One Night at the Nat Ballroom

I met them at The Nat on a Thursday. It was already getting dark, maybe 7 or 8pm? We all parked on a little island across from the building, and I followed them to where we entered through the bookstore.

The place was closed but the leader of the group, who I'll call Bee, had keys to get in since they used it for practice. As Bee unlocked the door, I could hear and see the women getting nervous. Some of them had little necklaces with mojo satchels.

Then they held each others hands in a human daisy chain as they filed through the open door.

I was pretty confused. So I just held on to the girl in front of me and made sure to keep pace as we jogged through the dark bookstore. I remember thinking that I had been in that building a million times and there was *nothing* to be scared of....and then I felt it.

....I felt something in the dark behind me.

We had reached the doorway for a narrow corridor that connected the ballroom and bookstore. As crossed the threshold, I looked back over my shoulder and I saw it. It's difficult to explain because I saw it more in my mind's eye than I did my actual eye--I visually and mentally saw something there behind me.

Whatever was there was not of this earth. It was dark and it was bad.

It reminded me of that thing from the movie Pan's Labyrinth. With the eyes on its hands.

But then Bee shut the connecting doors and it was out of sight, at least. I didn't know what to make of it so I ignored it.

In the ballroom, we warmed up and started dancing. I have long hair. Well past my shoulders, and I wear it down often. With that said, I something was pulling my hair as I danced. I could see and feel my hair being tugged with every spin I took... But no one was there.

The tugging didn't feel malicious....the bookstore did.

There were cupboards in the front portion of the building. They began to open and close on their own. I saw that happen myself out of the corner of my eye.

Bee looked at me and the group and said "the cupboards are freaking me out." And we ended practice early, exiting the building through the front doors, thankfully.

We went to a coffee shop that was right by the Nat. I bought my drink and sat down with the group.....and hit a brick wall. Every single bit of energy was suddenly drained out of me.

I didn't feel sick, but I felt drained of life. I told the group I needed to go. When I got home, I slept for 24 hours.

I told Bee that I wouldn't be able to be part of the group. She understood.

I've been to many many shows at The Nat before and after that night--never had any further experiences. But I did see someone else have an experience.

A year ago, after about a decade of wondering what the hell happened that night, I reached out to Bee. To see if she could confirm my timeline of events.

https://imgur.com/a/uR3X7cC

She did, and then some.

Not only did she confirm every detail of that evening, she confirmed that there were reports of a dark entity in the bookstore. She also mentioned the possibility of a demonic entity towards the back of the stage.

She reminded me of another incident that happened that was odd.

A year or so after my eventful evening, the dance troupe performed at an event at the Nat. One of the other girls (not Bee), in the middle of their performance, suddenly yanked back and slammed down to the floor.

She had to be carried off the stage by several people and taken to the hospital where she was told she had broken her leg. According to Bee, the Doctor was puzzled, as the way she had broken her leg was not often seen in a simple fall--but rather from forcible impact.

The girl who broke her leg was adamant that something had grabbed her and slammed her to the floor.

There's a lot about human physics that I don't understand, so I would be a little more skeptical about having one's leg broken by an invisible force...except I saw it happen with my own eyes.

When that girl fell, she didn't slip or stumble. She was mid dance, not even a turn or anything that would throw her off balance. Her weight was on both feet, and then suddenly she wasn't. And the impact of her fall was LOUD. Take it as you will.