Haunted House Update

A rather large, oval portrait of my grandfather in his WWI uniform hangs over my fireplace.  Not long ago, I awoke to find that it had flung itself off the wall and into the middle of the room.  The nail upon which it hung was not bent nor even loose, which means the portrait would have needed to be lifted up first in order to come down.  I have no explanation.

A few nights ago, I experienced that sensation of not being alone despite the fact I was.  I ignored it as I usually do.  In the kitchen, I retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator.  I set it on the table but when I turned to fetch something from the cupboard, the bottle was knocked to the floor.  The table wasn't bumped, the bottom of the bottle wasn't warped, and there was no draft...or earthquake.  So again, no explanation.

On a positive note, the weird nightmares that used to wake me every night after exactly 26 minutes have ceased.  I still have to sleep with the light on, though.  Small price to pay.

Haunted House Update

Well, the walls aren't bleeding nor have we been inconvenienced by demon possession but things do keep happening that remind me exactly where I live.  As I climbed into my car one afternoon last week, I glanced up and noticed both porch lights were on.  I distinctly remember turning both off when I woke up that morning.  Also last week, I was sitting in the living room while my partner played the piano in another room.  After a while, he asked if I'd stood behind him and placed my hands on his shoulders as he played.  I had not.  In addition to these occurrences, we still experience corner-of-the-eye shadows and the sensation of someone sitting on the edge of the bed on a regular basis.  One thing that may or may not be related are my peculiar nightmares.  Every night, and I do mean every night, I have a nightmare immediately upon falling asleep.  I jolt awake after 26 minutes, wait for my pulse to drop under triple digits, and then sleep normally for the rest of the night.  The nightmares are always different:  chased by a giant shark, trapped on a sinking submarine, zombie apocalypse, etc.  I find it annoying...but oddly fascinating as well.  If nothing else, it's good cardio.

Haunted House Update

In horror films, one of the most effective scare tactics is to show a shadowy figure dart across the other side of an open doorway.  It's usually done without a sudden crash of music which, for me anyway, makes it all the more terrifying because real life doesn't have a soundtrack.  With all of this in mind, you can imagine my...consternation when I learned a shadowy figure has been darting across the open doorway of the basement family room.  When this happens, one of the two pet bunnies who roam freely down there can be found standing on her hind legs staring intently at said doorway.  Bunnies stand this way when they suspect danger is afoot and therefore attempt to get a better look to judge the threat level. It's really quite an unnerving sight.  Animals hear better than we do and most can sense when their lives are in jeopardy (it's well known that critters run for their lives many minutes prior to the first rumblings of an earthquake).  On most occasions, the rabbit soon loses interest and wanders away.  A few times, however, she bolted in fear and hid under the couch.  And she'd thump.  You all know Thumper from the Disney film Bambi.  Well, rabbits really do thump like that to warn others of trouble.  Again...unnerving.

Then last night in that gloaming realm between wakefulness and sleep, I had a "dream" about this shadowy figure.  It was an older guy I'd never seen before in my life.  He stood in the doorway to my bedroom, gazed at me for a few seconds with a blank expression, then skittered back into the darkness.  Who needs a cardio workout when shit like that happens?

And finally, there have been the routinely inexpiable creaks, footfalls, and bangs of course.

Haunted House Update

This one's just plain freaky. 

So I got home earlier today after meeting friends for lunch and was toying with the idea of a nap when the doorbell rang.  I thought perhaps one of my friends had dropped by (although this made no sense because I knew they were heading out of town).  At any rate, it took me no more than 15 seconds to reach the door and when I opened it, nobody there.  If someone had rang it and ran away, I would have still seen them.  I chalked it up to mechanical trouble and went back inside. 

Then it ran again.  A glance out the window confirmed what I already knew...nobody there.  That's when things got weird. 

Our doorbell is one of those wireless deals that you can program with different chimes.  It came with two buttons.  The only one we're using, the one by the front door is programmed for a simple, single note.  Now, after the second ring, a third came...but this time instead of a single note, it played Heart of Dixie (you know, like General Lee's horn on The Dukes of Hazzard).  A few seconds after that, it played a Christmas jingle.  The next and final phantom chime was your basic "bing-bong." 

I decided I had an errand to run and left.  Since I've been back home, the doorbell has remained silent.  If there was an electrical or mechanical fault, it should still be intermittently chiming.  It's not.  If it starts up again in the middle of the night, me and whatever is in this house will have words.

