My Earliest Memory of a Ghost

Today, I'm going to share with you my earliest memory of encountering a spirit or energy, whichever term you like. It's actually two fold because I have two very vivid paranormal experiences and I'm not sure which one happened first so I'm just going to share both of them.

My grandparents have a sprawling 3 story Victorian style home in St Augustine, Fl. It was built in the late 1800's and has an incredible history. Along with that amazing history comes a haunting like I've never heard of anywhere else! No one will EVER be able to convince me that ghosts are not real! I've seen/heard/felt way too much! I'm a believer, through and through.

This first memory I'm going to tell you about happened in their home when I was about 6 or so, I think.

When they bought their home, it was in terrible shape and condemned. They promised the city that they would fix it up if the city allowed them to buy it while condemned. The city agreed, thankfully! While they were working on the upper floors, my grandpa built this big floor of sheets of plywood to close off the main floor from the upper floors, so all of us grand kids couldn't wander up there and get hurt.

Even with the upper floors blocked off, their home was great for playing hide and seek! The main floor consists of a big living room with two little sitting areas on either side and then a big grand stairway leading to the upper floors. With the sheets of plywood in place, I could go all the way to the top of the stairs and lay on the top stair, up against the plywood.

That's where I chose to hide on this day. I was super excited and proud of my excellent hiding spot! While giggling and anticipating the seeker searching and searching for me, I suddenly felt a puff of cold air come through the crack between the stairs and the plywood. Understand that this house is in Florida and has no central air conditioning. There is absolutely no way cold air could be coming from up there. The higher you go in that house, the hotter it gets! In the summer, like it was when this happened, the upper floors are like an oven!

Six year old me had no idea about ghosts at all. I remember thinking it was very strange and turning to look at the crack. I didn't see anything but black. There should've been some kind of light coming through but all I saw was black. The feeling of being watched came over me and I felt like someone was on the other side of that wood. At that age, I couldn't really understand what I was feeling, I just knew it was uncomfortable and I ran down the stairs to get away from it! I was no longer worried about losing that great hiding spot, I just wanted to get away from that space, and fast!

My other early childhood memory comes from an apartment my family and I were living in that was just one house down from my grandparent's house, believe it or not! I didn't know this until many years later but apparently, an older woman once rented that same apartment and passed away in the master bedroom. She wasn't found for several days, may she rest in peace. She is also not the only one who has met that type of end in that apartment building, either!

However, my 6 yr old self didn't know anything about that or ghosts. I always remember feeling uncomfortable in that apartment but I never knew why. Being in a room by myself was never something I wanted! Luckily, I have a younger sister and we shared a room so I didn't usually have to be alone.

This particular day, I was in the living room talking to my mom or my sister. Not sure which. All I really remember clearly was that as I turned to look toward our bedroom, a black hand with no body grabbed the door knob and slammed our bedroom door shut! It terrified me and I went running for my mom, who quickly told me it was just the draft from an open window and sent me on my way.

I was so sure of what I saw, though! I can still see it in my mind today! Aside from feelings of dread or of being watched, that is the only thing I actually saw in that apartment. We lived there for a few years before moving to a different part of town when I was about nine, I think.

As I got older and began learning about the paranormal, I developed the maturity to recognize when I felt uneasy or watched or cold when I shouldn't be. These things became so regular in my life, and still are, that I sometimes don't really even pay them any attention.

If you have your own paranormal experience, I'd love to hear it! Please leave your story in the comments below!