Confessions Of An SQ Girl Part 2: Of Haunted Hotels, Rooms And Planes
It's the Seventh Month now yo, also known as The Hunger Games The Hungry Ghost Festival. Again for the uninitiated, during this month, the Gates of Hell are supposed to open and these Spirits and Ghouls are allowed to roam around the earth/human plane and...uh...eat? (hungry what)
As a kid, I used to be crazy-paranoid during this 'season'. Images of ashes flying wildly and indiscriminately (like confetti) , oranges/offerings on road sides and the pungent scent of incense would come to mind. And I remember once I accidentally stepped on some burnt joss paper and my mother told me I was screwed. (not her exact words but thereabouts) I felt scarred for life.
Photo from GoodyFeed
Later on, I still had an irrational fear of sleeping alone and sleeping in the dark. Even till now, I leave the lights on when I sleep, despite my mother haranguing me furiously about how I WAS THE SOLE CAUSE OF THE ESCALATING HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICITY BILLS.
Fast forward to flying days and when I became an SQ Stewardess. My worst fear had come true. I now had to sleep alone in hotel room....in foreign countries. My mother told me I had to knock the door three times, to let whatever that was in the room know that I was going to enter. Hah. As if that was going to help.
In commemoration of the Hungry Ghost Festival (Seventh Month), here are some of the scariest and true personal stories I have heard throughout these years of flying and some of my own personal experiences. Also, some of the most haunted hotels that cabin crew have stayed in.
Photo from The 13th Floor
- Japan
We shan't name any hotels but this particular locale is pretty infamous. Crew have commented that they have seen a little boy (I imagine he looks like Ju-On) walking around the hotel and following crew into the room.
Photo from Sky.com
I'm scaring myself just looking at these pictures.
A stewardess I knew swore that she woke up once at 3am and heard the rustling of plastic bags. She had left her grocery bags on the floor by her bed. She saw a gnarled and bent lady with her back facing her and rummaging through the trash. Terrified, she covered her face with a blanket and started uttering prayers. Thankfully, she was undisturbed till the morning.
Photo from Ruthless Reviews
Personally, I have always found something disconcerting and unsettling about that hotel and as usual, I leave all lights on. There is a general sense of unease and I am quite sure it isn't psychological. I constantly felt like I was being watched. Many crew change that particular flight away because they are afraid of staying in that hotel. #legit
2. Stewardess with a 'Third Eye'
Photo from Straits Times
I did a flight once with a stewardess who had a 'Third Eye'. (meaning...she could see spirits) She did not reveal this piece of information until the final leg of the flight. During that particular flight, another stewardess (we shall call her Y) complained that she always felt like someone was watching her all throughout her growing years and she always had disturbed sleep particularly in hotel rooms.
The 'Third Eye Stewardess' who we shall name X, asked her when did she first have such experiences and if anything had happened to her when she was young. Stewardess Y said yes. She said that when she was young, she, on occasion sighted a young boy lurking in her room, and he would always run away and disappear.
Later on when we were in a restaurant, X revealed to the rest of us why Y always felt an uncomfortable presence and something pressing on her chest. She said she could see a little boy following her. And that little boy looked creepy. She said, "In fact, he's just sitting across the table (all of us including Y were dining together) and staring at us angrily."
Photo from Good Reads
At that moment, my blood turned into ice and I felt a cold chill run down my spine.
"Holy Sh*t..."
Photo from In Sing
I said, "You mean he's seated across us now and staring at us?"
She nodded.
I stared at the space across the table and it was blank. Nonetheless I felt ultra freaked out and averted my eyes.
I looked at X's face and saw that she had turned very pale. She didn't seem to be acting. For the rest of the day when we went shopping, X kept whispering...'He's behind us now...don't turn and stare.' Another crew on that flight got so paranoid she asked me to bunk in with her. Needless to say, we all felt super uncomfortable around Y and tried to 'maintain a distance'.
This particular hotel is also known for it's 'visitors' and 'Caspers'. There was a true story about how a crew was sleeping one night in a particular room (we even knew the room number) and he had a traumatic encounter. Apparently he was sleeping when he dreamt that some ferocious force was trying to choke him and pin him down. Then he felt a huge and painful slap on his chest and he awoke.
Photo from Scary For Kids
He realised that there were BRIGHT RED FINGER MARKS imprinted on his chest from the slap (which he thought was a nightmare). These were not faint marks but were very clear finger marks, and it seared. I saw the pictures and saw the finger marks with my own eyes. It didn't look like photoshop.
Apparently, after tracing back the history of the hotel, a violent murder had occured in that particular room previously. I got that room number once and immediately asked for a change of room. The hotel staff didn't ask any questions. Hmmmm...
Photo from Pinterest
4. Little Spirits/Toyol
A crew who had the 'third eye' said she saw a stewardess who had possession of these little "toyols" or tiny spirts, that were kept by humans to help them progress in life or to steal things. These spirts usually feed on human blood.
She saw not one, but three of these spirits walking behind that stewardess (she was the owner?) and following her into the briefing room at Changi Airport. Creepy.
5. USA
It was 12 am and someone was banging at my door. I sleepily looked out to see the distressed face of one of the crew on my flight. When I opened the door, she begged me to let her stay for one night in my room. She said she went to the hotel reception to ask for a change of room but they told her it was all full.
She said she got the room with three beds in it. Three beds always sounds like a bad idea.
Photo from The Occult Musuem
She said there was a chair at the side and the moment she flung open the door, she saw an old lady with long hair sitting on the chair staring at her. And her eyes were burning coals. #dayum
Photo from Bizarre Los Angeles
I peered at her suspiciously saying, "You drunk ah?"
The stewardess, who was in tears and close to hysterics shook her head vehemently swearing it was all true and begged me to let her in.
Feeling pretty freaked out myself after seeing her quake so violently, I let her in and we left all the lights on.
I have always wondered why spirts were female, old and had long hair. Because women are more vengeful so they can't let it go even after death? I don't know.
Photo from In Sing
6. The Crew Bunk
I recall this incident so vividly because it still freaks me out today. During our break on long haul flights, we get an opportunity to take turns to rest or sleep inside the 'crew bunk', a hidden space inside the aircraft. These bunks have individual 'beds'/'capsules' where the crew can crawl into and draw the curtains for privacy. (think capsule hotel)
Photo from Twitter
That day I vividly heard a soft female voice calling my name right in my ear. I got up with a start and continued hearing that faint voice. It was pitch dark so I couldn't trace the source, but normally crew would wake each other up when break time was over so we could go back to prepare for service. I drew open the curtains to see who had called me but the entire bunk was in darkness. There was not a soul. And I walked further into the bunk and realised that I was the last one left. I was the only one in the entire bunk. THERE WAS NO ONE THERE.
I could feel my spine prickling and my heart palpitated faster.
I muttered a Four letter word (beginning with F) and immediately scrambled out of the crew bunk like a headless chicken without looking back
I was so terrified that tears were beyond me. What on earth was that?
Photo from Fanpop
There were countless other stories I heard over the years but these were the couple I remember and experienced so vividly as a cabin crew.
Photo from Instagram
So who's gonna sleep with the lights on tonight?
Girlstyle SG
