Context: I interviewed my best friend who is currently attending school in Ohio. When we were catching up she told me about a strange incident that happened a month before when she was walking home at night. 

The story:

It was late at night, around 12 when I was walking back to my dorm after a long chemistry lab. I had headphones on. While walking down this street I could’ve sworn I heard someone walking behind me. I quickly took them off and checked to see if someone was there. Maybe it was my own feet I’m hearing. The footsteps I had heard immediately stopped. I was like okay cool just me. I go back to walking this time without my headphones on and I hear them again, this time sounding louder and louder. So I stop again, just to confirm to myself, really that I’m just hearing things. This time when I stop I still hear them. And they’re getting closer. I look all over the place, and I can still hear them, but I can’t see anyone. I get a bit freaked out, so I start walking faster. I still hear them walking behind me and it’s like they’re gaining on me. Eventually I stop and I wonder if I can let whatever this is pass so I stop. When I stop I can physically hear them next to me then go in front of me. I looked across the street and all over the place wondering if maybe that was an echo of some kind. I walked down the street many times before, but maybe this time for whatever reason it had just echoed strangely. But no, I didn’t see anyone anywhere near me. After that it seemed to promptly vanish. 

Informant’s view: She thinks that it might have been a ghost or some sort of spirit. All the obvious explanations didn’t explain away the footsteps she heard so she’s open to the possibility of other worldly things.  

My view: I think this might have been a case of serious sleep deprivation. I know around that time period she was going through midterms and not getting enough sleep. She’s never had an incident like this but I feel like this was her brain having a freakout after having to work so hard with no rest.