The Tape Library - Archive of the Paranormal & the Unexplained - Your Real Life Ghost Stories (Episode 4)

Episode Date: March 10, 2023

I have three brand new real life ghost stories to bring you tonight. 3 stories of the the supernatural to keep you up all night. First we take a trip to Ireland and hear a possible sighting of one of the countries oldest pieces of folklore, the banshee. Then we see the terrifying apparition of a little girl who brings death with her. Before finally, hearing about a brief encounter with one of the most widely reported paranormal entities in the world, The Hat Man. These paranormal incidents bring with them terrifying omens from beyond the grave. Every story here is true, and told in the witnesses own words. If you want to find out more the links to original posts can be found below. Do you have a supernatural story to share? Drop me an email at [e-mail] You can check out The Tape Library in video form at www.youtube.com/thetapelibrary Sources Case 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghoststories/comments/113t123/the_banshee_in_the_bog/ By Tiarnán Case 2 - https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghoststories/comments/10v5843/the_whiteeyed_child/ Case 3 - https://www.reddit.com/r/Ghoststories/comments/10oqj18/so_are_big_shadow_people_dangerous_or_no/ Stock footage and additional audio courtesy of Envato, Canva and Ghosthack Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thetapelibrary Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thetapelibrary Archive of the Paranormal, the strange and the unexplained. The Tape Library brings you the creepiest stories, to keep you horror junkies up all night. True scary stories of ghosts, cryptids, UFOs and true crime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the tape library. Tonight I'm bringing you free terrifying real-life paranormal stories. The people who have experienced these nightmares have kindly allowed me to share their experiences with you all. Maybe to open the minds of more people out there to the wonders of the world. Or maybe, as a warning. Have you ever experienced something unexplainable? You can find my email address in the description if you'd like to have your story shared on the tape library. You can also leave me a comment below this video.

If I get a few, I'll try to read out the best ones on the next episode. Okay, so grab a warm drink, get yourself comfortable, and we'll get started with the first case. And trust me, this is going to be a good one. Case 1. The Banshee in the Bog. Irish folklore is littered with mysterious and terrifying creatures. The kind that sounds so unbelievable that the people speak of with such conviction that you can't help but wonder if there must be a layer of truth buried in there. Old people in particular still hold a belief of the fairy folk and law of ancient island.

Before she passed away, my grandmother would have us sat down in her cottage and filled its walls with the tails of all kinds of spirits, from silently watchful black hounds to the kelpie, a water horse that would seduce you into riding it, before darting into the depths of a lake and galloping into its murky depths. When my parents would collect us, mum would scow when she found out about the ghost story session. knowing that neither my brother nor I would be getting much sleep that night. Nevertheless, I cherish these fireplace memories, as they take me back to a simpler time when the dark winter evenings would be filled with life in the form of granny's lilting age voice. My favourite of these creatures,

or least favourite, I suppose, given the endless amounts of nightmares it implanted into my mind as a child, was the Banchie, a spirit tied to particular families. Legend has it that she appears in different forms, but tends to favour that of either a beautiful but distraught woman, or of a hunched, ailing old washerwoman, if it appeared by sight at all. It is even more distinct, you see, by its unearthly cry. Its wails and weeps would fill a room, or would be audible from miles away across the countryside. The person who crosses path with the banshee or its cry should quickly alert the family,

as this is a signal that someone from the family has died or is set to die. Yes, the banshee is an omen of death. As I grew older, I became cynical to the tales of the tale of the story. my grandmother had spouted, including that of the Banchi. I moved to the city for university at 18, and in immersing myself with life in the modern world, the ways of country life seemed to evaporate. A small-scale reflection of the increasingly modernised world, I guess. Sad when you think about it.

Isn't it? That was until one particular summer. My parents had recently downsized to a small cottage deep in the barren Irish west, where the roar of city life was inaudible. I stayed with my parents for the month of July, and spent long, languid days roaming their nearby fields and looking out for signs of wildlife, such as the foxes that roamed late at dusk, or the bats that flew low along the lanes, which were laden with sprawling plant life. My story begins, I suppose, in the second week of my stay. I had taken to going for twilight walks, making the most of our northern sun, which can see daylight lasting until close to 11pm. I was some miles away from the house, but could sense darkness approaching, and decided to make my way home. Nighttime in that part of the country is utterly dark, and not something you want to find yourself swallowed by.

