Noticed a conversation trend at work (I work in a career where I'm working with someone different nearly every day) is about ghosts and the paranormal. Felt like making a thread on here where people could talk about these things, be it experiences you've had yourself, or cool stories you've heard elsewhere.
Since I started the thread, here's a story of my own.
TL;DR - Ghost shit, my story, share your stories!
First, and foremost - yes, I do believe in Ghosts. Supernatural, paranormal, spirits, whatever the case may be, I do believe there is something out there. I didn't use to believe in ghosts until I moved to Japan in 2011 (lived there till mid 2013).
My first experience was in my dorm (studio apartment, whatever), where I woke up at 2359 to see someone standing in my doorway. Our doors were controlled electronically via keycard, except for a standard deadbolt, which I ALWAYS used. So when I woke up and saw this figure in my doorway, I assumed that I finally forgot to deadbolt the door. I was trying to figure out who it was, but there wasn't enough light in the room, so all I saw was a figure that appeared to stand somewhere just over five foot, standing on the left side of my door frame. I sat up, and asked who it was when the figure disappeared. I brushed it off, went back to sleep and woke up the next morning to find my door deadbolted - just as I thought I had left it.
A few weeks later, I wake up during the witching hour (for those who don't know, it's the hour between 0200 and 0300, supposedly exactly opposite the time Christ was crucified) to see a figure standing in my doorway again. This time, I could make out the physical features. It was a girl, once again just over five feet tall, long black hair and a white dress (quite "Grudge" looking, I admit), and although her hair wasn't covering her face, I couldn't see any facial features aside from the shadow of a nose. I lay on my stomach, hands underneath my pillow near my phone, watching her move into my room. She continued walking until she was about three feet from my bed, just across from my head and I could see and feel her looking at me. I looked up at her and she tilted her head to the side (like a dog does when they're trying to hear you better). That did it for me and I grabbed my phone, using the light of the lock screen as a light source and shined it at her, she dissipated.
For awhile, there was no further action between us. I did some digging around with people who had been there much longer than I had and learned quite a few more stories about the surrounding area and heard a story about a girl (who was described much like the one I had seen) who had drowned in a pond on the east side of town somewhere in the 1950's.
A few months later towards the end of a weird and somewhat hard to explain dream, I woke up in Sleep Paralysis (which every culture has a different explanation for), and I know I was awake because of was aware of everything going on in my room, when suddenly I felt a very heavy weight on my back. After that came punches, as if something was sitting on me and throwing blows at my back. I eventually shook myself awake and went to work three hours early just so I wouldn't have to be in my room. After about two days, I had started to pass it off as just a really vivid dream, when I noticed in the mirror bruises on my back.
I've got quite a few more stories about the area I lived in while I was in Japan and a few about where I live now (New Jersey), depending on the interest I'll share those too.