The Campus Imp

I was teacher at Central Philippine University. One night, reluctantly, I worked late to prepare the next day's test paper. It was well known that the campus was haunted and true to the accusation, strange things did take place that night.

There I was, in my class, minding my work when I heard a “thud” sound coming from upstairs. I thought, maybe some unlucky soul had to work late as well. Feeling glad I wasn’t the only one, I felt save and comfortable, I went on working.

Minutes of serenity passed, then, I heard someone running on the floor above. I wasn't scared, but was curious to see who was this comrade of mine. So, I got out of my class and made my way upstairs. I saw that the lights were switched on. I thought that was a good sign - it showed that someone was indeed there and that I wasn’t imagining the noise. I looked through the window but saw no one. I called, “hello, hello, anyone there?” but there was no reply. I tried to open the doors but they were locked. I looked a bit more and then gave up, thinking the person could have gone away for a bite or something. I went back downstairs to my work.

Later, about half an hour or so, I heard a laughter. It was a child like, high pitched, laughter! Then, I began to get spooked; lots of things went through my mind. But I wasn't going to conclude anything until I saw with my own eyes what it was. I dumped all my things in my bag, carried it with me and went upstairs again.

What I saw, almost gave me a heart attack! I saw a little hairy thing running across the classroom then disappeared in thin air! I swear it was real! I only saw it’s hairy back. It was around 3 to 4 ft in height. At first, I thought it was a chimpanzee but it was upright, ran on two legs like a little child and it didn’t have long “chimp” arms.

The part that got me to run like hell was its sudden vanishing! It, literally, disappeared right before my eyes!

Mario, 32,Teacher
20, Dec 200

Bad Girls and the Bathroom Ghost
I was a student at the Central Philippine University in 1985. I had two best friends, Marie and Jacky. We were considered “the bad, but cool, girls.”

It wasn’t easy to join our group, nor were we looking for additional members. We enjoyed ourselves being “bad” girls – well not the kind that you probably would have in mind. We were still conservative in our unique ways.

Anyway, we always frequent the girl’s restroom for a make over, smoke and the usual gossip. One day, on one of our routine smoking sessions, a girl we never saw before came in and started fixing her hair. She totally ignored us – that was disrespectful! We were furious at her audacity, for no one - and I mean no one - would dare come in the girls' room when we were in there.

We stared at her hard but she, apparently, wasn’t intimidated at all. So Jackie, being the most assertive of us, nudged her and went with her face close to her cheek. The room became so silent, you could literally hear a pin drop. It was a tense moment and we were all at the edge of our breaths. Then suddenly, the stranger turned her head sharply toward Jackie! Jackie screamed, and that led to a chain reaction of screams from Marie and me as well. Jackie jolted backwards and nearly tripped over my foot.

We stood there in horror! Was she going to hurt us? Were we doomed for all the things we had done against many girls like her? These questions went through our minds equally. We stood there staring at her face which was blue, and her eyes were bloodshot and popped halfway out of the sockets!

It is the most horrendous, most scary thing I have ever seen in my life! I've been scared by sights in the movies but nothing beats this!

After that incident, we stopped using the girls' room as often, and vowed not to bully anyone anymore.

Apparently, others have also seen the “ghost-girl” but only as a reflection in the mirror.

Eva Sollegue, 40
13, Feb 2003

The Devil Bird
There is a giant devil bird in my village – I know it sounds absurd, but wait till you hear my story.

My family and I used to live in Muntinlupa, San Jose Village. We ran a restaurant business; small but lucrative. Our restaurant was located about twenty minutes of drive away from our house. We would start work very early in the mornings; before daylight.

My sister, Maria, was seven months pregnant. She and her husband, Paul, would use our van and leave for the restaurant before the rest of us.

One morning, still dark, the van broke down after a short distance of drive. Paul and Maria had to walk to the restaurant, leaving the van stranded. Paul realised that the particular morning was strangely windy. He realised that the wind was circling around them only, not anywhere else. He looked around them and saw that about a hundred feet away, there were trees and that they were very still; not a single leave was fluttering.

They were baffled but didn’t think too much of it. Then, they heard loud flapping sounds above them — it sounded like two large mattresses smacking into each other.

They looked up – It was a giant bird! It looked ominous and was circling less than two hundred feet above them. Frightened, they ran but there was nowhere to hide. The flapping sounds got louder and louder, and it made Maria scream with fright. She was so scared, she fainted. Paul looked up; the bird was nowhere to be seen.

