​The Anima: A Soul in Pain in the Apartments (Short Story) by Hanner Goenaga

 

When I was young, I don’t know exactly at what age, I heard about the story of the Animas (Souls in pain). I don’t remember who first told me because I have spoken about this topic with several people throughout my life.

​The Animas are the spirits of people who pass away, but according to their Akashic record, it was not yet their time to die; usually, it is due to murder. Therefore, the soul of that person remains wandering on earth until the true hour of their death arrives so they can finally transcend.

​I have heard in many cases of paranormal experiences that the spirit of these people remains in the place where they lost their lives or where their body was left.

​Recently, I acquired an apartment in a gated complex. Before moving in, I checked the location and the street view of the surrounding roads on Google Maps to guide myself. However, the map for this location was not updated.

​In the space where the address said the towers were located, all you could see was a wasteland, full of thickets and weeds. Despite that, it gave me the instructions on how to reach the area, though I was completely unaware of the field's violent past.

​The day after I settled into my new home, as I was coming out of the bathroom, in the first room—which was the smallest and was empty—I saw the figure of a tall man, standing and dressed in black in the middle of the room.

​I couldn’t see his face, but to make sure of what I had seen, I looked again, moving my head quickly, with my mouth open and letting out a small sigh; but by then, no one was there.

​The stories from the surrounding neighborhood say that when this area was overgrown with vegetation, criminal gangs would throw the bodies of the people they murdered among the thick, dark bushes to get rid of them.

​The neighbors in the complex say that several people had already seen the soul in pain of that tall man dressed in black in various apartments, waiting for the true hour of his death to finally arrive; that manifestation was like a notice saying, "I am here too."

​"Even if we put cement and bricks over the earth, the memory of the place remains there."