Haunted Algonquin – An Urban Legend

Did you know that Algonquin College in Ottawa Ontario is haunted? Well, according to urban legend, Algonquin’s residence building has its very own ghost. Her name is Brooklyn Marshall, and it all began when she was brutally murdered in her own dorm room.

The tragedy struck in February 2002. It was Brooklyn Marshall’s second year studying at Algonquin College, her second year staying on residence. She was only a few months away from graduating, from earning her paramedic diploma. Ever since, she has been haunting the residence in search of closure, in search of revenge.

By: Khoa Võ

The Legend

The following story is based off an urban legend I was told while staying in the residence at Algonquin College.

It was a Friday night. Instead of going out with peers, Brooklyn Marshall stayed. Instead of doing homework like she planned, she ended up falling asleep early. Besides, she could do it tomorrow, right?

The rain slammed against the window, making loud thudding sounds. Thunder roared outside, scaring Brooklyn awake. She sat straight up, breathing frantically. Normally storms didn’t bother her, but something was different about this one. It was louder, more violent than usual. It felt as though it was threatening her.

Her bedroom door swung open. Brooklyn screamed as if she was getting murdered. The darkness of the kitchen stared back at her. Jenna opened her bedroom door and stood in Brooklyn’s doorway. “What the hell? You look like you just saw a ghost,”

“Yeah, well-” she said, trying to think clearly. Brooklyn took a deep breath and explained how the door had opened on its own.

“Whatever, just don’t scream so loud next time.” Jenna rolled her eyes and walked back to her room, slamming both bedroom doors behind her.

Brooklyn’s mind was racing. Something wasn’t right. She turned on her light, and sluggishly made her way towards the window. There was someone outside standing still on the sidewalk staring up at her. Brooklyn’s eyes widened. Her heart began pounding as if it were about to jump out of her chest. She didn’t know what to do. She was breathing so heavily; it felt like her lungs weren’t working. The person outside was still staring at her, not making a move. For once, she felt lucky that she was on the third floor, because no one could get her from up there.

She closed the blinds and sat down on her bed. She tried to remember the breathing techniques to calm herself down, but they were no use. No matter how many times she held her breath and counted to four, her heart still wanted to hop out of her chest. There were scuffling sounds coming from the kitchen, like someone was picking a lock. “Its just Jenna, you’re fine” she told herself.

Once again, her bedroom door swung open. This time, there was someone there. It was the person from the sidewalk. She screamed bloody murder, for real this time. Jenna groaned in annoyance and rolled over in her bed. They had a knife, and they weren’t wasting any time. “No, no, no, stop, please!”

The next morning, Jenna found Brooklyn dead on the floor. Jenna called 911, but it was far too late for Brooklyn. Reports say that she had been stabbed over 20 times. Unfortunately, no evidence was left behind and the killer was never caught. They could very well be plotting their next attack, searching for their next victim. Hopefully you’re not the next victim…

By: Animesh Srivastava

The Aftermath

After the murder, Algonquin College allegedly fought hard to bury the story. They went so far as removing room 2203, and replaced it with a custodian closet. There has been no official reporting on the brutal murder, and no one has been able to find out if Brooklyn Marshall ever existed.

Today, you wont be able to find room 2203, but you can find Brooklyn roaming the halls late at night. Rumours say she lurks in the dark, plotting her revenge. Others claim she’s friendly and protects the students.

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Isaiah landry

Isaiah Landry is a writer currently studying professional writing at Algonquin College. He likes writing, drawing, and playing the bass. Besides being creative, Isaiah likes to spend his time surrounded by friends, telling stories, and making people laugh.

Ghost Hotel – Fairmont Banff Springs

By: Donovan Kelly

Have you ever been staying in a hotel, but you cant stop thinking about what could have happened there in the past? You could be staying in the same room a celebrity stayed in, or maybe one a gruesome murder took place. With so many people going in and out of hotels everyday, there’s no way to know how many ghosts could be around.

Fairmont Banff Springs is one of the most famous hotels in all of Canada and is as haunted as it is huge. The hotel was opened in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as one of the first of Canada’s railway hotels. Urban legends say there was a gruesome murder in room 873, which has reportedly caused paranormal activity. Staff and visitors of Fairmont Banff Springs claim that there are resident ghosts, such as Sam the Bellboy and The Bride.

Room 873

According to internet blogs and urban legends, room 873 of the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel was once the scene of a murder-suicide and has been haunted ever since.

The legend goes that a small family, were staying at the hotel, enjoying their lives. Unfortunately, the father was abusive and had serious mental health issues. One night the father drank too much, causing things to go south fast. When he returned to the room from the bar, he snapped and killed his wife and daughter and then himself.

