Woodland Cemetery

From the Creepy Cleveland Archives
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Contributed by Mic

Have you ever walked past a cemetery and thought you were being watched?
Do you whistle when you stroll through or by a cemetery?
Ever wonder why the used wrought iron fencing around cemeteries? Iron being know for being a cold metal that has power over some ghost and creatures...
Well I found out one night in the summer of 1989 that cemeteries are a place to get a lot of exercise and a place where you could find the answers to some questions that are best left unanswered!
I was on my way home in the hot august night of 1989, it was a full moon that night and I was walking home from shaker heights the only way I knew. I was walking down Woodland Ave towards E79th street when I decided to take and cut through part of the cemetery in order to get home quicker.
I quickly climbed over a part of the cemetery and started to walk diagonally through to E 79th, well, as I first set foot on the ground I felt a chill run up my spine, I also thought I heard a grunt off in the distance. Well I was tired and wanted to get home, I had three beers that night and I being a Big boy even then wasn't feeling it any more. Well as I got half way through I heard a scraping sound then a splinter sound of wood. The wind was blowing towards me and I could spell the rotting smell of Death. Thinking my imagination was getting the best of me I continued to walk.
I got near a tall monument when I saw it. Near a grave stone I saw a out line of a person digging at a grave, I first thought it was a homeless guy trying to get some sleep, well I crept around but as soon as I got close to it it stopped....
Its' head snapped around and I say the reddest eyes I have ever seen, the skin looked like leather that was really dry, its mouth was full of jagged nasty teeth...
It sniffed twice and started to get up! All I could think was "Mic ( not my real name but my nickname) this is it, Boy you are about to enter the twilight zone!" When my legs and feet kicked into motion!
I took off running out of a sense of self preservation, the whole time I could hear the creature behind me, I Never ran as fast as that night and I doubt I can to this day! Well as I snatched glimpses over my shoulder to make sure I was a head of it I could see it was man shaped, About 5'7 or so and ragged thin, it kept snatching at me with nasty claw like hands, when the wind blew from it's direction I could smell the decay and filth!
Well it almost caught up to me when I made it to the fence! I started to climb up and over and thought it was going to grab my leg...But when I got to the top I noticed that it wouldn't get with in 3 foot of the wroght iron fence.
When I hit the sidewalk I ran as fast as I could away, and it was pacing me on the other side! when I last saw it I could see another set of red glowing eyes from the cemetery watching me...
I got home and locked my house up tight, My Dad, who was woken up by me coming in in a rush yelled at me! When I tried to tell him he yelled at me that I should have know better to tempt fate and dance with the devil like I did!
To this day I will not get near the Woodland cemetery, and I find it really scary that the old wrought iron fence has been replaced in certain spots with chain link fencing!
What was it? I believe it was a ghoul or possibly a demon, but it was on so called consecrated holy land!
Tales of Ghouls have been around for centuries and what if they are real? For me they are!

Mic