GOOSE BUMPS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm sure that you know, that when you read a ghost story, you begin to have chills
that creep up your spine, making the hairs on your neck stand. It is a rather
scary experience, reading a ghost story. The reason that you get scared, is
because you picture yourself in that story, screaming, running... dying. Now, what
would happen if you really WERE in that story. It would be 100 times scarier. And
from then on, no other ghost story could be worse, if you have expierienced it.

When I was 13, no one could change how I felt about ghosts. I KNEW they were not
real. I never wanted to join in telling ghost stories, instead I sat in the back,
and laughed at their obserd thoughts and "expieriences". Now, at the end of 13, I
started having "expieriences" of my own. I will tell you about the two strangest.

The first happened to me in St. Augustine,
of war, sickness and death. But now, It is
Ripleys Beleive it or not, the fountain of
can also take a ghost tour of the dark and
buggy.
Florida. St. Augustine was once a place
a tourist attraction. You can visit
youth and many places of interest. You
lonely back streets on a horse and

I was down in Florida with my 3 friends and a friends family. My friend Jenna was
turning 14, so she took 3 friends (including me) to Florida for a few days. It was
the last night there, so the 4 of us each put in a few dollars and we hired a
woman and her horse, April, and buggy around town for a ghost tour. She worked for
a Ghost Touring Company in St. Augustine and was very nice. In was pretty normal,
a few ghost stories about shadows in windows, sounds and lights.

It was almost over, and the lady took the back alley as a short cut to get to the
last stop. The second we got to the alley, goose bumps covered my body. It was
dark, and she began telling us of a man that lived in one of the houses nearby and
how his wife had strangled him and pulled him behind the house and decapitated
him.

All of a sudden, a shadow apeared below a small light under a window. I turned and
tapped my friends shoulder, and pointed.
"I dont see anything." she said, laughing.
"Im serious.. I see someone over there." I whispered.
"Thats not funny," another friend said, "your scaring us."
The horse, April, stopped in her tracks and began rearing. The lady tried to calm
the horse down, but the horse was still acting up. I leaned forward to see what
was going on and I saw something unforgetable... something strange. Right in front
of the horse was a tall man, in a black suit. He was headless. I screamed in fear,
and went into shock. My friends began crying, scared and the lady turned the horse
around. April galloped quickly back to the main street. I was crying too, the man
was still following us. When the lady got back to the stopping place, she asked me
what I had saw. I told her that there was a man following us, a headless man.

The ladies eyes got big, and she gulped. She grabbed my hand and looked into my
eyes.
"Your not the first".
Forever I will remember, the headless man that wanders down that back alley in St.
Augustine.

Heres a self examination before the next expierience. Look at your left hip. Are
there goosebumps? I have told this story at least 100 times and still, I get them.
Feel the back of your neck, are there hairs standing up? Are you cold? Are you
ready for the next one?
The second experience was worse, but everyone has their own opinion.

On my 14th birthday, my friends dared me to go with them down a trail in the woods
behind my house. I agreed, for I had been through those woods a million times for
all different reasons.

Now I must tell you that there is a spot in those woods where most of us go alot
durring the day. It is a little pond about the size of a pool. Next to it is a
tall tree that curves out over the pond. It is a great place to jump into the
water and cool off.

On this occasion, it was NOT the day. It was almost fully dark. My friends and I
headed for that spot. When we entered the woods, I noticed my arms were swelling
with goose bumps. I couldn't understand why. So I continued to go about or plans.
We were planning on swimming around when it got dark, and then comming back to my
house. Well, when we arrived at the spot, my friends immediantly jumped into the
water. I was behind with my other friend, Julia. When I got to where they were, I
noticed that the pond was as red as blood. And worse, hanging above my friends
heads, was a small black woman, with a bag over her head. She had been hanged. I
screamed bloody murder and began running the other way. Only Julia fallowed me. I
told her about the woman hanging. She took me back to my house and later on that
night my friends came back. I was very mad that they had not come back with me and
Julia. I had no idea what was going on but my friends swore that they didn't see
anything unusual about the pond, besides it was a little low.

Of course, that was NOT the end of it. I have to admit, that I do not go back into
those woods because the woman and the bloody pond are permanent. My friends still
went there, but not me. Of course, I moved.

In my whole life, I have had many stange things happen, but these had to have been
the worst. Now remember, watch out for goose bumps, because they might actually
mean there is someone else there.