The Knock on the Window

One day, a girl named AM moved into a new hometown called Wasco, CA, with her family. It was the early months of 2016, and AM was about 9 years old at the time they moved. Her family did not have any previous connection to this town, so they were unaware of the stories that were talked about among the residents. This house was slightly small for this family, making AM and some of her siblings share a room. The first night in this house, AM and her siblings heard some knocking on the window. They believed it was just the house making noise, ignoring the knocking as it continued. This knocking then continued for months, making it a normal occurrence to hear in the house. One night, AM stayed alone in her room due to her siblings staying the night at a family member’s house. This night, as every other night, she heard the knocking noise on the window. Finally, after being annoyed by the noise for the night, AM went to check her window. As she opened the window up, AM saw a figure almost jump out from the window and run away. This sight filled AM with fear, and eventually caused her to tell her family. In response, the family called a priest to enter the house and preform an exorcism on the house. The following nights, AM never heard the knocking on her window again.

AM truly believes she came into contact with a spirit. Although she was slightly younger when she encountered this spirit, she holds strong on the idea that it was real. AM also believes that the spirit wasn’t necessarily an evil spirit since there was no indication it wanted to harm her. She felt more irritated by the presence than fearful.

This spirit did not seem like it was harmful in any type of way. This spirit looked as if it was maybe just trapped inside the residence and wanted a way out. Personally, I believe the story could be true, but since AM was very young, there is much skepticism. Also, AM was alone at the time, but the priest being a part of the story changes the narrative extremely. Since the knocking stopped after the priest performed the exorcism, there is an extremely large chance there may have been a spirit within the residence.

La Llorona

A girl named KG used to live in a house near the border of The United States when she was a kid. She lived in a small Mexican town, being the only child at the time. KG had always heard stories of ghosts roaming the town as a kid. She believed a little in these stories, due to her being young, but ultimately she did not think that ghosts were real. She believed that these stories were told to ensure she would act correctly around her family. She believed these stories were used as a scare tactic, never truly being afraid by these stories. One day, she heard the story of La Llorona. This story stuck with KG, as she knew La Llorona only went after kids. This story stuck with her for some time, but then she forget about it.

About a few months later, KG was on the walk to a nearby store to get a snack. KG didn’t realize how late the time had gotten, suddenly noticing a fog come over the town. As KG was walking back from the store, she almost could not see her feet in front of her due to the thick fog. This fog became troublesome to breathe in, and KG tried rushing back home. On the walk, she said she could almost hear a woman crying. This instantly reminded KG of the story she learned as a kid, causing her to start running out of fear. The crying soon started to fade, but KG swears that she saw a white dress of a woman before she got home.

KG fully believes in this story, and she does not think that any part of it was made up. Tales of ghosts are very common in Mexico, so she has full belief this occurred. Similarily, I also believe this story is true. La Llorona is a spirit that my family has believed in for years, so it is not uncommon for me to think she is truly out there.

Ghost or Elf On The Shelf?

Age: 21

This story takes place in a childhood home in San Antonio, Texas, on an early Saturday morning in December. PR was elementary school–aged at the time and asleep in his bed. Suddenly, a knock on the door pulled him out of a deep sleep (not enough to fully wake him, though) so he ignored it and drifted back to sleep.

Then he heard it again: another knock, this time accompanied by a low voice telling him to get up, something like, “Hey, PR, wake up.” Assuming it was his dad, who followed a strict morning routine, PR figured that a knock so early on a Saturday must mean something important. So he put on his slippers and bathrobe and headed downstairs.

Confused, he looked for his dad but couldn’t find him anywhere. A family friend from Spain had been staying with them and was already awake due to the time difference. PR asked if he had seen or heard his dad, but the friend replied, “No, he hasn’t been here.”

Still puzzled, PR went back upstairs to check his parents’ bedroom…only to find both of them fast asleep, completely out. Despite the unexplained knock, he returned to his room. Since it was the Christmas season and his family had an Elf on the Shelf that supposedly moved around every night, he blamed it on the elf.

“As a kid, I immediately thought, ‘Oh, it was the Elf on the Shelf. He was playing a prank on me.’ That made perfect sense to me then.”

Years later, however, PR looked back on the experience and had a realization: “Wait…that wasn’t the elf.” It suddenly struck him how strange the whole event really was. It felt almost ghostly. He tried to rationalize it, but pointed out that neither his dad nor the family friend were the type to knock and then rush back to bed. They were both very routine-oriented.

It left him wondering whether it had been something paranormal or simply a half-dreaming state. PR considers himself a rational thinker and believes there must be a logical explanation. He suggests it could have been a groggy hallucination, though he isn’t entirely sure. Regardless, it felt very real, very strange, and has stayed with him ever since.

He also noted that there was no known history of haunting in the house. It was relatively new, built in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and only one other family had lived there before, who they didn’t know. His parents once mentioned that a young daughter had previously occupied his room, but aside from that, nothing else unusual or paranormal ever occurred in the house.

Although PR believes it’s unlikely that his dad or the guest could have knocked, it’s still possible. Another explanation could be that a combination of ordinary noises woke him, and his half-asleep brain filled in the sound of his father’s voice. It may have been a mix of both.

The story reflects common elements found in ghost narratives, particularly the motif of poltergeist activity. A “noisy ghost” associated with domestic spaces. It also involves a child, which is significant, as children are often portrayed as more sensitive or connected to the spirit world. Additionally, the timing is notable: the December holiday season, when routines are disrupted, traditions are heightened, and households feel different than usual. Early Saturday morning, a time typically reserved for uninterrupted rest, adds to the sense of disorientation.

