It was about 10 p.m. last night when my friend dropped me off at home.
I unlocked my back door, kicked off my shoes, turned on a light, and lounged on one of my couches, half-watching an NBA playoff game while reading a book.
I live in a two-story cape cod. Sometimes my son wakes up at night, gets out of bed and walks to a bathroom or to find me. So, it’s usually not that weird when I hear the floor creak several times above me.
The problem was: No one else was home.
…
Every hair on my arms stood up.
Investigate? Ask who’s there?
I’d like to tell you I boldly walked upstairs like a badass ready to take out any threat that might be waiting. I did the opposite of that.
I grabbed my wallet, keys, shoes, and walked out to my Jeep without putting them on.
I backed out of my driveway and parked across the street with the engine running, trying to go over my options.
There were three possibilities.
- An intruder was in my house. That was the scariest.
- For the first time in more than nine years of living there, I was experiencing a haunting. Also scary.
- My house made some noise because it’s 65 years old and I’m being a wimpy spaz. The most likely.
My brain was telling me it was highly unlikely there was someone in there. I live in a safe neighborhood. Plus, there were no signs of forced entry, and I hadn’t seen any visual evidence on the first floor of anything looking out of place, with the caveat being I’m not all that organized sometimes, so it’s not always immediately obvious whether something that shouldn’t be there anyway had been moved to another place it shouldn’t be.
I sat in the Jeep across the street staking out my own house like an insane person. I was looking for movement in the upstairs windows, or in my brightly lit living room. I hadn’t shut off the TV and it was casting constantly moving light and danger onto the walls.
I have only a few viable self-defense weapons in the house. All of them are in my bedroom. I’ll need to rethink that strategy.
My mind was racing. I have a Sheriff’s deputy friend who lives relatively close. He’s a single dad like me. He was the only person I could think to reach out to. If he was free, maybe he’d come sweep the house with me.
“You around sir?” I texted.
I just sat there behind the wheel staring at all the windows, wondering what an intruder WOULD do if he (or she?) was in there, almost certainly realizing I was in an idling car across the street.
The Possible Intruder Profiles
I’m no genius. But there are really only a few types of people who could conceivably break into my house and creep around upstairs while I’m downstairs.
Thief
I don’t own anything of great financial value, like jewelry, fine art or precious metals. Televisions and computers are really the only obvious things to steal. I quickly ruled out thieves.
Homeless Tweaker
It’s not unheard of for someone like me (a single guy with a predictable schedule) to have someone borrow my house when I’m away. Homeless person sneaks in. They use toilets and showers and eat and drink, but expertly cover their tracks. I added the word “tweaker,” for the element of danger. A threatened, cornered, mentally unstable person can be a physical threat.
Psycho Murderer
Creepy murderer lies in wait in your dark bedroom for the sole purpose of killing you when you come home. It’s REALLY irrational to fear this, but I’d just had a conversation about Charles Manson and the cult killings associated with him over lunch that day, so it was floating around the back of my head.
A Sexy Stalker
Gorgeous, sultry stalker lies in wait naked in your dark bedroom for the sole purpose of sleeping with you when you come home. There’s a decent chance the psycho murderer scenario is more likely to happen.
A Ghost
Ray Parker Jr. sang “I ain’t afraid of no ghost” in one of my all-time favorite comedies, but I actually am afraid of ghosts. I’ve seen and experienced exactly ZERO hauntings in my life. Perhaps if I had a bunch of ghost encounters, they wouldn’t bother me. I didn’t like the idea of going to sleep in my bedroom with a footstep-generating specter hanging out in there.
…
This is bullshit. I can’t just sit here, I thought. I’m sure it was nothing.
I pulled back into my driveway and turned off the Jeep. Just then, my law-enforcement friend texted me back, including in it the fact he had his young daughter at home.
I decided I just needed to go upstairs and deal with whatever.
“How ya doing?” my friend texted.
“I don’t know yet,” I replied. “If I don’t write back, really bad. And if I do, everything will be fine.”
His cop alarm went off.
“You need to call me,” he said.
So I did. And I told him what was going on. He said he would come over but I’d have to stay outside with his daughter. I didn’t think that was in her best interest, so I declined.
He then suggested the police. “I’ve been on those calls before. They do it all the time.”
I was a little bit more afraid of calling the cops and it turning out to be nothing than I was being attacked by a stranger.
