I’ve driven by the local hospital recently – often late at night, into the early morning. And twice, I have taken note of an entity or perhaps a few separate entities that are very off putting – both visually and energetically. Admittedly, I have an extraordinary distaste for hospitals, as a medium. They are often riddled with countless spirits that range from lost and confused, to horrific and terrifying. They’re just magnets for unsavory energy – no doubt from the pain, sickness and death that rule there. And as the child, grandchild and great grandchild of a long line of nurses, I spent an unordinary amount of time in them as a child – and briefly as an adult, as I dabbled in the medical field briefly and did my clinicals therein.

These aforementioned entities are not of the human variety, that it for sure. While many spirits of the hospital are unsettling, their humanity is evident – these creatures are not so. I intended to draw them, but upon sitting down to do so, was stricken with an alarming dread inside, as if to say: “No. None of that.” To capture something’s likeness and name can attract – and that is something I’d rather not do, considering. However, I will describe them. Perhaps someone will be familiar with their kind or perhaps it will act as warning against meddling. Either way.

As I said, this could be one entity or two – as I saw it/them on two separate occasions and both times they had a unique appearance.

The first encounter featured a creature that was quite large, but not nearly as disconcerting as the second. It was black, hovering and seemed to lack a recognizable lower body. It was ominous, veiled and was still, but had a certain languid motion nonetheless. It was hooded – in a manner of speaking – though whether it was clothing or its natural appearance, I’m unsure. It seemed at though it wore a cloak, but beneath the hood was but a smoke-like “face” that was unexpressive in every way (almost similar appearance to Tolkein’s Nazgûl). It’s arms were long, but drawn up almost pensively before it – as though it was waiting patiently. I thought it may be some sort of Death, such as a reaper or something (considering its appearance), but I inherently knew of its nature. It was a Collector – come to collect what was due, though for what or whom I have no idea. In a sense, much like the classic Grim Reaper, though not a psychopomp on the traditional sense. More like a spiritual tax collector. Very foreboding in nature, but not entirely unsavory.

The second, though, exuded such a horrific and ghastly appearance its going to be very hard to describe it in detail – at least in detail that can adamantly capture its frightful essence.

It, too, was tall, though not lacking in the familiar human extremities. In fact, it was the proportion of such that was most unsettling, and echoes a number of cited features prevalent in horrifying beings. It was tall – close to 8ft, I would wager – and very thin. It’s body was black, also seeming to be made of a sort of diaphanous matter, with spindly appendages not unlike something from the mind of Tim Burton. The most notable features, aside from its looming stature, was its face and extremely elongated fingers.

It’s face was gaunt, with high cheek bones and large, almost cat-like eyes (in shape, at least). They were most horrifying in that they sparkled with a sort of joy that was so extremely incongruent to its appearance that it could only stem from a sort of depravity. It also bore a sickening smile – though not the characteristic, wide, toothy grin one sees in horror films – but instead, a very subtle twist of the lips that was somehow more upsetting. It’s nose was sharp, large, but not monstrously – it didn’t look disproportionate, in that all of the features seemed to be amplified on the angular frame of “his” face. It didn’t have hair, so to speak, but would could be best described as spines or perhaps a crown that looked almost feather-like.

The fingers, however, were still the most disturbing. It didn’t help that they came at the end of already obscenely long arms, which tapered off right around the “knee” (strangely, its “knees” seemed to be further down the trunk of its leg than would seem functional, as the “thigh” took up nearly 2/3 of the entire leg). The fingers hung from the long arms to the creatures ankle, which was met with very small feet.

Both of these beings stood beneath the lit, overhang wherein the ambulances arrive and drop off their charges. The first creature appeared beside at ambulance that was there, but the second appeared when there were no rigs present. In fact, when it appeared, there seemed to be no cars anywhere. The place was deserted.

And I drove by (thankfully! Had I been on foot, I may well have had to check myself into the unit), looked absently over and saw the looming figure. As I saw it, it saw me and fixed those giant eyes on me and smiled that subtle smile.

Needless to say, I made the sign of the cross, spit three times, and rubbed my necklace (all for good measure) and high-tailed it out of there.

I’ve since been back, half expecting to see it again, but never have.