Have you ever had a moment that made your skin crawl, a shadow where there shouldn't be one, a whisper in an empty room, or something you simply can't explain.

If so, we want to hear from you here at the Haunted UK Podcast.

We're always on the lookout for spine tingling stories to feature in our end of season listener episodes and our short Haunts series.

Whether it's a chilling encounter, a mysterious experience, or something that's haunted you for years, we want your tale.

Send your story to contact us at Haunted UK podcast dot com, and don't forget to follow us on social media Facebook, x at Haunted Ukpod, TikTok and Instagram at Haunted UK podcast, or visit our website www dot hauntedukpodcast dot com.

Now, if you love what we do and what even more haunted goodies, then you can support the show on Patreon and Coffee.

We've got two brilliant tears, Possessed and Spooked, both packed with bonus content, exclusive episodes and extra material that'll keep you up all night.

But that's not all.

We've launched a brand new sister podcast, Haunted UK Fiction, and we're calling all storytellers, whether you're a published author, an aspiring writer, or someone with a natural gift for spinning ear retails.

We're looking for original fictional short stories and novellas with strong paranormal or supernatural themes.

Think suspenseful, mysterious, atmospheric, terrifying, thought provoking, even darkly magical.

If your story is selected, we'll professionally narrate, record, mix and master it into an audiobook style format, then feature it on the show.

You'll get a copy of the finished production to use however you like, and you'll retain full ownership of your work.

Admit your story to Haunted UK Fiction at hotmail dot com and follow us on Instagram at Haunted uk fiction.

So, whether it's truth or fiction, if it's haunted we wanted.

Now sit back and enjoy the episode.

This is the Haunted UK Podcasts Short Haunts.

Welcome dear listeners to our series of short haunts.

A shot of scary just for you, So grab a hot chocolate.

Maybe a team may be something stronger, because this is Haunted UK Podcasts Short Haunts.

The priest room.

For most of us, going away on holiday provides an opportunity to relax, to take in new experiences, to try different food, and to escape the daily grind of work.

We look forward to these times away from home, a brief change from the usual four walls.

But things don't always go to plan.

You only have to look at the events which took place at the Palazzio Albritzi described in episode eleven The Venetian Palace Haunting to discover that even the best laid plans and holidays in some of the most exotic and beautiful locations can go terribly wrong.

We've heard so many times on this podcast that paranormal and supernatural phenomena are not restricted by race, color, culture, wealth, or profession.

The events which took place in the Palazzo Albritzi affected the entire group of holidaymakers, including and ranging from ominous atmospheres and poltergeist activity to full body apparitions.

These terrifying events apparently took place because the holidaymakers had dared to use the dining room for dinner parties, not realizing that around four hundred years previously, the space had been a bedroom where a horrific murder had taken place.

The bedroom was the domain of the Contessa Albrizzi, whose portrait hung in the dining room.

The story goes that her husband couldn't have children, so the contessa took a lover, but was soon found out by her husband, who not only killed her lover, but also murdered her by decapitation.

It just goes to show that sometimes you don't really know the true fabric of the environment in which you're staying.

Events like these could take place anywhere hotels, guesthouses, hostels, stately homes.

The list goes on and on.

This short haunt was sent in by a listener who wishes to remain anonymous, so for the purpose of this episode, we'll call him Nathan.

He describes a series of strange and frightening events which took place during an innocent family holiday in a truly beautiful location.

It's important to stress to you all that Nathan wasn't the only witness to these events.

There were others.

So with that, it's time to hand over to Nathan so he can recount he's short haunt.

I recently stumbled upon your podcast on Spotify and have listened to the entire collection during my work shifts and drives to and from work.

I love listening to other people's experiences with the paranormal, and I must admit it reminded me of an experience my family and I had on holiday.

For context, this event took place around fifteen years ago, so my recollection of exact details may be a little sketchy, but listening to the experiences of others has given me the confidence to not only tell my story, but to also come to the conclusion that this wasn't in my imagination.

I've taken the time to corroborate the series of events with other members of my family, and I now feel it's right to share these experiences with you and the show's listeners.

My family and I would usually take a yearly vacation somewhere hot, such as Tenerife, Lanzerotti, or similar destinations.

A year or two prior to the events of this story, my uncle had purchased a villa in the Algave in Portugal.

We stayed there one year, but the following year was going to be the big family holiday.

