For the past 11 years, I have noticed strange things happening in my house. As the years have gone by, something has woken me up in the middle of the night and when I get up in the morning, I find random scars on my body. At first, I thought it was nothing and tried to ignore it, but the more I tried, the more obvious it became. One day in particular I was doing homework in my kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I saw a tall figure. At first, I thought I was just being paranoid. However, when I walk up the stairs, I hear a strange noise coming from the back door leading to the basement. I know that no one but me is at home and all of a sudden I am covered in chills and look behind myself in the mirror and the same tall dark figure is staring at me with an eerie smile on its face. 

Experiencing paranormal activity is one of those things that is hard to believe. The paranormal, according to www.britannica.com, “is a term commonly applied to experiences or events that seem unusual or unnatural. Those who experience paranormal events often attribute them to magical, supernatural, or folkloric origins while disregarding the steps normally taken to attain rational scientific explanations.” 

The idea is that aliens, ghosts, zombies, or even vampires phase a person. What happens when you have had a paranormal experience for yourself?  

Moving into my house was very strange since it was always freezing. I noticed words spelled in the mirror after a warm shower, scratches on my face and body when waking up, and mysterious walking sounds going up the stairs when the house was empty. Many people will look at me and think oh you are just crazy, but many people encounter the paranormal at some point in their life.   

From a UACHS survey, sixty-six percent of students have reported some type of paranormal activity in their house. Ranging from mirrors breaking, flickering lights, and strange groaning coming from unusual places. Many students have said that most of their paranormal activity happens at three am or the witching hour. 

A UACHS student, who has asked to remain anonymous, recounts their encounter with the paranormal. 

 “ I woke up to use the restroom or get some water, it felt like something was watching me,” said Anonymous. “It is weird because I am actually really religious.”

Many seem to believe that the paranormal ties into religion. Contrary to popular belief; religious people believe in the paranormal because they believe that demons and satan exist. The Catholic and Christian religions believe that this holiday invites bad spirits into your aura and life. 

The paranormal is not only present in religion it is also present in entertainment as well. Over the span of decades, many directors have made films highlighting the paranormal activities that people have experienced. Films such as The Exorcist, Veronica, Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring, and many more. 

People tend to believe in the paranormal because they want some sense of belonging or realism. Living in a world that is filled with chaos it is easy to believe that the paranormal exists. It gives us something to think about that goes beyond the scope of what we understand. It is an interesting topic that leaves us wondering and wanting to investigate further. We ask questions like if ghosts are real why don’t they make themselves more obvious? Why do they sneak around? Why is it that scientists say they are not real? 

As for me, I do not have many questions. I know that what is there is real. I guess that is what keeps people intrigued when it comes to this topic. I live with it and see things happen all the time.