Haunted House Update

The most recent activity has been occurring when I try to sleep. A few times during the past week I've first sensed someone come into the room and then felt the mattress move in the same way it does when you climb into bed.  It's only when I say out loud to leave me alone does the sensation go away.  Afterwards, I invariably have a nightmare.  One night I had to fling some holy water around and invoke St. Michael to make it go away.  Haven't a clue as to why the sudden onset.  Just hoping for an equally sudden ending.

Haunted House Update

My house is festooned with the trappings of the holiday season.  Wreath on the door, stockings dangling from the mantle, tree in the corner, poinsettia centered on the table, snow globes scattered hither, thither and yon.  So it's Christmas, a time of year not typically associated with spirit unrest and paranormal activity.  The situation in my house, however, is far from typical.

Halloween came and went with nary a bump in the night.  As November departed, so did the nary.  The nightmares, the so-damn-real nightmares returned.  They last 36 minutes.  Every time.  I still remember the last one in such vivid detail that it's clearer than memories of events that actually occurred.  The dream itself isn't exactly the same every time, thank God, but the...world is.  If you know anything of the TV show Fringe, you may be better able to appreciate what I'm getting at.  It's as if I'm visiting a different, yet wholly self-contained reality.

Lately, upon waking, I'm plagued by the sensation that I'm being watched by something not entirely alive or maybe even human.  It's creepy, and I haven't experienced it for years.  The last time was when my son was finding inexplicable scratches and welts on his back, when I heard phantom footsteps and otherworldly voices at night.  Now, I don't know if there's a connection between the nightmares and the being watched sensation, but then again, I'm not a believer in coincidences either. 

Haunted House Update

So last night I'm sitting in the living room reading a book.  My partner comes up from the family room in the basement and says, "There's something going on downstairs."  He'd been lying down when he heard a noise in the laundry room.  A milk crate filled with odds and ends had tipped off of the large tote on which it'd been sitting.  Here's the thing...the crate was not on the edge but right in the middle.  It had sat there undisturbed for years.  Nothing short of a strong earthquake could have jostled it to the point where it would tumble over.  So why, then? Well, turns out my partner was having a problem with God and moments after he voiced his anger, the crate crashed.  He was shaken pretty badly by the incident.  It seems that whatever is sharing our house with us isn't a fan of blasphemy. 

Haunted House Update

Well, the walls haven't started bleeding yet.  I'm not waking up at 3:15 every morning with thoughts of murder and suicide.  Neither have I seen a full-bodied apparition.  So does my lack of updates mean my house is no longer haunted?  Um...no. 

I'm writing because the last few days have been interesting.  Mostly it's the banging.  As if someone was in the basement pounding on a wall.  It's happened a number of times in the past months.  Not like polite, front door knocking either.  More like, pay-attention-to-me-dammit, knocking.  I searched the house and can find no obvious source. 

Then there are the shadows.  I sometimes see shadows move out of the corner of my eye.  Happened yesterday in the kitchen, but I've seen them in almost every room.  No idea what they are. 

I tried sleeping with the light off a few nights ago, and like usual, just after dozing off, I'm awakened by the feeling someone is in room and creeping closer to the bed.  I turned the light back on and then slept fine.  A week or so before that, also in my bedroom, I'm awake but trying to sleep and hear someone say, "What?"  Sounded like the same voice the ghost hunter guys recorded when they were here. 

And finally, I went around the house with a new digital camera snapping photos and picked up an orb or two.  Not terribly exciting but paranormal is paranormal. 

I'm of two minds when it comes to the low level of activity in my house.  On the one hand, it's great to not be freaked out and constantly scared.  On the other, it would be nice to have awesome experiences to post.  Yeah.  Not freaked out is better. 

Haunted House Update

It's not that there hasn't been activity; no, I've just been too damn lazy to write about it.  So what's new?  Corner of the eye stuff.  Both my partner and I will see movement in our peripheral vision.  And it's always white.  Yeah, I know the cliché...the woman in white.  Every ghost hunting TV Show invariably mentions a woman in white lurking about and scaring hell out of folks.  I can't say if what we're seeing is a woman, man, child, or even polar bear.  It's just movement that shouldn't be there.

