A HAUNTING IN SCHENECTADY

Lo siguiente que voy a publicar aquí es un caso verídico, escrito en inglés. Tiene que ver con un evento que le ocurrió a mi hermano hace ya más de cincuenta años. Se que habrán muchos que dudarán de lo que van a leer. Créanme que he tratado de que lo publiquen en otros medios informativos, pero parece que no hay mucho interés en lo sucedido.

A HAUNTING IN SCHENECTADY

In January 1,1964, I believe, is when our parents moved us to 252 Schenectady avenue, in Brooklyn, New York. We lived there for about six month, at an apartment on the second floor to the right, until my father was in the business of purchasing a store on 22 St. and Fourth Avenue, on a corner right across from the Riviera Night Club.

Right from jump start, my brother, Georgie Rodríguez Candelario, started to experience a haunting at this address.

Through the years we barely spoke about it, since we both found it to be so terrifying. But about a week ago we brought up the subject again and this time I was able to except his version in full detail, without trying to just ignore it.

He is about to celebrate his 60th birthday, on March the 25, so I decided, before it's too late, to write a short version of what happened and see if anybody would be interested in recording it or maybe even give him an interview, since he is the one who experienced the frightening event.

The entrance to the apartment was through a door immediately to the right, once you reached the second floor. Inside, to the left, there was a hallway, while walking through the same, immediately to the right, you would pass by the bathroom, further down, also at the right, then came another room in which my mother decided to have my brother sleep in. The bed was placed sideways, glued to the back wall. The foot stand being at the left side of the room, the head stand to the right and immediately above was located a window, located right at that same corner. To the left of the room was a large opening from where the kitchen could be seen. Next and last came the kitchen, which at the end, in the middle, had a garbage shaft. My brother remembers this small detail about the garbage shaft, something which I can't recall. Let me remind the reader that this event took place over a century ago.

At night the hallway seemed like some dark cavern from the pits of hell.

To the right of the main entrance door, passing through at a short distance, with the right wall curving inwards to the left and at about three feet of distance, inmediately to the left, was an open space where I slept, the right wall had an opening from where you could view the living room, which also opened as a master bedroom, where our parents slept.

Let me explain that my brother and I where the only child's, my brother being the oldest.

Georgie told me that on our first stay at this place, once we where put to sleep, is when the haunting started. He said he would hear foot steps that seemed to come from the area of the main entrance door to the apartment. The foot steps, on the wooden floor, would become louder and louder, until it reached his room, once inside the entity would stand right beside my brother's bed. He told me that he would become terrified and covered himself from head to toe. He decided to take a peek to see what it was, he saw what seemed to be a young skinny man, dressed in black and what seemed like a black overcoat, when he looked further upwards he saw very white hands a piece of the white sleeve of the shirt and a handkerchief sticking out of his left pocket, a black tie, the features of the face, which seemed that of a good looking young man, dark eye's and black hair.

The scene was so terrifying that he covered himself and never dared to look at the haunting entity again. If he dared to move a finger or swallow in fear, it would get closer and closer to the bed. In certain instances it would seemed to breathe upon him if he decided to move again, for what ever reason.

After that first experience, when ever it was time to go to bed, I remember seeing him cry hysterically and pleading to my mother not to let him sleep in that room, she would grab him by the arm and without any mercy, drag him down the hall way, straight to the room. Feeling sorry for my brother, I tried pleading to our mother not to let my brother go back to that bedroom and have him sleep in my bed instead.

The reason why my mother was so merciless, sincerely I had no clue, something for which I could never forgive her for. It's was completely beyond my comprehension.

Through the years we sometimes wish that our mother was the one who would have been forced to sleep there and experience for her own eyes what was going on.

The event continued for about five and a half month. In that time, on two occasions, I believe, my brother came running to my bed, drenched in sweat. For some reason I felt overwhelming pity for him and believe what he was going through.

My brother told me what was happening to him. It was so horrifying that I just didn't even want to hear about it. Even after so manny years, I still refused to want to talk about the issue. When ever the story did come up, I would try to but a stop to it immediately.

Two weeks before the end of the six month of living there, my brother told our mother to let him speak with our father. He walked into my brothers room, and according to my brother, in panic and crying out loud hysterically, he explained in vivid detail the horrifying event which was taking place at night. He told him he couldn't take it any longer, he even requested that he sleep with him, so that he could witness for himself what was happening. Convinced, our father finally excepted his explanation and decided to have him sleep next to us, between the living room and close to my bed room, next to the wall that lead to the main entrance door.

We where so terrified of the place, that in numerous occasions my brother and I would rather piss on ourselves, rather then risk the task of going to the toilet.

Once we moved out of this apartment the nightmares ended.

Eduardo Enrique Rodríguez Candelario
787-245-4118

P.S.: This a true haunting... We would both be glad, free of charge, to any interview you would wish to conduct, here in Puerto Rico or by phone, in order to record this event which really happened.