After room 873 was cleaned, it went back to normal, guests and all. But things were different. Quickly, guests began to report being woken up by screams, and feelings of being watched. The paranormal activity in the room began to be too much, so the room was shut down. The door to the room was removed and painted over,

Sam the Bellman

Sam McCauley was an elderly Scotsman who worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel as the head bellman from the 60s – 70s until he died in 1975. Ever since his death, staff and guests have reported seeing him wandering the halls of the hotel.

The most famous sighting of Sam was by two guests who were experiencing difficulties with their room key. The two called the bell desk for assistance but were left waiting for 15 minutes. Eventually the bellman arrived at their room but found that the guests had already been let into their room by another bellman. Confused, the bellman asked who had helped them, and the guests began to describe an elderly Scotsman named Sam who had helped them.

by: JP Fariax

The Bride

The bride is the second ghost that can be seen at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. She is commonly seen dancing in the ballroom wearing her wedding dress or descending the stairs as she did on her wedding day.

Reportedly she died on at her own wedding. She was walking down the stairs, making her grand entrance to the wedding, but the wind had other plans. The wind blew the veil in front of her face, blinding her. The veil not only made her trip down the stairs, but also caught on fire from nearby candles. Unfortunately, she broke her neck from the fall and burnt to death. Ever since that day she has been haunting the hotel, waiting for her husbands return.

Maybe the next time you’re at a hotel you’ll see a ghost, or maybe you’ll get murdered and spend eternity haunting it.

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Isaiah landry

Isaiah Landry is a writer currently studying professional writing at Algonquin College. When it comes to writing, or anything, he has a hard time keeping it serious and can’t help but blurt out stupid jokes. Along with writing, he also likes to draw and play bass and guitar. Besides being artistic, Isaiah likes to spend his time surrounded by friends, telling stories, and making people laugh.

Guardian from Beyond The Veil - A True Story

Person in black cloak holding a candelabra

By: homoki Photo

Have you ever had that creepy feeling crawl up your spine, telling you that someone is watching you? Perhaps you’ve seen an old lady watching over you in the middle of the night? Could it be a sleep paralysis demon or is it a guardian from beyond the veil?

               This is based on a true story that happened to my mom.

               One night, my mom was sleeping soundly with her back facing her empty bedroom. Suddenly, something forced her awake. A feeling was crawling up her spine, a feeling that someone or something was watching her. It was almost as if someone was right behind her, assessing her every move. As soon as she realized what was happening, she turned around to investigate. In the corner of the room there was a chair that was usually empty, but now there was something sitting in it. A black figure was staring back at her. They were taller than the average person. When she tried to look at their face, they didn’t have one, just darkness. The figure was wearing a black sandals and a black hooded cloak that covered their face, like the ones the cult people wear in movies or like the grim reaper. The intruder had long blonde curly hair, my mom said their hair looked bouncy. They sat, staring at her in silence, with their hands held together, but they weren’t touching completely, just the fingertips touched. It was strange, but it didn’t scare her. Oddly, she felt calm looking at the intruder.

               My mom was done staring blankly at the figure, she wanted to investigate further, to see who was sitting in her bedroom and why. She sat up in her bed and moved towards the light switch, being careful to not look away, and neither did the figure. Their head followed as she moved across the room. Before she turned on the light she said, “What the f**k are you doing?” and all the figure had to say was “shh.” She turned on the lights on and the figure was gone. My mom still felt calm and turned off the lights and went back to bed. She laid awake in her bed staring at the now empty chair, thinking about what just happened to her, was it even real, what did it mean? She knew what happened to her was real, but didn’t know why they had visited her. My mom said that the figure didn’t make her feel threatened at all, and when she saw them, they felt familiar, like she knew them. When she woke up in the morning, she sat in the chair to see if she could feel anything, but all she could feel was the cold plastic chair on her skin. My mom said that on and off for the next year or two she would find herself laying in bed and asking the figure to show themselves again. Or that the figure would at least tell her why they visited her, and who they were. But she never heard or seen them again.

               My mom said that she finds the experience cool, and one of the coolest experiences she’s ever had with the paranormal. She felt calm with it and peacefully confused.

               Most sources online and people I talk too say that these experiences are nothing but sleep paralysis or tricks of the mind. But how could it be sleep paralysis if my mom was able to stand up and turn on the lights? Other sources say the figure was a visitor from another realm. Personally, I like to think the figure was watching over my mom to keep her safe. What do you think? Are ghosts real? Do they visit us in the night, or are they all around us constantly watching? Do you have a guardian from beyond the veil?

Two people in black hooded cloaks standing in mirror holding scythes

By: alex server

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Isaiah landry

Isaiah Landry is a writer currently studying professional writing at Algonquin College. Along with writing, he also likes art, music, video games, and all things creepy and crawly. When it comes to writing, or anything, he has a hard time keeping it serious and can’t help but blurt out stupid jokes. Isaiah likes to spend his time surrounded by friends, telling stories, and making people laugh.