Look into the Shadows

by Liam Blaney

Would you like to see a ghost?

I was just a child when I saw my first one. I remember it vividly. There I was, in bed on a cold and rainy night, reading the latest novel about a young wizard when a shadow suddenly moved. I barely saw it; it was so quick, just a flash in the corner of my eye. So I kept reading. But something didn’t quite feel right. I felt I was being watched. I’m sure you’ll have felt it before; that creeping feeling of unseen eyes, watching… waiting.

The shadows in the corner of the room seemed darker than they had been. I tried to ignore it, tried to keep reading. Keep my eyes fixed and it’ll go away. Keep reading and I’ll stop seeing it, I thought. Well, I thought wrong. I could see the shadows growing, getting closer.

This kept happening, night after night; shadows growing, swirling and disappearing. Until one night, the shadows stopped. I slept peacefully that night, for a few hours. At approximately three in the morning, I stirred until I awoke. I wasn’t alone. The feeling of being watched overwhelmed me, I was terrified, but I had to know. I had to see, so I opened my eyes. And there it was, lurking in the darkness in the corner of the room, staring right at me.

That’s how it all begins, flickers in the corner of the eye, a knot in your stomach, a cold shiver down your spine. Let me show you how to see them, if you’re brave enough. But be warned, there’s no going back. What’s been seen can’t be unseen, and they are everywhere.

Firstly, make sure the room is dark. Darkness heightens the senses, helps you detect what you usually can’t. Not so dark that you can’t see, though. A little light helps. Relax, get comfortable. Let your mind drift.

Secondly, it's said that people can sense a presence when they perform activities such as reading. You see, reading alters the brainwaves, makes us more susceptible to the entities that surround us. That means I’ve got you right where I need you. Just keep reading. The easiest way to achieve the desired results is to read in a darkened room… alone. Let's give it a try.

Pause here, take a breath.

This will work no matter where you are, but let's assume you're sitting at home, in bed or your favourite chair. Keep reading, that's it. With each word you read you will sink deeper into the state you require to open your mind and see the spirits around you. You might not catch them directly. Not that you'd want to just yet, trust me. No, as you read, take note. Focus on the words but pay attention to what's in the corner of your eye, just beyond the reach of your vision. Don’t look. Keep reading. They like to creep up on you. The more you read the closer that shadow in the corner will get. Just keep reading, keep your eyes on the words.

Do you see it? That strange shape? It may be flickering, darting about. It may be moving slowly, drifting around. Don't look. If you look, you risk looking straight at it. Did it move? You can see it can't you. Don't look, no matter how tempted you are. Don't move your head, don't flick your eyes. In the moment it takes for you to do so, it could be right beside you; inches from your face.

That’s just one of them.

What about the one behind you? So close its almost touching you. Can you feel that tingle in your spine? That's your body's unconscious reaction to being so close to something you shouldn't. It doesn’t matter if you’re lying down; people say there are monsters under the bed for a reason.

Are you still feeling brave? Or do you feel like the previous method isn’t working for you? For some, it’ll happen right away, for others it may take a few attempts before they catch a glimpse of something.

Let's take it one step further, but I’ll warn you, this method is much more intense.

Do you have a mirror in the room? If you do, great, you’re goo to go. If not, go get one or move into a room with one in. If you need to move, you’re in for a bad time. If you need to walk around, it’s best to turn on the lights to see where you’re going, but there could already be a hand on the light switch or a figure at the end of the hall. If you need to go upstairs, don’t look back. Ghosts have a thing for chasing people up staircases, and they’ll always be right behind you. You can’t outrun them.

In a moment, stop reading and take a look around the room for a while. Take note of the darkness. Do you see the shadows moving in it? Do you see that patches that just seem darker and out of place? Are they getting closer? This step will require you to stop reading for a while. All you have to do is look into the mirror. Focus on your own eyes. It may take a while, but the shadows will shift and change, and eventually clear. This is a much more effective way to see the ghosts around you, and you may well see a lot of them. It can get intense; it can get scary. But remember; if you can’t handle the sight of them any longer, all you need to do is look away. You won’t see them anymore.

Or maybe, just like me… you will.

For some people, things go back to normal. You stop seeing the ghosts when you stop trying to. For an unfortunate few, things are forever changed. You’ll never stop seeing those moving shadow, those extra faces in the mirror. They’ll be there, until you become one of them.