True Story
Waking Up to Strange Voices in The House Would Scare Anyone
An experience we all fear and hope to never live through
One night, while in a deep sleep, I was awakened abruptly by men’s voices downstairs. As if hearing strange voices wasn’t enough, they sounded as if communicating through a speakerphone.
I thought at first I was dreaming. I couldn’t wrap my head around what I was listening to. The doors had been locked before I retired for the night, and I certainly wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in the house with me. My heart started pounding. The blood drained from my head. I didn’t know what to do or where to hide.
Should I have hidden a baseball bat in my closet, or a knife in my dresser drawer ahead of time for just this type of incident? It would not have occurred to me to do that as I live in what I consider to be a safe neighborhood, fairly private, with neighbors close by who could hear me scream if I started to.
Early to bed that night
I had gone to bed early that night, put on the TV as I always do, set the timer because I usually fall asleep while watching a movie, and then dozed off at some point, which is normal for me.
Even though retired, I keep myself busy during the day with dance classes, writing, crocheting, walking, and painting my space. Going to bed at the end of the day is my safe place, my sanctuary, and I look forward to it, especially after a busy, productive day.
It was one of those nights when I was tired from the day’s chores and exercise and fell asleep completely relaxed and unaware of the event that was about to unfold.
I’ve lived on my own for the past few years, and the only person other than myself with a key is my son, Andrew, who recently re-married, moved in with his new wife, and now lives over an hour away.
Occasionally if he feels too tired to drive home after work, he’ll sleep at my house, which is a property we bought together so my granddaughters would be able to visit more often after their parents’ divorce.
However, I’ve always received a text from him letting me know if he’s going to stop by. If he sent something earlier in the day, I missed it.
Strangers in my house
So if it wasn’t him, who could be downstairs? How did they get in? I was terrified. My mind was searching for a place to hide. Would they find me if I locked myself in the bathroom, climbed into the attic, or closed myself into the closet?
Whoever it was didn’t seem to want to come upstairs — yet. Maybe they were looking for something specific to steal and thought it would be on the lower level of my house.
I was shaking in my bed waiting to hear footsteps coming up to get me. I couldn’t even think of where my cell phone was to call 911. Another problem I have, something I need to work on for my own protection — I could never find my cell phone and should keep it near my bed.
But I did not have it with me that night, it was still by my computer where it would do me no good.
Still foggy from being woken up out of a deep sleep and imagining what in the room I could use to hit them over the head with, should the need arise, my imagination was working overtime thinking I could run to the closet and grab an old suitcase or something.
Voices in the night
Then one of the men started talking to someone else, but not on the speakerphone. The other person was in the room with them. What were they planning next?
That’s when I realized one of the voices I heard was my son’s and the others were from two policemen who were downstairs with him. My perspective on the scenario was now completely different as new thoughts started going through my mind. Did something happen to someone? Was my son in an accident?
I summed up my courage, got out of bed and opened the door, walked over to the hall, then yelled down the stairs in a shaky voice “Is everything okay?”
A policeman answered me, “Yes, ma’am, we were just leaving.”
As it turned out, my son had stayed at his job late that night and lost track of time. Feeling it wasn’t safe to drive home in his tired state, he decided to stay at my house which was much closer to his job. He assumed I would be sleeping and he wouldn’t disturb me if he came in quietly.
No such luck! I’m awake now!
Unfortunately, while driving to my house, he started to swerve a bit and was pulled over by the police who assumed he had been drinking. To make matters worse, he realized he left his wallet on the dining room table when he brought the kids over to my place for dinner the night before!
Until I heard someone talking, I apparently slept through Andrew’s fumbling with the key box that I installed for him as he never remembers his key, never heard him put his key in the lock, and still wasn’t disturbed when he opened the door followed by the police.
A rude awakening
What aroused me out of my sleep was one of the officers answering a call on his two-way radio with another person, maybe the dispatcher on the other end, while my son was producing his credentials.
All was well, but what a fright he gave me.
Until a person wakes up to find a stranger in their house there’s no describing the panic one feels.
The mind plays a lot of tricks when you’re half asleep. I have asked my son to please remember to call me the next time he decides to make an unexpected visit in the middle of the night.
And, I’ve since installed a security system, just in case. Hopefully, my son will remember the code so he doesn’t scare the life out of me again. Maybe I should put it in the key box!
Here are a few stories I read recently that I truly enjoyed:
Happy Reading!
