The Scary Story Behind the Feature

A few weeks ago Anne, Harry and I got an email message from Anthony of Qtube. He mentioned that they wanted to feature this blog on their show. I've personally shied away from media interviews for the past three years but thought maybe I'd make an exception since I'd be doing this together with my best friend and buddy. The three of us mulled over it and found ourselves in a shoot a few days later.

It was a fun and exhilirating experience since the three of us haven't gone out for the past few months. The last time we went out was when we watched Angels & Demons back in May. We also haven't shared any spooky stories so it was also a time to catch up on that. What we didn't expect though was the dreadful experience at Clover street.

My shoot and Harry's shoot went on without any disturbance. During Anne's shoot however the light they set-up behind her suddenly collapsed and sparked. It made all of us antsy and I kidded Anne not to leave any of her "friends" behind since she was in MY basement!

Later on the crew asked us to take a stroll at the park just "to see if there's anything". It was already past midnight, but I was confident that we really wouldn't see or feel anything at the park. I've lived here since birth and I used to have sleep overs at our Church sacristy. There wasn't anything extraordinary in the area.

There was a funeral at the chapel and I thought of leaving the place immediately since I didn't really want disturb my neighbors and rouse their curiosity because we had a camera crew following us around the park. I asked the crew, Anne and Harry if they wanted to take a peek at Clover street, Anne's not-so favorite place. Anne said she wasn't keen on going back there because of her past experience, but eventually changed her mind. She said she wanted to face her fear. It was just around the corner and the three of us were game and quite jovial since we knew that the shoot was almost over.

As we entered Clover street the three of us fell silent. I tried to keep the conversation going by saying that I haven't passed the street for several years already. I noticed that most of the houses were newly renovated and some were new. I tried to remember the stopovers my schoolbus used to do when I was a kid. Anne couldn't remember how the house looked, we were almost at the end of the street and I said maybe the house was renovated and the new owners might have chased away the spirits or something.

Located at the end of the street was an empty lot and the tallest house. I was walking in between Anne and Harry and I suddenly felt different when we near the tall house. I moved to Harry's right side and anchored myself on his right arm. As we passed the tall dark house we all fell silent and the hairs at the back of my neck stood out. I ignored the feeling and announced that we had reached the end of the street and asked Anne if she already saw the house.

She said that she remembers the house had two strange pillars in front and that it was located at the corner. Harry then mentioned that the tall creepy house we just passed was probably the house. I said that it was probably renovated so that it would be easier to sell. The crew asked if we felt anything. The three of us said at the same time that there was something about the tall house at the corner.

We walked back towards the house barely stopping in front of it. Anne and Harry were talking about what they felt. I tried to stifle a nervous giggle. The hairs at the back of my neck and on my arms stood out again when we passed the house. The crew asked us to stop walking and said that something went wrong with the audio as we passed the house. We had to review what we just said. The lightman said that he felt it too and that we shouldn't stay long in the area. They also said that the audio disturbance was a sign to stay out.

We then scrambled to the van. Locked the doors and closed the windows, as if doing that would keep out spirits! We immediately left the area and all noticed that the number of the house ended with 66.

I prayed for the unhappy soul in the house.

Have a blessed halloween!

(And thank you to Qtube for feature! Awesome work guys!).

The Qtube Feature

Ang Multo ng Fire Exit

Dahil sa mga bagyong nagdaan, kinailangan ko ring lumikas mula sa bayan ng Obando. Masyado nang mataas ang baha roon at imposible nang magbyahe araw-araw papuntang opisina. Tumuloy ako sa unit ng aking nakababatang kapatid sa Mandaluyong City. Hindi ko akalain na dahil sa lugar na ito ay magkakaroon ako ng bagong istorya.

Sa ilang buwan na paninirahan ng aking kapatid dito ay normal naman ang lahat. Normal hanggang dumating ang aking…

Unang gabi. Graveyard shift ang aking kapatid kaya ako lamang mag-isa sa bahay noon. Matapos kong ayusin ang mga gamit ko, ay nakatulog na ako. Napanaginipan ko na nagkwe-kwentuhan daw kami ng aking mga kaibigan tungkol sa “The Grudge” movie. Hindi ko na matandaang mabuti pero sa aking panaginip ay tinanong ko daw sila nang “Anong date?” at may sumagot na “April 29!”.

Pagkarinig na pagkarinig ko ng petsa na ‘yun ay bigla akong sumigaw - sa panaginip at sa bigla kong paggising. Nagising ako nang tuluyan at parang may babaeng sali’t-salit na bumubulong sa aking dalawang tenga. Tumayo ako at binuksan ko na lang ang pinto ng kwarto at ang mga ilaw. Sa awa naman ng diyos ay nakatulog akong muli matapos magdasal at maglagay ng rosary sa aking bulsa. Hindi ko muna ito ikinwento sa kapatid ko dahil baka matakot din siya.