The hardwood floors still creak as if someone is walking and yet nobody is there.  This seems to always happen at night when I'm sitting here alone.  Occasionally, he/she/it will take a step right next to my chair.  Yes, I jump but it doesn't really frighten me.  I don't sit here shivering with fear.  It is what it is. 

In my bedroom, I've heard the voices only once in the last few weeks.  It happens after I'm in bed and trying to sleep.  It sounds like a conversation heard through a closed door.  Can't make out what's being said.  I usually have to ask them to be quiet so I can sleep, and they usually listen.  I really do need to get a digital voice recorder...

My partner has seen full body apparitions, although he was on narcotic painkillers at the time so maybe that should be taken with a grain of salt.  I did get a new digital camera and will be sweeping the house with it in an attempt to capture something, anything paranormal.  Stay tuned.

Haunted House Update

I've neglected my duties as paranormal reporter.  Let's blame the holiday.  So one new thing involves the bathroom shower curtain.  I slide it closed after I shower.  Always.  The other day, after I'd gone to work, David noticed the curtain was open and pulled it closed.  He thought it odd I left it open.  I didn't.  Later, he saw that the curtain he'd pulled closed mere hours earlier now stood halfway open...and that the towel hanging from the towel bar was seriously askew when it had been nicely squared and balanced before.  Freaked him out a little.

The night before Thanksgiving, I'm in bed trying to sleep when the voices started up again.  Got the bedside lamp on, of course, and a fan running on low for white noise.  No TV or radio  going, nobody else awake inside or out.  I couldn't make out words.  It sounded like a muffled conversation coming from behind a closed door.  And it didn't let up until I fell asleep.  I've heard these voices before but it's been a while.  I really need to get a digital voice recorder.

I priced camcorders with night vision capabilities the other day.  How do these ghost hunting groups afford this equipment?  Holy crap.

Haunted House Update

Weird doings.  It's never what you expect, is it?  So, what now?  Well, over the past few weeks, I'd occasionally catch movement out of the corner of my eye.  I made nothing out of it.  Figured it was eye floaters or cataracts or something equally mundane.  That is until I mentioned it to my partner.  He said, "Oh, yeah.  Sometimes the thing moving is black, sometimes white.  But if you speak to it, and continue to not look directly at it, the thing will slow down and even stop...as if it's listening to you."  Jarring how matter-of-fact he was about it.  I haven't had the opportunity to try his suggestion.  What gives me a slight case of the creeps is that some of these moving things are white and some are black.  What do you suppose the different colors mean?  Yeah, I know.  White=good.  Black=evil.  Maybe.  Then again, maybe I'll soon be able to communicate directly with whatever it is and find out for sure.  You'll be the first to know.  OK...third.  Hey, gotta tell my mom.

One other thing that was flat out odd...My toaster is one of those cheap, white two-slotters that sits on my kitchen counter top.  Unless I'm going to use it, it sits pushed back against the wall, unplugged.  Woke up the other morning, came downstairs, stumbled groggily into the kitchen and noticed the toaster was pulled out and plugged in, ready to singe some bread.  Not a big deal.  My partner must have been jonesing for toast.  Er, not exactly.  Later, I mentioned his breakfast in passing.  He looked at me like I was off my rocker.  See, he hadn't made any toast.  He hadn't pulled it out and plugged it in.  Hmm.

It's becoming obvious this year isn't shaping up like last year when all activity around Halloween dropped off to nothing.  And there's still a few days to go.  Wonder what might be next...

Haunted House Update

Well, the house is still haunted.  Increased activity lately.  A couple of nights ago, I heard my partner moving around in the kitchen.  I called out from where I was sitting in the living room but received no answer.  The kitchen was empty and he was downstairs asleep.  I've been hearing footsteps on the creaky hardwood floors as usual, but they're more...pronounced.  Almost like the spirit or spirits are getting bolder. 

One new thing is that I've started seeing movement out of the corner of my eye.  Shadows mostly but occasionally lights.  I guess it's possible my vision is going wonky, although I doubt it.  It would be all kinds of awesome if I could see what they call a full body apparition even though odds are good I'd pee myself. 

Halloween's fast approaching so maybe that has something to do with it.  However, the activity slowed way down last year at this time.  I don't know.  I suppose if things were normal, it wouldn't be called paranormal, huh?