“It’s probably nothing. Seriously,” I said. “The only thing I’ll say in defense of myself is that I’ve lived in this house nine years and know the noises it makes. This is the first time I ever felt scared enough to leave because of noise.”
He asked me to stay on the phone with him while I cleared each room. I systematically walked through each room in my house, turning on every light, looking behind every door, inside every closet, under every bed—the entire time, waiting to be ambushed by an axe murderer, junkie or ghost monster.
It’s incredible how much braver you feel with someone on the phone with you. At least there will be an audio witness to the brutal slaying!
I found nothing, of course. I was not murdered or even attacked.
Nothing yelled “Boo!” or impaled me with a demon spear.
Perhaps someone had been there, and they left during the 10-15 minutes I sat in my car across the street while my elder neighbor lady gave me WTF looks from her living room sofa.
Perhaps there had been a ghost of some kind in one of the closets and it stared right at me when I opened the door, but never realized it.
Or perhaps it was nothing at all. That’s usually what it is: the simple explanation.
…
For the first time in nearly a decade, I feared for my safety. I didn’t bravely and boldly run upstairs to defend my turf and protect what’s rightfully mine. I didn’t brazenly yell at the would-be intruder with warnings of imminent harm if he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, I grabbed a few things and hurried out of my own house without even waiting to put on shoes.
I feel more courageous with my writing.
I feel more courageous professionally.
I feel more courageous socially.
But when I thought I might have to fight an unknown assailant or a ghost monster, my first instinct was to run away.
I don’t necessarily know what that means, or what I should do about it.
I only know that I don’t like it, and should definitely do something.
I’m still reading Matt, even if I’m not always commenting. Everything is for us isn’t it?
Every experience, especially the ones that leave us doubting and questioning ourselves, is an invitation to get to know ourselves better and deeper.
Hi Dorothy. 🙂
That’s a wise observation. I’m still mulling this over. So nice to hear from you.
First, you did the right thing in running away. I know that tears at all of our macho beliefs, but macho won’t buy you much if it had been an armed intruder.
Second– your friend is right, you should have called the cops. That’s what the police themselves will tell you. If you come home from a party and something doesn’t look right— don’t go in, call the cops first. They’d rather come and check your house than have to come later and draw a chalk-line around your body. It’s their job, goes with the territory. And, no– they won’t think you’re a coward— they’ll think you were using your head, calling them first instead of checking a strange noise yourself.
I appreciate you saying that actually, because I was feeling super-wimpy about the entire episode.
But sure. An armed assailant versus me on my phone?
I’d have most likely written my last blog post.
Thanks for weighing in. Hope you’re well.
A big scary ass dog, its the only viable option.
When he acts weird and I think he’s seeing ghosts, obviously thats less than ideal. But i’m no longer afraid of murderers or burglars. It’s worth thinking about….!
If I didn’t have a son, I probably would have gotten a dog already. It’s an elegant solution to the problem if you’re someone who is more responsible than me. 🙂
I would have caring for a child was somewhat more responsible than a dog but obviously i’m a bit mixed up in my thinking!
We all have moments like that.
Leslie
Beware the demon spear.
Hey Matt. I enjoyed reading this, and I can totally relate. I think you made the right decision by leaving the house. Whenever I come home from somewhere, I always turn the door handle first before putting my key in the lock to make sure that it is still locked, the way it was when I left. (It’s just me and my two kids, and they don’t have a key, so if it’s unlocked, then that’s not a good sign. 😉
I have rushed off a couple of times and forgot to lock the front door, and I have grabbed a sharp knife out of the kitchen drawer and walked around, macho-style, from room to room on a couple of occasions, but if I really thought there was a good chance that someone else was in the house, my tail would be between my legs, and I definitely would not have done that!
The last thing you want to do is encounter an intruder in your house or let your pride get in the way of making an intelligent decision. I also agree that a dog is a good deterrent. I even put a “Beware of Dog” sign on the gate to our backyard before we had a dog. A sign like that also helps. My -ex later got a Shiatsu, and more than a couple of people subsequently asked “Why the sign?” 😉
Good stuff here, Mr. Lewis. Thank you for reading, for getting it, and for helping me feel better about my reaction.
Thanks Matt. No formality needed for me. 😉
Keep right on calling him “Mr.” and “Sir” – – he’s super old. 😉
I’m thoroughly enjoying this.
