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Encounters Archive:

2003 Encounters:
Haunted House and Failed Exorcism - La Plata, Maryland

Mt. Iron Apparition Caught on Videotape - Mt. Iron, Minnesota

Dissolving Figure at Fort Garry Hotel - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Dark Specter on Charles Island - Milford, Connecticut

Little Girl, Long, Red Hair - London, England

Poltergeists and Shadows - Iceland

Shaking Beds and Psychic Visions - Chino, California

Circling Chinese Bride - Shandong, China

A Name Called and a Bloody Nose - Princess Anne, Maryland

Unwanted Ghostly Roommates - Naples, Florida

Haunted House in Rochester - Rochester, New York

Ghostly Meow - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Breath of the Soul - Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines

Annoying Entity - Indiana

Spirits Magnet - Hopkins, Minnesota and Joshua, Texas

Ghostly Escape From Alcatraz - San Francisco, California

Basement Gravestone and Haunted Noises - Collinsville, Connecticut

"Help Me, Mommy!" - McCalla, Alabama

Spooked in Forest Park Cemetery - Brunswick, New York

A Protecting Shadow - San Antonio, Texas

Cat Haunting? - Battle Creek, Michigan

Warm Breeze From a Fallen Friend - Fillmore, California

A Ghostly Fight at St. Francis Hotel - San Francisco, California

Chicken Skin in the Mango Tree - Haleiwa, Hawaii

Tormented by Tall Shadow Man - Manchester, New Hampshire

Mom's Visit and the Smell of Gardenias - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Granville State Forest Orb - Granville, Massachusetts

Evil Voice Over Neil Sedaka - Indianapolis, Indiana

Cochem Castle Ghost - Cochem, Germany

Evil Stocky Specter - Iowa

Rage at a Malignant Presence - Noblesville, Indiana

The Haunted Farnsworth Inn - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Drawn to Psychic Energy - Herndon, Virginia

Ghost of Mars? - Hooe, England

A Sign from Pappaw - Texas

Ouija Boards and a Shaking Bed - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Misplaced Objects and Strange Events - New Hope, Pennsylvania

The Haunting That Follows - Norman, Oklahoma

Woman's Mocking Laugh - York, Pennsylvania

Evil Apartment - Phoenix, Arizona

Troubled House Spirits - Mount Sterling, Kentucky

Gabrielino Indian Family of Spirits - Pico Rivera, California

Capital Memorial Parks Cemetery Mausoleum Visits - Pflugerville, Texas

Spillway Light - Cave Run Lake, East Kentucky

Rafter Man at Summer Camp - Dahlonega, Georgia

Winnipeg's Haunted Fort Garry - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Swallow Hill Road Haunted House - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Slapped in the Face - New York, New York

Shadow Figure at a German Manor House - Outside of Hamburg, Germany

Visit From the Angel of Death - Tel-Aviv, Israel

Ouija Board Warning - Ontario, Canada

Psychic Energy Cloud - Los Angeles, California

Heavy Breathing and a Flying Penny - San Roman and Edinburg, Texas

Scratching Around the Room - Walnut Creek, California

Ghostly House Guests - Arizona

Family's Guardian Angels - Mesa, Arizona

Eerie Premonition - Paralowie, South Australia

Angry Spirit with Black Eyes - Columbus, Kansas

Ghost of the School Caretaker - Fermanagh, Ireland

Forest Park Cemetery Shadow - Troy, New York

One Last Visit From Daddy - Monticello, Arkansas

Vicious Hag - Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

Phantom Tennis Court - North Cambridge, Massachusetts

Mural Orb - Palm Beach County, Florida

Civil War Soldier Ghosts - Marietta, Georgia

Supernatural Magnet Dog - Indianapolis, Indiana

Late-Night Footsteps - Bethel Island, California

Haunted Bathroom - Orchard Park, New York

China Hutch Orb - Chisholm, Minnesota

Creepy Childhood Home - Indianapolis, Indiana

Puppy Orb - Minersville, Pennsylvania

Family Spirits at a Birthday Party - Princeton, Illinois

Spectral Attack at Forest Park Cemetery - Troy, New York

Hong Kong Master, Protecting Spirit - Sai Kung, Hong Kong

Greyhound Orbs - Canastota, New York

"We'll Never Get Out of Here" - New Jersey

Louden Road Ouija Board - Fredericksburg, Texas

Midwestern Georgia Ghost Hunt - Georgia

Dreaming Man - Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

Night Shadow Man - Ontario, Canada

Brooklyn Doorman - Brooklyn, New York

Nightly Horrors at 1:15 AM - Brisbane, Australia

Prankster Boy - Hopkinsville, Kentucky

The Hand in the Dresser - Livonia, Michigan

Childhood Orbs and Mist - Hibbing and Chisholm, Minnesota

Tagging Along and Playing Pranks - Central Illinois

Spirit Send Off - Lowell, Massachusetts

Attacking Old Hag - Bradbury, California

Back Porch Woman - Greensboro, North Carolina

Returning Grandfather - Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Ireland Ghost Bus Tour - Dublin, Ireland

Halloween Work-House - Penicuik, Scotland

Held Down Sleeping - Souderton, Pennsylvania

Visiting Christmas Mist - Fairborn, Ohio



Added July 25, 2003

Shadow Figure at a German Manor House

Rate this encounter:
Votes:27 Rating: Rating = 5.35 Ratings Breakdown
Ryan Hill, Outside of Hamburg, Germany, late November, 1996, info@ghostvillage.com

When I was seven years of age, my family and myself -- at least 40 individuals took a journey from our homes in Exeter, England, to stay with my father's uncle at his manor house outside of Hamburg in Germany. After three days of taking in the sights, we made our way back to the manor house. At this time, after at least half an hour of driving through isolated country roads, we arrived back at around half eight at night.

