The Singer

[00:00:00] Welcome to Scary Story Podcast. Our stories today are about places, those with unexpected visitors. My name is Edwin and here is a scary story. By far the scariest experience I've ever had in my life happened after I moved out of my parents house.

[00:00:26] This was after I graduated from high school. I was 18 years old and was truly confused about what I wanted to do with my life. My dad was a salesman.

[00:00:37] My mom used to stay at home, so it was more or less conventional and what you would consider to be normal. I remember thinking that things were just never enough. Many of my friends had continued on to college. They were sure of what they wanted to do.

[00:00:55] For me, I just wanted to sing. At the time of course we think that just because we're in choir and get a few solos every now and then that we'll be set to make a career out of it. But I didn't know what I was in for.

[00:01:11] I got a job at a fast food restaurant and ended up renting out an apartment. Though it was more of a half apartment I guess you could say. Back then rent was a lot cheaper. I think I used to pay around $350 so I managed to make ends meet.

[00:01:28] The landlord had converted the back part which at one point included the garage of a large building and it was all put into an apartment on its own. It was weird, but it was cheap and it worked out for a while.

[00:01:42] While I was working I was also taking lessons from a person in the singing business. You know, getting gigs and stuff. I was mostly doing events at parties and at a church with her. Alicia Gomez was her name.

[00:01:56] She had more than enough awards behind her that I didn't quite understand why nobody had ever heard of her. Her voice was raspy now from all those years behind microphones and on stages in the region but the best part about her was the way she taught.

[00:02:13] I could go on and on about everything that she helped me with and I really sat down and think about Alicia. Everything had been tainted by one thing and it wasn't even about her.

[00:02:27] It all started when the landlord told me that they were going to be selling the building and that I just had a couple of months to find another place.

[00:02:35] I remember I asked to borrow the phone at the church where we had settled in for our lessons for several weeks. We were in the meeting area slash classrooms where the kids would take lessons of Christianity or something.

[00:02:48] I wasn't very religious back then and I didn't know how anything worked honestly. Anyway, I think Alicia could tell that I was worried because she asked me what was wrong. It didn't seem like such a hard thing to do at first but after calling all of those places

[00:03:04] I realized I might not have a place to stay and I would be forced to move back in with my parents or ask a friend to take me in for a while. The problem itself seems like such an insignificant one now

[00:03:17] but back then I really wanted to prove to everyone that I could make it on my own and so I explained everything to Alicia and she said she was going to be visiting her sons in Texas for a few weeks

[00:03:31] and would love it if I stayed at her house to take care of it Since I could move out as soon as I wanted to as part of the agreement with my landlord, I agreed

[00:03:41] and so about a week and a half after that I had four boxes and a suitcase ready and it was then picked up with the help of one of my friends and we drove up to the house.

[00:03:52] I had been there a couple of times and it was a beautiful home It was made of gray stones, it had an enormous garden and a large chocolate colored pit bull, Emmy, that liked chase flies and insects around the yard

[00:04:08] The house itself was on its own lot so like without any neighbors sharing walls or anything That side of town had the nicer houses so most of the other ones were like that too

[00:04:20] This one had a wall around the property, a long driveway up to the garage area and then a walkway through the garden and then to the house The last time I had been there was for a reunion of her and some of her friends from the industry

[00:04:35] and though most were retired they knew a ton about every aspect of making it It had been a night time event so we had all been in the yard I had been only in that living room area when we moved in for late night coffee that same night

[00:04:51] but that was that Thinking that I would have that place to myself for a little under a month made me feel a huge relief but also there was something odd about the place that I couldn't put my finger on

[00:05:07] In the garden some of the larger decorations looked like tombstones and even though the area was well kept it had a lot of plants like an exaggerated amount of them and it made the areas around the house feel so dark

[00:05:23] There was no way to see through the garden because of all the thickness of it Inside the house it was more of the same thing Alicia liked portraits and she had many of herself along the walls

[00:05:37] and also had painted versions of her artist friends and even older imagery At one point I asked her about the black and white photographs and she said that they had been there when she had gotten the house and in such an Alicia way of saying things

[00:05:54] she claimed that an artist's work should be respected and so she kept everything Plus she said she didn't want to upset them them I thought back then was referring to the artists but them turned out to be something else

[00:06:14] Alicia was there for two more nights coming and going while I stayed in the guest bedroom I didn't know how busy she used to be which made me appreciate her making the time to work with me even more But finally one night

[00:06:32] she said that she was going to be catching her flight early in the morning and we said her goodbyes and she gave me the list of tasks that she had scribbled on the backside of a flyer one that came in the mail

[00:06:43] It was said mainly things about watering her plants what Emmy needed to eat and how often some cash to buy food and whatnot My time there was to be 100% dedicated to finding a place to stay

