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The Campus Imp

I was teacher at Central Philippine University. One night, reluctantly, I worked late to prepare the next day's test paper. It was well known that the campus was haunted and true to the accusation, strange things did take place that night. There I was, in my class, minding my work when I heard a “thud” sound coming from upstairs. I thought, maybe some unlucky soul had to work late as well. Feeling glad I wasn’t the only one, I felt save and comfortable, I went on working. Minutes of serenity passed, then, I heard someone running on the floor above. I wasn't scared, but was curious to see who was this comrade of mine. So, I got out of my class and made my way upstairs. I saw that the lights were switched on. I thought that was a good sign - it showed that someone was indeed there and that I wasn’t imagining the noise. I looked through the window but saw no one. I called, “hello, hello, anyone there?” but there was no reply. I tried to open the doors but they were locked. I looked a bit more and then gave up, thinking the person could have gone away for a bite or something. I went back downstairs to my work. Later, about half an hour or so, I heard a laughter. It was a child like, high pitched, laughter! Then, I began to get spooked; lots of things went through my mind. But I wasn't going to conclude anything until I saw with my own eyes what it was. I dumped all my things in my bag, carried it with me and went upstairs again. What I saw, almost gave me a heart attack! I saw a little hairy thing running across the classroom then disappeared in thin air! I swear it was real! I only saw it’s hairy back. It was around 3 to 4 ft in height. At first, I thought it was a chimpanzee but it was upright, ran on two legs like a little child and it didn’t have long “chimp” arms. The part that got me to run like hell was its sudden vanishing! It, literally, disappeared right before my eyes! Mario, 32,Teacher 20, Dec 200 Bad Girls and the Bathroom Ghost I was a student at the Central Philippine University in 1985. I had two best friends, Marie and Jacky. We were considered “the bad, but cool, girls.” It wasn’t easy to join our group, nor were we looking for additional members. We enjoyed ourselves being “bad” girls – well not the kind that you probably would have in mind. We were still conservative in our unique ways. Anyway, we always frequent the girl’s restroom for a make over, smoke and the usual gossip. One day, on one of our routine smoking sessions, a girl we never saw before came in and started fixing her hair. She totally ignored us – that was disrespectful! We were furious at her audacity, for no one - and I mean no one - would dare come in the girls' room when we were in there. We stared at her hard but she, apparently, wasn’t intimidated at all. So Jackie, being the most assertive of us, nudged her and went with her face close to her cheek. The room became so silent, you could literally hear a pin drop. It was a tense moment and we were all at the edge of our breaths. Then suddenly, the stranger turned her head sharply toward Jackie! Jackie screamed, and that led to a chain reaction of screams from Marie and me as well. Jackie jolted backwards and nearly tripped over my foot. We stood there in horror! Was she going to hurt us? Were we doomed for all the things we had done against many girls like her? These questions went through our minds equally. We stood there staring at her face which was blue, and her eyes were bloodshot and popped halfway out of the sockets! It is the most horrendous, most scary thing I have ever seen in my life! I've been scared by sights in the movies but nothing beats this! After that incident, we stopped using the girls' room as often, and vowed not to bully anyone anymore. Apparently, others have also seen the “ghost-girl” but only as a reflection in the mirror. Eva Sollegue, 40 13, Feb 2003 The Devil Bird There is a giant devil bird in my village – I know it sounds absurd, but wait till you hear my story. My family and I used to live in Muntinlupa, San Jose Village. We ran a restaurant business; small but lucrative. Our restaurant was located about twenty minutes of drive away from our house. We would start work very early in the mornings; before daylight. My sister, Maria, was seven months pregnant. She and her husband, Paul, would use our van and leave for the restaurant before the rest of us. One morning, still dark, the van broke down after a short distance of drive. Paul and Maria had to walk to the restaurant, leaving the van stranded. Paul realised that the particular morning was strangely windy. He realised that the wind was circling around them only, not anywhere else. He looked around them and saw that about a hundred feet away, there were trees and that they were very still; not a single leave was fluttering. They were baffled but didn’t think too much of it. Then, they heard