Rate this encounter: Jonno Ross, Edinburgh, Scotland, August 27, 2007

My girlfriend and I were in Edinburgh, Scotland, last August and we decided to take one of the many "ghost walks" available throughout the city through Auld Reekie's tours. Now I was a skeptic at the time, and thought this was just going to be a bit of fun. Oh how wrong I was! The tour started as you would expect. There was only four of us on this particular tour, myself, three other girls, and the tour guide (also a girl, it's important to say). The guide gave us the history of witch burnings and everything, and then we went underground into the Edinburgh Vaults (a series of underground chambers) where paranormal activity was apparently very much there.

The first room we saw included a Wiccan chapel of sorts with an altar and everything like that. A little creepy, I thought. But that was nothing. We went on into the next chamber where there was a stone circle in the center of the room. Whilst listening to the guide, both my girlfriend and I heard a whoosh and a footstep behind us. Keep in mind we were the only ones underground, and to get into the vaults you had to open a very loud door. Both of us whipped around and saw nothing, but heard another footstep. Just one. We stood closer together and kept listening. Apparently someone had trapped a spirit or ghost inside the circle and anyone who entered the circle would face a terrifying experience. Needless to say, none of us decided to enter the circle and tempt fate. But we were also told not to walk clockwise around the circle and exit the opposite way we come in. Well, we all did, except for my daring partner who decided to obliviously walk the other way. She came out okay, no harm done. By now, we were all extremely cold as we made our way to the third and final stop of the tour, where the notorious South Bridge Poltergeist was thought to currently be. Before entering the room we were told that if anyone felt uncomfortable we wouldn't go in. After a few minutes of deliberation, we entered the pitch-black room. Now here's the interesting part. The South Bridge Poltergeist apparently has a thing for harming people who stood on a certain side of the room, women in particular. So being the only male in the group, I was doomed to stand on the "harmful side" of the room, as to keep the poltergeist in the center. Stuck with a choice between the "harmful side" and the women on the "safe side." As soon as we entered the room, I split from the group, alone, edging along the wall toward the harmful side. I was told to stick to the walls. Instantly I felt cold and I could even feel a presence observing me. I was physically shaking. I had never been this terrified ever. I seriously thought I was going to die down here. The guide spoke in a soft voice, explaining the history and everything like that. Then I heard my girlfriend speak in a very soft voice saying, "Can we go now? Please? It's here." The tour guide agreed instantly and I began edging my way back to the door. Now the horrifying part...

As we began to leave, one of the girls (God knows which one) let out a bloodcurdling scream. Then, it was on. Quickly as I could I ran toward the door on the other side, crossing toward the middle of the room. As I moved, I felt something grab onto my shoulder and another hand grab my shirt, trying to pull me back. The girls were already outside. I struggled for a microsecond and whatever it was let go, allowing me to escape. We all checked if we were okay, even the guide was panting. The rest of us were shaking like leaves. I didn't find out why the girl screamed. But that night my girlfriend and I boarded our bus for a nine-hour ride back to London. I felt the South Bridge Poltergeist the entire way home. This is completely true. And I will never set foot in those vaults again.