Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Good evening. Im Ben, and welcome to the show where you and I gather around this campfire to hear some of our fellow campers scariest experiences. So whether youre a new or returning camper, im happy to have you. Tonight, we are headed to the University of Alabama to hear Maggie's story of the haunted Alpha Delta PI sorority house. Before we begin, if youd like to check out Octobers bonus episode, head over to patreon.com. dwinding your ghost story, youll also gain access to ad free episodes and more. Now, without further ado, do you want to hear a ghost story?
[00:00:40] The sorority house sat quietly away from the quads. Its ivy covered bricks and grand columns sat as a testament to a bygone era built in, I think, the early 19 hundreds. It was a place brimming with history as a freshman eye rushed the sorority, enchanted by its legacy and the sisterhood it promised. By my sophomore year, I found myself moving into the house, unaware of the darkness that lurked within on move in day. When I stepped inside the house, I instantly felt a chill, a tingling at the base of my spine that I wasnt quite sure I could shake. The foyer was grand, with a sweeping staircase and antique chandelier casting a warm yellow glow. Yet beneath the surface of this charm, there was something, something unsettling.
[00:01:23] Welcome, welcome, Mary, our new house mom greeted me with a radiant smile as she handed me the keys to my room. She was young, probably in her early to mid thirties, with a bubbly personality that instantly endeared everyone. Her laughter filled the house, dispelling the shadows that seemed to cling in its corners. Thanks, Mary, I said, trying to match her enthusiasm. I am excited to finally be living here. As I made my way to my room on the second floor, I passed by all the old portraits of the previous sorority sisters. Their eyes seemed to follow me as I walked down the hallway. The floorboards creaked underfoot, and the scent of aged wood and lavender polish filled the air.
[00:02:06] I couldnt help but feel as though I was intruding on some long forgotten secret. Hey, Rumi, my roommate Emily, popped her head out of the door, her blonde curls bouncing. Can you believe we are finally living here? I know, right? I responded. Its like stepping back in time, isnt it? That evening, as we unpacked our things, Emily told me about some of the houses history and some of the recent gossip around town. Did you hear about what happened to the previous house, mom? She said to me. Now, what happened to her? Emily leaned in, her eyes widening. Well, as you know, Miss Thompson left quickly. Rumor has it she lost her mind. Raising an eyebrow, I responded. Lost her mind? What do you mean? Well, some of the juniors who lived here last year said she started seeing things. Claimed that every night a young girl would come visit her in her room. I dont know. Shed wake up screaming and eventually just couldnt take it anymore. Wow, thats really creepy, I responded. Yeah, well, who knows? It sounds like an urban legend to me, though, I said. I guess living here now. Well find out for ourselves, Emily said.
[00:03:19] The days turned into weeks as the house buzzed with the energy of our new friendships, late night study sessions, and the occasional pre party, even though we werent supposed to have them. Yet every so often, id catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. A fleeting shadow. A door closing on its own. I brushed it all off as my imagination, but the feeling of being watched, that feeling that something was here on the first day, never left me. One afternoon, as the autumn leaves painted our campus Crimson, Mary called an impromptu house meeting.
[00:03:54] Girls, I need to address something that has recently happened. Earlier today, I received a frantic phone call from one of the cleaning staff. She was convinced that somebody had broken into the house.
[00:04:06] Whispers began rippling through the crowd like a storm. What happened? Someone asked from the back. Well, she was cleaning upstairs by the bedrooms, and, well, she heard some footsteps running around down here in what sounded like a crash. She said she thought it was one of you. So when she came down, um, well. Well, there is nobody here, ladies, and we don't quite know what to make of it. What, did you guys call the police or anything? Someone else responded. Yes. Yes, we did. I met them here, and they searched the entire house. They didn't find anything amiss. They didn't find anything broken. And as far as we can tell, nothing happened. It was just something that the cleaning lady heard.
[00:04:50] A heavy silence settled over the crowd.
[00:04:53] Maybe it was the pipes, I said, breaking this awkward silence.
[00:04:58] Mary smiled as she looked at me. Ah, yes, perhaps that, um, we actually didn't think of that. That night, as I laid in bed, I couldn't shake the image of the cleaning lady running around the house, horrified at some sound. I knew the house was old and that it did make weird sounds, but deep down, I felt like there was more to this story than we were being told.
[00:05:19] Around midnight, I woke up to the sound of footsteps outside my door. I sat up, listening intently. The hallway was now quiet, save for the soft ticking of the grandfather clock downstairs. Emily, did you hear that? I threw a pillow at her. Ugh hear what?
[00:05:37] Nevermind, I said. It was probably just somebody going to the bathroom.
[00:05:42] The following weekend, Mary invited her niece to stay at the house. She was a sweet girl, about eight. Her name was Lily, and she wandered the house with bright eyes of wonder. But as the day wore on, Lily grew quiet. By that evening, she didnt leave Marys side. And that night, Lily apparently didnt sleep, sitting up all night at the foot of Marys bed. The next morning, I was down in the main room eating breakfast when Mary came in the front doors. I guess she had just taken Lily home. She sat down next to me, seemingly frustrated.
