An Unusual Experience

As many of you know, I love a good ghost story. Whenever I travel, I automatically look for local lore about haunted places and events. Although I am interested in the paranormal,I actually consider myself to be rather skeptical of the various stories I've heard. I know that surprises many folks who are familiar with my penchant for the unexplained, but its true.

Anyway, I have had a few "different" experiences so far in my life. I am not saying these experiences are paranormal in nature; in fact, in the case I'd like to discuss now, I'd love to find a rational explanation. So if you have any ideas, let me know!

It was a LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time ago when I was in college (no, I won't tell you just how long ago). I was home for a holiday, and both my parents were at work. In true college student fashion, I chose to sleep in late on the morning in question.

At some point that morning I woke up and went to the restroom. It was probably around 8:30 a.m., and sunlight was streaming through my two windows. My room was well-lit by the sun, and although I was still somewhat sleepy, I was definitely awake. I used the restroom, got a drink of water, and decided, quite lazily, to return to bed. Ahhhh, college days.

Anyway, I laid down and, as I waited for sleep to find me, began to toss and turn in an effort to find a comfortable spot. About five minutes or so after I laid down, I rolled over and found myself facing the bedroom door, and a strange man standing in the hallway.

Now, to fully grasp the scene, let me describe our house to you. It is an older ranch-style house, with my bedroom at the end of the hallway. I never considered this house to be "haunted," despite a couple of random events (I'll share those later).

The man stood just outside my room, in the dark hallway. Even today, many, many, many years later, I can still see him. He was of medium height, broad-chested and stocky. He wore dark pants,a red flannel shirt, and a toboggan-style knit cap. He had a scruffy beard darkening the lower half of his face, and his over-all complexion is best described as "swarthy."

But the most upsetting aspect of my visitor was the expression on his face. It was extremely hostile. He stood in the doorway, head lowered, glowering at me from underneath his heavy eyebrows. He did not move, did not say anything, merely stood there and stared. It was absolutely terrifying, and I was paralyzed

I stared at him for what seemed like forever, before I managed to break eye contact and look away. When I gathered my courage enough to look back, he was gone.

This event scared me so badly that I jumped up and immeditely called my father, who was at work approximately an hour away. While on the phone with him, I searched the entire house, but found nothing.

So what happened? Did I dream the entire event? Was it a case of sleep paralysis, or night terrors? Or did I really have an unknown visitor that morning?