Great-uncle had promised my cousins and me that we would take a hike through the woods on his vast acreage before we were to turn in for the night. We decided not to venture too far from the main grounds as the night was rolling in quickly and the air became increasingly colder and filled with a light mist. No one could blame us at this time for being weary, we were only children, and all of the adults expected our silly little fears to get the best of us. The lads and myself would play jokes on the girls -- they always scared the easiest!

By ten at night, our little legs started to give in on us. After 20 minutes of complaining, Great-uncle took us back to his home.

With all but the moonlight, and the pale specks of light which we could see from the house, we found it difficult to keep our step along the slippery dirt path. You see, it had rained before we arrived back from the city. We trudged in through the huge oak doors of the old manor to be greeted by our parents and Nana, as well as German swears, as cook had cut his thumb. It was now most surely time to get to our beds. My parents hurried us up the grand marble staircase to the third floor, where us children were allowed to sleep. I looked forward to sharing my room with cousin Chris for the third time now. He was always my favorite cousin! We took our turns to take a quick shower before we went to bed. After the final time that mom had burst in through the door wailing at us to "Get to bed!" with her watchful eyes still looking on, we slipped into our beds. She bid us good night, and left for the balcony where she was to join my aunts and uncles for wine and German chocolate.

As boys will be boys, we defied my mom. We sat by the open window at the far end of our room, where we threw pebbles we'd found in our shoes at the kitchen windows below us. We hoped to piss off cook before bed! But, oh well, we didn't get his attention. But still we sat. We sat and stared across the fields of runner beans and the easterly crops of carrots. The manor had gone quiet. Stone cold. As we still looked on, only the sounds of our breathing could be heard across the grounds. The air was an icy cold, but with a pleasant crispness that made it bearable to withhold. With all the lights on the grounds put out, we could only see by the moonlight. Across from the first field, opposite our window, was an old farm building. We took for granted that the barn wasn't used at all. We never saw Great uncle or any of the farm hands enter it. Quite dilapidated, the barn stood lonely amongst the beans.

After a while, I became bored of staring out of our window, and I took to bed, leaving Chris alone. I drifted to sleep.

"Ry, Ry, Ryan!" I was shook awake by my cousin. He whispered slowly and softly, "Ryan, come to the window, there is something you will not believe." Chris sounded anxious, and quite scared. He led me by the arm to our window. Still weary-eyed, my sight was blurred. He pointed out of the window at the old barn, and I followed his directions with blurry vision. I rubbed my eyes open, and looked once again towards the old barn. "Can you see it? Can you?" He asked. "Yes," I replied. Through the gentle moonlight, we could see a figure standing in one of the windows of the barn.

Whoever it was, we could only make out its bold outline in the darkness, but we could see it was a person, and it appeared to be looking in our direction. We took to hiding behind our tattered drapes, a delayed reaction indeed.

We were pretty freaked! It was like, one in the morning, and some stranger was standing in the old barn. We stepped out from behind the drapes, Chris hid behind me. I gave him a sharp look of annoyance.

As we looked onwards towards that window, the figure began to move around, quite rapidly. It would stop every so often to look back at us, it seemed quite pissed, and it was pacing backwards and forwards, from side-to-side, in circles and circles. Chris and myself had no clue what to do. We became scared. We slammed our window too in our confusion. All we could think of doing is getting help. We ran from our room down those huge marble stairs to Great-uncle's chamber. We hit hard against his door. He soon stirred to greet us with irritation. He understood little English. I told him there was someone in the old barn, he scratched his head and began to mumble confusing German words. He stormed back inside his room, only to emerge once again with his robe and a flashlight. He then headed for the main doors. As he did, we ran back to our room to look on.

We could see him, at least 300 meters to the west of our window, flashlight in hand, he kept it pointed at the ground. As he moved closer to the old barn, the strange figure stopped in his tracks, only to face us once again, completely motionless.

We assumed that Great-uncle had begun to climb a ladder to the raised level of the barn, to meet this person. We could see his light becoming brighter as he stepped closer. We could see Great-uncle's head pop-up in the back ground behind the person, but unable to see it, as his light was pointed downwards. He stood up. And as his bright shaft of light passed over the stranger, and directly in our line of sight, we squinted our eyes and turned away from the brightness.

As we looked out of our window again, the figure was gone, only replaced by the figure of Great-uncle in his robe, with his flashlight. I turned to Chris, and like wise he looked at me. We were stunned, stunned with utter bafflement. We then walked from our room, down to the main doors in confusion, but with no doubt of what we had seen.

Once meeting Great-uncle, he muttered "Zair vaz no von in ze bahn, little boyz, you should not make up zeez zilly stories, go to sleep."




2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014