[00:06:14] Well, she wont be coming back here, Mary said to me. She said the ghosts were following her all night and even followed her home. Ghosts? I said. What did she see? Well, she woke up in the middle of the night saying that the figures she saw around the house were all standing at the foot of my bed. There was nobody there. I even checked under the bed for her and turned all the lights on, but she insisted. Wow, I responded. I mean, there have been some weird things happened around here. Like the cleaning lady. You dont think this place is haunted, do you? Mary sighed. I. I dont want to put any stock in that, but there are some weird things that happened, but nothing that makes me think the paranormal. It was as if what was ever in the house was listening to that conversation. Because over the next few days, the atmosphere in the house grew darker. Girls started whispering about belongings going missing, doors that were slamming closed or wouldnt stay open.
[00:07:14] One evening, I found Jane, one of my sisters, who lived across the hall, standing at the end of the hallway, staring blankly down the stairs. Jane, are you ok?
[00:07:23] She looked at me quickly. Do you see her? See who? Jane. There was. There was a little girl here. I swear she was standing right there. I looked down the stairs. Jane, there's nobody there.
[00:07:36] I. I saw her. I. I don't know. I'm just gonna go back to bed, I guess. Yeah. Yeah, Jane, you do that. A sense of dread settled over me as I walked back to my room that night. I couldn't sleep. The floorboards outside were creaking constantly in. Every rustle of wind against the window set my nerves on edge. I tried reading, listening to music, anything, but it didnt work. Around 02:00 a.m. i heard a soft humming coming from outside my door. A faint and distant lullaby. I poked my head out the window, where I saw a flicker of movement down near the hallway or down near the stairwell. Hello? I called out. The humming stopped I took a tentative step forward, out into the hallway. Is anybody there? Silence.
[00:08:25] Suddenly, the hall door slammed shut, the sound echoing like a gunshot. I jumped, my heart racing. The sound must have woken up a few of my sisters because I saw a few more heads poke out of their rooms along the hallway. Enough is enough, Emily said, stumbling out of her bed as she walked to her dresser. She pulled out a bunch of candles and headed into the hallway. Well, does anybody else want to get to the bottom of this? She said to everybody still looking out into the hallway. We gathered in the common room, a circle of nervous faces illuminated by candlelight. Hand in hand, Emily led us through what was a seance.
[00:09:00] Hello, we are here to help. We are here to talk. Can you please show us a sign? She said into the room. But nothing happened when a cool breeze swept through the room, causing the candles to flicker. Emily continued talking out into the room room, but her voice grew a bit distant to my ears.
[00:09:19] Afraid. I heard a whispered directly into my ear. Somebody just whispered into my ear, I said loudly to the group. What did they say? Emily responded. Afraid. All they said was just the word afraid.
[00:09:35] Afraid. Emily repeated back to me. Jane screamed. Somebody whispered in my ear, too. All they said was alone. We spent the next few hours trying to communicate with whatever this was, but all we got back were some barely intelligible whispers. But they always were the same.
[00:09:54] Afraid. Alone.
[00:09:57] We concluded the seance when Mary woke up for the day, asking us what the hell we were doing. The following days were quieter, but the strange occurrences didn't cease. However, we all learned to just go about our routines, even in the face of the occasional tension. We all learned to live with this spirit. The end of the year came faster than we expected. As I was packing up my room, I couldn't help but reflect on the experiences we all shared in this house, the friendships forged, the challenges we overcome, and that unseen sister who scared us all. On my last day, I took a final walk through the halls, pausing at those old portraits I passed on the way. In, the faces that once seemed ominous or distant, now all seemed like familiar friends. Ready to go? Emily called from the front door. Yeah, I think so. As we stepped outside, the sun shone brightly. The freshman new members were standing outside, all excited about how they would get to live in the house next year. Do we warn them? I said to Emily. Nah, I think this is like the final step in sisterhood. Surviving the haunted chapter house.
[00:11:07] And now, as I share my story with you, I cant help but feel a lingering connection to that house and my sorority, a place where the past and present intertwined, where whispers became voices, and where we learned that sometimes the things that scare us the most are the things most necessary.
[00:11:27] Thank you Maggie for allowing me to share your story.
[00:11:30] That definitely sounds like an interesting living environment. I too lived with a ghost in college. However, that was just the name of my dog for show announcements this week. I don't have anything for you.
[00:11:44] If you were listening closely to last week's episode, you probably caught some of the story between and I believe that we had a guest rummaging around, but she ran off before I could really talk to her. I suppose based off of what she said, shes going to find her sister and I should expect that shell be back soon or theyll be back soon.
[00:12:06] If you would like early access to episodes, access to bonus episodes and more, head over to patreon.com. do you want to hear a ghost story and ill leave you here for the night. Im glad to have you all as campers on this journey. Please keep sharing the show with anyone you think might like these stories or someone you're just trying to scare. If you are enjoying the show, please leave a review. I would love to hear from you and it'll really help the show grow. Until next time.
