I was recently chatting with a student who shared the following story about an unsettling encounter that could potentially be paranormal.
So, I’m walking down Devonshire Road around 8pm after visiting Lidl. As I pass Farmfoods and head in the direction of Whitegate Drive, I hear shuffling feet behind me. Right behind me. The kind of closeness that catches you off guard.
But it was more than that. I felt someone waking behind me almost to the point of the hairs on the back of my neck standing. It goes on for maybe 10 seconds before I reached the corner. With the same feeling I took the opportunity to turn around.
Nothing. No one anywhere on either side of the road anywhere near where I had walked. No litter in the wind scraping on the floor, no people or dogs or even cats.
The experience has stuck with me so much because I FELT someone close. In a time of social distancing people are more aware, or I’m more aware, of that six feet bubble and I can’t explain what, but something was close to me that night.
First things: the student strikes me as a reliable reporter. There is nothing to be gained from sharing this story, either financially or in the form of prestige. And, because the narrative makes no attempt to suggest a cause for the phenomena, it can’t even be said that a claim is being made other than there being an inexplicable noise and sensation.
8pm on Devonshire Road (B5124), at the time of year discussed, would be relatively dark, although the road is well-served by streetlamps and traffic lights at the junction of Devonshire Road and Whitegate Drive.
So, throwing the questions out to anyone local, or anyone with relevant knowledge: have you experienced something similar on Devonshire Road or in a similar area? Do you have any explanations for what might have caused this experience?
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