Sumunod na araw, dumating ang mom ko para magdala ng iba pang gamit. Nasa opisina ako nun at natutulog naman ang aking kapatid. Habang naglilinis ang nanay ko sa kusina, naramdaman niya na parang may dumaan sa likuran niya. Wala naman daw siya nakita paglingon niya.

Nalaman ko lang ito nang magkwentuhan kami noong sumunod na araw. Ikinwento ko rin sa kanila ang nangyari sa’kin nung unang gabi.

Biglang umamin ang aking kapatid. “Sige sasabihin ko na.” Sabi niya. “Dati daw kasi, may nahulog at namatay dyan sa fire exit (habang itunuturo ang bintana). Lagi daw nagpapakita ‘yun sa elevator o kaya sa lobby.”

Kinilabutan na lang kami sa aming narinig.

Habang isinusulat ko ‘to ay mayrong namuong katanungan sa aking isipan: Naganap kaya ang kanyang pagkahulog sa fire exit noong April 29, ang petsa sa aking panaginip?

Stairway Ghost

I've had a dry spell on ghosts the past few months (thank God!) that's why I haven't shared anything, also seems that past experiences are slowly leaving my memory. Anyway, I'm in Mindanao right now and got really freaked out last night.

I was with a friend. We visited her office early in the evening and then went out to have dinner at the night market. We had to go back to her office because we left my bags there. She told me after the incident we experienced that the building has a "past". When it was built a carpenter fell in the foundation hole. His body wasn't retrieved and he was buried in cement (sounds like what happened at the Film Center in Manila). A girl also committed suicide in a stock room. Now I can just imagine how fun it is working in the building.

So back to my story. When we came back to retrieve my bags we were surprised that the lobby and stairs didn't have any lights on. The guard said that the fuse was busted. So we went up with just the light from my friend's mobile phone guiding us up the stairs. I told her not to tell me ghost stories as we were going up. It was very, very dark and to "scare" off the spirits I started singing "Tomorrow" and my friend did her rendition of a Sound of Music song. We ran up the last few steps of the stairs in a panic and banged on the office door since it was locked. We were both laughing and panting from running up the stairs and had to change clothes because it was so hot on the way up.

After a few minutes we decided to proceed with our plans, but dreaded going down the stairs. We walked down slowly since it was dark. It was a good thing that one of her male colleagues came with us (he had to carry my bag). As we were turning on the landing we were greeted by a sudden gust of really cold wind. After experiencing it I asked my friend if she felt it. She kept ignoring my question and only answered when we got in her car. She and her colleague felt it as well. She said she did not want to acknowledge it then because it was the first time she experienced it.

The building did not have any windows on the stairway and the ceiling was low. It was also a very warm night.

I want my Mommeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleepless in Capiz

I've traveled so much in the past year that I've gotten used to sleeping in different places without having to adjust (in short, di na ako namamahay). I've also learned to ignore little creaks, the weird sounds, the sudden whoosh of cold air and dark corners in hotel rooms. I have to because I have to keep my sanity and it's part of my job to travel sometimes.

Since the last time I posted about hotel ghosts, I've been to many more hotels and the one that freaked me out the most was this inn (not even a hotel!) in Capiz last August.

I traveled to Capiz by land from Iloilo. It was a 2-hour trip and I missed breakfast and lunch and was very hungry when we arrived at the inn. It started to rain when we arrived, so we had to dash inside to avoid getting wet. My companion from a foundation I've been working with took care of getting the rooms and I stayed with our stuff while things were being arranged. When the rooms were ready, I just dropped my stuff in and immediately when downstairs to grab a bite.

I hadn't had any sleep the night before because I bungled my flight reservations and had to be at the airport by 3 a.m. to pay for penalties. (When you're booking too many flights this sometimes happens!). So, after eating lunch I headed up to my room.

I left the lights and the aircon on because I knew I wanted to take a nap immediately after eating. I got chills up my spine when I surveyed the room and the bathroom. It wasn't a big room. It had walls in mint green, a small white closet, a bench, a dresser with mirror and a really small bed. When I opened the bathroom door I shivered coz a slight wind passed and I just dismissed it. After seeing the room I went out and asked the front desk if they were sure there weren't any "ghosts" in the inn. The guy said there weren't any.

It was unusually cold in the room. The temperature was different, so I adjusted the temperature, but it still felt the same. I just chalked it up to being tired and put my shawl on the bed (for familiar smells) and took a nap. I woke up about 2 hours later, but did not feel rested. I stood up and checked my mail and did some online chores. After awhile I got ready for dinner and left.

I bugged Dino all throughout dinner about how I felt about the hotel. He said he didn't feel anything and everything was just normal. I delayed going back to my room, but Dino had to do some work and prepare stuff for the training the next day.

