November 15, 2023
by Marinel Condino
One spooky night… an eerie silence…a child’s laughter… a sudden chill…
As the sun waved goodbye and the darkness cloaked the empty classrooms, an uncanny feeling began to creep out. During the after-hours, it felt as though a pair of eyes were watching us. The abandoned hallway, comfort rooms, and lounge become strangely lively. I wondered what mysteries these four-corner walls possessed after the students and staff had departed. What mind-blowing history can we unravel in this paranormal journey? Let’s take one step into the darkness and explore the spine-tingling tales that haunt the minds of students at AISAT.
Every school has its legends. I remember back in our hometown, there were lots of whispered tales about schools that were passed from one generation to another. Some say that almost every school was formerly a cemetery, used to be an abandoned building, or that someone took their own life in that very place. That’s why you should be careful where you’re walking; maybe you’re already disturbing something. Who knows, maybe even in the brightest daylight, ghosts of the past cast their shadows.
What lingers at the back of your mind when you discover that AISAT was already there during the 70’s? Not as a school, but once a humble abode, at the same time a copra warehouse, to the grandparents of the school’s President, Ma’am Myra Ann Wee-Toe Hio. Over those long years, what mysteries could it be itching to tell? However, some mysteries are either better told or felt. Which is which? Well, let’s start with when the school was founded.
The school itself was established on triple 11, November 11, 2011. Sounds interesting, right? Upon asking around and probing some students, alumni, and members of the faculty, all of their haunting stories are somehow interrelated and all pointing towards the same thing- a child. According to Mr. Gabriel Escarian, an alumnus and current professor at AISAT, his first ghostly encounter was when he was still a student at the school. There was an event at the school at that time; it was already past the golden hour, and the darkness started to engulf the remaining light. Everyone was having fun. There was loud music, teasing among friends, and vibing to music was a blast! Then in the middle of that fun night, something happened that made his night literally unforgettable. In the cubicle, he heard and felt that someone was running behind him. Chills started to build up. The sound of two short feet running playfully, but no one was there.
Another spooky story was narrated by a fourth-year AET student, Edson Panes. Every morning, it became a hobby for this student to go to school in the first light, to experience the air conditioning solely to himself. So, one scorching morning, as Edson was savoring the coldness that the air conditioning was emitting, he heard unsettling running and playful laughter along the hallway. He looked outside the room and saw no one.
Also, inside the Horizon’s office, this Spooktacular tale continues. As an officer of the Horizon, Gino Albutra was often inside their office. Just this first semester, as he went inside the office, he noticed something unnatural on the table. Upon closer look, his heart skipped a beat after seeing two small footprints.
The ones narrated above are just a glimpse of the many uncanny stories the students of AISAT have. A child wanting to play… unsettling feeling… sudden loud banging… a sound of someone running in the hallways. All of these diverse stories have one in common- they are shared by everyone on campus. It seems like we’re really not alone in this realm. The child’s spectral presence, an unseen participant in the daily life of AISAT, evokes a sense of shared unease among its denizens. It beckons us to ponder the mysteries veiled within its halls, inviting us to contemplate the boundary between the corporeal and the ethereal.
As daylight wanes and shadows lengthen, AISAT becomes a theater of spectral whispers and unseen spectacles. The boundaries between past and present blur, revealing glimpses of a world beyond our own. In the hallowed embrace of its history, AISAT stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of the paranormal, reminding us that within its walls, the echoes of the past continue to reverberate. So, as we bid adieu to the haunted echoes of AISAT, let us carry forth these tales of spectral intrigue, for within them lies the essence of our shared humanity, respect, and the enduring allure of the unknown. After all, our world is not only for those who live, but also for those who are long gone, yet their presence lingers in the hearts of someone they love. That’s why don’t be worried if you’re feeling alone because you’re not. They’re there. Inside those empty cubicles, unoccupied classrooms, and along those dark hallways. You just don’t see them.