- SISTER - mine
- BIL - her husband
- LIL BIL - her 12-year-old son
- TODEL - her 4-year-old son
- BRO - brother # 1
- MISSY - his wife
- LILBRO - his 1-year-old son
- KIDBRO - brother # 2
- I - me, the oldest and brother to all
The house was in New England; the time was 1982. I had moved back east after a few years knocking around the country [to get over my divorce]. My SISTER and her family also were looking for a place, so we thought we'd pool our money and get a big place for all.
The first place we looked at was perfect, and we couldn't believe our good luck. When we went to see this house for the first time, it felt SO right. We sat at the table and felt like we had come home at last. It was like the house wanted us there and welcomed us with open arms. Even though the price was a bit higher than we planed, we got up the money and moved in.
I worked the night shift. The day we moved in SISTER and BIL called me at work and said they were moving back to our old place and for me to meet them there. I laughed at them and asked what was wrong. They said, "Listen, you wouldn't believe it if we tried to tell you." They held the phone out in the room. The noise was deafening: pipes banging, walls knocking, it sounded like a construction crew was tearing the house down.
When they got back on the phone, I agreed to meet them at the old house after work. The roaring noise STOPPED, like you had changed the channel on the T.V.! Just like that, the house was as quiet as a tomb.
We decided not to move out after all. Maybe we had just been nervous and worn out from moving; it couldn't be as bad as we had thought. That turned out to be a big mistake!
The next day we sat down to eat a midday meal in the kitchen. Now, the basement door was in the short hall, right off the kitchen. You could see the door very plainly from the kitchen table. The door started to shake, and there were scratching sounds. I thought the dog had somehow got left down in the basement, so I went to open the door. There was nothing behind it. We went on with the meal. In a few seconds it started again, only this time the door rattled in it's frame. Just like someone was trying the lock pulling & pushing on the door [not locked] AND the handle started to turn. This went on for a few moments, and I jumped up, opened the door, and again nothing.
I would arrive home from work at 4 to 5 A.M. Oh, lucky me! My habit was to turn on the T.V. low, so as not to wake the rest of the house. Now what I'm about to tell you scared the hell out of me each and every time it happened [which was almost every work night]. First, I would feel freezing cold air. Not a wind, the air itself would feel freezing cold all at once. This would be followed up with a disgusting smell of rotten meat, a STRONG SMELL. Sometimes these things came together, or one or the other. Most times I would be sitting on the couch, and behind my head, right up against my ear, I would hear a LOUD, MEAN, GROWWWWLLLL & HIIISSSSS!!**!! I don't mind telling you the first time, I RAN OUT OF THE HOUSE, INTO MY CAR, & DROVE AROUND 'TIL MORNING!
