23 Real Ghost Stories That Will Make You Believe In The Paranormal

Auntie says goodbye

“When I was around 5, my aunt got diagnosed with cancer so my mom left me at my dads for over a month to be able to care for her 24/7. One night, i woke up crying and asking if my mom came with my aunt. When my family questioned me, I said “my aunt came to say goodbye and that she loves me and will take care of me but did my mom come with her? i miss my aunt” 5 minutes later the phone rang and it was my mom telling us my aunt had just passed.” — vmarin0222

Snow in Alabama

“My Uncle Bill died when I was 4. He and I were incredibly close. He was my favorite and I was his.

I lived in Colorado but we went down to Alabama for his funeral. I’m 31 now so I don’t remember him actually visiting me, but I do remember telling my mom, “Mom, Uncle Bill says it’s going to snow!” My mom calmly reminded me that Uncle Bill was gone, and we were in Alabama in 1995. It doesn’t snow here.

Uncle Bill and I got the last laugh when we all woke up the next day and it was snowing in Alabama! Very lightly but it was there.” — Bailthazar

Ghost grammy

“My mom died when I was a pretty young adult. I couldn’t get her to answer her phone so I went to her house to check on her and found her body. My mom’s sister and I have always been very close. When she came in town for the funeral we decided to spend the night at my mothers for a few nights to feel closer to her and be amongst her things. We were sitting in the living room with her cat. When I found her, her cat was curled around her head. She loved that cat. We were talking about her life and it got a little bit deep. We were both crying and hoping she was at peace. Suddenly the cat who was sitting between us jumped up and started hissing at the fireplace. Then the flu to the fireplace slammed shut really loud and scared the shit out of us! We then heard footsteps above us in her bedroom where she died. It was scary and not comforting for us or the cat. My mom committed suicide and had been really despondent after my dad died. She was also the kind of person who never wanted anyone to feel sorry for her. I think we got too personal about her life and pissed her off. I had several other uncomfortable moments in her house while cleaning it out. My then 8 year old son and I were packing boxes and her bedroom door slammed shut. It was a nice day, no windows or doors open. My son looked at me and asked “ why is granny so sad?” — bojenny

Ghost dreams

“My grandmother coming to me in a dream to tell me she died. I was in China at the time. When I called home my family and girlfriend lied about it. The next night I had the same dream and called home to check in, but they lied again. I finally got my girlfriend to admit it. The dream stopped. When I got home, I was told that the last thing my grandmother said was to ask for me by name.” — MickeyRipple

Ghostly message

“Another one – when my dad became somewhat of a believer, was in his 50s.

My grandmother was in hospice and we recieved the news she had passed away. My dad and I were on the back porch hanging out talking about everything, he seemed off though, yes I know his mother passed but this was different. He seemed off.

I asked him about it and he said he had the strangest dream the night my grandmother died. He was in the room with her in Michigan (we live in VA) my grandmother stood up hugged and kissed him and told him everything would be ok. She proceeded to somehow walk out of some new door in the room that led to a green pasture with other relatives that had passed. He could only recognize his grandparents the others he didn’t know who they were, but something in his gut said they were other relatives my grandmother knew.

It’s crazy because now when we talk about it he doesn’t act like it’s a big deal he was just having a crazy dream that was influenced by the situation. But he dreamed it the night she passed away, it was like the other relatives and her were telling him it’ll be ok, I’m better off now.” — Beboobooped

Mom

“My mom passed away in early November of 2005. I had gotten married at the end of May of that year and she waited to tell the family that she was sick until the end of June. She didn’t wanna take away from the joy of the “baby” of the family getting married. It was way too fast and none of us were ready to let her go.

She always said she wanted to go at home (no hospital or hospice), said it for years, especially after my dad passed when I was 16. He passed at home, surrounded by all of us up until the end. That was what she wanted too. In the house he built with his bare hands and the house they raised the family in.

So, that’s what we did. Basically, her 6 children’s moved back home and stayed with her for the final 2 months. We took shifts to see our husband/wives/work during that time, but at any given point, there were 4 of us there 24 hours a day, making sure she was surrounded by love and never alone.

Now, I didn’t take her death well. I mean, I did everything that needed to be done and kept myself together, but we were close and this was so fast and I didn’t want to believe it. I can’t tell you number of times I caught myself calling her, to then just stare at the phone mid dial and realize she wouldn’t pick up.

Well, a month after she had passed, I was alone at my own home watching TV. It was only about 7:00 PM, so dark at that time of year in New England, when movement caught my eye from my eye on the left.

12 feet from me, my mom walked through my kitchen stirring something in a bowl. She paused in the doorway, gave a little wave with her fingers (from the hand wrapped around the bowl) as her head tilted with a smile and moved past the doorway.

I was frozen to where I was sitting, so I called out “Mom?” and heard her laugh… Her healthy laugh, from before she got sick and couldn’t smile anymore, let alone laugh. I went to the kitchen, but there was nothing. I swear on my life that this was real. She was there.