Maria was rushed to the hospital. Although personally unharmed, she lost her baby.

It seemed that the Devil bird got what it wanted.

The 'Devil Bird,' as it is named, has been sighted by many in that village. Even today, when there is a baby expected in the village, we are wary of the Devil Bird.

Antonio Sapolo, 34
18, Feb 2003

Ghost In White
It was shortly after midnight, just after a movie, my girlfriend and I took a stroll to enjoy the cool morning. The morning had an ambiance of romance, and we didn’t feel like parting company just yet.

After some walking, we thought it would be nice to go for ice-cream so we hailed a tricycle taxi and hopped in. We asked the driver to take us to St Bernadette Street. To our surprise, he refused. When we asked him why, he told us he had an encounter with a ghost once when driving through St Bernadette Street.

We were so intrigued that we took a joy ride instead. We listened attentively while he told us this story:

“With a best friend, Sunny, I would take rides along St Bernadette Street to pick up passengers. Sunny was a fun guy to be with. He would tell me many jokes and make our work fun. One night, I'll remember this for the rest of my life...” The driver said with a tear trickling down from his left eye.

My girlfriend and I looked at each other and felt guilt building up but said nothing. Maybe it will do him good to talk, we thought. But actually, we both were yearning to hear more, and waited for him to continue.

Wiping the tear away, he asked, “You sure you want to hear my sad story, I don’t want to bore you with it?”

We nodded enthusiastically. “Of course we do." I said. "Unless it bothers you to talk about it, then we’d….”

Before I could continue, he interrupted. “No, it’s no bother. Actually, I appreciate your interest. Ok, so where was I? Oh yes! Sunny.”

“You see, there was this lady all dressed in white, she smiled at Sunny and Sunny struck a conversation with her."

Sunny’s like that you know." He said to me and carried on.

"She — was a beautiful woman, very beautiful. Sunny then asked her what she was doing all alone at that time of the night.”

Then, with his eyebrows raised, palm up as he pointed his hand at us to emphasize the next sentence, the driver said.“ You know, this was around 2 am and she was all alone.” He paused, shook his head, then continued.

“She replied to Sunny that she was lost and confused. She didn’t know why she was wandering about. Sunny asked her where she wanted to go and she replied, ‘home.’ Sunny, without asking where her home was, offered her a ride - he invited her into his tricycle and she got in."

The driver looked at me and said. "Sunny turned and looked at me – with that look you give when you are about to score big – you know."

Realising my girlfriend there, he bashfully said, "Err..it’s a man thing.”

I looked at my girlfriend and we smiled. I saw how absorbed she was in the story and kissed her on the cheek; she was totally oblivious to it.

Then, our driver just stared into the distance, forgotten we were there, I thought. Hated being left in suspense, my girlfriend asked while trying to hide her impatience. “So what happened?”

Jolted out of rapt, he blurted. “What? Oh! Sorry. Well, Sunny rode away…and….err…he turned the corner up ahead.” He paused.
Another tear rolled down his cheek. We didn’t push him that time. There was a silence and we thought we’d better just leave it at that. We slid back in our seat. I put my arm over my girlfriend's shoulder, our heads leaned and rested on each other’s.

We sat like that and in complete silence for almost a minute as we enjoyed the slow cold wind in our faces. Then, the driver suddenly stopped paddling. He turned to look at us and I saw in his face, a man burdened with unanswered questions.

He finally said in a soft voice. “She was no where! It had been only seconds and she disappeared! I didn’t see her walking away or anything! You know.”

He sounded and looked like he was blaming himself for something.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He took a deep breath and came to presence of mind. He let out a sigh and said, ”There was an accident. Sunny’s tricycle was crushed and broken to pieces right before my eyes. I rushed to him and…and…he was bleeding from the head. He muttered a few words but I couldn't understand. Then he..., he was dead!”

He looked at me with the eyes of a very frightened man. He then said, ”And the girl? She just disappeared! I looked for her but she was nowhere to be found! She was a ghost!

He paused. He rubbed his arms for goose bumps had formed, and started to sob.

"A ghost!” he muttered to himself.

We looked at each other, I gripped my girlfriend's hand tight.

He took us to a cafe and we invited him to join us for coffee but he politely refused and rode away a tortured soul.

