Storyteller revered to as JZ.
Text:
At night inside JZ’s home, he and his friend Jay were getting creeped out by looking out at a pitch-black window. Jay began to talk about how he and his family are very into the supernatural and shared with JZ that he (Jay) can sense ghosts. JZ asked how can you sense ghosts? Jay explained by using an experience he had when traveling. The family got an Airbnb, and the house looked and felt haunted. Right when he (Jay) entered he felt a “bad aura”. Then at night when he and his sister were going to brush their teeth, he went to open the door and it opened by itself and started to swing back and forth by itself. Startled, Jay and his sister decided to not go in the bathroom and went to bed instead. They were sharing a room so he slept on the floor while his sister slept on the bed. As they were trying to sleep they heard something walking down the hall while scratching the wall and heard pounding in the attic. Jay also added that he felt like he was being watched. He asked his parents in the morning if they were walking through the hall after they all went to bed, and they said no. Then he asked if they heard any walking through the halls and they said yes.
Context:
JZ was telling this story on his friend Jay’s behalf (Jay’s memorate). At that moment he questioned his belief in the paranormal. JZ explained to me he has a very analytical mind, and he was surprised that he even considered if ghosts were real.
Analysis:
I think JZ’s trust in Jay combined with the “creepy” environment the story was being told in, influenced JZ to wonder if ghosts were true. If you trust someone, you usually don’t question if they’re making up a story. And if a spooky story is being told to someone in an office compared to a creepy environment, there’s a better chance the story will be taken more seriously in an uneasy atmosphere. Jay’s memorate made ghost lore a bit stronger because it had JZ who is not a ghost believer consider if the paranormal was real.