Just Checking

A door down the hall opens and creaks.

I freeze, mid gulp, the frothy orange juice stuck in my throat, my eyes panning back and forth, listening, hoping it's my imagination.

I'm home. Alone. With the exception of my infant son who is down that hall, asleep in his room.

After several seconds of listening and hearing nothing more, I gulp the liquid down and slowly set my cup on my desk, breathing in shallow, silent breaths. I place my fingers on my computer keyboard and prepare to resume typing a medical report when I suddenly hear a door down the hall shut. It's very clear. There's no mistaking. This is definitely NOT my imagination. I can feel the look of worry plastered across my face now.

Gritting my teeth, I slowly back my chair out. I hesitate one last time and shut my eyes, my breathing becoming heavier in my chest. "Please don't let me see anything. Please don't let me see anything" I chant over and over in my head as I approach the doorway of my office, preparing to enter the hall and face whatever is (or hopefully isn't) there.

There he stood. Plain as day. The spirit that's been haunting this house since we moved in. I knew it was a man. I always sensed that. I could tell he was a spirit. He wasn't quite as solid as you and I. He was dressed very simply in brown slacks and a blue button-up shirt with brown loafers. He was a plain looking man. Nothing remarkable about his features. His hand was on the door handle...of my son's room. An instantaneous chill ran through me.

I couldn't move. I just stood there. Staring him down. He stared back. Expressionless. I gulped again and winced at the pain of the lump in my throat.

Just then the ghostly figure lifted his finger to his lips as if to say "sshhh", but there was no sound. I could feel myself nodding...involuntarily. I didn't move another muscle in my body. I couldn't. All I could think was, "What happens now?"

As if he read my mind, the ghostly presence turned and walked straight through the closed doors of the hall closet at the very end of the hallway. And there I stood, still frozen, trying to comprehend what just happened. Realizing I just saw something. A real ghost.

Here's The Plan

I've decided to get this Halloween blog going again since it's October and nothing gives me greater pleasure than scaring people half to death - especially little children.

Last year I got many of you hooked on a chapter story about the ghost of a murdered woman who used me to help solve the mystery of her whereabouts...only to reveal in the end that it was completely fabricated from my sick little mind.

This year I've decided to get you again, but this time I won't lead you on so long.

This year we're going to play a little game. You like games, don't you?

Good.

Each post I will tell you a tale. Then you get to leave a comment stating whether or not you believe it to be true or false. Don't worry. I'll give you the answer...

...but not until my next post. Whoever guesses correctly the most wins...

NOTHING!

But at least you'll be able to say that you can see right through me and my lies. That ought to be satisfying...

And for the record, that last story was 100% true.

Now, let the fun begin!

A Little Light Chamber Music?

Well, October has returned...and so have the hauntings. I never intended to return to this blog. I never thought I'd actually have more events to write about. I thought wrong.

The event was a happy one. It was a birthday party.

My parents had left town for their cabin in the mountains. A friend of mine wanted to throw a birthday party for her little girl and needed a nice yard to throw it in. I knew just the yard - my parents'. It's absolutely gorgeous with its lush green grass, a secret garden pathway running along one side of the yard leading to a fish pond with a waterfall and little wooden bridge, vines of grapes running along the back wall, hidden by mature fruit trees, and a ramada complete with plenty of seating.

My friend had an errand to run - some more party items to pick up, so I agreed to go on ahead and meet her there. I took my two daughters with me to help set up for the party since they were also guests. Upon arriving at my parents' home, I unlocked the front door and my girls ran toward the kitchen fussing at me that they were hungry and thirsty. I sighed and rolled my eyes. They're always hungry and thirsty.

"Girls, I'll get you a drink of water and a little snack, but we have to set up for the party, okay?" I said in a stern voice.

"But mommy", Sylvie whined. "I'm really, really hungry."

As I grabbed two glasses from the cupboard I reminded her that we had just eaten lunch and that there would be food at the party. I quickly filled their cups with a bit of cold water and set them on the table before them.

"Here you go. Now let me see what grandma has in her fridge here." I opened the fridge and looked around for a little something to keep my girls happy.

Just then I heard a few musical notes ring through the quiet. My mother has a grand piano in her front room and I very clearly heard notes being played. No real music, just about 4 or 5 notes played quickly in succession and then it stopped. I jerked back from the fridge, calling in the direction of the front room, "Girls! Get away from the piano and get back to the kitchen. I'm getting you a snack. We're not playing grandma's piano right now."

"We're right here, mom", Sylvie responded. My head jerked toward the sound of her voice. There they were sitting at the table, quietly awaiting their snack.

I froze. My skin covered in goose bumps. My breathing became shallow. My heart racing.

"You didn't play grandma's piano, did you?" I asked, a quiver in my voice.

"No mommy." Sylvie responded. "We were sitting right here."

And it was then I realized - there was no way they could have played those notes and run all the way back around into the kitchen in that few seconds. I would have heard them. I would have seen them running back. We were alone in that house, my two girls and I. Those notes were played by someone else. Something else.

Just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I asked, "Did you hear somebody play the piano, girls?"

They both nodded and said yes. Then Sylvie continued, "I heard a man playing grandma's piano, but it wasn't me, mom."

I shivered and swallowed hard. "What do you mean you heard a MAN?" I emphasized the word man. My racing pulse picked up even more speed.

Sylvie shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, I just heard a man, mom. Now he's walking on the stairs"

Gritting my teeth, I mustered up my courage and apprehensively walked toward the front room. My head remained rigid while my eyes darted about, scanning the room.

"Who's doing that?" I asked out loud.

"The MAN!" Sylvie shouted from the kitchen.

"SHHHH" I loudly whispered back.

"Who's there?" I repeated. "Come on. Who are you?"

I suddenly felt a cold chill. I swallowed hard, but stood my ground, hoping it would show itself to me or say something. Who was this spirit and what did it want? Did it have something to say to me? Was it simply trying to scare me? It definitely succeeded in that. I suddenly felt a chill and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. But that was it.

"Fine!" I stated aloud and began to walk back toward the kitchen.

Just then my friend called me from her cell phone and said she was just pulling up in front of the house. RELIEF! I walked quickly toward the front door, threw it open and ran out to help her unload her minivan.

And the party proceeded without further disturbance.