered in 19 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:13,039 terry quarter tiles, and I clearly remember how fresh they felt on my feet 20 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:19,520 during hot, long days. I love the simplicity of it, the white 21 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:24,319 contrast of the walls against the age look of the roof tiles, and in 22 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:30,520 between crevices sometimes you could hear the gentle murmur of pigeons building nests for their 23 00:02:30,599 --> 00:02:38,120 chicks. The kitchen was spacious enough, and the dining table was placed in 24 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:43,680 front of an old wood fired stove that was no longer used. The rooms 25 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:49,520 were fresh and grand, with decorative window frames and all the heavy doors. 26 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,599 If you picture the house are square, you'll find the kitchen in the upper 27 00:02:54,719 --> 00:03:01,560 right corner are dark and sometimes moldy visible room in the upper left corner. 28 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:08,000 The entrance was at the bottom left corner, exposing a wide entry corridor with 29 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:15,240 beautiful green and peach tiles, and in the bottom right corner, gosh, 30 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:21,039 I'm getting lost now, you could access an old generous storage room, which 31 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:24,360 might have been I don't know, used to smoke food. Maybe the walls 32 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:30,400 were weathered with ash and black coal. My parents' room, mine and my 33 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:37,520 leader brothers were distributed to the sides of these big square. I hope I 34 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:44,159 didn't get you lost or confused. Just picture of very big square. There 35 00:03:44,159 --> 00:03:49,280 were in many glass windows in the house, only ornamental, big wooden window 36 00:03:49,319 --> 00:03:53,280 frames that opened directly onto the streets, and to shut them down you had 37 00:03:53,319 --> 00:04:00,479 to draw the wooden chatters block them with a little stick. Across the main 38 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:06,319 door was an ancient brown red double door with a tiny wooden chatter to check 39 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:13,039 who was on the other side when unexpected visits arrived. The wood was so 40 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,600 cracked that if you stood close to it, you could actually see people walking 41 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:27,000 outside. The house. I remember had both an eerie and an empty feeling 42 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:32,839 that it yearned for better times, but also a welcoming and playful aura that 43 00:04:33,759 --> 00:04:40,519 sort of invited you to explore and wander. It was really strange to feel 44 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:46,680 both attracted and slightly unease in the house at the same time. We moved 45 00:04:46,759 --> 00:04:54,439 in, and I don't remember how long it took, but experiencing the manifacets 46 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:59,959 of these house didn't take that long. Mum has always been slightly more connected 47 00:05:00,199 --> 00:05:05,120 to spiritual beings than Dad, and I think I inherited her trades. When 48 00:05:05,199 --> 00:05:13,079 things, let's say, began to oc, she often pretended strange sounds that 49 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:18,399 came from I don't know different parts of the house. They were because of 50 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:25,240 creaking ceilings or cats chasing pigeons on the roof, but I think we both 51 00:05:25,319 --> 00:05:35,160 knew the house was in a way speaking. One day, Mum was cooking 52 00:05:35,199 --> 00:05:40,839 in the kitchen while my brother and I were coloring drawing books on the dining 53 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:46,439 table. It is customary in these towns to leave your front door unlocked in 54 00:05:46,519 --> 00:05:51,839 case visitors came by, and they always announced themselves by saying something like buenos 55 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:59,199 dias, or when a statist good morning or good afternoon. And we heard 56 00:05:59,199 --> 00:06:03,399 my cousin have announcing himself as he walked in the house. But we also 57 00:06:03,439 --> 00:06:09,560 have overheard him saying, Hi, uncle, how's your day. Mum walked 58 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:14,079 out of a kitchen and she jokingly said, who are you trying to scare 59 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:18,160 have yet? And he was surprised and said nobody. I just said hello 60 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,439 to my uncle, but he just walked past me and didn't say hi, 61 00:06:21,759 --> 00:06:27,800 is he okay? Mum had caught chills running through her body. I guarantee 62 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,240 you that, because that's exactly how I felt. Dad had left the day 63 00:06:31,399 --> 00:06:35,879 before for a business trip, and in the house it was on my mum, 64 00:06:35,959 --> 00:06:41,800 my little brother, and myself. Have You quickly explained that a man 65 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:46,279 had just walked out of a storage room across the courtyard and into the visitors 66 00:06:46,319 --> 00:06:51,639 room, and Mum was paralyzed. Havevi Hat quickly rushed to the room to 67 00:06:51,639 --> 00:06:56,319 make sure a thieve wasn't hiding in there, but as he entered the room, 68 00:06:56,959 --> 00:07:01,079 he discovered that there was no one there. Aavier came out of the 69 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,879 room and said, I literally saw a man walking out of the storage room 70 00:07:06,079 --> 00:07:13,680 wearing black farming clothes, and he rushed to check the door where that man 71 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,399 had come from, and he realized that the door was locked, locked from 72 00:07:17,439 --> 00:07:26,360 the outside and no one had touched it his Handele was really unwell and had 73 00:07:26,439 --> 00:07:30,160 to sit down to take it all in. Mum was really worried. At 74 00:07:30,199 --> 00:07:33,959 the time. We realized there was something living with us in that house. 