loud flapping sounds above them — it sounded like two large mattresses smacking into each other. They looked up – It was a giant bird! It looked ominous and was circling less than two hundred feet above them. Frightened, they ran but there was nowhere to hide. The flapping sounds got louder and louder, and it made Maria scream with fright. She was so scared, she fainted. Paul looked up; the bird was nowhere to be seen. Maria was rushed to the hospital. Although personally unharmed, she lost her baby. It seemed that the Devil bird got what it wanted. The 'Devil Bird,' as it is named, has been sighted by many in that village. Even today, when there is a baby expected in the village, we are wary of the Devil Bird. Antonio Sapolo, 34 18, Feb 2003 Ghost In White It was shortly after midnight, just after a movie, my girlfriend and I took a stroll to enjoy the cool morning. The morning had an ambiance of romance, and we didn’t feel like parting company just yet. After some walking, we thought it would be nice to go for ice-cream so we hailed a tricycle taxi and hopped in. We asked the driver to take us to St Bernadette Street. To our surprise, he refused. When we asked him why, he told us he had an encounter with a ghost once when driving through St Bernadette Street. We were so intrigued that we took a joy ride instead. We listened attentively while he told us this story: “With a best friend, Sunny, I would take rides along St Bernadette Street to pick up passengers. Sunny was a fun guy to be with. He would tell me many jokes and make our work fun. One night, I'll remember this for the rest of my life...” The driver said with a tear trickling down from his left eye. My girlfriend and I looked at each other and felt guilt building up but said nothing. Maybe it will do him good to talk, we thought. But actually, we both were yearning to hear more, and waited for him to continue. Wiping the tear away, he asked, “You sure you want to hear my sad story, I don’t want to bore you with it?” We nodded enthusiastically. “Of course we do." I said. "Unless it bothers you to talk about it, then we’d….” Before I could continue, he interrupted. “No, it’s no bother. Actually, I appreciate your interest. Ok, so where was I? Oh yes! Sunny.” “You see, there was this lady all dressed in white, she smiled at Sunny and Sunny struck a conversation with her." Sunny’s like that you know." He said to me and carried on. "She — was a beautiful woman, very beautiful. Sunny then asked her what she was doing all alone at that time of the night.” Then, with his eyebrows raised, palm up as he pointed his hand at us to emphasize the next sentence, the driver said.“ You know, this was around 2 am and she was all alone.” He paused, shook his head, then continued. “She replied to Sunny that she was lost and confused. She didn’t know why she was wandering about. Sunny asked her where she wanted to go and she replied, ‘home.’ Sunny, without asking where her home was, offered her a ride - he invited her into his tricycle and she got in." The driver looked at me and said. "Sunny turned and looked at me – with that look you give when you are about to score big – you know." Realising my girlfriend there, he bashfully said, "Err..it’s a man thing.” I looked at my girlfriend and we smiled. I saw how absorbed she was in the story and kissed her on the cheek; she was totally oblivious to it. Then, our driver just stared into the distance, forgotten we were there, I thought. Hated being left in suspense, my girlfriend asked while trying to hide her impatience. “So what happened?” Jolted out of rapt, he blurted. “What? Oh! Sorry. Well, Sunny rode away…and….err…he turned the corner up ahead.” He paused. Another tear rolled down his cheek. We didn’t push him that time. There was a silence and we thought we’d better just leave it at that. We slid back in our seat. I put my arm over my girlfriend's shoulder, our heads leaned and rested on each other’s. We sat like that and in complete silence for almost a minute as we enjoyed the slow cold wind in our faces. Then, the driver suddenly stopped paddling. He turned to look at us and I saw in his face, a man burdened with unanswered questions. He finally said in a soft voice. “She was no where! It had been only seconds and she disappeared! I didn’t see her walking away or anything! You know.” He sounded and looked like he was blaming himself for something. “What do you mean?” I asked. He took a deep breath and came to presence of mind. He let out a sigh and said, ”There was an accident. Sunny’s tricycle was crushed and broken to pieces right before my eyes. I rushed to him and…and…he was bleeding from the head. He muttered a few words but I couldn't understand. Then he..., he was dead!” He looked at me with the eyes of a very frightened man. He then said, ”And the girl? She just disappeared! I looked for her but she was nowhere to be found! She was a ghost! He paused. He rubbed his arms for goose