Someone on The Roof
By Farah of Malaysia

It happened several years ago in my grandmother's house in Ipoh. My mother and I were sleeping on mattresses laid on the floor of my grandmother's room while my grandmother slept on her bed.

It was late and everyone was asleep when I was awoken by a loud noise coming from the roof. I thought it was raining, so I just ignored the sound. Then, all of a sudden the sound just stop. There was a total silence for a while and the sound came back. I was so petrified I started shivering. I quickly cover my ears with my pillow hoping that I won't hear anything.

But something is making a lot of noise on top of the roof. It was as if someone was doing some "spring cleaning" on top of the roof. The "thing" kept sweeping the roof in a circle and stop right on top of me. I called my mum but she didn't respond. I was getting very desperate, so I kicked her leg.

She turned around and hugged me. She asked me to stop kicking her and go to sleep. She told me I was dreaming. I closed my eyes again even though the sound is still there. Somehow, I felt more reassured with my mother hugging me to sleep.

The next morning I asked my mum if she heard anything the night before. She looked at me and said, "Ya, takutkan…?" (Scary, right?)

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Banging at Midnight
By Ty of Manila, Philippines

My aunt's family ran a convenience store below their apartment in Metro-Manila. At that time my uncle was also in the military and as a result, my aunt and her children, Genie, two, and Gabriel, six, were often left alone at the store at night.

My aunt told me that one night she and the kids were home alone and had just closed up the shop. The burglar bars were locked and so was the outside door. They then turned off the lights in the shop and locked the door leading to the upstairs.

They kids usually slept with their mother in her room when my uncle was away. They had said their prayers and the children were soon asleep. My aunt had decided to stay awake and read a bit.

After some time, she was dozing off to sleep when she was startled by some faint noises. Maybe the building settling, or the pipes creaking, she thought. Then it grew louder, almost like a scraping sound. And then it became apparent that the scraping was coming from the hallway, the other side of the locked bedroom door. The noises were quite loud but there were pauses between them. Panicked, my aunt gathered up her young children, who had, by then, woke up to the loud scrape. They were frightened and clinging to their mother in fear.

Unfortunately my aunt and uncle didn't have a telephone in their room. So all my aunt could do was to shout for help through the window facing the street below. After what felt like hours to my aunt and cousins, a military friend of my uncle happened to be passing by and heard my aunt's cries for help.

My aunt threw him the keys and he made his way in with his pistol drawn. He turned on the lights in the store and searched around for an intruder. He found no one, so he slowly made his way upstairs and continued searching.

My aunt said that during this time the scraping noises from the door seemed to have stopped. My uncle's friend had turned on the lights in the stairway as well as the hallway and made his way to my aunt's room. After telling my aunt and cousins that everything was okay and that no one else was in the building, my aunt finally opened the door.

They were puzzled that no one was there but they had heard loud, but slow and intermittent scraping sound. Then my uncle's friend pointed out something on the door and said, "Hey, have theses scratches always been on the door?"

There were several sets of scratches. My aunt and uncle to this day still have no explanation as to where those scratches came from. Neither could they explain who or what was at the door that night. My uncle's friend was adamant that no one had broken into the house that night.

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Singing in Dark
By Justin of Penang

As the clock struck twelve midnight, I thanked my friend for his wonderful party and left reluctantly. I had promised my parents that I would be home by 11.00 p.m., but the party was so enjoyable that I had completely forgotten about the time.

That night was exceptionally dark and windy. The lights in my friend's house slowly faded away as I cycled farther and farther. As I approached the graveyard I pass by so very often, I had a strange feeling of uneasiness and fear. With tombstones erected all over the place, it looked eerie and frightful. Feeling chilly, I decided to pedal faster to get away from the grotesque graveyard. However, my bicycle had a puncture suddenly and I was stranded in the middle of the street surrounded by graves. God must be punishing me for disobeying my parents, I thought. I tried to remain calm although I was scared to death.