75 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:40,759 My cousin was shocked to say, to have seen a ghost then playing daylight 76 00:07:41,199 --> 00:07:47,040 so vividly. He recalls seeing my dad and it mimicked his appearance very very 77 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:54,639 accurately. But he also said that this ghost wasn't particularly welcoming. Were happy 78 00:07:54,680 --> 00:08:01,279 to seem man. Before that incident with a man wearing those blacks farming clothes, 79 00:08:01,399 --> 00:08:07,319 I had a pretty terrifying experience. On a weekend we stayed at my 80 00:08:07,399 --> 00:08:11,360 parents' farm. It wasn't too far from these places. The farm was right 81 00:08:11,399 --> 00:08:16,399 in the middle of the Andes Mountains. It was gorgeous on the highest peak 82 00:08:16,839 --> 00:08:22,279 in a small valley that's where the house was. The weather was beautiful, 83 00:08:22,319 --> 00:08:30,000 but very unpredictable, and often my parents dealt with electric storms and really wild 84 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,559 windy weather. The house of the farm had to undergo regular repairs for that 85 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:39,279 reason. One night, I was in my room, just about to fall 86 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:45,840 asleep. I loved seeing the stars or the moon from my window and always 87 00:08:45,879 --> 00:08:48,879 lay the cans open. I think, at the stage of my life, 88 00:08:50,039 --> 00:08:56,440 fearing monsters or ghosts it wasn't entirely a thing for me just yet until that 89 00:08:56,559 --> 00:09:03,360 night. Rain began to pat her gently on the roof, and soon it 90 00:09:03,519 --> 00:09:11,039 was raining really heavily. I think within twenty minutes, lightning was striking nearby, 91 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:18,360 but I was enchanted by the flashing white light through the window. In 92 00:09:18,399 --> 00:09:22,720 one of those bright flashes, a figure, big figure of a man, 93 00:09:22,879 --> 00:09:28,720 just appeared in front of my window. He appeared to be wearing black clothes, 94 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:35,679 and he just stared right at me. Instantly, his eyes shone in 95 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:41,360 a kind of a bright white color, and he seemed huge, with unusually 96 00:09:41,399 --> 00:09:46,799 broad shoulders. But for some strange reason, I don't know, the danger, 97 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:52,799 in almost violence of it all didn't actually register in my head, and 98 00:09:52,879 --> 00:09:58,879 I got up, drew the curtains, clothes, and I went back to 99 00:09:58,919 --> 00:10:05,399 sleep. I slept well, I guess, with no dreams or nightmas. 100 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:13,559 But when I woke up, I felt strangely lighter, And when I got 101 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:18,879 out of bed, I felt a rush of absolute horror running down my spine. 102 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,720 As I moved my sheets and my blankets, I discovered that they were 103 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:31,799 covered in mud and grass, and when I saw my feet, they were 104 00:10:31,879 --> 00:10:39,240 dirty. My hair had twigs and wet patches, and I just knew in 105 00:10:39,279 --> 00:10:43,159 that moment I had gone out in my sleep. After the storm, I 106 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:48,799 couldn't remember anything, and I kept trying to find something in my memory that 107 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:54,679 would give me the slightless clue to find out what happened. I was really 108 00:10:54,720 --> 00:11:01,279 really worried that that man wanted to take me with him. I was scared 109 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,399 of getting in trouble too, and almost didn't tell my mother about it. 110 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,279 But she found me hiding in my room trying to clean the sheets desperately with 111 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:15,919 a soapy bucket of water. I told her I thought it had slept walk 112 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,799 the previous night in the rain, and I cried, but I didn't tell 113 00:11:20,799 --> 00:11:24,159 her about the man I saw. She was really worried, and from then 114 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:28,360 on she locked the doors at night and hid the keys to stop me from 115 00:11:28,399 --> 00:11:39,840 going out. It didn't happen again. So back to that story. When 116 00:11:39,879 --> 00:11:45,879 my cousin saw that man wearing those black clothes, I decided to tell my 117 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,720 mom about the man I saw at the farm. She was desperate to reach 118 00:11:50,759 --> 00:11:56,759 out to someone. There was actually a white witch in town and also a 119 00:11:56,799 --> 00:12:03,559 local spiritual group. They offered to help us to understand if there was a 120 00:12:03,639 --> 00:12:07,960 spirit to or a dimon and I guess they were trying to get it out 121 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,279 of the house, but before they could try to get rid of him, 122 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:20,120 he came back. This time. It happened in this colonial house, so 123 00:12:20,159 --> 00:12:24,879 I described earlier. The pattern was repeating itself, and it was again another 124 00:12:26,039 --> 00:12:31,919 rainy night. There were no glass windows, so the men couldn't actually watch 125 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:39,559 me from the outside. My bed was right next to the door, and 126 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:43,600 