Backyard Orbs

Last week, in the middle of the night, I took the camera out back and snapped a few pics.  I'm not sure what prompted this.  It was a spur of the moment thing.  Interesting results, though.  And, as always, I'll explain that the camera lens was clean and the orbs aren't bugs or dust motes.  The first pic is what the area looks like orbless. 

The next pic shows an orb around the trunk of the tree.

The next one is above and to the right of the birdbath.  Almost like someone's peeking over the fence.  (Sorry for the white glare.)

The next one shows the orb directly above the birdbath, almost like it moved to the left from the previous pic. 

And in this last one, the orb is now just to the left of birdbath but considerably larger.  As if it's approaching the camera (and me).  What's interesting about this is that the orb is exactly where my son said he saw the apparition of the little girl.

Orbs aren't necessarily proof of the paranormal, of course.  Could they be energy signatures of spirits?  Sure.  Could they be some sort of environmental or weather anomaly?  You bet.  I like them because they're not easily explainable.  Skeptics dismiss them out of hand as bugs, dust, etc. and won't even listen when told the simple explanations have been ruled out.  I can't prove what these things are...but I can certainly prove what they're not. 

Haunted House Update

A lamp in the basement family room has taken to turning itself on.  Definitely a sign that activity is escalating.  Right after that, an overhead light upstairs burned out.  It was one of those low watt, fluorescent bulbs that are supposed to last like seven years.  Yeah.  Not this one.  Also, at the top of the stairs that go to my bedroom, I hung a framed print.  The "frame" is actually a sheet of thick plastic and four black fasteners, one for each side of the print.  When I walked upstairs to change the bulb that blew, I noticed one of the fasteners had been pulled off the print.  That print has hung there unmolested for about a year.  On the same day a lamp turns itself on and a bulb that shouldn't blow out does, the frame comes apart?  What are the odds? 

Then today I heard a someone loudly exhale when there was nobody around.  It didn't freak me out.  Maybe it should.  Makes me wonder what's next...

Haunted House Update...Orbs!

I promised a while ago I would take take some new pics around my house to see if anything showed up.  Well...something showed up.  These were in my bedroom. 

See that white spot just above the foot of the bed, in front of the red curtain?  Ok.  now look at the next photo...

It looks like the white spot has moved to the right and changed shape, gotten bigger.  These photos were taken within seconds of each other.  If there had been a spot of dust on the camera, it would have shown up in the same place.  Floating dust and flying bugs don't look like this.  All other photos I took from this angle showed nothing at all. 

Yes, I still sleep with the bedside light on. 

Haunted House Update

Interesting, if not scary, doings at my house.  I'll start with the scratches.  The other day, I went to say goodbye to my partner before going to work.  He was sleeping in the family room in the basement and mentioned that he felt some pain.  Upon investigation, we found two sets of scratch marks on his body.  He suggested he may have scratched himself; however, in order for that to have happened, he'd need to be a contortionist or double jointed (he's neither).  And the scratches themselves were narrow and bunched in lines of three...like from an animal. 

Then there was the extremely loud footfall in the living room while we were watching TV.  No explanation for it except that maybe some spirit was feeling neglected.  Or a child throwing a temper tantrum and stomping her foot. 

And finally, there's the backyard.  You may remember that my son had seen a full-body apparition (of a little girl) in the backyard, near the tiered birdbath/mini-fountain.  The ghost hunter folks also recorded a funky orb floating around the backyard when they were here.  Well, a few days ago, I woke up to find the birdbath tipped over and the fountain part broken.  Punk kids screwing around?  Unlikely.  Animals?  Maybe, but if it was a cat or squirrel or something, you'd think it would have happened before.  Additionally, the rope tethering the bird feeder which hangs from a nearby branch keeps breaking.  It's not being chewed nor is it structurally weak.  It just...breaks.

So the activity in my house hasn't stopped, it's just gotten selective.  I plan on doing a sweep of the house with my digital camera to see if anything pops up.  I'll keep you posted. 

Haunted House Update

There's been some things going on.  Well, two things, really.  But they're pretty impressive.  One night last week I was lying in bed, my plug-in air purifier doing its white noise thing, when the voices started.  At first, I convinced myself it was just matrixing (that thing where your brain tries to make sense out of background noise).  Then I realized I was listening to a conversation but it was like hearing it through a door a room away.  No specific words.  So...the TV downstairs or a radio, right?  Nope and nope.  Everything was off.  Eventually, I mumbled something about please shutting up so I can sleep and then I drifted off.  Haven't heard it since.

