The Shivers
     We all know them.  We've all experienced them.  But mostly, we all remember and relive them again and again.  I'm not talking about insignificant things like nails on a chalkboard. The Shivers are a manifestation that begins in the middle of your spine and travels up to the top of your head.  They create a trembling in your shoulders and neck as if to shake off some intruder who has come in contact with your skin.  A fright response takes over your otherwise logical mind and you suddenly find yourself walking more quickly or perhaps running from the area.  Still in denial?  
     Remember when you were young and Mom asked you to get a jar from down in the basement?  The light had to be turned on by a pull-string hanging in the middle of the darkness. And the bulb never seemed strong enough to illuminate the room acceptably (to your standards).  
     Half-way down the stairs, you stopped and some creepy feeling began to grow inside you.  You wanted to turn around and tell Mom you couldn't find it; but you've done that too many times in the past.  So you kept telling yourself "There's nothing down there." and "Mom's right upstairs if something happens."  
     "...if something happens." 
     Of the two statements, that latter one stuck in your mind as your head and shoulders jerked.  The Shivers began to take over your body.  But you knew you had to go on.  Mom wanted her jar.  
     You continued down the steps much more slowly than you began never leaving sight of the chain that would give you light.  At the bottom (you swear there were more than 8 steps), your pace grew even quicker and just as you got to the light, you paused.  Why?  If something were down there, it would've gotten you by then.  But what if?  What if when you turned on the light, something hideous became visible instead of staying tucked away in the shadows?  During that one second pause, your mind ran through all the posibilities again only to reach the same conclusion.  Mom wanted her jar.  So you grabbed the chain and turned on the light only to notice you closed your eyes during the procedure.  
     As you looked around the room, there was a split-second of relief. Nothing was down there with you.  But in that same second, something told you to hurry with your task because you were NOT alone.  The Shivers were now controlling your thoughts. "You are not alone down here!"  
     As fast as you could, you grabbed whatever jar was closest and ran up those stairs to the safety of the kitchen never looking back.  
     Trying your best not to show the fear on your face as you wiped the sweat from your forehead, you swore that you would NEVER go back down there again.  That's where the Shivers lived.  
     Handing the jar to your mom, you felt your heartbeat returning to normal.  And just as a sigh released itself from between your lips, words came into your ears that brought the Shivers back to life.  It was your mom asking "Did you leave that light on again!" 

     Now that the memories are coming back to you, I think you understand when I say you relive them again and again.  The strongest were the childhood memories.  The dark garage, the trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and it seemed the Shivers always hung out at relatives homes when you had to stay with them overnight.  But we are grown-up now and no longer believe in the Shivers.  
     Ah, but take a moment and recall the last time you were alone.  And it was so quiet you hoped the only sound you heard was a pin drop.  That's when those other noises appeared.  "Was that a foot-step?"  "I heard something in the other room!"  "Why am I sitting at the computer with my back to the whole house?"   
     Don't worry.  Most times there isn't an intruder in your home.  Rarely is it a ghost making it's acquantance.  In fact, usually when these things happen, you are just being visited by the Shivers!  

     In honor of our memories, I've put together some links to various sites with stories, images, and personal experiences regarding ghosts and the paranormal.  I think they will further your belief in the power of the Shivers.
 

Haunted Houses
The Ghostwatcher - vidcams allow you to help spot apparitions!
Haunted Houses of California - I had to pick something close to home.
Handwriting on the Wall - another vidcam in a Portland, Oregon home.
Ghosts of N. Portland - more hauntings around Portland.
The Hoax In Amityville - it had to be included.

Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories and Folklore - personal experience stories gathered from various sources.
Ghosts "The Page that Goes Bump in the Night" - submit your own experience!
Ghost Stories R Us - I love the name if nothing else!
The Shadowlands Ghosts Page - more stories to keep you awake at night.

Return to Halloween Page

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