The Figures in Black(Shadow People) by James Paradie

The Figures in Black(Shadow People)
Written by James Paradie

Shadow people, shadow men, or shadow folk as they are sometimes referred to are just another slice of the paranormal line of entities. They have a Grim Reaper type of appearance and some have said to have red eyes. These shadow beings have no define classification of what they are or could be: ghosts? Demons? Nobody really knows for sure. Shadow people are being seen more often and instead of just seeing them for a quick second, they are staying a lot longer in sight. How can we explain this experience? If I could choose a few words:

DOWNRIGHT SCARY.

This was a night that I remember quite vividly; I was sleeping, but yet I was dreaming. Wasn't quite a nightmare, wasn't a dream, I was dreaming about people's faces. Sounds weird I know, but that will be discussed later. I remember waking up and the lights in my room were turned on. Figuring it was someone in the house coming into my room, I turned to see what it was and to my astonishment I saw a shadow/mist like figure leave my room. It went right threw my door and as soon as its fingers or what appeared to be fingers were the last to go threw my door, the lights turned right off. Vowing to be the paranormal investigator I am, I said to myself, I'm going to stay up and see if this shadow figure comes back...sleep triumphed.

Not that I'm saying this experience has gone into a waste basket of many experiences I've had. Quite the contrary, as I'll say it belongs in my top three of the most frightening experiences I've ever had. I wasn't scared, more fascinated than anything, but I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. It was such a thrilling experience. Every now and then, when I'm in the room, I can sometimes sense something is watching me. Is it the shadow figure or is it just hallucinations?

I found one of the strangest articles on Shadow People that fit the description of the faces in my dream. This article is on Wikipedia.org and I know that a large portion of researchers, writers, journalist have red flagged Wikipedia as a source for anything since anyone can edit it, but the fact that this described my dream and my experience almost in detail is downright eerie. Apparently, according to this source, there is a condition called Hypnagogia, it's were you are in a conscious state of being awake and asleep. When this happens, you believe you are awake, but you are actually in a dream like state. The condition is also known for "the faces in the dark phenomenon" where people who experience this (such as myself) will see random faces before them. Thing is, I knew I was still asleep and dreaming of the faces; I woke up, turned my head, and saw the cloaked/mist figure walk threw my door and my light shut off. Some religions say that this could be a visit from an angel...or a demon.

If there's one thing I've learned since becoming a paranormal researcher/investigator is that if you've seen one ghost...you have NOT seen them all. Until next time, this has been another Scared Sheetless. Happy Hauntings my fellow Graveyard Disciples.

Need more scares? Go to scaredsheetlessncn.blogspot.com and check out New Hampshire's most frightening locations!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_people (information on Hypnagogia)

James Paradie is a paranormal columnist as well as a paranormal investigator who has been seen in such newspapers as the Northcountry News, Littleton Record, the White Mountain Shopper, and the Trendy Times. His stories can also been seen on paranormalnews.com and mostlyghosts.com where he is a regular contributor.