My dad's side of the family were planning for all of us to be in Portugal at the same time.

What a fantastic idea, we all thought.

My cousins and I thought of nothing more than the endless playtime we'd have, whilst our parents thought of nothing more than all the downtime they'd have.

They could relaxed whilst we would entertain ourselves and wear each other at As you can imagine, there were quite a few people attending this holiday, fifteen to be exact, adults, seven children, and myself.

You'd be correct in thinking that fifteen people weren't all going to get into one villa, so it was decided that a second villa should be rented out.

Again for context, my uncle's villa was located down an unmade road, a rough track, if you could call it that, where there were three or four other residences, two at the start of the road and then further back my uncles and the villa across the road which we were renting.

My aunts, uncles and cousins were in one villa, whilst my family, myself and my nan would be across the road in the rented one.

The day of the holiday finally arrived and the merry mob of us got on the plane with us kids, causing complete havoc.

At this point, everything was normal and the flight was routine.

As we landed and stepped off the plane, we were met with a rush of heat from the Portuguese climate.

After locating the higher car, we soon arrived at the villa in which my family and I would be staying.

The listing details of the villa made it sound fantastic a games room, private pool, four bedrooms and bathrooms.

My mum and dad got the only upstairs room, which was massive and had fantastic views from what I recall.

Then came the fun bit, the rest of us picking our rooms.

The original plan was for my nan to have her own room, my brother and sister to share a room, and me, being the oldest and a grumpy, belligerent teenager, having the pleasure of having my own room.

After getting inside and hauling our cases into the villa, we immediately began to explore, with a number of us trying to locate the games room, as the description hadn't made it clear where it was located.

As I entered the kitchen, I discovered a winding staircase which led to a lower floor.

I can't explain, but I felt like there was a terrible darkness down these stairs.

Being a teenager, I ignored the feeling.

I simply wanted to know if this was the games room and if it was, what was in there.

Hoping for a play station or an Xbox, I was greeted by metal gates, heavy metal gates which were painted white, which was strange considering these were essentially in the basement in front of a locked door.

Again, pushing any questions aside, I unlocked the door, flicked on the light switch, and was met with the sight of a pool table, a dance board, and a few other bits and pieces.

I must admit I was disappointed, so I went back upstairs to the ground floor and informed everyone that I'd found the games room, then briefly described what was in it.

After the period of exploration was over, it was time to unpack.

We decided to get my nap and set up in her room first.

As I remember it, it was a buttery yellow room filled with floral knickknacks and doilies.

We then looked at what would be my room, and this is where the issue arose the experience with the paranormal.

This room would have been perfect because it had a double bed, its own bathroom, and plenty of space.

I've always been tall, so bedspace has always been a big deal.

Access to this room was via a small hallway with the bathroom to one side and slatted wardrobes on the other.

As soon as I laid eyes on my room, I felt uneasy.

There was an aura coming from it, which filled me with dread.

Hoping it would pass, I walked further in, noticing that the bathroom light was bathing the whole room in a yellow glow, like the set of a badly filmed horror movie.

Again, I tried to convince myself that I'd get used to it and overcome this feeling, which at the time seemed like an irrational fear.

I then took to the actual bedroom and found that the walls were all white, just plain white, with the furniture being constructed from a very dark wood.

The bulbs in this room cast a cold white light, making this contrast incredibly offsetting.

The room was also unnaturally cold, ridiculously cold considering the temperature of the rest of the villa.

This is when the dread set in deeper.

I felt like I was being watched and felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

The need to run out of that room as quickly as I could was overwhelming, and I immediately went to find my mum to explain what I'd felt.

She tried to console me, as I'd always had a very active imagination, but after telling her that I really really didn't want to stay in that room, that I'd rather share a room with my brother than staying there, my mom was forced to make changes.

My brother was nine years old at the time, and as you'd expect, the difference in age and interests put us at odds with each other more often than not.

Changing rooms was clearly a big deal, as I was swapping a luxury double bed and privacy for a single bed in a shared room.

My mom then offered the room to my twelve year old sister, genuinely believing that I was imagining things.

But this didn't go to plan either.

My sister had the same feeling of dread as I did.

Before she'd even got into the room.

She turned to my mum and told her I'd rather share a room with Nan than sleep in there.

With two of us now having the exact same feelings about this room, my mom finally went to investigate it for herself.

She also felt exactly the same way as my sister and I did.