Matt, please don’t refer to her as “Little Miss Menopause” because her real name is “Little Miss PMS!” 😉
Also, for the record, I want to clarify that my -ex did not get a massage; she got a Shih Tzu (dog). 😉
I knew what you meant!
But she was kind enough to point that out in her comment!
HA!
I laughed, sir. And I’m laughing again right now.
SCARY!!!
I remember (ten years ago) coming home with a 5 year old on one hand and a two year old on my hip. The place had CLEARLY been robbed. I, too, did not hang around to consider my options. Safety first,…then think. It’s funny what we do instinctually. I’m glad my intuition took over…although no one was left in my house either. It’s interesting that you associate stupidity with bravery. As if being a man means being killed or tortured or whatever. . . . Men! what’s with you guys? 😉
great story telling…as always. (note: I didn’t say great story. I’m still shivering from it…..{{Shudder}})
I don’t know what to tell you! It just seems wimpy to abandon your home. I can’t explain it better than that. I’m glad no one seems to think it was a bad move.
The way my house is set up, there would be no way to go upstairs without someone upstairs knowing it and totally having the jump on you.
It was a funny little moment. I’m hopeful it won’t happen again.
Was it just me? I found this to be a little amusing. Not that you may have had an intruder or a demonic spirit lurking around but your thought process and process of elimination. Sexy stalker? Hilarious. No offence intended but I loved the read. Glad you’re okay.
No offense taken! If I can’t laugh at myself, I’m in a lot of trouble. The stalker/ghost monster/demon spear impaling made me laugh.
I’m glad you did too. 🙂
“I don’t necessarily know what that means”… it means you are human. It was a perfectly normal and reasonable response.
Reading the part where you describe the situation/noise, made me get that creepy feeling up the back of my neck. I would have run screaming, arms flailing, forget putting on shoes and grabbing a few things!
That’s what I felt. Spine-tingling, goosebump-getting, hold-your-breath fear.
I didn’t think long. I got up, didn’t turn the TV off because I didn’t want the source of the noise to know I was listening, and got the hell out.
The source of the noise was most likely an older house settling.
But I need you to believe me when I say I’d never heard anything like it before.
I lived in a house for over 10 years with a presence. It’s not like it is in the movies and you get used to it. Sometimes the thing would hover over me at night while I was sleeping causing me to wake-up and startle and as a reflex action I would try to push it away with my hand, only for my hand to go right through… it was a dark smoky figure with no discernible features. I used to get so pissed when it would do that to me but once I stopped reacting, it/he/whatever stopped doing it.
That’s pretty unsettling. Smoky Phantom Guy and I WOULD NOT be friends if that kept happening to me.
I’m pleased to report that wasn’t my experience and hopefully never will be.
I think your reaction was the smart one to take. Because we all know what happens in scary movies when the idiot character hears a noise and immediately heads straight for the psychokiller/entity/evil possessed doll like a mosquito to the bug zapper. Why!? Are? You DOING that?!? Why aren’t you already halfway down the driveway in your car!? I always ask them.
I’m glad everything turned out OK. I might burn some sage, just to be safe.;-)
You’re funny, K. I get it. And I appreciate very much that you think I did the right thing.
Thank you for saying hi. I always like it. Hope you and your family are well!
Like everyone else, I think you did the right thing! I’m still really wondering what the noise was (you are too, right?!), but leaving the house was absolutely the right thing. And I think you probably could/should have called the cops, but I understand what you mean. I probably wouldn’t have, either. But grabbing a knife and checking out the place yourself, yeah, that never really works out well.
Thanks for sharing!
This totally creeped me out! A few years back, our house was broken into, twice in a month. I’m pretty sure it was teenagers cuz all that was taken was our video game consoles and a shit load of booze. Both times they broke in during the day. The creepy thing is, the second time they broke in, my then teenage daughter had been alone in the house all morning and my oldest son returned home roughly an hour after she left, and discovered the break in. I don’t want to think what could have happened if my daughter had still been in the home, or if my son had walked in during the break in. *shudder*
You did the smart, sensible thing hightailing it outta there. Safety first!
Video games and booze.
I have bad news. Even older guys like that stuff. *sad trombone*
I’m pleased to hear no one was hurt. I’ve experienced a couple vehicle break-ins. I’ve been very blessed to (as far as I know!) avoid any home break-ins.
Nothing wrong with being cautious!
You know your house and its habits – why take the risk?
Actually I have a story that happened just like this about a week ago where I reacted in just the opposite way – lolcano ^^;;
I trained with a kendo master when I was younger and still have in my house, a wooden bokken as well as a few katana blades.