Then a few days ago, my partner was sitting in a chair with a blanket.  He said someone kept tugging at it, trying to pull it off of him.  He also said he was convinced there was someone else in the house with us.  Darting shadows and the sense of another presence. 

Creepy stuff but not terribly scary.  Okay...maybe a little scary.

Haunted House Update

I know it's been awhile, but don't fret.  I'm back.  And things have been interesting here at Spook Central.  I'll start with the small stuff.  A recent development that's turned into a regular occurrence is the unexplained noise coming from right next to my chair in the living room.  At least once a night now, the hardwood floor will creak as it does when weight is applied.  So it seems someone or something likes to stand by me when I'm watching TV.  I will admit that the first few times I almost jumped out of my skin but it's old hat now.  And there are also the usual series of knocks and taps we hear almost every night. 

The other incidents happened upstairs in my bedroom.  Lying in bed one night a few weeks ago, I heard voices.  The last time I heard a voice in my room it sounded like a little girl.  This time, it was less little girl and more adult males.  I couldn't make out any specific words, though.  That's probably for the best.  I really do need to get myself a voice-activated digital recorder.  I bet I'd pick up some amazing EVPs.

Ok.  The other incident in my room worth noting happened just last night.  My partner had gone up there to lie down for a few hours.  A heavy curtain separates the small room at the top of the stairs from the bedroom.  He tells me later that while lying in bed facing the curtain, he saw a little girl move the curtain aside and peek in on him.  For whatever reason, this didn't frighten him at all.  He even motioned for her to come farther into the room, but she vanished. 

Many more unexplained things have happened since the last time I updated this blog, but since I'm an idiot and don't keep a daily journal, I've forgotten most of them.  I'll try to do better.

Haunted House Update

I keep thinking I'll get off my butt and actually write something connected to what this blog was originally created for...my haunted house.  So here I am.  Off my butt.  And writing.  I wish I could tell you I've been scared poopless by full body apparitions or tremble with fright under the covers every night while sleep eludes me.  I wish I could, but can't.  Of course, that's not to say interesting things haven't been happening.

Lately, the feeling that I'm not alone and occasionally being watched is occurring more often.  Last night especially.  I keep looking to my right, into the dark dining room and then over my right shoulder into the dark hallway, expecting...what?  I don't know.  I'm just glad I don't see anything.  I do, however, hear plenty. 

It started up a few nights ago in my bedroom.  Remember a few months back when I talked about a scratching/tapping sound coming from the corner of the room?  Well, it's back.  Now, however, it migrates.  First it will seem to come from behind the wall to my right, then from the slanted ceiling above me, then from the left.  It doesn't frighten me (anymore) and is mostly just annoying.  If I'm honest, I still sleep with the bedside lamp on.  Can't seem to shake that not-so-subtle safety blanket. 

Oh, yeah.  One thing that happened last weekend did get my attention.  Sitting in the living room, minding my own business as usual, when, from the hallway behind me came a rather loud sound.  It spooked me, yet at the same time, I knew exactly what it was and didn't bother getting up.  The hallway has a linen cupboard (for towels and such).  The sound was that of the cupboard door popping open.  On its own.  Never happened before, and I didn't know what to think about it.  Could a change in air pressure in the house do it?  Sure.  Although...one would think that in nearly three years of living here, it would have happened at least once before.  It hasn't. 

So make what you will out of these little incidents.  I'll keep bringing 'em.  You keep...making what you will.  (You know what I mean.)

Haunted House Update

So I was sitting in my chair in the living room, as I am wont to do, when right next to me, mere inches away, the floor creaked.  Like it does when someone takes a step.  Now, I've lived in this house for over two years and that had never happened before.  It did give me a momentary case of the creeps, I'll admit.  Additionally, unexplained thumps have been on the rise lately.  Could the house be settling because the weather's turning cold?  You bet.  Is it likely?  Nope.  And then there were the times in the past few weeks my partner thought other people were in the house when he was in fact alone.  One last thing...I went downstairs to the family room (the domain of our two rabbits) and noticed one of them staring up at something where nothing was.  That was intensely weird. 

This does seem to be the pattern.  Oddly quiet around Halloween and then increased activity as we move closer to Christmas.  We'll see what happens this year.  Stay tuned...