This story is about a friend of mine, Marla, and happened almost thirty years ago. As they say in Dragnet, “The story you are about to read is true, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”Marla, Deanna and I were best friends in high school and did just about everything together. It was our senior year homecoming game/dance and we decided to party before the game. My sister, Carly, was older and had her own apartment, and so we talked her into getting us some Boonesfarm wine to get a buzz on, or in Marla’s case, wasted. Marla never made it to the game. By the time we got to the school, there was grape wine all over the side of my car and Marla was passed out in the back. Deanna and I locked the car, left her sleeping it off, and then went to the game. When we got back, Marla was up and said that some creepy old man was watching her in the car. She said that she thought he looked transparent, but just chalked it up to the effects of too much booze. This was the first time she mentioned the old man, but it wouldn’t be the last.
After high school we all went to various local colleges while still living with our parents. Marla started having some health issues such as swelling in the legs and water weight gain. She began feeling extremely tired, weak and confused. Her parents took her to the doctor and after a battery of tests; they found out that one of her kidneys was failing. She started losing weight and had an awful taste in her mouth and was put on treatment right away. Marla was experiencing excruciating pain and was fitted with a small box of pain medicine that would release a dose every time the pain got unbearable. While she was going though this physical pain, the paranormal activity started.
Marla shared a back bedroom with her younger sister Sandy at her parents’ modest suburban home. It was her parents, sister and two brothers living there at the time with her. No one else in the house knew what she was experiencing because she was afraid to say anything. She figured they would tell her that it was the medication causing hallucinations, which she often questioned herself. She did feel comfortable enough to tell me. Her accounts caused the hairs on my neck to rise and chilled me to the bone. Marla hated to spend the night alone at her house, so she often stayed at mine. After hearing her daily and nightly occurrences, I didn’t blame her.
One evening, while the entire family was out and Marla was alone, she fixed a dinner and went to her bedroom to eat it. Marla often ate in her bedroom, a place she used to feel safe. Shortly after she finished her meal, she heard footsteps walking down the hall, and then stopping at her door. She shouted out to see who was there, but no one answered. Thinking that one of her brothers was playing a joke, she opened the door, looked down the hall, and saw no one. She walked around the house, looked outside, and noticed that all the cars were still gone. She went back to her room, shut the door, and lay on her bed to watch TV. Again, she heard footsteps walking towards her room and stopping at the door. Quickly, Marla ran to the door and opened it just to find an empty hallway. She started to get chills and told herself to get a grip; the meds are causing you to hear things. A short time later, Marla heard the pictures in the hallway being moved, like they were swinging back and forth. This lasted a few minutes, and then quickly stopped. Marla stayed frozen on her bed until her parents got home. Feeling safe, she lied down and fell asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, she was woken up by a male voice calling her name and feeling his hot breath on her ear. She opened her eyes to see that no one else was in the room. Needless to say, she didn’t much sleep that night and many nights to come.
Marla constantly heard the unseen footsteps and a male voice calling her name at night and in the daytime as well. She could feel the hot breath on her ear and felt her hair move every time her name was whispered. She heard and saw other types of unexplained movement all around the house, especially down the hallway. One day, while she was home alone and in her room, she heard the footsteps again. This time was different because the footsteps were followed by the door opening, footsteps walking towards her on the bed, the feeling like someone sat on the edge of the bed, and an imprint of a person sitting there. Marla was paralyzed with fear and couldn’t move. This lasted on a few seconds but for her it was much longer. She knew now that it was time to tell her parents what has been happening. No one else in the house had any experiences of unknown happenings, just Marla. I honestly can’t remember what became of her telling her parents the whole story, all I know is that he, the old man, started making his presence known to Marla after that incident.
The old man, or as Marla called him, “the Boogeyman”, was seen not only in the house but other places outside the house as well. She described him as slightly transparent, thin, weathered, wearing a tattered jacket and hat. He never approached her, just seemed to be watching her every move. Even though he didn’t seem like he was going to harm her, his sudden appearance gave her chills. During the time Marla was seeing this old man, we decided to get an apartment together. She was feeling much better and her kidney survived the treatment and the pain was gone, but the old man was still there. Even though she saw him in our apartment, I never did. I occasionally felt like we were being watched and had that uneasy feeling. I'm sure that her constant conversations of the ghost man probably had my imagination running wild. I asked Marla if this old man could have been a family member watching over her while she got through her health crisis. Perhaps he was not meant to harm you but protect you. I was trying to spin a positive on this scary time in her life and try to figure out why this was happening. This made sense to her, so she had a talk with her father. She found out that the old man fit the description of his great grandfather. Months later, after we moved back to our parents' homes, the old man didn't make anymore appearances. Her health had much improved as well as other aspects of her life.
It has been years since I last saw Marla. I don’t know the present state of her health or if she ever had any more paranormal experiences and a visit from the Boogeyman. I know that this experience of hers will forever be imprinted in my memory.
"Be well and peace."
--Julie--