Suffice it to say that when I was alone at home and heard said noise down the hall from my room, my adrenalin went out of control causing me to snag up one of the katana blades and brandish it like some crazy-haired ninja assassin.
It turned out to be my sister’s cat lumbering down the hall, who is somewhat of a heavy walker, whom I’d also forgotten was in the house (she leaves him every few weeks or so to visit).
Uh yeah.
I was stalking a poor housecat who then looked up at me and said ‘Mew’, though he might well have been rolling his eyes and laughing at me… =\
You pulled out your Katana.
Hell yeah, you did. That’s a fun story. I own precisely zero swords.
With a six-year-old somewhat obsessed with toy swords, this is probably a good thing.
Fight or flight are what we learned in psychology – adrenaline rushing, heart pounding in one’s ears. Thing is, the books talk about what the body does, not what the emotions do. Good for you for taking care of yourself.
If you saw the layout of my house, you’d get it even more. Even if I was a trained assassin, it would still be impossible to walk upstairs without getting lit up by anyone waiting for you.
I’m still optimistic it was nothing at all. Bizarre, though.
OMG! Get out of my brain. I’ve totally done that, kept an innocent bystander on the phone with me while I swept a creepy house, walked the dog at midnight, checked to see why all the downstairs doors had blown open during the night and the house alarm (which I hadn’t set) was going off. I was way pregnant for that last one. Also, it was a blizzard. Also the power went out… for four days. Also, my husband was away and I had four toddlers. Just saying.
And once it happened in Philly to the single divorced guy across the street. We found him standing in the street. My husband grabbed something big and metal-ly (a large flashlight? a bat?) and stormed the guy’s house. It had been a total break-in. All kinds of stuff gone. We both agreed afterwards it was one of the stupid-er things he’d ever done.
I ain’t afraid of no ghost. (But I am!)
Glad you’re safe. You owe that cop a beer.
Those are fun stories. Maybe you could write about those sometime. I think I’d like to read it.
I, too, am glad to be alive. Thank you. My friend is always welcome to all the beer I possess. He’s good people.
Have a good day, Jen. Thank you for saying hi. 🙂
Do you have a deceased uncle whose birthday is around this time? I sense he is on your fathers side and you knew him quite well in life. Just say hello, happy birthday and I am pleased that you still think of me.
He was very quiet in life. Not much of a talker.
My uncle David–my father’s only brother–was killed in a car accident on Sept. 11, 1996. He was 37, just a year older than I am now.
His birthday was April 2.
He is gone now. Like I said, not much of a talker. Did he have big feet? Spirit seems to think you will make the connection with this obsrevation. What fun!
And here I was just getting used to the idea that my uncle (who I loved dearly) was going to be hanging out for a while. I didn’t even mind.
Oh my gosh, reading this felt like living my life. You should have weapons downstairs. Except you have a kid… you should consult with your cop friend and have him teach you how to search and sweep through your house. My brother did this, and just having the experience of physically going through it helps a ton with knowing what to do “in the moment.”
Crazy shite! Sorry it wasn’t a sultry stalker.
I should have weapons downstairs!
Thank you for your sympathy on the sultry stalker thing.
Great story…suspenseful..you had me shaking a bit. I’m glad everything was ok and glad you had someone to be there for you while you cleared the house. It’s scary sometimes. Don’t feel bad because there are bad things that happen and it is better to be cautious.
It’s better than having a psycho-crazy bi*ch (at the time, it was my husband’s girlfriend-baby mama, etc.-not going there) who kept calling me trying to scare me to death. At least she didn’t kill me like the woman did her neighbor the year before when her lover (the dead woman’s husband) said he didn’t want to see her any more…see, things could be worse. 😀 Be careful!!!