the door itself, Oh gosh, you're so old. The log had somehow 127 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,440 rusted away, so I used one of those heavy metal blocks to hold the 128 00:12:48,519 --> 00:12:54,919 door shut. It was really rudimental. The storm and lightning started, and 129 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:01,600 surprisingly I was just falling asleep amongst the noise and gradually closed my eyes. 130 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:09,600 I felt heavy and warm under my colors, but suddenly I started to feel 131 00:13:09,039 --> 00:13:16,720 a gentle breeze and tiny raindrop splashes falling on my forehead. And when I 132 00:13:16,879 --> 00:13:24,039 opened my eyes, ah, that man was right there, almost above me. 133 00:13:26,159 --> 00:13:31,320 I could see his arms stretched out holding the door half open, and 134 00:13:31,399 --> 00:13:37,320 his head was sort of looking down at me. His eyes shone again in 135 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,759 the darkness, just like the last time, and I was just perplexed. 136 00:13:43,799 --> 00:13:50,879 Astonishingly, I did not feel anything. I felt numb, I had no 137 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:56,840 fear. I remember getting slightly annoyed actually, and being disrupted from my sleep, 138 00:13:58,759 --> 00:14:01,519 and I was kind of angry at the time, I reached the door 139 00:14:01,039 --> 00:14:07,720 close to shut angrily and I just kind of just shoved that metal blog where 140 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:11,080 it was just to hold the door shut. I went back to sleep, 141 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:13,519 and I was just like, God, damn it, what was that? 142 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:18,399 But I just fell asleep straight away. The next morning, when I woke 143 00:14:18,519 --> 00:14:22,879 up, I remember the whole thing, and that's when my fear really crept 144 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:28,799 up. I checked my feet quickly and my covers again, but this time 145 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:33,480 it looked like a stayed in bed in bed because they were perfectly clean. 146 00:14:33,879 --> 00:14:41,000 That I screamed, and I told I told Mom about it. I get 147 00:14:41,039 --> 00:14:46,080 goosebumps every time I go back to these stories. She held me in her 148 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:50,240 arms and she told me that she was going to look into it, and 149 00:14:50,519 --> 00:14:56,799 she understood that I was scared, and she assured me that things were going 150 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:05,000 to get better. They didn't. That evening, a group of really friendly 151 00:15:05,039 --> 00:15:07,559 people came home. I think it would have been that spiritual group I mentioned 152 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:13,120 before, and Mum told me they were going to try and talk to their 153 00:15:13,159 --> 00:15:20,200 spirit. It wasn't good for young kids to be around spiritual sessions. And 154 00:15:20,519 --> 00:15:24,279 when I left to visit a friend next door, they were getting ready, 155 00:15:24,519 --> 00:15:28,759 sitting in a circle light lit up with candles. It was quite interesting, 156 00:15:28,919 --> 00:15:33,080 sort of like what you see in the movies, but it was such a 157 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:39,679 surreal experience as well, to be witnessing that world and gradually losing that sort 158 00:15:39,679 --> 00:15:45,639 of childhood innocence. Afterwards, when I came back, Mum told me the 159 00:15:45,679 --> 00:15:50,559 spirit was going to stay away from us, but he wasn't going anywhere. 160 00:15:50,639 --> 00:15:56,279 They couldn't get rid of him. His connection to the house was so strong 161 00:15:56,799 --> 00:16:02,080 they could only keep him obey from me, from us, She said she 162 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:07,200 couldn't explain it. Perhaps she was just trying to protect me from some grusome 163 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:12,559 story to give me a sense of calm. Later, oh gosh, we 164 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:22,639 discovered why the house also felt joyful and friendly. Gabby's story continues Right after 165 00:16:22,679 --> 00:16:33,559 this. My brother was growing up and starting to play with soccer bowls and 166 00:16:33,679 --> 00:16:38,360 larger sort of plastic toys. M was encouraging my brother to leave his toys 167 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:45,200 in a tiny toy room we called it, and he was supposed to leave 168 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,399 everything there after he played them just to keep being stardy and organized a few 169 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:52,519 occasions. Though, when she got up to get us ready for school, 170 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:59,679 she began to find toys left in unexpected places. There were some left in 171 00:16:59,679 --> 00:17:03,680 the key, other times there were near the entrance or amongst the pop plants 172 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:08,279 in the courtyard. She asked us a few times if we had waken up 173 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:14,319 and played at night, but my brother and I confirmed we didn't, and 174 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:18,720 we usually slept really well throughout the night. He was too little still and 175 00:17:18,799 --> 00:17:25,839 often slept throughout the night without making any noise waking up or even going to 176 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:30,720 the loof, so it was really unusual for toys to be found everywhere. 