This story is being retyped as it was told by an adult in her own words. It is written in the oral tradition of storytelling:
“It was a dark, cool night in the fall of 1978 in the state of Oklahoma. On the outskirts of Midwest City, a group of girls were enjoying a slumber party full of junk food, games and silly stories of boys. They were camped in the den of the fairly new home and the parents of one of the girls were on the other side of the house, watching a “made for TV” movie.
There were two houses on the unpaved road of this newest neighborhood being built in the rural area. The only lighting outside came from the full moon. Street lights had not been added yet and the large ditch that ran on one side of the road had not been completed as well.
Close to midnight, the girls heard laughter and squealing outside. They stumbled to the only window in the room, pushed aside the curtains and looked outside. They couldn’t see at first, so one girl instructed another to turn off the lamp so they could see what was happening.
It took a moment, but it dawned on them that the only other house down the road was having some type of party as well. Lights were turning off and on from the upstairs floor of the two-story home. Suddenly, a lone girl, the same age as the girls watching from the den window, careened from the back of the house. She was clad only in a long, white pajama gown. She ran onto the front porch and they could hear her yelling, “Let me in! Let me in! You win!”
As the group of girls continued to watch, one looked out the window in the other direction. The illumination of the moon beamed down on the road and the figure of a man appeared in the ditch and walked slowly down the street toward the two-story home. Directly behind, a car followed, so slowly that it didn’t seem possible that it was traveling at all. The car was very old and dark. It was impossible to tell if someone was inside or not. She whispered to her friends and they all turned to witness what she was describing.
The girls watched as the car and man grew closer to their house. The man in the ditch suddenly stopped, turned and stared straight into the eyes of the girls viewing from the window. They could make out that he was elderly, yet it was as if they could see through him! He had a long beard, and was wearing a suit jacket and slacks, but the clothes seemed outdated.
They squealed and shut the curtains and fell to the floor. They looked at each other in fright and wondered what to do? They didn’t want to tell the parents of the home in fear they would get into trouble for “making up stories.” Instead, they waited a few minutes to catch their breath and it was then they realized the shouting of the girl down the street had stopped. It was only a matter of seconds when this had all occurred.
The one brave girl sat up and drew the curtain apart a bit to look outside. The house down the street had grown dark, and the man and the car were gone!
Terrified, she sat down and told the other girls what she had seen.
They were too scared to leave the den, so they crawled into their sleeping bags and shivered until one by one, they fell asleep.
A few days later, the little girl walked into her own kitchen and overheard her parents talking about an article in the newspaper. There was a story of a cold case of a missing girl. She had disappeared in the 1950’s and had never been found. The feature stated she had been kidnapped in a dark sedan by an elderly man. The little girl leaned over the shoulder of her father and saw the portrait of the same girl she had seen that night at the slumber party – the one who had been begging to be let into the house!
When the little girl explained what she had seen, the father looked at her and laughed.
That wasn’t possible, he explained.
Why not? The girl had asked.
Because the other house on the street was unoccupied. No one lived there. It was still being built.
But I saw the girl! And the car! And the old man! She tried to explain. The lights were on in the house, she continued.
The father just shook his head and muttered something about “imaginations” and continued to read his paper.
The little girl walked away in defeat, knowing that her story was not to be believed by any grown-up, but she knew what she had seen.
To this day, the missing girl was never found.”
This is the tale I narrate to my students every year at the beginning of the Halloween season. I teach them about story telling in the oral tradition and then I continue to recount stories throughout the month.
I enjoy closing the blinds and darkening my room. The students seem enthralled and they are truly spooked when I tell them this was a TRUE story and not made up.
Why?
Because I was the little girl in the story who witnessed this whole scene. I was ten years old when I lived in Oklahoma and it was my first experience of the paranormal.
It would not be until I was sixteen years old and two of my friends and I decided to play with a game called the Ouija board. Big mistake. Big. But that’s another story……
“It was a dark, cool night in the fall of 1978 in the state of Oklahoma. On the outskirts of Midwest City, a group of girls were enjoying a slumber party full of junk food, games and silly stories of boys. They were camped in the den of the fairly new home and the parents of one of the girls were on the other side of the house, watching a “made for TV” movie.
There were two houses on the unpaved road of this newest neighborhood being built in the rural area. The only lighting outside came from the full moon. Street lights had not been added yet and the large ditch that ran on one side of the road had not been completed as well.
Close to midnight, the girls heard laughter and squealing outside. They stumbled to the only window in the room, pushed aside the curtains and looked outside. They couldn’t see at first, so one girl instructed another to turn off the lamp so they could see what was happening.
It took a moment, but it dawned on them that the only other house down the road was having some type of party as well. Lights were turning off and on from the upstairs floor of the two-story home. Suddenly, a lone girl, the same age as the girls watching from the den window, careened from the back of the house. She was clad only in a long, white pajama gown. She ran onto the front porch and they could hear her yelling, “Let me in! Let me in! You win!”
As the group of girls continued to watch, one looked out the window in the other direction. The illumination of the moon beamed down on the road and the figure of a man appeared in the ditch and walked slowly down the street toward the two-story home. Directly behind, a car followed, so slowly that it didn’t seem possible that it was traveling at all. The car was very old and dark. It was impossible to tell if someone was inside or not. She whispered to her friends and they all turned to witness what she was describing.