I will do my very best to stay out of things just like that. 🙂
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Ha! Okay, Matt. I’m also reading even if I don’t comment. But gotta on this one. Several things. 1. This was another glimpse (I’ve seen several!) into what a great humor writer you’d be. C’mon!! 2. I’m reading the comments on my phone where gravatars are teeny tiny and come across one above that sound exactly like my ex-husband. (Turning door handle before entering, carrying a knife around, tail between legs, “Beware of Dog” sign etc.) and then your response starts out thanking “a Mr. Lewis.” lol. I scroll back up and sure enough, it’s my ex. The thing that threw me off is that he said his ex (that’s me) got a Shiatzu (a massage?) Uh…..I got a Shih Tzu (small furry dog resembling a gremlin) 3. Having just read your updated post on this matter, I am compelled to tell you I was a huge skeptic until my father passed away very suddenly. Out of tremendous grief, I went to a “legit” channeler (medium who “reaches the other side”) and he proceeded to tell me things for the entire hour that I swear to you only my father and I could have known. They were our little inside jokes and secrets. Blew me away. And now? “I’m a believer!” (sung to the tune of that Monkey’s song) And yes – – I wonder what they think about if they can perceive what happens in our bedrooms! But more often I wonder if he’s still admonishing me when I lock myself out of my car for the umpteenth time! I wrote a humor post about the whole experience called, “Don’t Change That Channeler.” 4. Have you submitted to Huff Post Divorce section yet?? Signed, Your Nag
I have ALMOST taken care of all the things I need to take care of before doing so, Stephanie.
I can’t start guest posting until I’m willing to use my last name publicly. I’m getting really close. And then hopefully I will start showing up other places. HuffPo and The Good Men Project are two places I’d really like to write.
As for humor writing, I do try to lighten things up once in a while, but I really struggle sometimes with the idea of trying to make an entire piece a comedy post.
I seem to be most comfortable tossing in the random joke that pops into my head the same as it happens in daily conversation.
If I can ever figure out how to harness and channel it more effectively, I promise to try!
Yes, Ron commented the other day, and when he mentioned his Ex, I knew he meant you. 🙂
You’re hilarious with the Shiatzu versus Shih Tzu. I knew what he meant!
Nag away, please. I’m rather fond of you and it means a lot to me that you care enough to encourage me. That’s an understatement.
It really makes me feel good. Thank you so much for that.
Having experienced both real and ghostly intruders, I share your fear.
When I was about 18, I shared a flat (apartment) with three other girls. I came home from work just on dark one evening, walked down the hall (past the bedrooms) and into the living area where I opened the curtains and the sliding door onto the balcony. It was then I heard a noise in my bedroom. I called out thinking it was one of my housemates but got no reply. So I shot up the hallway (past the bedroom doors) and out the door, knocking on the door of a friend. He came with me to my flat but there was nothing there however my bedroom door was open and my scarf was laying across the bed. I freaked out. A few days later, the girl upstairs was raped.
As to the ghostly thing… I’ve had a few of those encounters in the past. These days when I hear noises in the current house I live in, I know who it is and speak to my brother. I’ve told him that unless it’s urgent and he really needs to give me a message, I’m going to start charging him board and lodgings. lol
Ghosts happen…We instinctivley know the difference between natural sounds and the sounds of an intruder (alive or from beyond the grave)…if in doubt get out or have the place blessed by a priest.
dude i live in a funeral home it gets even worse here. tvs turn on randomly, trash cans that have lids that spin start spining when no one is near it. its just worse with the chance of ghosts
So I wrote this nearly two years ago now.
I have had a couple of television-turning-on incidents, but I also bought a new TV a couple of months ago and it might just be something silly with that.
Last night it didn’t happen (that I was awake to hear anyway), but the prior two nights, just after midnight, I heard from my quiet upstairs bedroom the sound of what I assume it would sound like if someone knocked one of the remote controls off the living-room end table onto the hardwood floor.
Something hard and solid, but not heavy, hitting the floor and clattering.
I’m not saying that’s what it was, or that a ghost did it.
I’m saying two nights in a row, that is the noise I heard, and I’m pretty sure I’m not insane, though I can’t back that up with any evidence in a blog comment on the internet.
There was no evidence of anything laying on the floor the following mornings that might explain the noise.
I don’t think it scares me. Until something supernatural causes some kind of harm outside of my brain making it creepy because I’ve seen too many movies, I think being afraid of it is a bit irrational.
But, I certainly get goosebumps and whatnot in those rare moments.
If it’s all the same to ghosts and spiritual energies or whatever, I’d be fine with inexplicable noises NOT happening while I’m around.
Spinning trash can lids, though?
I can’t say that I’ve ever seen something MOVING that shouldn’t be moving.
I can say confidently I want that to stay true forever.
So… What was it???? I was hoping that you would find a sibling or somethiong that came to visit but didn’t tell you they were coming…
That’s very funny about your elderly neighbor.