All of these factors could have placed PR in an unusual mental state, where strange occurrences felt more believable, or where his mind was more likely to interpret ambiguous stimuli as something extraordinary.

The University Of Vermont Hallway Ghost

Age: 19

The story takes place at the University of Vermont, in an old dorm, on an October night at exactly 3 a.m. LL got up to use the communal bathroom. When she stepped into the hallway, she immediately noticed a mysterious girl standing just past the bathroom. The girl had long blond hair hanging in front of her face, was facing away from LL, and was wrapped in a towel as if she had just stepped out of the shower. LL thought it was an odd time for anyone to be showering, and the sight gave her an immediate gut feeling that something was off. It was “creepy,” she said.

After finishing in the bathroom, LL stepped back into the hallway, and the same girl was still there, standing in the exact same spot, still facing away from her. The girl hadn’t moved at all. Feeling increasingly unsettled, LL began walking quickly back toward her room. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, growing faster as if the girl were following her. LL sped up, practically running, until she reached her door. She said she was relieved her roommate was inside so she didn’t have to return to an empty room.

LL emphasized that she had “never seen her before” that night and never saw her anywhere on campus afterward. When asked what the figure might have been if not a ghost, she said, “Maybe she was hooking up and then she went to take a shower… or really drunk and trying to scare me.” She also mentioned that she never saw the girl’s face…only the long blond hair and the towel.

When asked about the dorm’s history, LL explained that she lived in the worst dorm on campus and that the university itself was pretty old, so she’s “sure somebody has died in it before.” The combination of the hour, the setting, and the strange stillness of the girl left LL genuinely shaken by the experience.

I agree with LL. On a college campus…where people are experimenting with drugs and alcohol, keeping unusual hours, and living with strangers for the first time…it’s plausible that this was just a bizarre coincidence. The girl may have been standing there in a daze, unaware that her presence could be interpreted as unsettling.

There’s also the liminality of college dorms to consider. They’re your home, but not quite. They’re spaces layered with the histories of countless past students, full of stories you’ll never know. New experiences happen constantly, often before you have the framework to understand them. In an environment like that, the mind is primed to fill in the unexplained with occult or supernatural interpretations, especially when something feels off.

The timing only heightens this effect. It was October, when people are already steeped in horror imagery and Halloween atmosphere. It was 3 a.m., a disorienting hour when you’re groggy, alone, and hyper-aware of everything. In that context, encountering a silent, unfamiliar girl in a towel becomes more frightening than it might be in daylight. LL’s reaction makes sense: the setting, the hour, and the ambiguity of the moment all worked together to make an ordinary situation feel paranormal.

The Night Stalker

Age: 19

Interviewer: Okay, so you said something happened on campus?

ML: Yeah, um… okay, so this was like my second week here, right? I didn’t really know the campus that well yet.

I was coming back from studying kinda late, like, maybe 1:30 a.m., and I cut through this area near one of the older buildings… I don’t even remember which one.

And, uh, I saw someone sitting on a bench. Just like… completely still.

It was this guy, I think? Or… okay, I’m not even sure, actually. They were wearing, like, a hoodie, head down.

At first I didn’t think anything of it, ‘cause, like, yeah, college campus, people are out late.

But then… I walked past them, and I got this really weird feeling.

Like…

You know when it’s quiet, but it feels wrong quiet?

Interviewer: Yeah…

ML: Yeah, like that.

So I keep walking, and then I hear-

“Hey.”

But it was, like… really close. Like right behind me.

Interviewer: Did you turn around?

ML: Yeah, I did.

And they were still on the bench. Same position. Didn’t move.

And I was like, okay, maybe I imagined it, right?

So I start walking faster, and then I hear it again, but this time-

“Why did you come?”

So I turn around again… and now they’re standing.

But I didn’t hear them get up.

Yeah, and their face was still like… shadowed. I couldn’t see it.

And then they took a step toward me, just one step, and I just… I ran.

Like I didn’t even think, I just ran straight back to my dorm.

Interviewer: Did you ever see them again?

ML: No… and I don’t go that way anymore.

Like, I’ll literally take the longer route, I don’t care.

And, um… I asked my mom about it later, and she was like, “Don’t answer when something calls you at night.”

So yeah… I just… I don’t mess with that anymore.

Context:

This story was told to me at around 11am after a get-together with a friend at a restaurant near the USC campus. On the way back, I asked him if they knew of any ghost stories, and they recalled a creepy experience they had early at the start of his freshman year. The interview was roughly transcribed from a video recording of the interview.

The Informant’s Thoughts:

They were skeptical as to whether it was really a ghost. They admit that at the time they were very much convinced that the supposed ghost in question was in fact some sort of malevolent spirit. However, they also talked about how, looking back, there was in fact some suspicious individual who talked to them, but now they believe that many of the paranormal effects they observed may have been due to the nerves evoked by starting their transition into college and the naturally scary circumstances they were in.

My Thoughts:

I am inclined to believe the informant’s analysis of the situation. Being skeptical of ghosts myself, I am more willing to belief that any mystical effects were simply side effects of stress and superstition. However, I did find it fascinating how the environment can have such a massive impact on belief. I know the informant to be similar in disposition to myself, in that they are not particularly superstitious or spiritually inclined and that they display substantial suspicion of any accounts detailing mysterious encounters and phenomenon. However, the combination of several influences, such as the time of night, the lack of other people nearby, the somewhat spooky architecture, and most pressingly the presence of a suspicious unknown individual all cause the plausibility of a ghostly encounter to skyrocket.