Ghost Story

The year was 1985. I was 18 years old and was in California with my two sisters for a week long visit with my mom who had recently moved there. We planned the whole week to hit all the great sites in Northern Cal including the great city of San Francisco. I was so excited! On our long list was Alcatraz a must see tourist attraction.

We arrived nice and early at Fisherman's Wharf and boarded a ferry boat that would take us out to the island. We arrived with maybe 50 or so more people on the tour, split up into two groups and went on our way.

We toured different parts of the prison, getting the headlines of the prison in the day. We heard of the impossibilties of one escaping & the stories of ones who did. It was a fairly mild tour and I was a bit bored an hour into it. The group stopped off to visit the restroom & being stubborn and being to able to hold my bladder for hours and hours, didn't take the opportunity to go. We concluded the tour by being 'locked in a cell" eight at a time for about 2 minutes.

At the end there was a photo op where you could don some prison stripes and get your picture taken. My mom insisted we do so, so we hopped in line. Half hour later I needed to go to the bathroom. I could not wait. I found a women's restroom close by (a different one previously used on the tour) and it was FULL of woman waiting to use it and only two stalls. I tracked back 40 steps & down a stairway where we had been on our tour and found the restroom empty. Hallelujah.

I finished my business, washed up and exited the restroom. I walked down the corridor to find the stairs and stopped in my tracks. I had a feeling come over me I can hardly explain.

My heart was in my throat. My eyes were watering & feet felt like they were in cement. I wheeled around, thinking someone was over my left shoulder. No one. I flipped my head back to the front and took three steps and found the end of the stairs. I grabbed the handrail & flung my self up two stairs. I had the sudden urge to stop on the stairway and run the other way but I had NO idea where I was!!!

I stood there frozen with fear. Utterly frozen on the third stair and could. not. move. my. body. The hair on the back of my neck & on my arms was raised and I was holding my breath, eyes wide open. Feeling helpless, I said a quick prayer in my heart, found the strength to move. I ducked, dodged and ran up 12 stairs, counting as I went, closing my eyes, tight. I reached the top of the stairwell and relaxed. The frantic feeling, going.

I then found my family, back in line. I was sweaty, chilled to the bone and shivering. I told them I didn't feel too well. By that time we were up for the photo so we took it, and got outta there.

In the car on the way home was when I could speak of my experience. My mom then told me that there were stories of Alcatraz.

Since then I have read that it's one of the most haunted places in America.