[00:06:58] I didn't want to reach the end of November without knowing where I was going to be staying next but I also couldn't cross out the idea that I would have to live with roommates that I needed to be more open with things I just couldn't be picky

[00:07:12] The first thing I noticed was that silence that next morning Alicia, despite her being an older woman with a serious expression all the time she loved putting on music every morning when she cooked breakfast She liked to spend time outside in the seating area of her garden

[00:07:32] But now there was nothing and I had that whole house to myself For the first few days or so everything went great But around day 10 I started feeling a weird sense of uneasiness especially at night It might have been all in my head

[00:07:54] but I would hear footsteps around the house Emmy used to sleep outside in her doghouse and no matter how I tried to explain it to myself made no sense One night, it was around 11

[00:08:09] and I had just gotten home from work with the burger and fries I had been given When I was in the guest room, I had the television on and I was just doing my own thing when I clearly heard someone was walking around the living room area

[00:08:24] The floors were made of creaky wood so it was pretty clear I turned down the volume all the way and tried to stay completely still on the bed hoping that I wouldn't make the springs make noise when I heard the footsteps but someone was coming up the stairs

[00:08:47] In my head, I was imagining where the steps were and maybe five or so steps later when they should have been in the middle of the staircase The sound stopped I stood up and locked the door to the room

[00:09:02] I stepped back from it as silently as I could staring at the doorknob just in case I saw any movement But after a few moments, I realized no I was safe I kept the television on the whole night until I fell asleep

[00:09:22] That next morning as I was walking down the stairs I tried to look for clues I don't know if I was looking for footprints or any signs of anyone being in the house but the front door and the side doors were locked The windows were shut

[00:09:37] and nothing seemed out of place Well, except for one thing You see, when I was walking up the stairs a little while later I noticed that along the hallway on the side where Elysia's room was whenever portraits was leading against the wall on the floor

[00:09:59] I just left it like that assuming that maybe I hadn't noticed it had already been that way The next several nights, although I was creeped out I didn't hear much The occasional knock or steps around the house but that was it

[00:10:16] It creeped me out but I tried not to make a big deal out of it But it was on that third week just a couple of days before Elysia was going to return when I found out what it was Now, I don't know what time it was

[00:10:32] but Emy started barking uncontrollably from out in the yard I looked outside and found her growling at one of the windows of the house And I was just about to open mine to get Emy's attention But then I heard noises from inside of the house

[00:10:52] Emy then gelbed and whined and backed away toward the garden She laid down on the grass and she kept still Now completely quiet Do you know how when a trained dog gets called or told to lay down? That's what she did

[00:11:13] I wanted to find out what the noises were and realizing that I would probably never get the chance to stay there again and figure it out I made up my mind to walk out of the room and peek out from the railings of the upstairs hallway

[00:11:27] It sounded like someone was walking around or arranging objects in the living room area of the house So I opened up my door and stepped out quietly I leaned toward the handrails There was something there

[00:11:45] I could clearly see a woman floating from the living room area toward the bottom of the stairs She wore a long black skirt and a white blouse Her hair up in a style I had only seen in old movies I was frozen but not in fear

[00:12:03] though I definitely felt it But it was as if my body just wouldn't react and yet I still wanted to find out who she was I didn't put two and two together and I just watched as she moved up the stairs toward the hallway Toward me

[00:12:26] When people tell you about a ghost that they saw they usually say that they couldn't see its face but I could I remember it still looked right at me before she disappeared The house was completely still after that I remember that walk back to my room

[00:12:48] maybe just nine or ten steps but still those chills and how my conception of reality was shifting at that very moment With every step etching itself even more into my brain I don't know how I slept that night with the footsteps the movement

[00:13:08] It was as if the house itself was alive and I kept imagining that woman in her face looking right at me When Alicia got back and asked me how everything was I told her in that tone that showed that I wasn't exactly afraid

[00:13:26] but that I noticed something was off She knew what I was talking about and stood in silence for a while lost in thought eventually there was sigh and a half smile she looked away and said to herself that maybe it was time to put her portrait back

[00:13:50] The second story is called You Need to Leave and it's coming up right after this stay with me It was at one of those old motels that you find along the road you know Me and two other people I had met at school

[00:14:20] had the idea to go to the Grand Canyon and even though we hadn't known each other for long we became friends we thought it would be cool and adventurous something to do right before the spring semester started From the north part of California

[00:14:38] you have to go either through the mountains or around them either through the north or the desert in the south and we decided to go through the desert I'm not sure of the name of the place but it was one of those generic ones like mountain inn

[00:14:53] or like canyon motel It was right before going through one of the passes where there's nothing around for miles The place had two large beds so two of us, me and the other guy took one bed and the girl got her own

[00:15:07] and seriously I don't know how anyone stays at motels I've refused to do so ever since and even though not every one of them is bad or you know has a weird thing going on I'm telling you this one had the strangest vibe to it

[00:15:25] It was hard not to notice it There were no other places or businesses around it for miles except for an old gas station that wasn't even open 24 hours like we're used to The attendant at the front was this old guy not trained well in customer service at all

[00:15:42] and the room reeked of smoke and even though there was a huge no smoking sign on the backside of the door We were all tired so we didn't speak very much

[00:15:53] Plus I was the one that had chosen the place we were going to stay at through an app and I didn't want to be the one to say Hey guys, do you notice how creepy this place is?

