It was my Aunt's last day with us in our house and we were a little emotional. She had stayed with us for a long visit and was now ready to leave the next day.
That night, we gathered around the backyard and sat. We all ate, talked, and laughed the night away as a family. It was honestly lots of fun. Amidst our conversations that night, something inevitably came up - scary stories. My aunt made sure she moderated this section very well.
I was still a young boy then, just an innocent 10 year old boy. I didn't know what she said was actually true. I thought she was bluffing as usual. But no!... it was real.
That night, she told us two stories- two "folktales". And with ears wide open and eyes fixed directly at my aunt, my siblings and I sat there and listened to the stories she told us...
The first story was about a magician that was able to see and communicate with spirits anytime he used urine to wash his eyes and mouth.
Disgusting right? It's even more disgusting when we found out it had to be someone else's urine.
The second story was an experience that happened to her. She was told the same story when she was about my age and decided to experiment with it. The Legend goes that if you step outside, bend down and look under your legs in the middle of the road during a sunny afternoon(time and condition of place doesn't really matter), you will well... see a ghost.
Sounds like a lot of bullshit ey? Well that's what I thought to.
After my aunt finished, she pleaded that we do not try any of the things she just mentioned in the story. That it really does work. Then she turned her head, looked directly at me and said "And I'm talking to you Eche! Please don't let your inquisitiveness get the best of you". And you know being me, I just had to explore...
Later that night, when everybody had gone to bed, I decided to put her stories to the test. I moved quietly to the bathroom. Peed in a little cup and proceeded to wash my face with it. I won't lie, I was very reluctant to do it. Why? Because it was Disgusting! But also because something within me felt that it could in fact be real.
After, a slight dilemma, I proceeded to wash my face with the urine. Boy... did it irritate my eye... but after a brief moment of relief, I got my vision back. Everything seemed to be normal. There was no one else there to see. I couldn't see anyone – any ghost – around. Although I must mention that when I was heading back to my room, I could've sworn I saw something with the corner of my eye. A ghost perhaps?...
When I woke up the next morning, I was eager to prove the last story was also a hoax. I waited till it was getting to noon, carefully timing myself for exactly 12:00pm. And once the time clocked 11:55pm, I sneaked outside and left the house.
The road was very quiet, not a single vehicle or pedestrian roamed the street nor it's surroundings. Every where was dead silent. Oh It was perfect!
Feeling all so confident now, i bent down and looked under my legs. For a moment, it looked like nothing was there but slowly... very slowly, I started to see something - a figure. It looked like a man was walking on the road towards my direction.
Even more bizarre was the fact that I was positioned upside down looking at the man but he was still walking right side up. It seemed as if his legs were walking on air and his head was positioned to the ground.
I was in complete awe and disbelief. My body was filled with goosebumps and my mind full of terror! Each time I would get up from that bent over position to check to see if anyone was actually there, I would see nothing. But even more terrifying was when I would return to my bent over position and see the man coming closer, CLOSER and CLOSER!!!!
No one had to tell me twice to run back into the house, shut my doors, hide inside my room, cover myself up with my blanket and begin praying. Praying really hard!....
As vivid as this childhood memory was, I still only remember it in fragments. But nonetheless, I remember the terror. If what I saw back then was indeed real or of my own imagination, is left for history. I do not know. However, it is a memory that
hasn't left me since...
Thanks for reading and keep exploring!