She left the room and we all looked at each other, somewhat lost for words.

We looked at one another and silently started unpacking in our newly designated rooms, my brother and I in one room, and my sister and Nan in the yellow room.

That night, I had horrifying dreams in which shadowy figures lurked around the corners of that room.

I woke up in a cold sweat, my brothers still asleep, but knowing I had to walk past that room.

I wasn't taking the chance, and I just sat in that bed all night, waiting for dawn.

Eventually, when dawn did come, I went and sat in the living room, flicking through the available channels on the TV.

It was a feeble attempt at finding something to shake the fear that had been gripping me, trying to distract myself from the feeling of being watched, somewhat like having to watch a Disney flick after overdoing it on the horror movies before bed.

I eventually settled on Taqushi's Castle, finding the comedic commentary, easing my nerves enough to get me through the next two hours before anyone else stirred.

When my mum came down, she could see I wasn't in a good way, and as we sat down out of a cup of tea, she asked me what was up.

I simply said, I dreamt of the priest Room.

I have no idea why we started calling it the priest room, but for some reason, it just seemed to fit.

I decided against telling her about the shadowy figures or anything else that happened in the dream, as I didn't want her to panic.

But the feelings of dread didn't stop there.

As soon as it got dark, if the door descending to the game's room was open, I could feel that dark presence and the feeling of being watched.

I don't know why, but by closing the doors, I felt like I was safe.

I guess the idea of out of sight, out of mind kind of works when you're a teen.

After this, we closed the door to the priest Room and kept it closed, and I slept better.

I still refused to walk past the priest Room at night or go anywhere near the game's room.

Unfortunately, the period of relief brought on by closing the doors didn't last long.

During the second week of the holiday, I broke my ankle, meaning that I was now on crutches.

And pretty much useless at getting in and out of bed, so I ended up sleeping in the living room.

This was fantastic for me, as I now wouldn't have to go past that room now.

I don't know if this part was a dream or if it actually happened, but here goes.

One night, I was sitting alone in the villa.

My parents, aunts, and uncles had gone out for the night.

My siblings were across the road for a sleepover, but I didn't want to go typical teenager.

As the hours slowly passed, the terrible feeling of dread began to creep in again, as did the feeling of being watched.

Suddenly, I thought I heard the latch on the door clink open.

I froze, swallowing hard because I knew there were only two doors in the villa with that clunky spring latch, and if either of them had suddenly opened, it wasn't going to be good for me.

I sat there, forcing myself to stare at the TV like a toddler, thinking that if I don't see you, you won't see me.

At that moment, cold air crept into the room and my body began screaming, begging me to look in the direction of what it was perceiving to be danger.

I hated every second that I forced myself to stare at that TV.

I felt every hair on my body stand on end.

Eventually the program stopped and the tele shopping kicked in.

This is when I finally relented and allowed myself a long blink.

The next thing I knew, my parents were stumbling in through the front door.

Then everything went dark.

I was woken up the next morning by my mum, who was nursing a killer hangover.

I sat there, exhausted, unsure if what I had experienced had been real or some sort of extreme lucid dream, not that I knew what that was at the time.

We never went back to that villa, and a few years later my uncle sold his I tried to find any basis of rationale for the feelings I had in that room and turned up with nothing.

No haunted history, no urban legend, not even a murmur of foul play.

When asking my mum and sister about it.

Even now, none of us can explain our feelings of initial unease in that room, and none of us can recall why we dubbed it the priest Room.

It feels good to finally get this out there.

Keep up the good work, kind regards Nathan, and that, dear listeners, is where this short haunt ends.

What was the presence in the bedroom?

What force could have been so strong that it left at least three people with feelings of complete dread?

Was it also the same presence down in the basement games room?

And was it here where all the trouble started?

Is it possible to consider that it was Nathan himself who disturbed something in the games room when he first arrived at the villa?

And if that's true, did Nathan's innocent action of simple curiosity wanting to see what was downstairs enable that something to latch on to him and in turn give it free run of the villa?

As Nathan pointed out at the start of this short haunt, the events took place around fifteen years ago, so there's a chance that the villa isn't there any more.

But if it is, have others who have stayed there experienced the same thing?

We may never know, but you might if you've stayed there, And if you have, then why not consider getting in touch with the show and sharing your story, just as Nathan did?

And maybe the next person to feature on a short haunt could be you.