My Scariest Encounter So Far

Okay, so my scariest so far has been the last few times I was puppy sitting for my sister.  I would stay there for 3or 4 days all by myself with their four dogs, which I love.  I brought my dog with me until she passed. (September 15th 2023)  anyway,   over the past year and a half I would see shadows moving around and hear a step here and there.  Well,  the last time I stayed there, things got really scary one night.  At around 7:30 or 8 I locked the gate leading to the basement so the dogs wouldn't get into trouble during the night.  I had heard some sounds downstairs but had made sure all the windows and doors were locked and ensuring the space was clear.  There was no one down there.  Well,  about 9, we were all settling down on the couch and I started to hear people talking downstairs.  I usually keep a window cracked upstairs so I don't get to hot,  but when I looked out,  I couldn't see anyone.  I called out a "Hello?" and the sounds got a bit quieter and eventually faded away.  It wasn't over yet.  The talking started up again, but this time with footsteps.  The basement it thickly carpeted but the stairs are not,  so when the talking quieted again I was relieved,  until I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.  I froze thinking someone had actually gotten into the house and was now coming up the stairs! I yelled "hey!" and the footsteps stopped.  No one was there. No one had been there at all. I know you're wondering what the dogs had been doing while this was happening.  They were laying down by the couch,  ears perked, and watching the stairs.  The didn't bark but they were definitely tense.  They were also this way for my other experiences there.  Alert but quiet. 

My first experience with a "scary man" was back around the late 1980's or early 90's. My sister and i had gone over to my cousins house for a sleepover.  

Now,  I say house,  but it was actually a blue single wide trailer house towards the back of the trailer park and we had gone to sleep in the front room, with the window in front of us,  the kitchen to the right and bedrooms to the left.  

I'm not even sure what time it was but I could see vague illumination in the front window and then there was the scary man.  

I knew it was a man but there was no features or definition,  just a black silhouette of a man in a hat, walking in front of the window,  from left to right,  then disappearing into the kitchen.  He didn't walk behind anything,  he *disappeared* into the dark.  

Now,  it would be easy to say it was a dream or whatnot,  but my sister,  who's a year younger than me,  saw it too.  Sure no longer believes it happened,  but I remember it.  

It wasn't until my late 20's that I learned he was called the Hat Man, and he's pretty distinct and common as far as shadow figure sightings go. 

There are three kinds of shadow figures: 

The Hat Man: He seems to be the figurehead and the one who orchestrates things.  He seems to demonstrate an awareness and enjoys the fear and confusion his presence brings.  He is frequently seen as malevolent and often reappears throughout a person's life.  

The Creepers: These shadow figures are the ones seen darting across hallways,  standing in corners, and walking past windows. They seem to thrive on shocking people with their sudden presence and movements.  

The Peepers: These guys are the ones that peek around corners,  from behind trees,  and generally just poking their heads out from behind things then pulling back quickly when you see them.  

The peepers and creepers seem to be truly neutral and just curious about us and our world.  

Now,  beyond the Hat Man, who I've not seen since,  I've seen some peepers and creepers,  but nothing recently enough to record.  I've not had much fear from them in my home other than being a physical manifestation of the situation at the time.  

Have you ever had a shadow figure sighting?  What do you remember? Feel free to email me at tellmeyourghoststory@hotmail.com! 

Stay spooky and curious!