It was, as I was walking back, that I heard it. The most startling, biting cry. It seemed to feel the world around me, as though echoing against stone walls, even though I was surrounded by open nature. I can try to describe it by saying that it was on one hand, the sound of a woman in sharp pain, but equally that of a grieving mother, sobbing. sobbing at the loss of her child. I was momentarily horrified. In one moment it seemed that all of my cynicism was laid to rest,

and that I should run home without question. What sort of horrific creature was capable of producing a sound like this? However, I then tried to apply logic. After all, can't foxes make the most spine-t tingling noises when they're distressed, or even in heat, there had to be a purely natural explanation to this, in spite of how undisputably unnatural it sounded. Whatever it was, I didn't want to stick around to find out. I would run home, I decided, and alert my parents, just in case someone was genuinely in distress or harm. I began to pick up my pace, breaking into a jog. Something in the periphery of my vision

brought me to a sharp and sudden stop. To my left was bogland, an area I had been warned never to walking, as it would be all too easy to sink into the wet ground and become stuck or even suffocate. It was shocking to me, therefore, that in the midst of this bogland stood a woman. Long, silvery, blonde hair

twisting in the evening breeze. The relative did. Distance and encroaching darkness made it hard to make her out entirely, but she looked to be in her early to mid-twenties, my age. And her face was contorted in what looked like either pain or horror. It was from her mouth I realized that the bone-chilling screams were emerging. Initially I was stunned. This was so adverse to anything I had experienced in this part of the world so far.

which seemed so devoid of alarm or drama or consequence. But I shook myself then, and called out to the woman as loudly as I could. Hello? What's wrong? Are you stuck? She seemed to register me. Small eyes turning in my direction, but there was no response. Aside from the continuous screech, which now pounded in my head. Hello? I'm going to try to get help. I'll be back as soon as I can. With that, I ripped my eyes from the woman and darted back to the house as quickly as I could.

I was around a mile away, but phone signal was limited in that part of the country. And I knew I needed to get home in order to do something to assist the woman. It would have been of risked my own life to have walked across the bogland towards her. When I got home, my parents' warm faces quickly dropped, to looks of alarm upon registering me. What is it? You look as if you've seen a ghost. I quickly filled them in on what I'd seen, and they sprung into action, grabbing the phone and the lurking in the local garter, a police force. In the meantime, my father and I leapt into the same.

the car to make our way back to the spot, whilst my mother waited for the guarder to arrive. By car we were there within minutes, and I quickly directed my father to where I had seen the incident. I pried myself on my sense of direction, and the lane is fairly straightforward, so I was utterly bemused when I realised that there was no woman in sight, nor sound within earshot, bar the standard noises of a country evening. We scanned the area, but still nothing. When my mother arrived with the constable, he questioned me about where I had seen the woman, and raised his eyebrow when I said she was no longer there.

There's no way she could have been submerged in that space of time. You said she was standing fully upright when you saw her here, right? That's right. She was a bit of a distance away, but it didn't look like her legs were submerged, at all. It was the screaming that made me run for help, he nodded. Okay, son, thank you. Could you, very clearly, tell me once again exactly what you saw? Try not to miss anything out. I did so, relaying the story to him again and trying to interpret his facial reactions as I did so. He remained quite neutral, writing my account on my account

onto his notepad. When I finished he paused, before speaking slowly. Right, I'm going to say that first off, given how few people live around here, I myself can't say that I know anyone fit in that description. I like to think I know each and everyone around these parts. However, I'm going to file a report and investigate this further. It might be that she got herself free and walked off again. Here he stopped and bit the end of his pen, looking thoughtful, before continuing with some visible discomfort. I want to thank you for alerting me about this. I just want to say though before I set off. I've heard cases like this in the past. Figures, women, appearing around the countryside, alarming a pass-a-by-by-by-

with their cry. I, well again, officially I'm going to handle this, as I'd handle any other case, but I want you to do me a favour. Check in with your family this evening and see how they're doing. It might sound odd, but can you do that for me? Dad looked perplexed to this and seemed like he was going to ask further questions, but The mum interjected nodding. Yes, officer, I think I understand you. We'll do that. With that we drove home.