177 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:37,480 As time went by at night or even at dusk, you could hear my 178 00:17:37,559 --> 00:17:45,119 brother's toys being played with randomly, usually in dark forms of the house where 179 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:51,559 the white from limbs or house light bulbs couldn't reach. His sucker ball will 180 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:57,200 just bounce on its own, and sometimes, if it was quiet enough, 181 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:03,799 you could hear a little feet tapping away on the corridors to record a hile. 182 00:18:06,079 --> 00:18:11,920 It was a freaky the air. You usually felt heavy when it happened, 183 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:18,160 and you couldn't help but feel as if someone was trapped in time. 184 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:27,920 It was scary and sad at the same time. Easter time arrived and my 185 00:18:29,079 --> 00:18:37,119 maternal grandmother visited us from the city Easter in Colombia is particularly religious, and 186 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:42,839 a whole week is dedicated to prayer, gratitude to God and acknowledgment of Jesus 187 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:49,480 sacrifices and love. It's called the Semana Santa or a holly week. Mum 188 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:56,079 was not particularly religious about it, but when grandmother visitors, we made the 189 00:18:56,079 --> 00:19:02,400 effort to please her by going to church faster or land and eating fish on 190 00:19:02,519 --> 00:19:07,480 me. Yeah, there's a lot to it in Semanasantha. Mom was hopeful 191 00:19:07,559 --> 00:19:11,519 that Samana Santa was going to give the house a bit of peace and quiet, 192 00:19:11,559 --> 00:19:18,799 but it was actually the opposite, and we soon found out. My 193 00:19:18,839 --> 00:19:22,079 grandmother decided to coke a big feast for us, and she sent Mom to 194 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:27,279 the local bakery to get a nice dessert. We my brother and I behaved 195 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:32,519 well that day, so we were allowed to eat something sweet before dinner, 196 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:37,559 and so we decided to go with her. We all left and took a 197 00:19:37,559 --> 00:19:42,200 bit longer than expected. We ran into a neighbor who Mom talked for talked 198 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:49,359 to for ages, and when we went back, we actually found Grandma sitting 199 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:56,200 by the front door looking really worried. Mum asked what happened and Grandma said, 200 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:06,119 the kids, the poor kids. So she then went on to tell 201 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:11,039 my mom that after we had left, she began hearing kids running around the 202 00:20:11,039 --> 00:20:18,720 courtyard laughing loudly. She heard my brother's soccer ball bouncing hard against the floor, 203 00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:26,599 and she even heard his big plastic trag being pushed around. He used 204 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:32,880 to feel it with pebbles and rocks, and she could hear the bouncing pebbles 205 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:38,680 on its stray while the plastic wheels moved around the courtyard. She felt happy 206 00:20:38,839 --> 00:20:44,720 because she thought he was us, and then suddenly she realized it was really 207 00:20:44,799 --> 00:20:48,480 dark outside him, and she thought my brother and I decided to stay in 208 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:52,799 the house and play while mom went out, so she yelled from the kitchen 209 00:20:53,079 --> 00:20:59,359 kids turned the light on, you might troop in the yard, But the 210 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:03,720 kids said, not listen, so she repeated what she said, and she 211 00:21:03,839 --> 00:21:10,440 was walking towards the courtyard turned the light on for us, only to find 212 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:18,599 the courtyard dark and empty, while giggling voices still filled the air. She 213 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,920 quickly turned the light on, and when she did, the voices disappeared, 214 00:21:22,519 --> 00:21:33,359 echoing in the distance. While the toys gradually stopped moving. The track slowly 215 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:41,119 stopped in front of her and she saw that soccer ball lightly bouncing until it 216 00:21:41,279 --> 00:21:49,400 went to a stop. She fell shocked, but it also really sad that 217 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:56,359 such spirits were trapped in the house. She said a prayer, but started 218 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,400 to gradually feel the horror of it. Decided to wait for us by the 219 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:08,240 door facing people walk by. Yeah, dinner was a little sober after that, 220 00:22:08,319 --> 00:22:15,319 I would say. A couple of months later, other things began to 221 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:22,799 happen. So modern computers and other systems were being brought to town, and 222 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:29,559 while we lived in a beautiful and sometimes relaxing location, we often felt isolated 223 00:22:29,599 --> 00:22:33,720 from technology. There was no internet in the house or even a landline. 224 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,279 So my mom, wanting to learn more about technology, she enrolled herself in 225 00:22:38,319 --> 00:22:42,039 a night course at the local library, and sometimes I got to come with 226 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:48,519 her and played games in other computers. One night, my mom put my 227 00:22:48,559 --> 00:22:52,039 little brother to sleep. He was still little and like I said, slept 228 00:22:52,079 --> 00:22:56,960 literally like a baby all throughout the night. She put him to bed, 229 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,000 and after he was sleep we went together to the library for her client. 230 00:23:00,319 --> 00:23:04,240 When we were on our way home, my mum's friend was walking by and 231 00:23:04,799 --> 00:23:11,000 was headed towards the main part. He looked confused. When he saw us 232 00:23:11,319 --> 00:23:15,920 and he came to us, he said, you two are so cheeky. 