The Shadow and the Footsteps

Witness: Alexis
Location: Queens, New York
Date of Encounter: September 1997

I really can’t prove that my story is true, but all I can do is tell you what I went through. It’s up to you to believe me.

The year was 1997 I was about the age of 12. My parents were separated and I decided that I wanted to stay with my mother. On other occasions I would visit my father. My mother and I lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens.

Sometimes late at night I would go down to the basement to do my laundry. Nothing weird ever happen when I went down there, it was just very quiet. I really never planned to do my laundry that late, but it always ended up that way. Around the late hours nobody does their laundry — it seemed like I was the only one. Everybody in the apartment building had there own gates. The weird thing about me is that I was always scared to go down to the basement so late, but then I would still continue to go late. My mother did not know I did my laundry that late. If she did, she would definitely tell me to do it early in the day.

One late night during the month of September 1997 around 11pm, I decided to do my laundry. I put my first load of whites in the washer. During that time I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but I did not hear the door open that lead to the stairs. Usually I do because it makes a loud creaking sound. I started to get really nervous and hot. Then I hear footsteps coming toward the hall way leading toward the gates. I stopped what I was doing to look at the end of the hall way to see if I saw anyone. All I saw was a shadow just standing there. It looked like a naked man just staring a me. He wasn’t even moving, but I kept hearing footsteps. I just stood there in a still position not moving, just looking at the shadow and listening to the footsteps. I hurried to close the gate then I went back to see if I still saw the shadow. It was still there just doing nothing. I was so scared to even scream or say a word. I thought I was going crazy, but I know I wasn’t. I just cried and sat on the floor rocking back and forth with my eyes closed. I was praying it would just go away. Keep in mind that I still heard the footsteps getting closer to the gate.

After 20 minutes, I did not hear the footsteps and I stood up slowly to see if the shadow was there and thank God it wasn’t. Then I heard the footsteps again. I sat back down and took a deep breath. All kinds of thoughts were running through my head of what I should do. I decided I would leave my clothes downstairs, close the gate, and run as fast as I could without stopping or looking back. That’s exactly what I did. When I finally got inside my apartment, I locked my door and left all the lights on in the apartment and got in my bed. I did not go to sleep right away, I jut watched some TV. I eventually fell asleep and figured when I wake up in the morning I will tell my mother everything.

Until this day I don’t know why that happen to me, or what was happening. I hope I will never have to experience that again. Ever since that night, I never did my laundry late anymore. My mother would come downstairs with me to do my laundry until I got old enough to go by my self.