The darkness of the land around us was impenetrable. Aside from the light of the car's full beam, it was a moonless night. We didn't need to contact our family members that evening. Well, we got in contact. But what I mean to say is that they reached out first. My mother's brother-in-law had sent her a message when we'd been out. The message wasn't long, it simply read. Hi Bridgett.

Try to contact you and I reply. Please call. When mum got through, she was distraught to find out that her sister had passed away that evening. It had been a sudden medical event that nobody had predicted. Aunt Sarah had been living with her husband and family in the USA for years. We saw her biannually most years, but the death shook us up nevertheless. In the days that followed, we sprung into action, assisting with funeral arrangements in whatever way we could, and booking flights to Boston. I didn't voice it to my parents, not wanting to upset them further.

I couldn't help but consider the incident with the woman in the bog and what the officer had said to us. My logical mind tried its best to protest, but my memory kept tiptoeing back to the stories my grandmother had told me years ago, particularly those of the Banshee. Was it possible that this could have been the explanation? Was the woman in the field trying to alert me, to warn me about the impending death of my aunt? It took two years for me to bring this up to my mother. I was once again visiting home, and we were drinking to my mother.

tea in the garden was yet another summer evening at twilight and I was taken back to that night by the bog I voiced my memories to my mum and asked her if she remembered what the constable had said she gazed into her teacup sighed and looked up at me slowly yes son I remember do you recall me telling him that I thought I might understand yes mum I do. Your dad was ready to question him. Well, this might sound crazy to you, but I did understand. You see, about three years before that, something similar had happened. I took an intake of breath, and she must have seen my eyes widen. Oh no, I didn't see a woman, if that's what you think.

But I did hear a cry from within the walls of our old home. On the evening your granny passed away. passed away, as though someone was screaming deep inside the house. Of course the difference is we were prepared that time. We knew it was only a matter of days or hours. But I did hear the cry. It terrified me at the time. It's part of the reason we sold up and moved to this cottage. I was dumbstruck.

When I finally found my voice I told her, I hope that she hadn't come to hate the new house too, following what I had seen two years before. Oh no, she responded. Now I actually think this helped me a great deal with the first occasion, believe it or not. You see, I think maybe it's not a bad thing. She was distressed, you say, when you saw her there, the woman in the bog, I mean. Or perhaps she was just as sad as we were. Perhaps she's just part of the family.

I do wonder if anyone has seen or heard her in the past. Your grandmother, well, you remember her stories. I used to grimace when I came home to you and your brother shuddering on her sofa. I still stand by that. She smiled wistfully at me, as she said this, and I was transported back to the corner of the old child. sofa, but it could be that she knew there was some truth behind what she was saying. Perhaps your grandmother, my mother, had seen our sad friend too.

With that she finished her tea, lifted both cups from the table and walked to the sink, leaving me filled with thoughts, nostalgia, and an overwhelming sense of closeness to my own family, culture and land that I hadn't felt before. If you want to delve deeper into any of these cases, then you can find the links to all the original posts in the description. If you enjoy these tales of the unexplainable, then please consider giving this video a like and subscribing. Doing both these things will mean I can bring you more creepy tales directly to your homepage. Case number two. The White Eyed Child.

There are a few warnings I want to get out of the way before I tell this story. First, there are mentions of suicide. I don't go into any detail just out of respect for the individual involved in their family. Secondly, I will also be talking about depression and anxiety. This story is extremely dark, but also terrifying. I have never had something like this happen again, thank goodness. To begin, I need to tell you what's exactly. a white-eyed child is. There's not a lot of information about them, but from the research

I've done, they're messengers of death. Another name for them is angels of death. A lot of elderly people tend to see them right before they die. It's also said if you see one, it means either you or someone you know is about to pass on. At the time of the sighting, I had no knowledge about these children or their meanings. I didn't connect the dots until later on, the dots being seen the child, and then the death that followed. So a little backstory.

I got a job at this retirement home after I had to move out of my parents' house at the age of 18. Finding employment was proving difficult. So my best friend's mother, Lola, did me a solid and got me a job at the place she worked. The building was old, it was formerly a train station, before it was converted into a retirement home. Since it was where many people lived for the remainder of their lives, there were a lot of deaths over the years, which meant there were shadow figures.