233 00:23:15,599 --> 00:23:21,319 I could hear you behind the door, you know. Mom was like what. 234 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:25,160 She was so confused, and she said, what do you mean? 235 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:32,759 He then looked even more. He looked more confused and hesitantly said, well, 236 00:23:32,799 --> 00:23:37,359 I just I just came back to came by to visit, and when 237 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:41,559 I knocked on the door, you came all the way to the door. 238 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:47,960 He was pointing at Mum, but you just stayed quiet behind it, almost 239 00:23:48,039 --> 00:23:52,400 like looking at me through the cracks. Mom's face dropped and she said, 240 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:56,000 I am so sorry, but we were not home. We just got here. 241 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:03,559 So we rushed back to the house, and after quickly checking to see 242 00:24:03,599 --> 00:24:08,279 if my brother was okay and confirming he was still sundly asleep, Mum invited 243 00:24:08,279 --> 00:24:14,480 her friend in for a cap of tea. He then explained in detail what 244 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:19,880 happened. When he knocked on the door. He could hear someone coming towards 245 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:26,759 the entrance dragging their feet on the tiles, almost like dragging old slippers that 246 00:24:29,759 --> 00:24:33,960 sound, and he heard someone getting closer and closer to the door, but 247 00:24:34,039 --> 00:24:42,000 instead of being greeted by someone he just overheard a faint female voice mumbling prayers. 248 00:24:44,519 --> 00:24:48,119 He said, these female voice stayed for a couple of seconds in front 249 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:53,039 of the door, and he could feel her watching him through the cracks. 250 00:24:55,759 --> 00:25:02,200 She then slowly retreated back to where she came from, oh gosh, dragging 251 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:12,599 her feet like an old lady that she sounded just going away. The mum 252 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:18,039 usually asked people what they felt when they encountered things at our house, and 253 00:25:18,279 --> 00:25:26,759 he said he didn't feel particularly threatened, but rather watched. And she said, 254 00:25:26,799 --> 00:25:30,680 well, at least she can look after the house while we're out and 255 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:37,000 about. I think jokes became a way of coping with their paranormal activity in 256 00:25:37,079 --> 00:25:41,599 this house. Her friend was quite intrigued, actually, and he dragged some 257 00:25:41,759 --> 00:25:47,359 old residents in town to inquire about the house and to see if they knew 258 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:51,480 who owned it in the past, just to make sense of who these old 259 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:57,359 lady was. He found that an old couple had died in the house when 260 00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:04,400 the collar of virus broke into and since they're passing, stories were told around 261 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:11,480 town amongst stalled people that our house was wounded. People didn't tell us about 262 00:26:11,519 --> 00:26:22,960 it. Our second Easter was just around the corner, and Mum was worried 263 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:27,440 about how the spirit's living in the house would behave. Dad was for most 264 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:33,200 of my childhood away for work, and we dealt with the house and the 265 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:38,960 spirits pretty much all by ourselves. Things unfortunately, never improved for us. 266 00:26:41,640 --> 00:26:45,839 On another occasion, Mum was doing some grocery shopping and she was taking longer 267 00:26:45,839 --> 00:26:52,119 than usual since I'd became a very active hour around the house and the hours 268 00:26:52,160 --> 00:27:00,200 that followed, I'd like to have the TV on, you know, having 269 00:27:00,279 --> 00:27:06,039 that chatter on the background. He'd always fill the house and it was loud 270 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:11,599 enough to musk away any any strange sound. My brother was starting to pick 271 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,839 up on the weird vibes of the house, and he also preferred the lights 272 00:27:15,839 --> 00:27:22,480 and the TV on. We felt comforted in each other's presence, but chose 273 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,440 not to talk about the house. I like being with him, and I 274 00:27:26,519 --> 00:27:33,160 was actually afraid he'd see something and get really scared. It was around seven 275 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:37,880 pm and we were playing near Mum's room, which was closest to the entrance, 276 00:27:38,799 --> 00:27:44,359 and suddenly every light in the house was turned off and it all went 277 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:49,839 dead quiet. Oh gosh, I checked quickly if it was our house or 278 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:56,039 the entire street. The street lights went off to which we could usually see 279 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,759 or at least their glow from the courtyard, and I was relieved at least 280 00:27:59,799 --> 00:28:03,839 to know that it was a power outage. But the darkness immediately I opened 281 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:08,240 the door for things to get really weird. It didn't take long for noises 282 00:28:08,319 --> 00:28:14,240 to appear. I tried to grab a light from the kitchen. I was 283 00:28:14,279 --> 00:28:17,680 scared I had to go across the courtyard in the dark. But before I 284 00:28:17,759 --> 00:28:22,480 reached the entrance of the kitchen, I could hear the chairs of our dining 285 00:28:22,559 --> 00:28:27,880 table being dragged across the floor, and it was violently. I just froze. 