Witness: Shannon
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire
Date of Encounter: 2002 – 2003
When I first moved into my former apartment I knew that something was not right about the place. About two weeks after moving in, my feelings were proven right. While sitting on my living room couch watching TV with my then two year old son, I had a feeling I was being watched. When I looked over towards the hall that goes from the living room to the bedrooms I saw the shadow of what looked like a very tall man just standing there. After about a minute it started to slowly make its way down the hall — I followed but found nothing.
After that one encounter it made itself known everyday in some way or another. Laying in bed at night I would hear footsteps walking back and forth in the hall way, I knew that it was not my son because I left my bedroom door open at all times just to make sure he is was always okay.
One night I woke to the sound of my son's screams. When I asked him what happened he told me, "the shadow is a bad man, and he scared me." I looked around the room but again found nothing, but I did notice his room was really cold.
A few times I would feel something hitting me either in the rear end, arms, and twice in the face. But the worst experience I had was the night I awoke to find myself unable to move. I could feel this weight that went over my chest. After finally getting all my strength up I was able to sit up. When I did, I heard a man's wail that seemed to go to every corner of my place, and the whole apartment stunk like something rotten. The only thing I could think of doing was grabbing my son and getting the hell out of there. When I got in my car I realized that my whole body was cold and covered in sweat. I just drove around the city for hours in fear until dawn.
Events such as foul smells, body slapping, footsteps, and shadows continued. One night my mother came over to baby-sit so that I could get out for a little while. When I got back, I found my mother as white as a sheet. She told me that after she had put my son to bed she went to the kitchen table to play a game of solitaire. While playing she felt the presence of someone coming into the room — thinking it was my son, she turned to tell him to back to bed, but when she did no one was there. So she got up to look down the hall but saw nobody there either. She sat back down and as soon as she started playing again she noticed a really nasty smell. Then the chair next to hers was pulled back and when she looked, down the cards were being moved. She told it to stop and leave her alone — it did. But things for me went on and on for three years.