Here are five reader submissions that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Which true ghost story do you find the most unnerving?

More Strange Activity at the House on the Hill
It seems the haunted house on the hill is still quite active…

“So something creepy happened to John and the guy riding with him at the haunted house yesterday. He got his work truck stuck in the mud (which in itself is hilarious) and they were sitting in the truck about 50 or 60 feet from the house, waiting for my dad or bro to come pull them out. While waiting, John and the new guy started joking around and asking ‘the ghosts’ for help getting out of the mud. About 30 minutes into the wait, they suddenly started hearing music. Loud music. John described it as old timey jazz. It faded in and out a few times then they heard a couple strange moaning sounds. After that, it all stopped. About 20 minutes later, help arrived and pulled them out of the mud.”

Figure in the Churchyard
“This is my ghostly experience: I was in a dark churchyard (how cliché!), and I saw a silhouette of someone. I thought it was my older brother and called his name out. The figure turned to look at me, then walked towards a brick wall and disappeared. I was alone in the churchyard at the time.”

The Haunted Firehouse
I’ve lived next to a haunted firehouse for almost 25 years. I have heard many stories from locals about how it is haunted. For example, apparitions, shadows, and noises that cannot be explained. I occasionally heard voices through the air conditioner while gardening in my yard, and I know no one was there. My son, a fireman, and I heard a door slam at the firehouse when no one was there. He ran to see who it was, but there was no one. My son, the brave fireman, is afraid to go into the firehouse alone, especially at night. So are some of the others. This is a TRUE story!

Making Her Presence Known
After my sister died, we had the usual lights flickering, bulbs actually being blown out, and lamps no longer working. One night, the family was sitting in the kitchen, and even though there was no fire in the fireplace, the glass doors shattered. My husband called to tell me this while I was out shopping. I told him my second son was home from college and he was my sister’s favorite. She made her presence known. He said ‘Your sister was never any trouble when she was alive. Those doors are expensive to replace.’”

A Haunted Childhood
“When I was three or four, I was in my room under the covers. Suddenly, the walls turned green and this painting that had creeped me out since I had come back to New York turned a very bright green. I was freaked, so I froze in a straight position. A few seconds later, a floating green misty girl appeared from out of the painting. I almost screamed, but then it frowned in my direction, turned around, and floated back into the painting. She was dressed in normal 1890s-1940s night clothes, had a brown spot near her waist, and had hair about a foot long. I later guessed she was a blonde who had been killed by a gun.

When I was about seven, three more strange things happened. I was again in my room when the closet door became transparent and I saw two soldiers, three women, and their five children. I also saw someone pointing to a map that is now at least 233 years old. Considering that Buffalo was a city back in 1775 during the American Revolution, I guessed that the people were rebels and their families.

Months later, on a play date, me and a friend found a small mitten print near the fireplace that had been there since 1883. We then went to the attic and heard voices saying ‘It’s got to be done Tom, tonight!’ Then we ran as fast as possible and told my parents. Like everyone else, they didn’t believe me. Another time I was in my room and a Japanese guarding puppet started dancing very slowly and menacingly at around 11:56 p.m. These are a few of my many ghost encounters.”

Have a true ghost story to share? Email ghostsghoul@gmail.com or click the button below. I love to receive creepy tales from Ghosts and Ghouls’ readers!