I came home from work one time and was on the phone with a friend. As I started to look for my keys I can hear the dogs barking and my grandmother cursing them out to get out of the way so she could open up for me lol she was cursing and my friend on the phone can hear her and laughed, seeing that she was like 80 at the time with a truckers mouth. I told him let me call you back and got my keys finally, telling my grandmother ” I got it” and opened up. I lived in a two story at the time and when I opened up there was nobody there. No grandmother, no dogs. I looked at the stairs and I thought, there is no way this woman went up that fast. She always takes one step at a time. And my dogs weren’t even there to jump all over me like they do when I get home. As I walked up the stairs my uncles wife that I was living with at the time, came down and told me to hush because grandma is sleeping and had been since around 5pm. At this time it’s close to 9pm. I told her that I was just talking to her, telling her I’ll open up because she was cursing out the dogs. She told me go look, she’s knocked out. So I did and she was sleeping in my bed with my dogs. O_o she said I’m crazy lol I called my friend back and asked ” hey when I was trying to open my door, you did hear my grandmother rite “? He said yeah she was cursing out the dogs. I told him no, there was nobody there. She’s sleeping. He was freaked out. We both were dumb founded lol
I have been home alone with the dog on many occasions and we both hear something upstairs. Once it sounded like someone had taken a heavy book or binder and just dropped it on the wood floor. I have gone up a few times with my gun looking around. Our youngest daughter ( who is in college now) used to see spirits in her room and once on our couch downstairs in the family room. I always believed she saw what she said she saw and just tried to calm her by saying she could tell those “people” to go away that they were confused. I once saw a child coming down the stairs in the middle of the night when I awoke to use restroom… thought it was one of our kids… went up to check after scolding ” go back to bed” and all were totally completely sound asleep – no way had one of them just been walking down the stairs. Just last week over Christmas break youngest was home and texted me asking if Dad was home or at work. I respond ‘work, why?” She says she swears she heard someone moving around upstairs. I told her that that stuff happens a lot. Later that day I am upstairs at bannister taking off garland to put up from the Holiday, she is sitting downstairs in a chair watching t.v. and we are also chatting…. “crash” “”What was that ” I ask her. The smoke detector on the wall outside the master bedroom just flew off the wall mount by itself and hit the floor. Anyway… my point is I understand what you are going through. I have come to accept it and sometimes will actually say out loud ” I hear you but I don’t know what you want. You need to go away now” LOL I feel silly saying it but it seems to help temporarily. I am glad that two of our three ( now grown) children have also heard things so I don’t feel like I am the only one! We built this house 23 years ago… so I don’t know why anything/anyone would be here? We do have some antiques… also some old family heirlooms…could something be attached? Maybe? We are not too far from where the Batlle of San Jacinto was fought… rem ants of early settlers? I don’t know, but nothing horrible has happened so I just go with the flow….been going on for almost 20 of the 23 years we have been here.
Hi, you are a wonderful writer. I just discovered you by accident on a search about hearing footsteps above me when there shouldn’t be. I just stayed at a motel by myself and I would hear someone walking on a floor above me, except the problem is, I was on the top floor! I thought that maybe there was a room above me where the owners stayed or maybe it was a room for one of the managers when they are working the graveyard shift. I only heard the noise at night, so I thought my reasoning was sound. I stayed at the motel for four nights. One morning after the second night, I had to figure out if there was a room above me. I walked far enough away from the building to get a good look at the structure. The roof is peaked, but not tall enough for someone to live in, let alone walk around in. I don’t believe in ghosts, so I tried coming up with other logical explanations. I couldn’t help but think of “The Bates Motel” and of some creepy stories of a motel owner who crawled into crawl spaces to watch guests or of women who had creepy neighbors who terrified them by walking above them, wherever they would go, only to find out that the upstairs neighbors had spy cameras or peep holes and would follow them and watch. Getting dressed, showering, or using the bathroom was uncomfortable, because of that theory. I had to come up with some other explanation in order to feel okay. I thought maybe the noises werejust neighbors walking around and the noise “sounded” like it came from the ceiling.
This happened to me living in a house for 3 years always hear noises. No big deal and I’m brave enough to check. Then sitting with my daughters hear loud slamming. I was brave enough to scream hello, got no response hear what sounded like footsteps coming upstairs. I never moved so fast before, i just jumped off their bed and locked us in the room. I was terrified and kids were too. (They were so quiet and scared, not like my kids either hearing noises we are all used to it) We all heard it. Called 911 heard my bedroom door slam. Then heard one more slam downstairs. Weirdest part front door was locked and supposedly my garage was closed. Nothing was out of place. I felt dumb when cops came (i had them search my house) but I have never felt that way before. I just keep thinking was it a ghost? What was I hearing, the neighbors? Did they leave through garage and shut it? Officially creeped!
