Hhello again. The story I'm about to tell you happened VERY recently, in the last few weeks. And so it goes until yesterday. I didn't actually see this coughing ghost today (see “Sick Man”), but it's been around since I was in fourth grade. Anyway, here we go.
I yawned. The day passed slowly for me. As I sat there staring at the piles of homework, I almost choked. As I wrote down my answers and flipped through the pages, vindictive thoughts raced through my head. Sufficiently! I thought. I was so tired that I had to get up and stretch. My girlfriend Krystal came to mind. Hmm. I'll call her and see what she does. I left the room and turned right. I went up the stairs, wishing that someone would just come and take my soul and take me away from this hell.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I immediately noticed that it was shadowy outside. It has snowed non-stop for the past few weeks. My friend wanted to go snowboarding the next time it snows. But when the time came, he just said, “No, it snowed too much” or something. I scoffed at the thought, picking up the phone and dialing Krystal's number. Not more than two seconds after I finished, I heard a rasping cough downstairs. Not again…. Go away for crying out deafening!
“Hi?” Krystal said. “Hey, how are you?” I replied. We started talking until the sound of coughing returned. What do you want from me?! Who are you?! I always wondered if it could be my grandfather's ghost. I never met him and his smoking habit killed him. After finishing the call with Krystal, I slammed the phone as a “Ghuuuuuuuuughu ghuuuuughaaaa…” sound came from downstairs. I sighed angrily. “Do you need cough syrup or something?!” Of course I received no response.
I've been seeing this ghost for years and in all that time I've never once seen his face. I only hallucinated and saw parts of him, like his legs and arms. From what I saw, it was a man. Rather gaunt, medium height, greyish-white skin, worn gray T-shirt and green pants. But without shoes. It also never seems clear. It was as if he was really there. Casts a shadow and everything. I usually see him during periods of sleep paralysis, and sometimes I dream about him when it's like… *more* than a dream. He always just stands there and stares at me (or at least that's what I think; again, I've never seen his face).
I angrily walked towards the stairs and looked down. I couldn't see any retreating shadow because the featherlight was shining on the stairs from around the corner. But I heard feet moving. Our basement is weird. The part you enter at the bottom of the stairs is finished, but to the right is a gigantic, unfinished part that has always been shadowy and full of boxes and bags since we moved. Sometimes I sensed a ghost coughing… Let's call him Jerry. Sometimes I felt Jerry there, staring at me blankly. What the hell does he want from me?! Who is he?! These questions run through my mind every time I feel him around.
One night I woke up very overdue and saw my bedroom door closing. The corridor was also shadowy and I could barely see the pale hand gripping the doorknob. My mom wouldn't even be up yet, it was 3:41. But anyway, back to the point. In my room I decided, “Ah, [heck] with this. So I headed back up the stairs. I was almost to the top when I turned and looked down. “Ghuuuuha ghuuuhaaaaa…” I was really pissed off. “Shut up!” I shouted. There were fifteen of them. steps. I was almost to the top, two steps left. I looked down the stairs again and suddenly… There was only one step behind me. I looked up again and it was still a full fourteen degrees ahead OK, you want to fight, Jerry?! I turned and ran towards the shadowy area. “Come out here and show yourself, I'm sick of it!”
No response. I turned around and noticed a shadow slowly climbing the stairs. I burst out laughing and ran to the foot of the stairs. Jerry really picked up the pace and got to the top before I could see him. I heard him walking on the kitchen floor! I had never really heard his footsteps before, except when his feet moved in and out of me, but today was special. I must have really pissed him off somehow. Was I breathing wrong?! Suddenly the phone rang again and I couldn't feel Jerry anymore. On the other hand, I don't know how correct my “senses” are when it comes to these matters, but I have a feeling I'm not alone.
The phone kept ringing, so I hurried to answer it. I looked at the ID. The screen didn't show anything like… 555-555-5555, but instead it said 9. Just the number 9. Unknown caller and then the number 9. I didn't even answer. But again, the ID didn't track the call, so I have no evidence of any of these things. This is what worries me. Jerry always visits our house when I'm alone. He's always having some weird hallucinations that make me diseased. One day I looked in the mirror and there was something strange in my reflection. My eyes… looked bloodshot. I always sleep a lot, so what? When I raised my hand at the same time, it took me about half a second to do the same thing. I just wish someone could tell me what they think Jerry wants. I'm fed up with him, he annoys me (though he doesn't scare me anymore) and I want him to leave me alone.
– ©Œnter¢o®€
“The world is yours, the world is yours, whose world is this? The world is yours.” – Nasir “Nas” Jones