bumps had formed, and started to sob. "A ghost!” he muttered to himself. We looked at each other, I gripped my girlfriend's hand tight. He took us to a cafe and we invited him to join us for coffee but he politely refused and rode away a tortured soul. Junior & Evoly, 25 Feb 2003 Floating Woman  This is a story related to me by my parents. Before my parents were married, my mother often visited my father at his house in Daanbantayan. At midnight, my father would send my mother home on his little motorcycle. This was their courtship routine.My mother may have been granted permission by her parents to visit my father, but she was never allowed to stay the night; it was not a respectful thing to do then. So, at midnights, no matter what, my father would send my mother home. Normally, the rides to my mother's home were uneventful, but there was one night when things were different. The day was wet; it had been raining heavily. The courting couple remain indoors all day. They talked, cooked and ate together. My father's parents liked having my mother around because, apart from being a good company, she was a great help around the house. That midnight, it was still raining so they waited a little longer. At around one o'clock in the morning, the rain had turned into a drizzle. My father quickly brought out his little motorcycle and hopped on. My mother climbed up and hugged him; it was going to be a cold ride home. As they pass the main road and entered into a lonely narrow road, which would eventually take them to my mother's house, they saw ahead an old woman crossing the road. They thought nothing of her, even though she was carrying two kerosene lamps and walking very slowly---where was she going at that time of the night, in the middle of nowhere? They were freezing in the cold wind so all they could think about was getting home as soon as possible. So, they rode by her without saying a word. After passing by her, both of them curiously looked into the motorcycle's handlebar mirror. What they saw, froze them completely. My father nearly crashed the motorcycle into a tree as he swerved about uncontrollably. He could not keep his hands still; they were trembling out of control. Behind them, the old woman was floating in the air---her feet were almost three feet off the ground. Her hair fluttered in the wind as though an electric current was going through her body. Her eyes were burning furiously, like the kerosene lamps she was carrying. She was right behind, and appeared to be chasing them. Although petrified, my father did not lose total control of his motorcycle. He rode so fast and furiously that he missed the turn into the road that led to my mother's house. He only slowed down after my mother alerted him about the turn. Both my parents didn't know if the other had seen what each of them had seen. When they reached home finally, my father looked at my mother and calmly asked her. "Nakakita ka sa tiguwang nga naglutaw?" which means, Did you see the floating old woman? "Yes." She replied, shuddering. They quickly entered the house and closed the door. That night, my mother insisted that my father slept in her house. Luckily, he did, or he may not be alive today, and neither would I. Karmel Josephine O. Taok, 12 27 Mar 2007, CEBU Ghost In The Building  This incident happened in the year 1998. Five months pregnant and feeling hungry constantly, I could not decline Mary's offer to dinner. I looked at my wrist watch as I pushed the elevator button. It was 6:30 pm.   "Gosh, I hope I am not late." I uttered under my breath.   Then, the elevator doors opened. I walked in and pressed the "9" button. As the elevator made its way up, I could hear the cranking and clonking that you would normally not hear in a crowded elevator; it was already long after regular office hours.   When the elevator doors sprung open, I peered out into the dark corridor to see if I was at the right level. The elevator indicator lights were out of order so I had no idea what level I was on. I was relieved when I saw Mary's office at the end of the dimly lit corridor. I stepped out of the elevator and began to walk. My heels hit hard onto the tiled floor, creating echoes through the corridor. Click clock, click clock, click clock...   As I walked, my shadows, cast by the few working ceiling lamps, shortened and lengthened against the floor and walls. It made me nervous. I turned to look over my shoulders to see if there was anyone behind me. (I don't know why I was so nervous.) Obviously there was no one else around.   Through her fully glassed-walled office, I saw Mary typing away on her computer keyboard. She had not noticed me, so I opened the door and peered in. Mary looked up and I smiled. I saw that Mary was a little surprised. I wondered why she should be; she knew I was coming. When I stepped in and let the glass door close behind me, Mary frowned and stared at me as though I had done something wrong. "What's the matter, Mary?" I asked, concerned.   "Who's that with you?" Mary pointed with her pouted lips to the corridor outside. Puzzled, I turned to look at where she pointed. I saw no one. "There's no one there, Mary." I said, beginning to feel rather spooked. "I came alone." I added.  Mary frowned even firmer, and said, "There's a man outside the door, he was behind you, but you closed the door before he could enter. Why?" I stood dumbfounded and stared at her in disbelief. I didn't say a word. He is wearing a white polo shirt." Mary added, her face turning slightly pale.   Goose bumps began to crawl all over my back, arms, and neck. I felt panic on the way. In my head, weird notions started to spin: What if someone or something wanted to harm us? Just two girls in an office building that supposed to be closed for the day. Gosh, what do we do?   Part of me wanted to scream, but the other held me down. Then, when I saw Mary staring out into the corridor, her face turning paler every second, I lost my composure and shouted.   "MARY! WHAT DO YOU SEE?" Lips trembling, Mary quivered a few words. "He's medium built and wearing a white Polo T-shirt. Don't you see him?" Mary had come almost to tears. I went close to Mary and held her.   "Where? Where?" I kept saying.   "I can't see him anymore. I think he went away." Mary said in a whisper. I am very sure I was alone that night when I walked through the corridor. I remember looking to the corridor before entering Mary's office. There was no one behind me! Of course Mary and I didn't go out of the office alone after the scary apparition. We called the security guard and asked him to escort us down.   Till today, when I think of the incident, I get goose bumps. In fact, I've got goose bumps right now as I type this story. When Mary told her colleagues about our experience, her colleagues replied that they had heard of others who had had similar experiences. Everyone concluded the building was haunted. Fortunately, the building burnt down some years ago (no one knows how), and had been demolished. EMS Palaez Philippines The Handsome Ghost A regular school day, on a day in September 2004, I walked down the corridor of my old high school to a class at the other end. I was hoping to find my cousin still in class. I popped my head in a little. “Great, she's still here.” I said under breath. I had hoped not to see her teacher, and I was lucky, she wasn't in the class. Most of the students have left but there were a few of them still in the class, chatting. “Pssst. Hannah.” I tried getting her attention, as her back was facing me. Not only did Hannah turn, some other students did too. Among them was a handsome boy seated at the corner, beside a girl. My cousin came over and we talked at the door. “My class is over, and if yours is too, wanna walk home together?” “Yeah, I'll see you in a while. We're just discussing something now. I'll be out in five minutes.” Hannah said. I couldn't help noticing the handsome boy staring at me. My eyes met his and we locked for a couple of seconds, and I began to feel killig (excited). My cousin noticed the slight smile on my face and turned back to see who it was that I was amused by. When turned back to me she frowned. We didn't talk about it then. “Well, see ya' later.” I said, and made my way downstairs to wait for her. My cousin came down with another classmate, and we walked together. I was at the rim of my patience to ask her about the handsome classmate of hers, and when we parted ways with other girl, I asked excitedly. “Who's the look good looking boy seated at the back row?” Hannah frowned. “Which good looking guy? All the guys in my class are...” Hannah pouted her lips and frowned even more as she shook her head. “There's no handsome boy in my class. I wish there was.” “Tst...He was seated at the forth row, beside a girl and another guy. The girl wore a red ribbon in her hair. I can't remember her name.” I said, a little frustrated. “You mean, Sarah?” Hannah said. “Yeah, I think so.” I replied. “So, who's the guy sitting beside them?” “There's only Mario seated beside Sarah. And he's not good looking, not at all.” Hannah said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. I glared at Hannah. “I know Mario, and I don't mean Mario. Theother guy, Hannah!” I was already to the point of giving up with trying. “He was wearing a white tee and blue pants. His skin is white, very white.” I said, in a last breath and walked on. Hannah looked at me suspiciously. “There's no one in my class by that description, Ness .” I glared at Hannah. “Oh, forget it.” “Jonathan?” Hannah said, feeling guilty. I shook my head. “Eddie?” Hannah went on mentioning other names but they were all names I was familiar with. I was really frustrated and angry with Hannah was missing what I considered stunningly attractive. Hannah and I normally had the same taste, but she had let me down that time. I walked on and we never spoke