Junior & Evoly,
25 Feb 2003

My mother may have been granted permission by her parents to visit my father, but she was never allowed to stay the night; it was not a respectful thing to do then. So, at midnights, no matter what, my father would send my mother home.

Normally, the rides to my mother's home were uneventful, but there was one night when things were different.

The day was wet; it had been raining heavily. The courting couple remain indoors all day. They talked, cooked and ate together. My father's parents liked having my mother around because, apart from being a good company, she was a great help around the house.

That midnight, it was still raining so they waited a little longer. At around one o'clock in the morning, the rain had turned into a drizzle. My father quickly brought out his little motorcycle and hopped on. My mother climbed up and hugged him; it was going to be a cold ride home.

As they pass the main road and entered into a lonely narrow road, which would eventually take them to my mother's house, they saw ahead an old woman crossing the road. They thought nothing of her, even though she was carrying two kerosene lamps and walking very slowly---where was she going at that time of the night, in the middle of nowhere?

They were freezing in the cold wind so all they could think about was getting home as soon as possible. So, they rode by her without saying a word. After passing by her, both of them curiously looked into the motorcycle's handlebar mirror. What they saw, froze them completely. My father nearly crashed the motorcycle into a tree as he swerved about uncontrollably. He could not keep his hands still; they were trembling out of control.

Behind them, the old woman was floating in the air---her feet were almost three feet off the ground. Her hair fluttered in the wind as though an electric current was going through her body. Her eyes were burning furiously, like the kerosene lamps she was carrying. She was right behind, and appeared to be chasing them.

Although petrified, my father did not lose total control of his motorcycle. He rode so fast and furiously that he missed the turn into the road that led to my mother's house. He only slowed down after my mother alerted him about the turn.

Both my parents didn't know if the other had seen what each of them had seen. When they reached home finally, my father looked at my mother and calmly asked her.

"Nakakita ka sa tiguwang nga naglutaw?" which means, Did you see the floating old woman?

"Yes." She replied, shuddering.

They quickly entered the house and closed the door.

That night, my mother insisted that my father slept in her house. Luckily, he did, or he may not be alive today, and neither would I.

Karmel Josephine O. Taok, 12
27 Mar 2007, CEBU

Ghost In The Building
This incident happened in the year 1998.

Five months pregnant and feeling hungry constantly, I could not decline Mary's offer to dinner. I looked at my wrist watch as I pushed the elevator button. It was 6:30 pm.  

"Gosh, I hope I am not late." I uttered under my breath.  

Then, the elevator doors opened. I walked in and pressed the "9" button. As the elevator made its way up, I could hear the cranking and clonking that you would normally not hear in a crowded elevator; it was already long after regular office hours.  

When the elevator doors sprung open, I peered out into the dark corridor to see if I was at the right level. The elevator indicator lights were out of order so I had no idea what level I was on.

I was relieved when I saw Mary's office at the end of the dimly lit corridor. I stepped out of the elevator and began to walk. My heels hit hard onto the tiled floor, creating echoes through the corridor.

Click clock, click clock, click clock...  

As I walked, my shadows, cast by the few working ceiling lamps, shortened and lengthened against the floor and walls. It made me nervous. I turned to look over my shoulders to see if there was anyone behind me. (I don't know why I was so nervous.) Obviously there was no one else around.  

Through her fully glassed-walled office, I saw Mary typing away on her computer keyboard. She had not noticed me, so I opened the door and peered in. Mary looked up and I smiled. I saw that Mary was a little surprised. I wondered why she should be; she knew I was coming. When I stepped in and let the glass door close behind me, Mary frowned and stared at me as though I had done something wrong.

"What's the matter, Mary?" I asked, concerned.  

"Who's that with you?" Mary pointed with her pouted lips to the corridor outside.

Puzzled, I turned to look at where she pointed. I saw no one.

"There's no one there, Mary." I said, beginning to feel rather spooked. "I came alone." I added. 

Mary frowned even firmer, and said, "There's a man outside the door, he was behind you, but you closed the door before he could enter. Why?"

I stood dumbfounded and stared at her in disbelief. I didn't say a word.

He is wearing a white polo shirt." Mary added, her face turning slightly pale.  

Goose bumps began to crawl all over my back, arms, and neck. I felt panic on the way. In my head, weird notions started to spin: What if someone or something wanted to harm us? Just two girls in an office building that supposed to be closed for the day. Gosh, what do we do?   Part of me wanted to scream, but the other held me down.

