Have you ever had that creepy feeling crawl up your spine, telling you that someone is watching you? Perhaps you’ve seen an old lady watching over you in the middle of the night? Could it be a sleep paralysis demon or is it a guardian from beyond the veil?

               This is based on a true story that happened to my mom.

               One night, my mom was sleeping soundly with her back facing her empty bedroom. Suddenly, something forced her awake. A feeling was crawling up her spine, a feeling that someone or something was watching her. It was almost as if someone was right behind her, assessing her every move. As soon as she realized what was happening, she turned around to investigate. In the corner of the room there was a chair that was usually empty, but now there was something sitting in it. A black figure was staring back at her. They were taller than the average person. When she tried to look at their face, they didn’t have one, just darkness. The figure was wearing a black sandals and a black hooded cloak that covered their face, like the ones the cult people wear in movies or like the grim reaper. The intruder had long blonde curly hair, my mom said their hair looked bouncy. They sat, staring at her in silence, with their hands held together, but they weren’t touching completely, just the fingertips touched. It was strange, but it didn’t scare her. Oddly, she felt calm looking at the intruder.

               My mom was done staring blankly at the figure, she wanted to investigate further, to see who was sitting in her bedroom and why. She sat up in her bed and moved towards the light switch, being careful to not look away, and neither did the figure. Their head followed as she moved across the room. Before she turned on the light she said, “What the f**k are you doing?” and all the figure had to say was “shh.” She turned on the lights on and the figure was gone. My mom still felt calm and turned off the lights and went back to bed. She laid awake in her bed staring at the now empty chair, thinking about what just happened to her, was it even real, what did it mean? She knew what happened to her was real, but didn’t know why they had visited her. My mom said that the figure didn’t make her feel threatened at all, and when she saw them, they felt familiar, like she knew them. When she woke up in the morning, she sat in the chair to see if she could feel anything, but all she could feel was the cold plastic chair on her skin. My mom said that on and off for the next year or two she would find herself laying in bed and asking the figure to show themselves again. Or that the figure would at least tell her why they visited her, and who they were. But she never heard or seen them again.

               My mom said that she finds the experience cool, and one of the coolest experiences she’s ever had with the paranormal. She felt calm with it and peacefully confused.

               Most sources online and people I talk too say that these experiences are nothing but sleep paralysis or tricks of the mind. But how could it be sleep paralysis if my mom was able to stand up and turn on the lights? Other sources say the figure was a visitor from another realm. Personally, I like to think the figure was watching over my mom to keep her safe. What do you think? Are ghosts real? Do they visit us in the night, or are they all around us constantly watching? Do you have a guardian from beyond the veil?

Isaiah Landry is a writer currently studying professional writing at Algonquin College. Along with writing, he also likes art, music, video games, and all things creepy and crawly. When it comes to writing, or anything, he has a hard time keeping it serious and can’t help but blurt out stupid jokes. Isaiah likes to spend his time surrounded by friends, telling stories, and making people laugh.