I have been lucky in a way. I have seen, as a youngster in Germany with two others, a large shadowy figure in daylight (as noted in an AOP Journal).
I have witnessed a seemingly solid and black figure walk through a room where I was sat up having gone to bed (and thinking it was my brothers visiting friend). I was wide awake at the time as I have no real sleep pattern and the light coming in the window showed the clock face over the mantlepiece clearly). Years later I found out that others in the house had observed odd things but never spoken openly about them.
I have seen poltergeist activity in clear daylight and taking place within 3 feet (90cms) of me and on two occasions in the presence of others.
'The Monk' is a story in itself. Looked more like a child of 12-13 but in a hooded sandy duffle coat -seen by others in the house and on one occasion I ran out as soon as it passed by a front gate which took 10-12 seconds to get to...nothing. I even looked into other peoples' gardens. Nothing.
I have observed "UFOs" (NOT spacecraft but what I termed UNP) on six occasions and twice at close proximity.
I was also with my younger brother, grandfather, father, sister and cousin in Germany when we all saw an almost chimp like animal jump a heck of a distance into the dense forestry. My grandfather laughed when I said that I thought it was chimp-like. He had seen the creature himself make a longer leap0 and as far as he was concerned it was a storm spirit (or elemental).
Also in Germany I observed at a distance as well as within 6 feet of me a raccoon dog before they were even supposed to be in that part of Germany.
As a child (8 or 9) in Germany I fell through ice into a frozen (LARGE) pond and last thing I remembered was seeing the inlet that allowed fresh water in. Next thing I was about 4 feet away from the pond on my hands and knees and looking towards it as everyone who had seen me fall in were running over. Decades later still no explanation how I got onto dry land facing the pond -or why, when I got home soaked to the skin, I told my mother "I fell into a puddle"!!!
In Germany, just before my parents came back to England, they observed a large bright UFO over forestry. In that same area a decade later I am my family watched a large Zeppelin/airship fly over the same forestry. Amazing sight. One problem was when I learnt there were NO airship[s in Germany at that time.
A point here is that I observed or experienced all of this first hand with no panic but trying to find a rational explanation. To observe a glass object move 30cms off of a shelf and drop to the floor and not break was remarkable. No "Was that something thrown in the dark on another floor?" and no screaming out "Oh crap -ghost -Run! Run! Run!"
There are other experiences and I need to point out that I do not believe in ghosts so what was seen? What was behind the poltergeist phenomena? And despite all of this no running in fear although on one occasion I felt fear so strong that I did retreat upstairs but slowly and backwards (and I then learnt that others had similar experiences and would not venture down the stairs alone).
I do not like hoaxers, exaggerating incidents or lack of investigation and research -but this seems to be common amongst "truth seekers". We used to hear an odd sound or see something strange we never turned and ran because that was what we were there to investigate: we literally ran at the anomaly.
I think that I am at the end of the monster, ghost and UFO chasing career. That does not mean that my mind is no longer focussed on finding the truth. In a room full of conversations I will hear eight words that immediately send me rushing over: "We can't explain it. A complete mystery really"
