Category Archives: Adulthood

Coming-of-age, courtship, marriage, weddings

Late Night Newspaper Room Ghost

Age: 58

Location: Boston, MA (Tufts University)

Text:
“when I was in college, I worked for the student newspaper, and I pulled a ton of all-nighters. I was always in that newspaper office at like 2 or 3 a.m., laying out pages, fixing articles, doing all the last-minute formatting before everything went to print. At that hour the building was basically dead. There were never really any students, no professors. Most of the time it was just me and maybe a few others from the school paper.

One night I was alone in the office working, and I heard this knocking on the door. I got up and opened the door but nobody was there. The whole hallway was silent. I didn’t really think much of it though I thought it was a bit creepy. I figured maybe someone was messing around or walking by, so I went back to work. But about twenty minutes later, the same knocking happened again. Again, I opened the door and there was nothing there.

At this point I was still trying to stay focused, but I was definitely getting freaked out. Then, sometime around four in the morning, it happened a third time. Same knocks. Same pace. Like someone was trying to get my attention on purpose. Now i was scared.

This time I didn’t open the door. I figured that if whatever it was was trying to play tricks on me, then then now would be the time that there was finally something there. So I didn’t answer it. But then it knocked again. So I got up and opened the door. There was still nothing there!

After the fourth time it never happened again. Ever. No explanation, no ending, no clue what was going on. Just knocks in the middle of the night that stopped as suddenly as they started. It was weird. Part of me thinks it was just someone messing with me. But that room could’ve been haunted”

Context:

This memorate was told to the informant by their father, who experienced repeated unexplained knocking while working alone in his college newspaper office late at night during production deadlines.

Analysis:

This memorate fits perfectly into campus ghost lore, where late-night workspaces become settings for strange and unexplained events. The repeated knocking creates a sense of intentional but invisible presence. What gives the story its power is the lack of resolution: no culprit, no explanation, just unexplained knocks that never returned. The mystery itself becomes the haunting, turning an ordinary college office into a space marked by unease and unanswered questions.

Maybe a ghost on internet?

Age: 28

Informant: Last year, in December, I was talking with someone online who seemed to have a strange sense of humor and way of speaking that made our conversation difficult and confusing. That person was mainly sharing philosophical thoughts, which seemed too much, as every word and topic would be followed by unclear and irritating sentences. He talked about death often as well, and luckily or unfortunately, I do not remember the details. Thus, we have been talking and even fighting for hours through these messages. The next day I woke up and learnt that one of my relatives had died. It was very unexpected, because even though that person was old, he was strong, full of life, and energetic. For some reason, I saw a strange connection between the conversations I had and his death because later I was told the hour his heart stopped at, and that is exactly when we were talking with this person without any plans of ever speaking again. The death of my relative made a huge psychological impact, and for weeks, I was falling out of life and was in a vulnerable emotional state. In February, almost two months later, I accidentally found the same person again. I remember telling him about everything that happened during the first two months and how I connected that death with our conversation. I remember him telling me that he is sick and needs to leave, and I was so deeply immersed in my emotions that I kept saying to him, “No, you will answer all my questions, and help me, and then you can go. It started with you, it will end with you.” It was half a joke, as the person could obviously just stop writing and leave, but still talked to me until I received all the answers that I thought would help me feel better.
It worked, and I started getting back to my normal life after our second and probably last conversation. While this experience is mainly about how I perceived this situation, connecting our communication with the death incident and mentally ending the suffering of grief that stopped me from moving on with my life, I still find it to be a strange coincidence with the timing of meeting the same person twice, with the topics we discussed that left an unusual feeling, and then such an important life event occurred and then ended like it had any power over the situation. And while telling this story, my bag fell down from the place where it had been for hours.

Context: The informant told this story to me through voice recording.

Informant thoughts: The informant does not believe in ghost and folklore, but did feel a little surprised or spooked with the coincidences in this particular event.

My analysis: While it does seem far fetched that a stranger, ghost or not ghost, could have some power over affecting people’s death and emotions. I think if we are to look at this story through the possibility of internet ghost, this story becomes very interesting. Assuming this encounter with this stranger online was in fact a ghost encounter, this fits the narrative or at least the idea of trans-humanism: Where one’s soul or mind can be uploaded, trapped within the digital space. This might also explain why this particular internet stranger is so fond of death. What might have happened could be that the ghost was angered and possibly brought misfortunate upon the informant, but after they made peace again, the ghost seems to have the power to help the informant to go on back to life.

The Sage of Room 108

Age: 50

Text (The Story): TT (my mother) told me a story from her college days in India about a particular dorm room, Room 108, which students treated almost like a sacred site.

Years before she arrived on campus, an older student, known simply as “the Sage of 108”, had lived in that very room. No​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ one was able to recall his original name. It was said that he was a very quiet, withdrawn, and even reclusive a philosophy scholar, who was so much absorbed in his meditation that he almost never spoke, hardly ate, and didn’t seem very attracted to the usual college life.

According to one version of the myth, he arrived at jivanmukti which is the freedom of the spirit during life. Another one suggested that he was able to foresee things way before time: a professor’s sudden resignation, a student’s family emergency, or even an exam question weeks before it was written. 

It was whispered that he could be none other than the very Dattatreya, the Hindu god who is the wandering teacher. Dattatreya is a character who is said to go about the world very quietly, and be there when you least expect it, in different guises, to help people. Stories on the campus, however, say that the person living in Room 108 and carrying the same vibe as Dattatreya. He was detached, loving, and very much aware without being told. 

During the last days of his final year, the Sage just went off the campus without informing anyone of his intention. He left hauling with him a single cloth sack one morning and walked out through the college gate. When someone came to his room a few hours later, they found it empty with the exception of a piece of cloth neatly folded on the ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌desk.

After that, strange things were reported. Students claimed the room smelled faintly of incense even when no one entered. One girl told TT that she stepped inside room 108 and felt a pressure, a kind of overwhelming stillness that made her leave immediately.

The administration eventually sealed Room 108. They gave practical explanations such as “structural damage” and “student safety”, but none of the students believed that. Everyone knew the real reason: the room was too spiritually charged. Too many people reported intense emotions inside it. Too many believed the Sage had left something behind.

When TT attended college, students had already begun a tradition:

Before any major exam, they would slip into the hallway, fold their hands, and offer a quick prayer outside the locked door of Room 108.

Some just tapped the door frame.

Some left flowers or pens on the ground.

Some whispered the Sage’s name, though no one could agree on what it was.

TT herself admitted that before her final board exams, she walked there with a group of friends in the early morning. They didn’t really know what they were praying for, whether it was luck, calmness, clarity, or perhaps the presence of someone who achieved spiritual awakening.

She​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ mentioned that the corridor outside 108 had this weirdly quiet vibe all the time, like the sounds were muffled. When she and her schoolmates meet for reunions, there is always a person who talks about “the Sage of 108,” and all the others acknowledge it by a nod as if it were a shared ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌secret.

Context: TT told me this story while reminiscing about her college years in India. This memorate is typically shared among alumni, usually during nostalgic conversations about exams, early adulthood, or campus myths.

The setting, an Indian university, makes belief in holy men, gurus, reincarnation, and spiritual presence feel normal rather than supernatural. Indian campuses often blend secular life with sacred spaces, and Room 108 became one such hybrid: part dorm room, part shrine, part student ritual.

This story also fits a larger South Asian cultural context where certain numbers (such as 108, a sacred number in Hinduism and Buddhism) carry deep spiritual significance.

The Teller’s Thoughts: TT treats the story with a mix of nostalgia and respect. She doesn’t necessarily claim the Sage was literally an incarnation of Dattatreya, but she believes he had a spiritual depth that left an imprint on the campus. She describes Room 108 as a place students approached with sincerity, not fear and something in between superstition and faith.

She said, “We all felt calmer after praying there. Maybe that’s all that mattered.”

My Thoughts (Analysis): This memorate blends campus legend, reincarnation belief, and folk religion into a single story.

This story functions as a sacred space on a secular campus, a rite of passage before exams, and a blending of Hindu spiritual motifs with student life. The association with Dattatreya deepens the story’s symbolic power. Dattatreya is the wandering divine teacher who appears in humble forms, and the idea that a spiritually advanced figure might quietly live in a college dorm room fits this motif perfectly.

The closure of Room 108, the lingering incense scent, and the informal prayer ritual all add to the all add to the mysterious atmosphere that made Room 108 feel like more than just a dorm room.. The story also shows how students use legend to navigate stress and this transforms anxiety about exams into a communal ritual that is rooted in cultural spirituality.

Personally, I think the story beautifully captures how folklore forms in modern environments. A single individual, remembered only in fragments, becomes a symbol of calm, wisdom, and hope for generations of students who never met him.

South Sudanese Wedding Cattle Exchange

Text:

In many South Sudanese cultures, especially among the Dinka and Nuer, marriage involves the transfer of cattle from the groom’s family to the bride’s. This is not just a dowry but a symbol of unity, wealth, and respect. The more cattle given, the higher the bride’s value.

Context:

My informant, who is South Sudanese, said her father gave over 60 cattle for her mother’s hand in marriage. She said cattle are sacred in her culture and that they represent life and prosperity. She also explained that even today, despite moving to the US, her family still participates in bride-price negotiations with cattle counted back home.

Interpretation:

This practice shows that cattle are very important in South Sudanese culture. They are not just animals, they represent money, life, and respect. Giving cattle during marriage shows how much the groom’s family values the bride and her family. It also shows that marriage is not just between two people, but between two families. The exchange of cattle helps create strong bonds and trust between both sides. If there are problems in the marriage later, the families are more likely to help because they are connected through this tradition. Even families who have moved away or live in other countries still keep this custom, which shows how important it is to their identity and culture.

Igbo Wedding Wine-Carrying Ceremony

Text:

In a traditional Igbo wedding, one of the most significant moments is the bride’s wine-carrying ritual. During this part of the ceremony, the bride walks through a crowd of guests with a cup of palm wine in her hand, searching for her groom. The setting is usually vibrant and loud, with friends and family cheering her on, sometimes trying to distract her. When she finally finds her groom, she kneels before him and offers him the wine. If he accepts and drinks from the cup, it symbolizes that he is her chosen partner. The bride then leads him back to her father to formally introduce him, sealing their union in front of the community.

Context:

My informant is a friend who is Nigerian American and identifies strongly with her Igbo heritage. She described attending a relative’s traditional wedding in Nigeria, where she witnessed this ceremony firsthand. Although she was born and raised in the U.S., her family regularly engages with cultural traditions, especially during weddings and other life cycle events. She explained that the wine-carrying ritual stood out to her because it was both symbolic and deeply emotional. It was a moment where tradition, family, and personal choice intersected. Her mother and aunties explained the meaning behind the ritual, noting how it expresses the bride’s respect for her future husband and her agency in choosing him.

Interpretation:

This wedding tradition is important because it shows the values of respect, family, and community. When the bride kneels and gives the wine to her groom, it shows that she respects him and chooses him. Even though it’s a fun and joyful moment, it also has a serious meaning, it brings both families together and shows that marriage is a decision made with love and support. For people like my friend, who grew up in the U.S. but have Nigerian roots, seeing or taking part in this ritual is a way to stay connected to their culture and honor where they come from.