Then, when I saw Mary staring out into the corridor, her face turning paler every second, I lost my composure and shouted.  

"MARY! WHAT DO YOU SEE?"

Lips trembling, Mary quivered a few words.

"He's medium built and wearing a white Polo T-shirt. Don't you see him?" Mary had come almost to tears.

I went close to Mary and held her.  

"Where? Where?" I kept saying.  

"I can't see him anymore. I think he went away." Mary said in a whisper.

I am very sure I was alone that night when I walked through the corridor. I remember looking to the corridor before entering Mary's office. There was no one behind me!

Of course Mary and I didn't go out of the office alone after the scary apparition. We called the security guard and asked him to escort us down.  

Till today, when I think of the incident, I get goose bumps. In fact, I've got goose bumps right now as I type this story.

When Mary told her colleagues about our experience, her colleagues replied that they had heard of others who had had similar experiences. Everyone concluded the building was haunted.

Fortunately, the building burnt down some years ago (no one knows how), and had been demolished.

EMS Palaez
Philippines

“Great, she's still here.” I said under breath.

I had hoped not to see her teacher, and I was lucky, she wasn't in the class. Most of the students have left but there were a few of them still in the class, chatting.

“Pssst. Hannah.” I tried getting her attention, as her back was facing me. Not only did Hannah turn, some other students did too. Among them was a handsome boy seated at the corner, beside a girl. My cousin came over and we talked at the door. “My class is over, and if yours is too, wanna walk home together?”

“Yeah, I'll see you in a while. We're just discussing something now. I'll be out in five minutes.” Hannah said.

I couldn't help noticing the handsome boy staring at me. My eyes met his and we locked for a couple of seconds, and I began to feel killig (excited). My cousin noticed the slight smile on my face and turned back to see who it was that I was amused by. When turned back to me she frowned. We didn't talk about it then.

“Well, see ya' later.” I said, and made my way downstairs to wait for her.

My cousin came down with another classmate, and we walked together. I was at the rim of my patience to ask her about the handsome classmate of hers, and when we parted ways with other girl, I asked excitedly. “Who's the look good looking boy seated at the back row?”

Hannah frowned. “Which good looking guy? All the guys in my class are...” Hannah pouted her lips and frowned even more as she shook her head. “There's no handsome boy in my class. I wish there was.”

“Tst...He was seated at the forth row, beside a girl and another guy. The girl wore a red ribbon in her hair. I can't remember her name.” I said, a little frustrated.

“You mean, Sarah?” Hannah said.

“Yeah, I think so.” I replied. “So, who's the guy sitting beside them?”

“There's only Mario seated beside Sarah. And he's not good looking, not at all.” Hannah said, rolling her eyes to the ceiling.

I glared at Hannah. “I know Mario, and I don't mean Mario. The other guy, Hannah!” I was already to the point of giving up with trying. “He was wearing a white tee and blue pants. His skin is white, very white.” I said, in a last breath and walked on.

Hannah looked at me suspiciously. “There's no one in my class by that description, Ness .”

I glared at Hannah. “Oh, forget it.”

“Jonathan?” Hannah said, feeling guilty.

I shook my head.

“Eddie?”

Hannah went on mentioning other names but they were all names I was familiar with. I was really frustrated and angry with Hannah was missing what I considered stunningly attractive. Hannah and I normally had the same taste, but she had let me down that time. I walked on and we never spoke of the handsome guy again.

Feeling guilty, Hannah spoke to Mario and Sarah about the mysterious handsome guy when she was back in class the next day. Both Mario and Sarah were surprised that I had seen another guy with them. They clearly remembered there was no one else apart from themselves. The queries had left Mario, Sarah, and as well as Hannah, quite spooked.

Soon the entire class had heard about the handsome boy, and since then, many of our schoolmates had come out saying things that they had not dared to speak out before, fearing embarrassment. The stories went around, and even the teachers who had worked there for many years, shared their experiences. They said they heard some teachers had on occasion seen a floating lady in white gown, a young girl hanging by the neck from a rope tied to a tree branch, and boy scouts marching about and disappearing into walls.

The school I'm talking about is Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School , located at  Don Apolonario Velez Street , Cagayan de Oro City. It was built back then when Philippines was still an American colony.

Nessa Felicilda, 18.
Student.

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