I’ve been a tenant in a two family house for @ least 16 years. My landlords live in the other part of the house. Sometimes when they’re on vacation I hear someone walking around, or chairs moving.
This morning it was someone opening & closing the doors @ the top & bottom of their stairs & footsteps walking down the stairs. I could even hear the light switch on the opposite side of my wall. I text my landlords asking “WHO is staying in your house ?” I received a concerned response immediately. “NOBODY !” They contacted family members to double check.
I was asked to inspect the outside of the house & check both front & back doors. Everything was tight & locked.
?!!
In the past they told me the sounds were from their heavy cat. “It’s amazing how it an sound like a person walking around.” they would say. The cat has been deceased many years now, however.
I’m not drinking alcohol or smoking weed. The only meds I took earlier in the day was 8 hr Tylenol for arthritis. I’ve never had hallucinations. But WHY do I only hear these things when they’re not home ? I’m starting to wonder if I just assume someone is home on other occasions when I hear something, & I realize something’s amiss when I KNOW they’re out of town.
I’m going to install a recording app in my phone.
Great reading your story. I don’t normally keep reading long answers online but something kept me gripped. Glad there was no intruder!
Interesting reading all of these comments! From Norway, I was making some bread here 5 min ago, no one is home and all of the cats are sleeping in the living room. Then I hear someone play ball upstairs?! I mean, there is only me and my mom living here, she was sleeping, obviously none of us would play ball? We own this whole house, and no neighbours close. Once I was recording for a school video, and I didnt hear it while talking but when listening to the recording, a daaark male voice said´she´s lying´? Sometimes my bed start shaking a lot but I make the excuse that im probably just nervous and its my body? I don´t believe in ghosts at all, but these are all kinda creepy like omggg xD And i´m glad you got out of the house, if it had been intruders, it could have ended up reeeally scary for you!! I mean thats so scary, saftey first definetly!!
I live in an old two story in NE michigan. I was a live in caretaker for an older gentleman. My bedroom is up his is down right off the livingroom. I started sleeping down on the couch as his health declined so I could hear him if he needed me and I had to turn him every few house to prevent bedsores. He became more demanding and belligerent in his last few months. I stood by his side when he passed in oct. Winter was coming and the house has very little insulation making the upstairs extremely cold. Its February and I’m still sleeping on the couch. I can not sleep in the bedroom downstairs where Mr K passed. I dont even go in that room unless absolutely necessary. I cant explain the feeling I get in there. It just isn’t right. I have nightmares about it and lights flashing as well as the door flying open and the livingroom furniture being sucked into it. I dream about a black cat that moves at lightening speed running out of the room attacking me and running back into the room. Also in my dream my phone screen will go fuzzy and say “I’m here and I’m not leaving:” in a deep disturbing voice. At night usually starting around 3am I hear heavy creaking foot steps. I hear scuffling and something being drug across the floor. I hear muffled voices as though people are arguing but cant make out words. My son is in college and when hes in town he stays at his fiance. I have them over for dinner quite often. When I tell him about my experiences he firmly believes it’s a rodent or a raccoon in the attic room. One day I got the nerve up to put a peanut butter sandwich in both bedrooms and the attic room. Three days later after hearing noises each night I went back up there. Not even one of the three sandwiches were touched. The night’s are scaring me to the point I cant move or speak. I am totally frozen. It is because of the financial bond that Mr K put me in I have been unable to move. I was paying all of the Bill’s as he gave most of his money to his daughter who i never heard of working. I also had a part time job as well as taking care of him and recieve some disability. I had 7000 saved to buy my own house. She came here while i was at work. She went through my things and stood every penny i had. I have to live here for now and every night is like a horrible nightmare. I cover myself putting my blanket over my head and wait for the light of day. I have never been so scared in my life. I’ve started having panic attacks that I’ve never had before. I dont tell my friends because i dont want them to think I’m crazy. I’m going across state to see my mother. I’m hoping she will help me get out of here. I was so glad to find this article because if a man can be so scared to get in his vehicle and sit across the street i can be scared without feeling less of myself. Thank you for writing and posting your experience. I know now I’m not alone.