Alan and Matt were ghost hunters. They would visit old cemeteries and see if they could stir up a spirit from an old tombstone. They set up their recorder on a particularly large and ornate headstone and prepared to begin. They were afraid to shine their flashlights on the stone to see the name engraved there, as trespassing in the cemetery at night was illegal. They had crawled over the fence at the rear of the cemetery to avoid the caretaker.

Matt flipped the on button on the recorder and said aloud, “We would like to speak to whoever lies beneath this stone.” In response, all they heard was the scratching noise that seemed to come from behind the tombstone.

With a calm voice Alan said, “Please tell us your name.”

Again, the only response was a scratching noise, so Matt said, “We only wish to speak with you. Please show yourself.”

Suddenly, both young men felt the air turn cold, and a tall, dark shadow rose from behind the tombstone. The shadow moved to engulf them. Alan and Matt had many encounters with spirits, and were not afraid. Too, late, they both realized the apparition meant them harm. The shadow swept down, engulfing them, and pulled them into the ground beneath the tombstone.

The next morning, the caretaker of the cemetery found the recorder on the ground by the tombstone. He turned it on, and after each question, he heard the following response:

“Yes…I am here.”

“My name is never spoken by the living.”

“If I show myself, it will be the last thing you will ever see.”

“I got you both!”

The caretaker quietly picked up the recorder. Knowing he had the only evidence that someone had been in the cemetery and by that tombstone, he went to his tool shed and tossed the recorder into a pile with many others.