of the handsome guy again. Feeling guilty, Hannah spoke to Mario and Sarah about the mysterious handsome guy when she was back in class the next day. Both Mario and Sarah were surprised that I had seen another guy with them. They clearly remembered there was no one else apart from themselves. The queries had left Mario, Sarah, and as well as Hannah, quite spooked. Soon the entire class had heard about the handsome boy, and since then, many of our schoolmates had come out saying things that they had not dared to speak out before, fearing embarrassment. The stories went around, and even the teachers who had worked there for many years, shared their experiences. They said they heard some teachers had on occasion seen a floating lady in white gown, a young girl hanging by the neck from a rope tied to a tree branch, and boy scouts marching about and disappearing into walls. The school I'm talking about is Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School , located at  Don Apolonario Velez Street , Cagayan de Oro City. It was built back then when Philippines was still an American colony. Nessa Felicilda, 18. Student. Apple, where are you? Apple and I are best friends. We first met in grade one, and never stopped being best friends. For many years Apple and I played and studied together. We often had sleepovers in each other's houses, and never ran out of fun things to do. When we finished grade seven, Apple's mother met a man with whom she fell in love. They got married, and Apple and her mom moved to his house far away from mine. I was sad. I missed Apple dearly. The best thing we had then was phone calls, and we'd talked everyday for hours on end. One day, Apple called me up sounding sad. I asked her why, and she said that her mother was leaving for Singapore ; her company was locating her there. Because her stepfather refused to join her mother, Apple had to stay in the Philippines with him. Her stepfather cited that Apple would be better off in the Philippines because of school. Apple's mother agreed. I was actually glad that Apple didn't join her mother in Singapore ; I would have died being deprived of my best friend. Apple and I talked everyday since her mother left. Then, one day, Apple stopped calling. I was suspicious and called her house often. Sometimes, no one would answer, and at times, her stepfather would. He made it clear to me that he did not like Apple using the phone so often. He said it affected her studies. I was angry with him but pled to talk to Apple for just awhile. Reluctantly he relented and Apple came to the phone. When we talked, I sensed that there was something she wanted to tell me but was afraid. I became suspicious and called Gilbert, Apple's boyfriend. I asked him if he had spoken to Apple recently. He said he hadn't; her stepfather had expressed his disapproval of her phone habit, so Gilbert had not called her for two days then. A week before my birthday, together with Gilbert, I went to visit Apple at her house. Apple was delighted to see us. Her stepfather was surprised to see us but he treated us well. We got to know him and realized that he wasn't such a bad person after all. My suspicions of him mistreating Apple had waned. I resolved that Apple was just depressed because she missed her mother; and the fact that Apple and I were far apart, could have added to her depression. I wanted to cheer Apple up so before leaving her house, I planned for the three of us to go to the mall at Santa Lucia East the week after. Also, it would be my birthday then, and I wanted to spend the entire day with my two best friends, Apple and Gilbert. It was a perfect plan, I thought. The entire week leading to the eve of my birthday Apple and I didn't speak. I missed her dearly. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of our date on my birthday. At exactly 1:30 A.M. in the morning of my birthday, the phone rang. It was Apple. She sounded as if she had a sore throat, and she coughed a lot. It was difficult to understand her. Through difficulty, I made out that she loved me a lot but would not go out with us later. She had to leave for awhile, she said. She then made me promise to come by the house after my outing with Gilbert. I tried to find out more about where she was going but she interrupted me, and said that she really missed Gilbert and me very much and that we should take care. She wished us all the best then she hung up. I became very disturbed by the call, but it was too late for me to do anything so, I went back to bed. At dawn, I was awoken by a commotion in the living room. I rushed out to find Gilbert crying in my mother's arms. "What happened?" I asked. "Apple's mother called me. She's here in Philippines , at home." Gilbert said, sobbing. "But why are you crying? Isn't that great news? Now, Apple must be happy." I replied excitedly. Gilbert stared at me and could not say another word. He began to cry even more. Then out of a sudden, he yelled out hysterically. "APPLE IS DEAD! HER FATHER KILLED HER!" Shocked beyond words, I staggered back and fell to the floor. I began to cry uncontrollably. But in my mind I was wondering how could it have happen? When did it happen? I spoke to her just this morning at 1:30 A.M. It's impossible! Together with my mother, sisters, and Gilbert, I rushed to Apple's house. Apple's mother was seated on a couch. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her head rested on the shoulder of a relative. We walked to her and I hugged her as we all cried in shock and disbelief. "Is it true? Is it true?" I kept asking, refusing to believe Apple was gone. When all had simmered, we learnt that Apple's stepfather had been raping her ever since her mother was posted to Singapore . Her stepfather had stopped her from using the phone because he was afraid she would tell someone about the rape. At around 9 P.M. on the eve of my birthday, Apple's mother had called her house and Apple answered the phone. Her father was in the shower then; it was just after he had raped Apple. Apple answered the phone crying, her mother insisted to know why. It was then that Apple broke her silence. Apple's mother took the first flight she could get and rushed to the Philippines . But she was too late, Apple was already dead. According to the police report, Apple was strangled, and the time of death was around 10:30 PM. I could not believe it when I heard it. I became hysterical and insisted the coroner was wrong because I had spoken with her at 1:30 AM that morning. Things have a way of settling, and the tragedy of her passing also settled, and life moved on. But one thing went on for five years: Every year, on the mornings of my birthday, at exactly 1:30 AM Apple would call. The phone would ring without fail and Apple would say to me all the things she said on the night she was murdered, as if I was listening to a recorded message. I tried to speak but she would just ramble on. I began to believe someone was playing a tastless joke on me, but why? One day the old telephone took a hard fall and broke and we replaced it with a new one. The calls stopped coming. I miss you, Apple. Where are you? Erika, 15. Student. Student. Spirit Of The Coin I am very fond of ghost stories and everything about the paranormal. Every day I search for new stories to read and pictures to see. Although I am a scaredy-cat, I love the chills and thrills, and I am not new to it. I've played the Spirit of the Coin (Ouija) in high school. A cousin taught me how to play it, and I shared the knowledge with my friends. At first, it was just fun—we believed that the players were fooling around and moving the coin themselves. We played it at school every day, and it was cool, because there were stories about our school being haunted. It's known that our school was built over the graves of Japanese soldiers of the Second World War. Some even believed that the ground was a battle ground where many soldiers lost their lives. Over the years, students have sighted ghosts at different parts of the school building. Anyway, it was fun playing the Spirit of the Coin , not only was it was fun scaring some of the players, there was also a tiny bit of excitement that real spirits could be there influencing the game. One day, we decided to play the game during our lunch break. 20 students, including myself, crawled through the window of a Floating House that had been vacant for as long as I can remember. Nobody knows who owns it. We found a small table and dragged five stools from all over the place. Only five players could touch the coin at a time so we asked for five volunteers, and got them quite easily; everybody was eager. The rest of the students were asked to participate in praying for the ghosts to come and play the game with us. The prayer was a silent one; our eyes were closed, and we concentrated on calling any spirit that was around to come and play the game. The five of us who had our fingers on the coin suddenly found it harder to breathe; we felt a strong presence of something around us. Then, suddenly, the coin began to move. I knew I didn't move it so I began to break a smile, thinking, “Here we go. Which one of you four is pushing the damn coin?” “Who is here?” I heard someone ask. “How did you die?” Another question came. Each question was answered. I had high suspicion that we could just be dealing with a real spirit. The game went on for quite awhile and the players were getting tired, so we changed players frequently; those who were standing and watching were replacing the tired players. All our questions were answered smoothly and decisively, so I knew none of us were pushing the coin—that time it was real! I began to feel my feet getting cold, then, the coldness disappeared, and my feet became totally numb. I was so scared of being paralysed that I began to cry involuntarily. Even though I was desperate to stop the game, I