Fears, Chills and Shivers

In search of an apartment, Joaquin and Maria, needed one that would allow them to have dogs. One did come available in the right place at the right time. It was not very big but it was sufficient enough for their needs. Never thinking twice about why it was available, why was it affordable with no security deposit needed and why they could move in right a way with no issues; gave them no qualms. What started out for them alone, became more like the hang out place for family or friends.

Once given the keys, they moved in that very night with no hesitation. Maria made light of her work and started unpacking. First with the smaller boxes leaving the bigger ones for both of them to do. Being a newly wed made it all that more special, to be the good loving wife that she thought he needed and wanted. She could not shake that feeling though that she felt when they first stepped into the apartment as if she was falling through the floor.

A week had past and it was time to start inviting people over. Naturally it was Maria's mother and step father who were first on the list of visitors. The doorbell rang and Joaquin had buzzed them in. The moment Maria went to open the door, her mother hesitated and would not leave the doorway. Maria noticed her grabbing on the frame of the door as if she was holding on to dear life. Joaquin beckoned them to come in but both he or his father in law could not convince her to move from her spot. Maria understood what it was and was relieved it was not just her feeling that sensation.

After that night and many others, little things would happen that were later explained away or just ignored. Items left in one place but would show up in another, voices that seemed to come from behind you but no one was ever there or the sudden movement that you catch from the corner of your eye; things that could be explained away. A few months had now past, followed by a few years and they had build a good repour with the property owner.

The unit next to theirs was now available for the asking, the family was getting bigger and they needed more room. After some persuading, they convince the landlord to allow them to move in next door. This unit had a large dinning room, big floor to ceiling windows and an extra room for their little one; perfect and so they thought.

The night before the final transition to the new apartment, they hosted a party with a few friends. One had a little too much to drink and stood the night in the new apartment while Joaquin, Maria and baby slept in the old apartment for one last time. When the next morning broke, Joaquin went over to invite him to join them for breakfast. He did not find him there, thinking that he just missed him decided to call him on his phone. From a coffee table in the living room, he heard the phone go off.

It was not until a week later the friend reappeared to claim his property. First refusing to go any further in the building than the lobby, Joaquin meet him at the main entrance. He explained that night, he repeatedly saw something cross the doorway towards the living room and when he got up to use the restroom, he saw it. Joaquin could not keep himself from smirching at his friend. A grown man had just told him that a female all in white had scared him out of his home in the middle of the night too a point where he would not want to come back if he had not left his phone. He could not believe his ears.

That was not the last that they heard about that lady in white, a few more times it occurred from various other people not knowing the other or the story before theirs's. Joaquin and Maria did not understand why they themselves were not seeing what clearly others were; until. Be careful of what you ask for comes to mind.

They had just gone to sleep, the house was quiet and Joaquin had just turned over in his sleep when he felt someone standing on the bed. Thinking it was Maria, a little woman, trying to get out of their big bed to use the bathroom. He opens his eyes to see a women in white standing on the bed, it was not until he heard Maria snoring next to him that he realized it was not her. Cowardly he pulled the covers over his head and pretended to go back to sleep. The next morning he shared his story with Maria, who did not believe him, since she was clearly there and did not experience it herself.

Weeks would past into months and no other occurrences happened, they decided it was time to invite others over once more. Their son was now turning three and it was the perfect time to bring the family together. As guest were arriving, Maria was placing coats in a walk-in closet just off their bathroom. More than once she could hear Christmas music go off, thinking that she must have moved something by accident discarded the sound. It was not until later that evening and as guest were leaving that she realized something was wrong. One of her nephews told her as they were walking out the door of a man with a baseball cap that he would see in her closet; a new sighting.

It was time for her to find out once and for all what was going on in their home. While Joaquin was out at work and their son off to preschool, Maria found a spot to settled down in. She announced out loud as if speaking to someone in another room, "If you could hear me, I do not wish to see you but show me that you are here." Nothing happened, no words, no sounds; complete silence. Thinking that she was just going crazy, started to tidy up the place. She went to place something in the bathroom when she noticed the door was locked.

It was a very old door with its original doorknob so the only way to lock it was by a latch. In the past they experienced the door locking their young son in, who was not tall enough to reach the latch on his own. They assumed some how the latch vibrated into its hook if left in a certain position. Maria had come accustom to it occurring from time to time, once even with no one there, but she knew what to do. As she placed the butter knife between the frame and the door to lift the latch she noticed it could not be lifted. It was not until she tried forcing the latch down from its hook that she was able to open the door and realized that she had her answer. The latch obviously could not be vibrated upside down and decided to give them an ultimatum. If the spirits would agree to leave her family alone while in the home they could co-exist peacefully and have the run of the space during the times they were away. She would occasionally place a candle in the window, in their memory and say a little prayer or two.

After this encounter, Joaquin and Maria never experienced or heard of another sighting again. Ten years had past and it was time to move on, they had found themselves a home with a yard. Their son now old enough to go to school, Maria decided to start a new job at a local business office. A year had past, when a woman approached her about the old apartment and asked how long her family lived on the property. When Maria inquired why she was asking, all the woman could say was, "How could you live there?"