The girls watched as the car and man grew closer to their house. The man in the ditch suddenly stopped, turned and stared straight into the eyes of the girls viewing from the window. They could make out that he was elderly, yet it was as if they could see through him! He had a long beard, and was wearing a suit jacket and slacks, but the clothes seemed outdated.
They squealed and shut the curtains and fell to the floor. They looked at each other in fright and wondered what to do? They didn’t want to tell the parents of the home in fear they would get into trouble for “making up stories.” Instead, they waited a few minutes to catch their breath and it was then they realized the shouting of the girl down the street had stopped. It was only a matter of seconds when this had all occurred.
The one brave girl sat up and drew the curtain apart a bit to look outside. The house down the street had grown dark, and the man and the car were gone!
Terrified, she sat down and told the other girls what she had seen.
They were too scared to leave the den, so they crawled into their sleeping bags and shivered until one by one, they fell asleep.
A few days later, the little girl walked into her own kitchen and overheard her parents talking about an article in the newspaper. There was a story of a cold case of a missing girl. She had disappeared in the 1950’s and had never been found. The feature stated she had been kidnapped in a dark sedan by an elderly man. The little girl leaned over the shoulder of her father and saw the portrait of the same girl she had seen that night at the slumber party – the one who had been begging to be let into the house!
When the little girl explained what she had seen, the father looked at her and laughed.
That wasn’t possible, he explained.
Why not? The girl had asked.
Because the other house on the street was unoccupied. No one lived there. It was still being built.
But I saw the girl! And the car! And the old man! She tried to explain. The lights were on in the house, she continued.
The father just shook his head and muttered something about “imaginations” and continued to read his paper.
The little girl walked away in defeat, knowing that her story was not to be believed by any grown-up, but she knew what she had seen.
To this day, the missing girl was never found.”
This is the tale I narrate to my students every year at the beginning of the Halloween season. I teach them about story telling in the oral tradition and then I continue to recount stories throughout the month.
I enjoy closing the blinds and darkening my room. The students seem enthralled and they are truly spooked when I tell them this was a TRUE story and not made up.
Why?
Because I was the little girl in the story who witnessed this whole scene. I was ten years old when I lived in Oklahoma and it was my first experience of the paranormal.
It would not be until I was sixteen years old and two of my friends and I decided to play with a game called the Ouija board. Big mistake. Big. But that’s another story……
10 comments:
Wow! Neat story, Tina! And well told.
We played with Ouija boards in high school, too. :) I think I still have one, but it's put up in the closet...and will stay there.
What was much better was making the table talk with my cousins at our great-aunt's house, every time the family got together on holidays.
Hey Rox: thanks! The Ouija board was not a good experience. It's probably not the actual game, but what we were trying to do: summon the dead. When you open that window, some pretty bad things could occur, if not careful. It's not good to "invite" anything into your home. I know that now, but not when I was "young and invincible!" I have had more experiences up to today and there are days my nerves are frazzled!
The board we have now isn't my original. I bought it for the kids after they begged me for one. They won't go near it anymore, so I get to be the keeper. I don't even get it out of the box. Just too...icky.
Creepy. I had a friend with a Ouija Board. Haven't thought about it in years.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Miss Tina,
A truly spooky story. Too bad the mystery never was solved. Isn't it funny how adults tell us to always tell the truth but refuse to believe us if it's too uncomfortable for them? Did you ever try to tell anyone offical, like the police, what you saw? Maybe there was a new clue in your vision.
I played with an Ouija Board as a young child in my neighbor's basement. I don't remember what I asked it but something showed up and creeped me out big time. I played with it once or twice with the neighbors after that, but evil comes attached to the stupid thing. I have regretted it ever since. I have always wondered how much that board had to do with the fears I wrestle with. I've warned my kids about it. I hope they listen when it comes to their kids. :)
How fascinating, Tina. I believe such things happen. Have you ever had a similar experience?
Tina,
What a fun creepy story. I'm so glad it's true. Don't you love those kind?
I had one experience with a Ouija board and I will never touch one again.
Pat
Hi Joan: yes, I had the experience because the story was about me.
Everyone else: did you know they actually sell PINK Ouija boards at the Toys R Us? I about passed out last Christmas when I saw that!
I've had other ghostly experiences since that day in 1978. They are minor in comparison, but believe me, it's always present.
One time, when I was pregnant with Shelby, I was leaving for work and locked the front door. I was standing on the porch and Sydney, at the time she was three, was standing beside me. As I turned the lock, three sharp knocks were heard (and felt) on the door..from the inside of the house! Sydney looked up at me and said, "Who's in the house, Mommy?" I quickly got her into the car and zoomed off. When we got home later that day, my front door was wide open, the front windows were up and my security system never went off. We called the police. They searched the house, but couldn't explain it.
By the way..that house we lived in for awhile was very active!
Sorry Tina, I meant "other" rather than similar. Thanks for sharing.
Gives me shivers just thinking about your story, Tina. Thanks for sharing!
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