[00:16:04] I stepped out of the room for a bit just to get some air outside I hadn't really seen snow in my life except for one time when we drove by a snowy road when I was a kid so I wanted to check out the area

[00:16:18] When I stepped out into the hallway I happened to see what seemed like a very tall person walking around the corner in the direction that I would be walking to I normally avoid people so I don't have to say hi or anything

[00:16:32] but there was no other way for me to go and so I kept walking I passed by the area where the other person should have been But instead of finding a hallway or some other room I just found a tiny nook

[00:16:47] not even large enough to be a waiting room It only had a snack machine, a drink machine and something I'm assuming was the ice machine though it said that it was out of order There was no one else and there was nowhere to hide

[00:17:03] I figured it must have been all in my head so I went out toward the entrance and stood around the benches I was out by the parking lot looking around Two other cars were there that night and they were on the other side of where ours was

[00:17:18] That stillness in the night was incredible Growing up in Southern California you'd never get that type of quiet anywhere But it was too cold for me so after a few minutes I turned around and walked back inside and that's when I saw the silhouette again

[00:17:36] It was turning toward the same area I had seen it the first time The vending machines were This time I was sure that I had seen somebody That's all figure, a man wearing a long coat all in black and turning the corner

[00:17:53] But once again after I passed by there there was nothing I went back to the room where my two friends were and they were getting ready to sleep My spot was over by the window where the heater was

[00:18:09] So I just got ready for bed while all three of us talked for a bit about what we would be doing the next day The conversation died on its own and soon everyone was fast asleep

[00:18:21] Not much time had passed before I was woken up by a light tapping on the window A persistent one like they were trying to get my attention I laid perfectly still to see if maybe it would stop on its own

[00:18:35] and after a couple more taps everything was silent again I thought it must have been someone from outside, a homeless person or some other guest that was confusing the room's window with someone else Maybe they had forgotten their key or something

[00:18:53] All I could hear was that soft humming of the heater next to me and for a brief moment I thought that maybe that was the cause of the tapping With that relief in mind I was able to relax a bit

[00:19:06] and then just when I was about to go to sleep I heard it again but this time it wasn't just a tap I could hear a faint whisper saying clearly You need to leave The thing was that the voice wasn't coming from outside of the room but

[00:19:29] right in there right in front of me by the foot of the bed I remember smiling to myself nervously wondering what was happening but I was also trying to talk myself out of thinking that it was anything other than my own imagination Then I heard the tapping again

[00:19:48] This time I turned my head toward the window only to see the tall figure of a man standing right against it looking angrily toward me Whisper You need to leave I sat up leaning toward the headrest trying to scream but with nothing coming out

[00:20:11] I tried to shake Teaches my friend awake but he wouldn't budge I don't know how long I spent trying to avoid looking at this thing's eyes but before I knew it that was awake I just opened my eyes looking straight up at the ceiling

[00:20:27] The whole thing had been a nightmare and it was gone That was safe Through the glow coming from the outside I could tell that my friends were sleeping I could feel my shoulders relaxing even against that stiff mattress but still I wasn't able to fall back asleep

[00:20:47] So I reached for my phone that had been charging on the floor When I once again saw that dark figure standing right next to me You need to leave

[00:21:01] But then from behind me I heard Anna gasp and suddenly the lamp in between the beds flooded the room with its orange glow She asked loudly who the hell that was and Teaches woke up unaware of what we had both seen

[00:21:17] I asked Anna if she had seen it and she said that yes it was a man standing by the window He had vanished as soon as she turned on the lamp We stayed up for most of the night

[00:21:30] Me and Leanna and I were talking about what we had seen and telling other stories And then I told her about the figure I had seen earlier that same night I don't know what it was And despite all my research about that place I haven't found anything

[00:21:50] Anna and I have remained good friends ever since and whenever we meet up with Teaches and the story comes up He still thinks we're pranking him And that's alright At least I know and Anna knows that there's more out there

[00:22:26] Scary Story Podcast is part of the Scary FM collection of podcasts You can get ad-free episodes by visiting scaryplus.com or via our Apple Podcast channel Up next be sure to search for true scary story on your app

[00:22:40] So listen to true accounts from people who lived through them You can get in touch with me over at edwin.fm or via email

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[00:23:10] Thank you very much for coming back and listening to my stories See you soon