I dreaded taking a shower and dilly-dallied by chatting with some friends online. At some point though I knew I had to take a shower already (I cannot not shower before sleeping!), but I still kept on chatting with a friend in Davao. And then I heard the faucet being turned on and then the sound of water flowing from it. I sat up straight and froze. I told myself if wasn't a ghost or anything, so I stood up and opened the bathroom door. The faucets were not turned on. I chided myself about having an over-active imagination and just dismissed the sound and thought that it may have come from the next room or something. So, I turned on the TV and continued chatting with my friend. Then it happened again.

I knew I had to go shower soon, before midnight, so I told my friend to keep my company by just staying online. Kunwari andiyan ka lang ha, dito kunwari sa room. It's probably one of the quickest showers I've taken in my life. When I got out, I just stood there transfixed on a spot near my bed. There wasn't anything there, but I just felt like there was something there. After dressing up, I buzzed my friend to let him know I was okay and that I was going to get some sleep. It was already midnight.

I kept the TV, the lights and my laptop turned on. It took me a long time to fall asleep and couldn't stop thinking that there was something in the closet and something by the bedside table. I fidgeted and kept tossing and turning until I drifted off to sleep. And then I woke up with a start. It felt like I dropped out of nowhere and landed on the bed. The first thing I noticed was the TV was not turned on anymore and it was exactly 3 a.m.

When the sun was up, I immediately checked out and just waited for Dino at the reception area.

The Little Red Creatures

I believe it was All Saint’s Day when I first had a close encounter with the “Little Red Creatures” at my Grand Parents’ house…the place where I live now.
The rest of the family was busy downstairs…some are cooking while my Uncles were busy drinking and everyone’s having a great time.

I got kinda bored and so I wandered off by myself…I was always like that.

While I was walking around I heard a noise that was coming from the house upstairs…it sounded as though there were kids playing and running around. And so out of curiosity I decided to check it out. The house is supposed to be deserted since everyone is downstairs with me…specially all the kids in the family were actually visible from where I was standing that is why it made me even more curious about the noise. Who could they be?!

I ran upstairs and tried to reach the door knob…turned it…as I’ve expected it is locked. I was about to leave when I saw little children wearing red clothes ran out of my Grand Parents’ room…I took a peek at the window near their room & saw more children in red…

They were all having fun, running around and laughing and shouting…they were playing.

While I was trying to figure out who they were and how they got into the house in the first place…one of them turned and looked at my direction…it wasn’t clear to me if it’s a boy or a girl but one thing’s for sure…they weren’t kids at all. They were small creatures in red…like a dwarf maybe?! I wasn’t so sure.

But they were definitely not human…

Few years later…the next door neighbor got curious because of the loud noise that was coming from our house…she took a peek inside and to her shock she saw “little creatures in red” running around & playing.

Weird thing is…she knew that there is no one inside our house because we all went out of town for the holidays.

Wonder who or what could they be?!

Pang-Gabi

Naranasan mo na bang magtrabaho sa opisina habang gabi?

Ako, oo.

Ang aking kasalukuyang trabaho ay may pang-gabing schedule. Hindi lang 'yun. Dalawa lamang kami sa opisina buong gabi. Minsan, naranasan ko na rin na ako lang mag-isa sa buong gusali...magdamag.

Kapag breaktime, imbis na kumain, ay natutulog na lamang ako. Minsan ay nanaginip ako. Sa eksena sa aking panaginip, ay natutulog rin ako sa opisina. Kung ano ang pwesto ko mismo sa aking pagtulog sa totoong buhay, iyon din ang aking pwesto sa pagtulog ko sa aking panaginip. Nagising daw ako dahil maingay. Ang dami-rami raw nagta-type nang pagkalakas-lakas. Bumangon ako upang tingnan kung sino ang grupo ng mga empleyado na nagtatrabaho. Pagtingin ko sa kanila, parang naramdaman nilang lahat na pinanonood ko sila. Sabay-sabay silang huminto sa pagta-type, at sabay-sabay ring dahan-dahan na lumingon sa akin. Ako ay lubusang nagulat at nasukob ng takot ng makita kong lahat sila ay WALANG MUKHA!

Doon na natapos ang aking panaginip at bigla na nga akong nagising na humihingal. Parang totoo talaga ang panaginip kong 'yun!

Isang kwento naman ng aking kaibigan tungkol pa rin sa pagtulog sa opisina 'pag gabi. May kaibigan raw siya na natulog sa isang bakanteng kwarto sa kanilang gusali. Nakasubsob itong natulog sa isang lamesa. Sa kanyang paggising, pinipilit niyang bumangon sa pagkakayuko, ngunit hindi niya ito magawa. May napadaan na isa pang empleyado at nasaksihan ang nangyayari sa kanya. Ayon sa saksi, hindi raw nito magawang i-angat ang kanyang ulo sapagkat mayroong isang matandang lalaki na walang ulo na nakahawak sa kanyang batok!!