286 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:36,559 I also began to hear the metal empty sound of pots and leads being 287 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:41,839 moved. I started to walk back to my brother, and things got louder 288 00:28:41,839 --> 00:28:47,200 and louder. I remember just panicking. My brother started crying, so I 289 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:52,480 grabbed his hand and rushed to the door. I sat him on the footpath 290 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:57,559 outside his outside with his favorite toy. We all just sat in that footbath. 291 00:28:59,079 --> 00:29:03,839 Goodness me and we waited outside and watched people lighting up candles by the 292 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:11,599 doors. The sounds of cars and bicycles passing by was just so reassuring it 293 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:15,319 was the only normal thing. I left the door open because I didn't want 294 00:29:15,319 --> 00:29:21,359 to lock myself out. But the eerie thing was that those sounds, those 295 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:26,400 metal sounds, continue to come from the kitchen, and it was just as 296 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:33,640 if someone was just frantically cooking in the darkness. Mum arrived and she knew 297 00:29:33,759 --> 00:29:41,759 something that happened for us to sit outside, and minutes later the lights came 298 00:29:41,799 --> 00:29:53,720 back and the noises simply disappeared. What was happening at Gabby's please up next 299 00:29:55,759 --> 00:30:11,000 the discovery. So around the Easter time things got more physical. The week 300 00:30:11,079 --> 00:30:17,559 before our second Easter, my mom had a friend staying over. She was 301 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:19,799 part of that spiritual group I told you at the beginning, and she was 302 00:30:19,839 --> 00:30:26,799 interested in connecting with the spirits, so it was like a perfect work feel 303 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:32,440 for her. In our home, Mum had decided to lock the visitors room 304 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:41,640 that molding one whether man with the all black clothes disappeared into, and so 305 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:45,920 she decided to offer her friend her own bedroom while Mum slept in mind with 306 00:30:47,039 --> 00:30:53,480 me. The next morning, Mum's friend was unusually quiet, and she shared 307 00:30:53,519 --> 00:31:00,200 over breakfast that in the middle of the night, someone had actually come the 308 00:31:00,319 --> 00:31:07,079 room. She felt as she was living someone's stream, but going in and 309 00:31:07,119 --> 00:31:15,799 out of reality. She said. The person got in the room and ready 310 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:22,640 themselves to go to bed. Hearing the sounds of clothes being removed and folded 311 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:26,799 away, she knew it was a mum because she felt a heavy, almost 312 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:33,759 male presence. She felt how the person gently lied on the other side of 313 00:31:33,799 --> 00:31:37,480 the bed with her. It was the weight of an adult, and the 314 00:31:37,559 --> 00:31:45,480 presence was definitely a male one. And then she could move. She froze. 315 00:31:47,279 --> 00:31:52,079 Fear actually paralyzed her, and she just stayed there, wide awake, 316 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:59,480 without making any move or noise. She felt movement on the mattress, and 317 00:31:59,519 --> 00:32:05,839 then some time later she felt the presence get up. Out of the corner 318 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,319 of her eyes, she saw the door opening on its own and shut again. 319 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:17,039 She thought the male presence in the house was in a way warning her 320 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:24,640 and showing that it was his house, his room. He's dead. So 321 00:32:24,759 --> 00:32:37,519 she never stayed at our place ever again. The next and final stories the 322 00:32:37,559 --> 00:32:44,440 most vivid one in my memory, because I remember clearly my mother's fear through 323 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:51,680 her trembling hands where she clenched mine with force. This is exactly at Easter 324 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:59,759 bloody easters. I'm so sorry, but it was just so intense, and 325 00:33:00,279 --> 00:33:06,240 Mom decided to take up praying. She heard a neighbor saying that when she 326 00:33:06,319 --> 00:33:10,480 prayed at home, the spirits would calm down, so Mum decided to try 327 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:16,079 that. Now I understand her. The situation at home was becoming unbearable, 328 00:33:17,039 --> 00:33:22,400 quite literally. Mom's room and mine were connected by a door, and she 329 00:33:23,319 --> 00:33:28,759 got that door removed so both rooms would just be internally connected all the time. 330 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:35,000 My brother sat sleeping in my bed while I slept with Mum in hers. 331 00:33:36,039 --> 00:33:40,519 My room had that remember that dodgy wooden, creaky door that wouldn't close 332 00:33:42,279 --> 00:33:46,960 well if she had it changed by then, and she got a closing system 333 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:54,480 installed just after that incident with the staring man. Her bedroom door led to 334 00:33:55,160 --> 00:34:00,759 the main corridor near the entrance. It was a beauty, full, great 335 00:34:00,799 --> 00:34:06,680 wooden door double door that opened in both directions. To lock these doors, 336 00:34:07,519 --> 00:34:13,400 there was a little silver latch to connect both doors together, and even when 337 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:17,119 he was locked, you could gently push or pull the doors without the latch 338 00:34:17,199 --> 00:34:23,519 coming off. It had its own little shutter that you could open sometimes to 339 00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:29,960 display or air the