After the puncture, all peculiar things seemed to start happening. Insects screeching louder than ever and winds began to howl like dogs in pain. In sheer fright, I clung to the handles of my bicycle tightly as I walked down that lonely street. As I looked towards the graveyard, I caught a glimpse of a figure. Frantically, I called out to him or her, but the wind was making so much noise I doubted whether a person a yard away could hear me. There was nobody in the graveyard, however, when I looked more carefully. I fasten my pace and silently said a prayer. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came a soft and warm gust of wind, blowing and rustling between the weeds creating a whistle in rhythm. I could sense a soft melody forming in my mind. When I listened more attentively, I heard a singing voice coming from the graveyard. The rich-singing voice sounded like that of a girl.

"Who could be so mad to be singing so late at this hour?" I thought, with the only intention of preventing myself to think of a ghost. Soon, the song enchanted me like a trance. I dropped my bike and I didn't know what made me turn into a small path along the graveyard. I was heading towards the intoxicating voice. Then, I was highly surprised when I found out it was a very lovely maiden. Her white-silky gown reached down to her ankles and her long hair reached to her breasts. She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.

She stopped singing as soon as she noticed me. I began to search for words to say. All I could mutter in my excitement and curiosity was, "Why are you singing alone out here in the middle of the night?"

She told me that she lived not far away and found no harm by just strolling and singing in such a cool night. Although puzzled by her answer, I believed her. Then she asked me about music of the past and said that she had records of many types and would be glad to lend me some if I would accompany her home to get them. It was all so convincing and besides that, no one could ever refuse such a charming, talented and beautiful girl's offer.

She led the way, and I followed, completely forgotten about my bicycle at the street. All the while, I was thinking of her lovely voice and her shapely figure which attracted me so much. I just couldn't get my eyes off her. Subconsciously, I began to realise that I was being led towards the middle of the graveyard. It was like I suddenly woke up from a trance and I was scared-stiff knowing where I was.

I plucked my courage to ask her why she was leading me here, where beyond it, there were no houses. She laughed a sudden, sharp-eerie laughter. Slowly, she turned around. What a ghastly and frightening shock I got! The beautiful maiden just seconds ago had turned herself into the ugliest creature a man has ever seen. Her smooth and beautiful face had turned into a ghastly, ugly sight far beyond the appreciation and description of human beauty. Her teeth pierced out of her mouth with sharp and pointed edges; her hair turned white and was disarrayed; her shapely body disfigured and her nails became long and pointed, making her the ghastliest of all spectres. She made terrifying screams, which nearly pierced through my eardrums.

For a while, I stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what to do. Then, as I realised what were happening, my legs, and arms were swinging simultaneously in the direction of the street yelling in fright. Luckily, the street lights were still on and my bicycle was still there. I tried to calm myself down and decided to walk to the junction. Was it really happening? Everything seemed to be against me. The junction seemed so far away and I could not find help when I was desperately needed help.

No sooner had I taken a few steps, the street lamps flickered and then went out. Now, my surrounding was so dark that I could not see. Without giving it much thought, I got on my bike and started to pedal with a puncture tyre. My head was actually in turmoil, and I cycled through the dark. In great fear, I kept looking back as if someone was following me, but all I could see was darkness. All I could remember was a light flashed in my eyes and I blacked out.

When I woke up, I found myself lying on a bunk. I was in a hut and there was an old man sitting at the corner, smoking a long pipe. What had happened? Since I had regained my consciousness, the old man explained that he was the caretaker of the graveyard and had found me lying under a tree. Perhaps I had collided into a tree. Without any delay, he guided me to the junction. There was another surprise waiting for me. My bicycle was parked at the junction, without any punctured tyre. The old man said that he did not know how it was there and added that he did not see any bicycle when he found me!

The next morning, I decided to venture near the graveyard again. I wanted to thank the old man for his help. To my surprise, there was no hut! I was still trying to find an answer to the whole mystery when a boy approached me. I inquired about the old man. With a wide smile, he said that his grandfather who had just died was the caretaker of the graveyard. His hut was burnt down, and the ashes were buried. Proudly, he said that his grandfather was a kind man, and then showed me the spot where the hut was. It was the exact spot where the hut was the other night! I could not control myself and cycled home as quickly as I could with the strange and mysterious events still lingering vividly in my mind! After that ghastly experience, I promised myself not to go out late at night ever again.

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Owl's Ghost Stories © 2000 by Will Ong Email: penangowl@geocities.com