In the midst of a June day in 2008, during my eighth-grade year, I found myself at home, seated at my computer, immersed in an online dress-up doll game. The weather outside was typical for the season, and everything seemed normal until an inexplicable event unfolded. A sudden and intense cold settled next to my right shoulder blade, creating a stark contrast to the warmth in the rest of the room. Intrigued and slightly unnerved, I extended my hand into the cold area, only to encounter an invisible, solid barrier. Fear gripped me, and I remained frozen in my chair.
Then, an extraordinary occurrence transpired. The computer’s mouse seemed to move on its own, selecting clothing items and dressing up the virtual doll. Even more baffling, it logged into a chat room with the username “MysteryDresser88.” Panic surged within me as I watched the ghostly presence rapidly type messages to other users in the chat room. Unable to contain my fear, I let out a scream and rushed out of the room.
Several days later, as I entered the living room, I was startled to see the computer switched on. It displayed a search engine page with images of various cartoons. As I approached, the computer abruptly powered down. The next day, when my mother used the computer, she stumbled upon a disturbing image: a picture of me, juxtaposed against a cartoon cemetery scene with the grim reaper by my side. No one in my family had accessed the computer since the previous morning, and none of us had altered the desktop background.
Overwhelmed by fear, I began experiencing episodes that unnerved me to the point of refusing to attend school. One morning, while nervously waiting at my bus stop, an inexplicable dread washed over me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something dreadful was imminent. Overcome by panic, I retreated to my front yard. Just as I turned away from the bus stop, a four-wheel drive vehicle crashed into the power pole at the exact spot where I had been standing moments before. Had I stayed there, I would have faced severe injury.
The eerie image on my computer screen seemed to have conveyed a dire warning. It left me deeply shaken, and I spent the remainder of that day locked in my bedroom. Around 7 o’clock in the evening, an icy cold descended upon my room. I tried to rush to the door, but an unseen force gripped my shoulder, halting my escape. Before me materialized a transparent figure, resembling a girl my age. A faint whisper filled the air, bidding me farewell. Then, as mysteriously as it had appeared, the spectral light faded away, and my room returned to its normal temperature. I never encountered the ghostly presence again.