My Little Old Woman
Submitted by: Steve Ripley
So here is my little experience that made me realize that my beliefs were valid after wondering about the paranormal since I was a kid afraid to go into the basement alone.
I live on Beatty st at the base of the big hill, and one summer evening a couple of years ago I was standing down where we park our cars to see my daughter and her friend off after a visit. She was chatting about how things would be shaping up for school, when I looked down the street toward the railroad tracks just as a motorcycle started up the road toward me and my attention moved to it.
I continued to stare toward the tracks straight down the street for a moment after the cycle had passed me, and I saw a motion of some sort that caught my eye. When something very faint but distinct, a faint outline of a little old lady appeared, and started to cross the intersection at Beatty and Alder, from left to right about 2 or 3 hundred feet away from us.
She was a short, hunched little old woman ambling ever so slowly, crossing the intersection heading kitty corner away from my vantage point. Now I believe in the paranormal and I'm fully on the scientific side of the debate. I rationalized it as spots on my eyes from the motorcycle headlight so I closed them and I saw no spots, then telling myself it wouldn't be there when I opened them BOOM, there she was a little further across, walking as though she were crippled with arthritis.
I averted my gaze, looked back and there she was getting a little more visible (not much but more defined). Now this had my full attention as I watched (I have perfect vision at that distance) and my scientific side is going over all sorts of logical excuses for what I was watching. As she reached a little past the half way point, a car started up the road toward us. "If this is some kind of spirit or apparition, this car will scare it off" I said to myself.
The car drove past and I looked up and there she was almost across the street. At that point I couldn't contain my surprise and I started saying "Holy crap,I don't believe what I'm seeing...Holy crap!" and she continued on and eventually disappearing around the back corner of the house on the other side of Beatty from where she started a few minutes before.
I tried not to say anything to my daughter while I was watching this anomaly because it freaks her out when I get paranormal on her so when she turned and asked what I was looking at I just said "Nothing, thought I saw something".
I have played what I saw over in my mind many times as well as gone down to the driveway and watched that intersection at twilight looking down the road toward the intersection and I haven't seen her again. Did she live in that house on the corner? Had she lost her life crossing Beatty st.?
Thinking back, I kicked myself for not taking out my camera, but once I was resigned to the possibility I was watching something paranormal it didn't cross my mind. I was in shock and awe and I watched every movement trying to make any sense about what I was seeing.
What I saw that evening was a transparent little old lady crossing the street, I truly believe that.