I remember asking my co-worker about them, and she said it wasn't uncommon to spot one in the corner of your eye. She told me not to worry about it, and they were harmless. That was about the extent of the paranormal activity that I had encountered. However, while working there, I had some severe anxiety, something I had never suffered from before. Probably didn't help that the environment was pretty toxic. My boss was sexist, and the kitchen was filled with middle-aged women, with nothing bare to do than gossip.

It wasn't my first time working in a less... an ideal place, but I had my old job, which just so happened to be Walmart. I never felt anxiety like this. It was always dread. I actually had my first anxiety attack working at that retirement home. It was scary and out of the blue. Probably one of the worst experiences of my life. And I never had anxiety again after I left.

Anyway, the day I saw the white-eyed child was just a regular workday. I worked as a dishwasher, but I also helped prep, mainly peeling potatoes and helping out with other things. So I was on my way to the pantry to grab something. When this little girl popped up in front of me, startled me so badly that I stopped dead in my tracks, half expecting to mow a little girl down. She was gone just as soon as she appeared. I remember glancing around the kitchen, seeing any of my other co-workers, spotted the little girl. but they were all carrying on with their tasks, as if nothing had happened.

I recall some of her details. She wore a white, told-and-day dress, blonde pigtails, a white nightcap, and white eyes. I might have only seen her for a millisecond, but I'll never forget how her eyes had no irises or pupils. To describe dishpit, who is in the shape of the yew. Beside my workstation was a door that led out to the dining room. The door had a small window. This is important to the story. These large windows in the dining room overlooked the street in front of the building.

It was around 2pm when I spotted red and blue flashing lights in that little window. My co-worker came in shortly after in tears. I asked her what was wrong. And she informed me of resident. had taken their life. For some reason, I decided to walk out of the kitchen to see that the entire street was filled with fire trucks, ambulances and police.

Again, I won't go into detail, but I will say it was horrible. I knew who the resident was. They were kind, and they were caring, and they were a wonderful human being. Their passing weighed heavily on us all, making working at that place even harder. I'm unsure how to describe this next part,

but the atmosphere felt heavy, not sad, but... Evil. I know I sound insane, but it's like on top of being sad for our friend. It was also like something had taken up residence in that building, like it was feeding off of our misery. There were a lot of deaths following this passing. A lot of health problems, and even the employees were suffering from the effects. I felt into a deep depression that I'm still suffering from.

Though that has been something that I've been struggling with for a while. Anyway, that is the story of the white-eyed child. It's incredibly dark and does not have a happy ending. But I'll never forget it. I will say that if you or someone, you know is suffering, please reach out. I know I sound like a broken record, but from one broken person to another, you're not alone. More importantly, don't be ashamed of reaching out. You're not weaker for a missing you need help. You're a heck of a lot stronger for it.

We've got time for just one more short story tonight, but I couldn't resist another encounter with. The Shadow People. Case number three. Are shadow people dangerous? This was a few years back when I was still high school aged. It was during the summer and I remember that if only because of how hot it had been during the day. I had to go to sleep in thin pajamas with my fan going full blast to keep me cool during the night. Thanks for you know I'm waking up and I looked at my alarm clock.

It had been 2.40 something a.m. when I got up to drink some water because I was parched. I had just stepped out of my room and opened my eyes because I had been rubbing at them to wake up a little more before I paused. My light light was on. Yes, I use a nightlight. So what? And there was something in front of me,

sucking up the light from it. Say about five feet away. It was tall, black. and had what looked like some type of hat on. Pretty sure it was a fedora because of the way it tipped. I just froze up for a bit while staring at it, before flicking on the hallway light. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise the longer I stared at it.

Once I had flicked on the lights, it was gone. I've never felt so terrified before or since. Are those types of shadow people dangerous or something? That's all for tonight. If you take anything from these three encounters, I hope it's this. If you happen to see something strange tonight, something that doesn't seem quite right, something you can't explain, then check in with those you care about. Maybe these entities are trying to warn us.

If something is about to happen, then will change our world. Thank you for joining me. I'll see you next time. Sweet dreams.