From James in Edmonton, Alberta:

Early this summer I returned home somewhat late from West Edmonton Mall. It was a gorgeous night so I decided to sleep in a Teepee we have in our backyard. I awoke at about 6 am the next morning and, finding it a bit chilly, I decided to enter our home. However, everyone was still asleep so, not wanting to disturb anybody, I decided instead to walk to the mall to have a cup of coffee. The mall is directly across the street from us.

It was raining lightly that morning and the streets were void of any cars or pedestrians. I walked out of our yard, closing the gate behind me and onto the sidewalk. Turning, I looked left and then right of me. No one was in sight. I began walking, enjoying the drizzle and the peace and quite of early morning in the city. I had about 150 feet to walk to a crosswalk to get to the mall and was only a few steps into my journey when I heard a noise coming from directly behind me. It was the sound a woman makes when she is wearing high heels.

Not wanting to look, probably out of vanity, I wondered instead just where the hell did she come from? I was only seconds into my walk when her footsteps appeared, and I had definitely looked both ways? There was absolutely no one around?

I estimated the footsteps to be about forty feet behind me and in pace with my footsteps. They were loud and clear. For at least a full minute I listened to the footsteps following me. Finally, I reached the crosswalk which give me the opportunity to turn and look. Just as I was turning the click, click of high heels on pavement quit. I turned and found myself looking at an empty sidewalk behind me. No one was there! Just the rain.

The thought of actually knowing someone had to have been behind me, yet realizing there was no one there at all, still sends a chill up and down my spine today.

Presently, whenever I leave for the mall through our backyard, I always wonder what the significance was, if any, behind me hearing those strange footsteps that one rainy morning? And even though this may not be the spookiest story ever told, for me, it belongs right up there among the stories of the paranormal. Especially when I live right across the street from the largest mall in the world - in a fairly new housing area where you would think, as hauntings go, this isn't the place where they should be happening.

Or is it?