Readers respond to Shadow People

The 10-year-old was lying in bed when he saw something – someone – in his room.

“A tall shadow bent over my top bunk bed as I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended to be asleep,” anonymous posted on from-the-shadows.blogspot.com. “But holy hell, it scared me half to death.”

He’d seen a shadow person. Since I reported on shadow people in early December, I’ve heard dozens of stories from people living in Missouri, Kansas, New York, California and Hawaii. All have seen dark, human shapes creeping through their lives – sometimes unnervingly active. Here are their tales:

Paul, of West Covina, Calif., saw a shadow person in the late ’90s while spending the night at a friend’s.

“I (woke) up maybe around 3 a.m. and see this dark figure walk across the hallway into her daughter’s room,” he said. “Chills ran down my spine. … I immediately got up and ran to her daughter’s room fearing for the safety of her child. When I went into the room, the night light was on and there was nobody there.”

Mike, of Junction City, Kan., was living in Kansas City, Kan., when a shadow person invaded his home.

“I was frequently troubled by something that would slam doors in my house,” he said.

Then, one day, he saw it.

“I was in my bathroom in the basement,” Mike said. “The only light that was on was the bathroom light. As I was looking in the mirror I saw a black shadowy figure walk behind me. It was darker than anything else around it, as if all the light had been absorbed from the surrounding area. It was standing upright and it scared the hell out of me. I immediately left the house.”

Mike saw the shadow person twice more, but he often heard it “walking and just messing with things around the house,” he said. “I have moved three times since then, and I can’t seem to lose it.”

At eight years old in 1989, John, of Wisconsin, saw a black figure in his house.

“I was sleeping in my room and I could feel something pushing the bed in my sleep,” John said. “I woke up and noticed the dark figure was standing at the end of the bed. It was dark in my room, but this figure was so dark it just stood out.”

John finished sleeping the night with his parents.

“A couple of weeks after that, my parents got into an argument and my dad slept in my room and I slept on the couch,” he said. “Everyone was sleeping when I awoke to a scream. A few minutes later I heard my mom and dad talking at the kitchen table. My dad was sleeping and felt someone pushing at the end of the bed. He woke up and saw a man.

“This thing was the darkest shade of black I have ever seen,” John said. “So much that in a pitch black room it still stands out because it is so black. It was a perfect shape of a man. I don't know if it's evil or just mischievous, but I don't think it’s a friendly spirit.”

Gary G. Ford of Calgary, Alberta, challenges those who don’t acknowledge shadow people.

“They are enough to scare the works out of most people who want to deny these experiences can happen,” Gary wrote. “But I(’ve) experienced them. I know they are real, and that makes the universe more complicated than simple-minded theoreticians wish to entertain.”

For more stories on shadow people, go to: http://from-the-shadows.blogspot.com/2006/12/shadow-people.html.

Copyright 2006 by Jason Offutt

Got a scary story? Ever played with a Ouija board, heard voices, seen a ghost, UFO or a creature you couldn’t identify? Let Jason know about it: Jason Offutt c/o The Examiner, 410 S. Liberty, Independence, Mo. 64050, or jasonoffutt@hotmail.com. Include your name, address and telephone number. Your story might make an upcoming installment of “From the Shadows.”

Jason Offutt is a syndicated columnist, author and fan of all things Fortean. His book of ghost stories, “Haunted Missouri,” will soon be available at www.jasonoffutt.com and all major bookstores.