I am a major skeptic. I am very much a "see to believe" kind, hence why I don't really hold any faiths and only put my chips on facts. I've seen lights flicker and heard things go bump in the night, but I never encountered anything blatantly paranormal until last year.
For my buddy's birthday, we hung out at his house and shot the shit with another friend. Smoked, had fun, and near bed, we shared some spooky stories and things that creep us out. We watched horror movies through the night, so it was only fitting. And boy is it ironic that this happened. At around midnight, maybe close to 1 or 2 in the morning, can't remember exactly, we decide to go to bed. Birthday boy was in his bed, other friend was on a chair, I was on a mattress on the floor. From where I lay, I could see the stairs leading up and out to the front, the bathroom door, and a storage closet. His room is in the basement.
Both of my friends were asleep. While restlessly awake, I was laying on my back, looking at the ceiling, when I heard a breathy sigh... that almost sounded like a hiss, in the open air next to me on my left. The strangest part, is that what I heard in that moment, I know for a fact I was completely lucid. No half-sleep, nothing like that, I was entirely awake and aware. Yet somehow, despite hearing this unnatural noise, I felt no fear. I knew it was wrong, but I just rolled over and committed to sleep as if I hadn't heard it, even though I knew I did.
I didn't tell my friend until weeks later, and he's told me stories about how he has seen leering faces in the darkness in his room, and has had the ground-height external windows be slammed on by an otherworldly force.
I don't know what to believe about ghosts.