couldn't just lift my finger from the coin; someone else had to replace me first. When I was replaced, I tried to stand but couldn't. I panicked and screamed hysterically. I freaked many of the students out, and they began to run for the window. The five players were edgy too but they knew they could not stop; they knew the rules—stop in the middle of the game and suffer dire consequences. So, they kept on playing while I stood there immobilised. They pled with the spirit to leave—it wouldn't. They played for a couple of minutes more, then the Floating house began to feel cold and a sweet smell began to fill the air. We knew it was time to get the heck out of there. We looked at each other, and then one of the girls shouted, “RUN!” They carried me to the window and threw me over. There were screams and hysteria all over the place. They carried me and scooted as fast as they could away from the Floating House. Some of the teachers were running toward us. “What happened to you? One of them asked, excitedly. We told them what we did and they scolded us. “We must take you to the witch doctor.” One of the teachers advised. I had passed out at the witch doctor's house and only woke up late in the evening when I was back home. I felt a slight sensation on my feet but I could not yet walk. I was grateful nevertheless that I wasn't permanently paralysed. The next morning, I was forced to go to school because my whole faculty decided to have a mass and pray over the Floating House. Priests sprinkled holy water to each corner of the Floating House and prayed to the spirits there to forgive us for what we had done. All of us who were there the day before, had to ask for forgiveness. I was happy we did the prayers because my legs recovered very quickly. But, my happiness was short-lived. A morning some weeks later, my pinkie finger started to lose sensation, and I started to feel dizzy. Before I knew it, I was out cold, and only opened my eyes at the witch doctor's house. Later, my friends told me that I had been possessed, my eyes became red, and the way I looked at each one of them was hair-raising. I spoke with a language which they couldn't understand. They said they had to tie me up because I was so strong. It would have been impossible to take me to the witch doctor without tying me up. Four weeks after seeing the witchdoctor, my dizzy spells came back. My mom frantically searched for different witch doctors but could not totally cure me. Some sceptical teachers suggested that I should see a psychiatrist. Of course, I didn't. Months passed but nothing had improved. Some said that I was possessed every 9am because that's when I would normally feel strange and become numb in various places. My friends said the spirits were stronger at 12 noon or midnight, because that was when I would black out and then start talking nonsense. One day, a popular reverend from out of state was visiting our town and our church was organising a mass for the sick and unwell, so my mother thought we should go and be blessed by him. I was reluctant to go because I was not dying or anything like that, but my mother and friends were very persistent. When we were walking up the steps of the church, I began to feel really queasy and felt a certain force trying to stop me from going up the stairs. I would have turned around and walked away but my mother and friends held my arms tightly and forced me up the steps and through the church doors. Immediately, I felt very hot and bothered. Then, the familiar sense of dizziness came over me. Then, I blacked out. I woke up in a small room, and a guy I often saw at church was pressing his hand on my head. I looked for my mother but didn't see her. The man had his other hand on his chest and he was crying. He was thanking god for using him as an instrument to cast away the evil spirit from me. Then, he began to chant in Latin. After chanting for a minute or two, he asked me how I felt. I guess he must have seen me as all right because he didn't wait for my reply, he called my mother to come in. My mother and my friends came in crying. I don't know why I felt those things because I had been to this church many times to have the local priest pray for me since the incident happened. Apparently, I had collapsed when they brought me to the altar. I began to shake violently and my body arched as if something was trying to come out of my stomach but couldn't. I had freaked everyone; especially my mother, so the reverend told the man to take me into a private room for exorcism. I had no more incidents of dizziness or numbness anymore after that day. I still had to see the man who performed the exorcism on me for a couple of months just to see if I was truly all right. To this day, I will never go near an Ouija board or mess with spirits. They are real and they can really harm you. Ayis Jasmin, 3rd year High School - ASC Laguna States Polytechnic College, Siniloan Laguna Philippines - 1996