Chronicles & chill #8: Hello? Who's there?

This ghost encounter takes place in Big Sur a few years ago. Me and four of my coworker buddies decided to go on a camping trip to big sur. It was something that we had talked about before, but our schedules never allowed it, and for some reason, all of us decided last minute the time was right and we headed to Big Sur on a spring weekend. 

We set up camp, fired up the grill, had some brewskis, and by early evening, the shrooms were brought out. Not everyone took them. One guy remained sober and was the “lookout guy.” It took a minute for it to hit, but when it did, it was very slow. The sky seemed to have double the number of stars. The full moon appeared to be an arm’s length away, and behind us, the trees kept trying to get our attention. It was a beautiful night, and the shrooms made everything more vibrant and alive.

At first, everything was great, but then we all noticed something.... It was like a movement in the corner of our eye, and when we would turn, everything seemed normal. As the night progressed, so did the curiosity. One of us (not me) decided to walk toward the trees to see once and for all, if there was something there.  John headed towards the trees using his flashlight. We watched from afar, so take this with a grain of salt. John appeared to be chatting with someone or something, and you could hear him say, “Hello, is someone there?”  He came back and said he wasn’t sure, but he saw something, and then it ran away. Unimpressed with the encounter, John said it might have been some kids playing hide-and-seek.

Believable, but it was almost 9 p.m. and most of the campsite were no longer loud and full of people as it had been during the day. We decided to retreat to our campsites for the night; everyone had their own tent. I dozed off to sleep when suddenly,  I was awakened by John yelling, “HEYYYY GET OUT OF MY TENT!” We all woke up and immediately went to his tent, where we found him clearly shaken and trembling. He said he heard someone say, “Hello, is someone there?” in his ear. He said he saw no one, but then his tent started to rattle, almost like it was vibrating for a few seconds.  We all thought maybe the effects of the shrooms made him have a bad dream, so we suggested he sleep in the SUV so he’d be safe. It was almost 2 in the morning, and we were all tired and just wanted to sleep a few more hours and then head home.

So back to our tents we went. At around 4am or so, the blasting of a car alarm woke us all up again. It was the SUV that John had been sleeping in. It went on for a few seconds longer than usual, so I got up and opened the tent. As soon as I got up, it stopped. I looked at our campsite, and the others were also up and standing in front of their tents… annoyed. We went to check on John, and he was also awake and startled inside the SUV. He must have slept on his keys, triggering the alarm. But by then, it was time to pack it up and head home. We made the coffee and started packing at the same time, and that is when someone noticed John’s keys on the foldable table. The alarm couldn’t have been triggered by him, unless he set the alarm off with movement. We all looked at each other, puzzled. The alarm was never on to begin with. As we were finishing the final sips of coffee and finishing packing up our campsite, we noticed one of our buddies had been distant and quiet. The sober one. We thought maybe he just wanted to be home since he was the designated driver for the night. He's probably over being our babysitter.

We asked him, “You okay?” and he said, “are you guys sober now, or should I wait?” We thought he had bad news from home or something. He said he was taking a piss before the car alarm went off. He saw shadows running around the SUV John was in. They would stop, then run around, then stop and run around again. Then the alarm started going off and they dashed into the trees. Nobody said anything for what felt like 30 minutes, but it was probably more like 30 seconds. How did the sober one have the craziest experience? We rode home and tried to enjoy the scenery, but there was an undeniable certainty that things were very off. And we couldn't fully blame it all on shrooms. This uncertainty sent shivers down your spine.

After a few weeks had passed and the shock and creeps had worn off, I decided to research the area in Big Sur. I found out that it was a sacred place where shamans went. Only the most spiritual were allowed into certain areas. I believe the campsite was in an area meant to remain off-limits to regular humans, and the shadows are its protectors. Maybe they thought it was disrespectful to be there since we are regular folk and not shawmans. I have a deeper respect for that area and will no longer camp there, or anywhere else in my life.

You stalk my whole life on the boardwalk....