room without having to open the doors. Entirely, and 340 00:34:30,079 --> 00:34:32,519 during hot nights you could just leave the shadow open to let the fresh air 341 00:34:32,559 --> 00:34:38,639 in. But that particular night, Mom closed all doors and all shatters before 342 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:45,519 bed, and we were getting ready to sleep. As we hopped in bed, 343 00:34:45,599 --> 00:34:50,079 Mum said we were going to say a prayer, and I could feel 344 00:34:50,079 --> 00:34:54,320 she was not herself. She was really really nervous. She was making me 345 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:59,320 so nervous. I think she must have seen something in the kitchen or in 346 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:04,239 the courtyard, so she brought that fear in the room. It felt so 347 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:13,079 heavy. It was really quiet, and Mum was whispering gentle prayers, and 348 00:35:13,079 --> 00:35:19,360 then the room felt oddly steell, and the warn sounds coming from the street. 349 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:27,159 It was just so quiet. Something didn't feel right at all. As 350 00:35:27,199 --> 00:35:35,119 she prayed, we started hearing giggles and childish voices outside the room in the 351 00:35:35,199 --> 00:35:44,519 corridor. They were loud and clear like never before. Those children playing with 352 00:35:44,559 --> 00:35:50,480 my brother's toys they were there now. They were just making noise and laughing 353 00:35:50,559 --> 00:35:55,960 and enchanting. I turned anxiously to Mum, who then grabbed my hands and 354 00:35:57,079 --> 00:36:00,679 asked me to continue praying, and I did, but somehow the voices were 355 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:07,360 getting louder and louder. We heard them singing songs and playing with their hands 356 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:13,199 like my brother and I often did, and tension just kept growing. And 357 00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:17,280 then we began to hear the old lady praying too, and you could hear 358 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:24,519 her bloody slippers as well. It was just too much loud outside. But 359 00:36:24,599 --> 00:36:30,360 Mom kept on and it wasn't working. I just wanted her to stop. 360 00:36:30,199 --> 00:36:36,880 And suddenly, when we heard when we thought everything was outside, we heard 361 00:36:37,159 --> 00:36:45,320 adult heavy steps running from the courtyard towards the corridor and into our door, 362 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:57,800 and a loud, creaking male voice screamed. It worked up then again. 363 00:36:59,199 --> 00:37:06,800 He then violently kicked the doors with such tools that they moved forwards the backwards, 364 00:37:07,039 --> 00:37:12,519 and the only thing keeping them together was that small silver latch. God 365 00:37:12,599 --> 00:37:21,079 bless that piece of silver thing. The voices of those children playing outside just 366 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:28,079 da simply scuttered around and became really faint screams, disappearing under the voice. 367 00:37:32,639 --> 00:37:40,000 It was the most terrifying experience of my entire life. Every other thing had 368 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:45,920 come together to lure outside the door attracted to what prayers? Who knows. 369 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:52,280 My only thought was just thank God for the strength of that little door latch. 370 00:37:52,760 --> 00:38:00,840 We would have seen these angry men staring and heaving at us. Mum 371 00:38:00,079 --> 00:38:07,239 eventually stopped raying, and he gradually walked away towards the courtyard and potentially into 372 00:38:07,559 --> 00:38:14,199 the locked visitors room, that all moldy, scary room. I had a 373 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:22,400 night missed about it. Sometimes I could feel Mom's absolute horror, and quietly 374 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,760 she hugged me and told me everything was going to be fine. She turned 375 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:30,760 the light on to check on my brother, but surprisingly the noise didn't reach 376 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:36,920 him, or perhaps he never heard it. Who Mum called a friend to 377 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,800 come and stay with us, and they both stayed up all night just talking. 378 00:38:43,159 --> 00:38:46,159 After that awful incident, Mum went on to find out what happened in 379 00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:52,199 our house and if children had lived there, and she felt really saddened by 380 00:38:52,199 --> 00:38:59,719 the idea of children's spirits trapped in the house with such violent and negative energy 381 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:07,159 like mens. So she found that a while ago, a while back, 382 00:39:07,199 --> 00:39:12,519 sorry, two children lived in that same house a long time ago, and 383 00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:17,159 sadly they have both died. In the house, there used to be a 384 00:39:17,199 --> 00:39:24,000 well in the middle of a courtyard, and one terrible day they both fell 385 00:39:24,039 --> 00:39:31,119 in and drowned. After that, the well was sealed forever This is according 386 00:39:31,199 --> 00:39:37,719 to my grandmother's story. When mum found out, she checked the round garden 387 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:44,360 bed in the middle of a courtyard and saw exactly where the well had been. 388 00:39:45,199 --> 00:39:51,920 It's interesting because she tried to grow veggies and plants in it, but 389 00:39:52,000 --> 00:39:55,920 nothing really grew, and that could perhaps explain why anything she tried to grow 390 00:39:55,920 --> 00:40:00,920 in it just never succeeded. It was just a sad patch of wheats and 391 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:07,440 dirt. She asked the friends in the spiritual group to come back and help 392 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:13,000 them, so they playful spirits would move on