Thing is, my mom was a great baker. She passed a lot of her recipes onto me and while not as often as I would have liked, we baked together. It was time that made both of us happy, we laughed, chatted, gossiped and drank tea while we waited for some delicious concoction to come from the oven.

To this day, whenever I make her cheesecake, cookies, cream puffs or meringues, I’m happy. I dance around the kitchen as I stir the bowl and I think of her and the time she visited me.

She has only visited me in my dreams since. Always to warn me or help me with a problem that I’m having. I like to think that she was able to muster the energy to come see me in person, just this once, so that I knew that she was OK, I didn’t have to be sad and that she would always be there.” — theoriginalshabang1

Creepy old farmhouse

“My biological dad lives in a creepy old farmhouse he renovated. I was helping him build out the office late one night. He went to the bathroom, and I kept plunking away. I was on the floor and set my hammer down. I felt something – a presence – and looked to where I thought someone would be. Nothing. I reach back down for my hammer and it’s out of arms reach – maybe 5ft further than where I had set it down. I hadn’t moved, at all.

He comes back after he’s finished and I tell him what had just happened. He laughed and said, “the little girl must be playing with you.” Um, little girl, what? He then tells me that every now and then he hears a little girl laughing, and has even seen her. She’s always wearing the same pair of overalls and she just kind of wanders around upstairs. I’m not one to believe in paranormal experiences, but I have no explanation other than a little girl ghost just wanted to play.” — BubbleWrapGuy

Talking to ghosts

“My dad was remodeling an old house and stuff like this would happen (he was warned of this by the owners). He surprised me by telling me he’d explain out loud what he was doing during the remodeling so the ghosts knew he wasn’t there to ruin the house, but fix things that needed fixing. Replace things. The new owners love this house and want to keep it looking good, he’d say.

Made him feel better, anyway.” — BrownEggs93

Little girl ghost

“Had a little girl that haunted the house i lived. She mostly just liked to play games like hide stuff from you. Something would be on the table, go upstairs and when you came back down nowhere to be found. Noticed when i asked nicely when i did the routine again it be in the exact spot it was before. Unfortunately she liked to give you the absolute worst nightmares and sleep paralysis ever occasionally.” — Mugwartherb7

Laughter

“I encountered the ghost of a little girl once, too.

She was in my parents’ old house, which is where I grew up as a teenager. I heard a clear voice wake me up from sleep a few times, saying “Hello?” I was never afraid, and I never thought much of it until it had happened a few times. Then, one night, she laughed two distinct syllables: “Heh-heh.”

I feel bad for her, honestly. Both my ghost and yours. Imagine being a kid, trapped on the other side of a place you know, unable to do hardly anything to it. You’re alone, nobody can meaningfully interact with you, and worst of all are the other things that occasionally wander this side of reality with you. It’s got to be terrifying.” — Eternity_Incarnate

Ghost kitty

“When I was younger, I used to see a ‘black cat’ that would follow me around. It wasn’t an every day occurrence, but sometimes I would see them and once I got a real good look at it. Black cat with bright green eyes. Anyway, I never really talked about the cat following me around and don’t remember mentioning it to anyone. As I got older, I noticed it less until one day my brother asked me out of the blue what happened to the black cat that used to follow me. That freaked me out a little. I tried to convince myself I was imagining things, but how did he know about the cat and that they were missing?” — NotYetASerialKiller

Sebastian

“I use to work in a bar that wasn’t exactly a jail, but temporarily held people awaiting court and sentencing. Everyone had stories about the residential ghost, who we called Sebastian.

First time I saw Sebastian, I looked down the stairs while I was opening, and saw some legs in black pants and smart shoes. (The ceiling obscured his torso upwards.) When I went downstairs to ask how he got in, he ran down the hallway and vanished. A few other staff members mentioned seeing a man in a black suit who would be in the bar after hours while you’d be cleaning, but when you’d approach or speak to him, he’d turn a corner and disappear. Sometimes after closing, you’d hear someone ringing the bells on staff members’ bikes downstairs, or you’d hear a crash and the bikes would be moved to a different place. Other times, you’d see a man in black duck into the office, and by the time you’d enter he’d be gone. The clincher that convinced us all that it wasn’t just a thing we all believed because we all joked about it so often was the day the new chefs came. They didn’t speak much English and would leave once dinner service was over, so they never engaged in the Sebastian stories. One day, one of them asked about a man in black kept leaning on the ordering window while they were cleaning.

Sebastian was pretty chill though. He never scared us or did anything mean. I think he just liked hanging out.” — _always_sunny_

Grandpa ghostie

“When I was 15, my dad was driving to a friend’s house to practice some roller hockey. My buddy lived in a 2 story log cabin with a long winding driveway. It was the first time I had been to his house and had been told his parents wouldn’t be hone until later in the evening. As we drove up, my dad says he thought my friends parents weren’t home and I told him they weren’t… he then points to a second story window and says “well someone is here.” I look up and see an older male dressed in western clothing and wearing a big cowboy hat. (This is Texas so that isn’t unusual) I said I guess they got home early and shrugged it all.

