“Back when I was 9 years old, my family went on a trip to Houston. I was sitting in the very back seat, while my sister was in the row ahead of me and my parents were in the front. I was eating chips when I looked out the window next to me. It was early in the morning, so it was still pretty dark.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow of a man. It looked like he was on the trunk of our van. I got a bit freaked out, but I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me since I had been in the car for so long. I pulled my blanket up to my face and started watching videos on my phone with the blanket over me.
Then suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
My body went cold, and it felt like my heart was going to fall out of my chest. I slowly pulled the blanket down, but there was nothing behind me. When I looked out the window, mind you, we were driving and I saw the face of a man wearing a strange hat pressed against the glass. His face was completely black, like a shadow.
My heart stopped for a moment.
I can still remember that face to this day. It was entirely black, but I could see the eyes—the white around them stood out. Its mouth was wide open, with no teeth, just a pink tongue.
I quickly looked away and moved away from the window. My stomach dropped, like when you go down a roller coaster. I pressed my back against the other side of the car and looked back at the window. The shadow was gone.
Then I felt tingles at the back of my neck.
I turned my head—there was another window next to me—and I saw the shadow again. Same pose. Same everything. But now it was on the other side.
I jumped, hitting my head on the roof of the car. My sister turned around and asked if I was okay. I quickly told her what I saw, but she just laughed and said my mind was probably playing tricks on me since I had been in the car so long.
When I looked back at the window, the shadow was still there.
I told her to look.
But the moment she turned her head, the shadow disappeared. She laughed again and told me to stop joking around.
I leaned back in my seat as the sun slowly started to rise. I didn’t see the shadow again—but it still haunts me to this day.
If y’all ever see something like that, don’t be afraid to tell someone… because you’re not alone.” -Emily
