Grandparents Apartment

Location:Esfahan - Iran

This still scares me today.

The following events happened in Esfahan - Iran, at my grandparents apartment block when I was about 8 years old.

My grandmothers apartment is one of 2 blocks of homes in a building, built at the end of a private road. The building has not been renovated since my mother used to live there as a kid. The architecture, thinking back at it now, was pretty cool, but I’ll get to that in a second.

My grandma shared the building block with a much older neighbor who lived on the first floor of the apartment and she often went down when my granddad was at work for tea and sometimes food. She was a lovely women and always let me and my grandmother into her home with a basket full of sweets and there was always tea brewing.

So just like any other day, my granddad went to work, it was nothing weird about this day - me and my grandma had breakfast, went out for a walk, I read her my book and she faked an interest to encourage me to carry on.

We got a call after we got back to the apartment, and it was her neighbor inviting her to come down because she had noticed that I was also there. So we got dressed, I wore my good shoes and stumbled down the dark granite stairs.

This is where the architecture becomes important. The building had two floors; on the first floor lived the neighbor and on the second floor my grandparents. But, situated in the middle of the building was a two story high, indoor garden.

Similar to the picture, but there was also windows at the top that opened up to my grandma’s home.

But anyway, we had been sitting down in the dining room, right next to this indoor garden for a little while now. I was 8 years old at the time and bored out of every orifices. I don't know what the two where conversing about and my curiosity had gone above the norm and I started wondering around looking for more baskets of sweet. I remember that clearly, because the disappointment when I couldn't find any hit me hard and I sat back down next to my grandma.

Then what happened has stayed with me forever and has been the highlight of any late night horror story throughout my life.

When my grandma’s conversation had come to a close, there was a dull silence in the room, maybe for a few seconds, but threw the open window of the indoor garden, we heard, loudly and clearly a gentlemen saying my grandmothers name from the apartment above which was my grandma’s.

Naturally we thought that this may be my granddad, although it did not sound like him. I knew who it sounded like, and it gives me chills today - even as I'm writing it.

It sounded like my great-grandfather who had recently passed away at the time. I didn't say anything at the time, but all of the three of us where aware of this voice calling out; it wasn't just my imagination.

My grandma walked towards the door of the indoor garden and saw none of the windows above open. So we ignored it, and a few minuets later we heard it again. Louder this time, calling my grandmothers name.

Naturally I was scared shitless. I was only a kid, but my grandmother seemed calm and brave at the time along with her neighbor. She politely excused herself and we began walking up the same granite stairs to her home. I knew that no one was in the home, my granddad was at work, and no one else was around at the time; but I secretly hoped that it was just someone playing a prank on us.

My grandmother got her keys out of her purse, opened the door and to our surprise, the house was lit from top to bottom. I honestly cannot remember what had happened from that point onwards because I was so scared. But I remember that she opened the door and all of the lights in the house was turned on. I remember we did a thorough search of the house and no one was in the home.

Years later that I ask about this day to my grandma, she still looks at me with sinister smile and tells me that I imagined it all.

To clarify, I was eight, but I didn't imagine this. It is so clear in my head that reality as it stands right now is not as clear. I ask my parents the same question, they look at each other and say it was probably just your imagination.

I know my grandmother knows this happened because I have overheard her still talking about it to my mother years later.

I’ll add that I’m not a religious person, and have little faith in the concept of ghosts. But researching what it could've been led me to a dead-end.

There are some psychological factors that may have been involved.

My great-grandfather had just passed away and the thought of him was clear in all of our heads at the time, which could explain why we would occasionally think we have just heard his voice. But we all heard it at the same time. I know that their may be a psychological explanation to this too, but what are the chances?

Then again, we all heard his voice twice over. Chances?

All the lights in the house where turned on, fuse problem? Electrical malfunction? Someone did it?

There was no sign of a break in. The windows and doors where locked, and even then; why would someone say her name? Why did it sound so much like my great-grandfather?

Cannot be a burglar because who breaks into a house to play a prank and not take anything; but then again, no sign of break-in and nothing was stolen.

By Mo Amini

Source: Quora