and stop leaving trapped in that 393 00:40:13,159 --> 00:40:20,679 monotonous reality. Soon after that, we just left the house for good. 394 00:40:21,360 --> 00:40:24,840 Thank God for that. Mum told that that she was sick of a house 395 00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:30,920 and couldn't live there another day, so we're packed up and left. Some 396 00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:40,280 people said the house never had a spell a negative force or aguaca. Aguaca 397 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:49,360 is often described as a burial of gold or precious jewels protected by the spirits 398 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:53,400 of the dead. It's an interesting one. It's it's guaca. We're sort 399 00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:59,079 of native indigenous practice in the area, and I presume it was kept for 400 00:40:59,159 --> 00:41:06,960 quite some time to still be practiced. Aguaca is identified by an increased paranormal 401 00:41:07,039 --> 00:41:14,519 activity around a particular area, and often people rating terms look for them to 402 00:41:14,599 --> 00:41:19,079 find their treasures. But they not only found jewels and gold, but also 403 00:41:19,119 --> 00:41:24,599 the negative energy and the curses attached to them. There are stories about people 404 00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:32,039 going crazy and sadly ending their lives to escape the horrors of being haunted by 405 00:41:32,079 --> 00:41:42,840 these attached negative spirits. Another theory was that inside the house some of the 406 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:49,079 walls may have been used as burials. I mean, this is freaky. 407 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:57,400 It's like sandwich people pretty much inside of war. So in most regional towns 408 00:41:57,639 --> 00:42:02,000 of Columbia, there is a construction technique for walls that involved mixing mud, 409 00:42:02,679 --> 00:42:08,480 cattle manure, and clay stuck to layers of dry sugar cane, and this 410 00:42:08,639 --> 00:42:15,920 process was repeated, layering the mix and dry cane until the wall was about 411 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:22,800 thirty or forty centimeters in thickness. It was and it's still amazing for insulation 412 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:29,840 to keep places cool in the summer and warm in winter. But people began 413 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:36,159 to bury within their walls bones, hairlooms, and other remains of their loved 414 00:42:36,159 --> 00:42:43,599 ones. They hid in their walls protective spells with the intention to keep thieves 415 00:42:43,639 --> 00:42:49,920 and ill intentioned people away. This way, the spirits of the day would 416 00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:55,519 then protect the house from anyone, causing fear and sometimes physical calm to those 417 00:42:55,559 --> 00:43:02,039 strange to the house or the owners. Later, after my paternal grandmother passed 418 00:43:02,039 --> 00:43:07,599 away, the house was abandoned. The family decided to sell the property, 419 00:43:07,639 --> 00:43:13,599 and he was sold to a construction company wishing to build a hotel, perhaps 420 00:43:13,599 --> 00:43:17,159 in that I can't remember, but what we know is that the project was 421 00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:30,719 never completed. Twenty years later, I returned to that town with my husband, 422 00:43:30,599 --> 00:43:37,159 who's heard these stories several times and hates them, and we went to 423 00:43:37,199 --> 00:43:42,320 see what remained of that all property, but unfortunately it was an abandoned construction 424 00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:46,800 site. My auntie, she moved there some years after my grandmother passed, 425 00:43:47,639 --> 00:43:53,400 to remember her mother, and she told us that during construction, the work 426 00:43:53,440 --> 00:44:02,079 has found both aguaca with old gold coins buried in the ground beneath the kitchen, 427 00:44:04,119 --> 00:44:09,480 and also human remains in burials on some of the wards. So the 428 00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:15,360 theories were correct, and these finally explained two years of misery and fear. 429 00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:22,639 It was just like solving the final piece of a puzzle. So apparently the 430 00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:28,239 gold coins were so valuable that it was estimated to be around five million American 431 00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:36,079 dollars, suspiciously low. After the treasure was found, the construction was completely 432 00:44:36,159 --> 00:44:43,519 halted and it was said that the company had gone bankrupt. I don't know 433 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:49,400 who knows what happened to those people. I would have hated to inherit such 434 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:55,840 I don't know, haunted piece of gold, coins and things. These, 435 00:44:55,960 --> 00:45:00,159 I think is probably one of the most paranormal period of my entire life, 436 00:45:00,199 --> 00:45:08,960 and since then I have seen and have experienced other sort of paranormal experiences. 437 00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:16,400 Gosh, I'm being redundant here, but this was really scary and unknown, 438 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:22,599 and it gave me a different outlook on life in the afterlife. I think 439 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:30,920 these experiences opened a door to an intricate sort of energy connection strong enough to 440 00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:51,800 give you joy or sometimes make you completely paralyzed with horror. To share your 441 00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:57,679 own true scary story, be sure to visit true scarystory dot com and fill 442 00:45:57,679 --> 00:46:01,280 out the form. You can also send me an email that's in the description 443 00:46:01,400 --> 00:46:06,760 of this episode. Thank you very much for listening. See us soon.