Hi everyone! We, here, in Her Campus at Bradley wanted to share some of our personal favorite ghost stories. We collaborated with this piece, so you will notice the contributing authors have been credited. Feel free to give their other articles a look, too. Now, let’s get into some ghost stories. We have not specified if they are true or make-believe; that part is for you to decide!
Late night ghosts by Kylie Kruis
A few summers ago, when I was at my family’s beach house, I was showering and heard someone calling my name. Since my grandma had taken my sisters and I for the weekend, I assumed it was her and thought nothing of it. That was until I got out of the shower to ask my sister what she wanted, and she told me that my grandma and other sister had been asleep since before my shower. Later in the night, I also heard a cup moving in the kitchen when I was hiding out with my sister. The next morning, we found the cup we heard on the kitchen counter. To this day, we don’t know who, or what, took the cup out of the cabinet that night.
Ouija Board Scare by Charlotte Tolly
I used to play with an Ouija board with my friends all of the time. One night, we were playing with it and everyone else went home. As I was laying down and going to sleep, I suddenly felt something on my chest. It was like someone was pressing their hand onto my heart, and I could feel the pressure on top of me. I loudly said, “Please leave me alone,” and the handprint went away.
Spooky Eats by Jessie Taylor
“Signature unique flavor locally farmed right from our backyard!” The slogan is integral to the restaurant’s reputation. It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be. For the first time in my life, I don’t hear the sound of everyone else’s mind, just my own. So loud, and throbbing and unavoidable. I think of the reports, the missing people, and the owner’s rise to fame. I think of the neighborhood history, and the mysteries within. I think my own thoughts, but I don’t think as I pull out my phone. I don’t think as I swipe my pin in, I refuse to think as I open the search engine and tap to “images.” I don’t think as I wipe the seasoning off my dish, and clean the meat to be red and glossy. I hold the phone up next to my meal and swallow hard. I read the words entered into the search bar, “human temporal lobe,” and stare at the image results, matching my plate.
Bedtime stories by Hannah Pigott
When I was little I shared a bedroom with my sister. There was one night when she couldn’t fall asleep and kept talking to herself. I asked her what was wrong and who she was talking to. She said that the kids in the room wanted to play, but she kept saying no because she had to go to sleep. This went on for a while, them talking back and forth. I finally told them that we needed to go to sleep and she could not play with them. After this the kids left my sister alone. Out of nowhere, the nightlight shut off, and my sister fell asleep immediately. No explanation ever came of what happened that night.
Anonymous Haunts
When I was about three or four years old, my grandfather brought home an old, antique horn. He had asked my mother, since he couldn’t find a place to put it, if he could temporarily leave it at the house. My mother agreed. But within the next few days, something strange happened. Every night, I would wake up screaming and crying. My grandmother was also staying the night so she rushed into my room. When she asked what was wrong, I stated “There’s a scary bunny in my room. His name’s Jay.” She called in my father, and he picked me up from my playpen, asking where I saw it. I pointed near the wall next to my bed. The next morning, grandma immediately called my grandpa and asked who the original owner of the horn was. He said it was from some guy named Jay-Jay. I don’t remember much else of what happened. My grandma told me I stopped being scared after my grandfather got rid of the horn.
My freshman year, my friend’s room was absolutely haunted. I would spend the night frequently, and there are countless memories of three knocks from inside the closets, or things randomly falling that were securely set on desks. However, there was one night that still sticks with me. My friend would love to fall asleep on the ground while the rest of us were watching movies from the futon or the beds in the room. Just like normal, my friend fell asleep and the rest of us continued with the movie. Suddenly, she sat up and said nothing. All she did was turn around and stare at me for a few seconds. It felt like something otherworldly was staring into my soul. I got chills immediately. Then, just as suddenly as she sat up, she laid back down. To this day, I’ll bring it up to her and she has no memory of it and swears she never sat up that night.