A while later I mention something about asking his parents something and he says they won’t be home till later. I point out both my dad and I saw someone in his house and he freaks out because no one was supposed to be there. We then go in the house to check it out and don’t find anyone…

After his parents got home we were in a back room of the house and I see a picture of the guy who had been upstairs. I point it out to my buddy and he turns white and says that was his Grandad…. who died 6 years earlier….. turns out my buddy’s parents believed the house to be haunted by multiple spirits.” — tryst_91

Man hating ghost

“Was visiting a friend in Chicago. She told me under no uncertain terms, the ghost of a woman who lived there wasn’t really fond of men staying there.

I was told that I needed to make sure I closed any door behind me, lest she slam the door behind me.

Sure as shit. First night I’m there. I get up to go pee in the middle of the night. I didn’t close the bedroom door when I came back from the bathroom. Door slammed so hard it knocked a piece of art off the damn wall.” — Sir_twitch

Knocking

“We started hearing knocks on the siding (second floor) as if someone was at the door. This followed loud banging in the basement every night. I decided to record through the night and this snowflake ornament started spinning long after all had gone to bed. There was no draft as the other ornaments didn’t move. When i played it back i heard a man’s voice repeatedly calling me a hoe. I still live there.” — Its-my-life101

Woman in white

“My girlfriend and I were driving back to her parents house when I was probably seventeen or eighteen. We went down this one road and she screamed for me to swerve. I figured she seen a deer . When I turned my head I seen a woman dressed in white pushing a white bassinet. She was also holding a boys hand and he was wearing white. They weren’t in my rearview” — SalamiMommie

Home alone

“When I was about 12 during a summer, my sister who is 5 years older than me was out with friends after work. We shared a bedroom. I was up late, doodling in a notebook in bed and had an older, glass tv next to my bed that was turned off. At one point I looked up and saw (in the reflection of the tv screen) my sister walk out of our bedroom doorway and into the stairwell. When I turned around to greet her, she wasn’t there.

I get up and walk into the stairwell and all of the lights are still off downstairs and in the bathroom next to our bedroom. So I think she must have ran downstairs really fast and head down myself to find no one again. At this point I’m getting a little spooked and I wanted to prove myself wrong so I went outside and her car was still gone. I SPRINT back inside and run back upstairs to my parents room and wake my mom up to tell her I was pretty sure I had just seen a ghost. She was too tired to do much for it and so I went back in my bedroom, petrified.

When I thought back on it I realized the girl was in a long sleeved dress that looked somewhat vintage and my sister was very much a tomboy in those days. But she had blonde hair like my sister and was looking towards me while walking out of the room. I stayed awake with my light on until my actual sister got home and I felt safe to sleep.

It still creeps me out a bit to think about it to this day. I don’t really believe much in an afterlife but I know I saw a young girl walking out of the door. I wasn’t really tired, I hadn’t been watching anything earlier in the evening to scare me and even further wasn’t scared when I first saw her because I thought it was just my sister. I can’t explain it though. Never saw her or anything like it again.” — uneasyandcheesy

Blessing

“I can believe this. Shortly before the birth of my third child, I was super stressed about everything. Standard stuff, juggling work with decorating the nursery, praying for a healthy baby, etc. One night I had a dream that I was sitting on the stairs just outside the nursery and my long since dead Grandma came walking up the stairs, sat down next to me, put her arm around me and told me that everything was going to be all right. It was so comforting and felt so real. I am as sceptical as they come but this will always stay with me as a special moment that felt like more than just a dream.” — Goose-rider3000

Nightly visit

“My grandma came to me the night she passed too. I was in school and working so I couldn’t leave to visit her. My dad said it was okay and to focus on school. Couple of days later she came to me in my dream. She looked like she did when I was a kid and was wearing pajamas she always wore. She said she was leaving. In the dream I felt like I knew where she was going and understood. I told her I was going to miss her and she said she would too. Woke up and my buddy was giving me a ride to work and my dad calls me crying. She had passed. I told my dad my dream and he believed me. He was happy that I saw her before she left.

I don’t believe in ghosts, gods, or anything supernatural but I still can’t deny what happened.” — Esleeezy

One sweet, one spooky

“When she was one she gently touched a picture of my wife’s deceased grandfather, whom she would not have known anything about at that point as we did not explain death yet and did not talk about deceased family members yet, and said that she met him before she was born and that he was nice to her. He is the person she was named for and that incident made me feel really, really happy. Whenever anyone asks what happens when you die my answer is now “I have no idea but it’s the same place you were in before you were born”.

When she was two she was taking to somebody, apparently a little boy that was not there. When I asked about her imaginary friend she solemnly told me that he lived in our house a long time ago. I asked no further questions. About a year later, after we had moved out, our neighbor caught his kid taking to an imaginary friend. When asked he was told that the boy she was playing with was my daughter’s friend. At least if it was a ghost it was friendly…” — Ridry

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