REAL LIFE ACCOUNTS | HAUNTING

Lady In My House

Sometimes your house is haunted

The very moment we arrived at our new home, I saw her. She had long dark hair. Her hazy white face peered out from a small circular window, directly above the garage. Black, hollow eyes watching my every move. Frozen, all I could do was stare. She simply waved her transparent hand at me, and then she was gone. I was just 10 years old at the time. Mom stayed at home and Dad had scored a new accounting job at a big firm, so off to a new city we went. It was decided we would temporarily rent this house for 6 months, to get settled in…

First Night In

I launched a complaint about the ghost lady in the window. My parents laughed. There is no such thing as a ghost! Imagination still running wild, I was soon sent to my room to begin the process of unpacking. Backpack on my arm, up the stairs I went.

My bedroom had dull red carpet and a gigantic built in bookcase that extended across the entire back wall, and right up to the ceiling. My bedroom also had a walkin closet. If you walked to the back of the closet, you would find a door. Open that door, walk down a dark hallway, and there you would find your very own secret bathroom. Complete with a pedestal sink, toilet, and pink and yellow wallpaper. Right next to my bedroom, there was yet another bathroom. My bedroom and bathroom/bathroom design was strange in itself, but the rest of the house proved to be equally as unique. All closets came complete with their own miniature doors inside, leading down miniature hallways, all of them leading to nowhere but a miniature dead end. A storage room upstairs held the most secrets. Behind removable shelves, a dark blue door opened to a long hallway. At the end of that hallway was a hidden staircase, which actually descended down into the garage.

Lying in bed that first night, I was almost asleep. A strange sound from the closet awakened my senses, “woosh- woosh!” The noise came closer. Gleaming from the dark, I saw a faint, bluish outline of a face and long hair. “Woooooosh!” With a cool breeze, it swept directly across my face, followed by an eerie silence. Absolutely terrified, under the blanket I go, stuffed Garfield and Odie in tow. Time to think. I talked to myself. I talked to Garfield and Odie. To ease my 10-year-old mind, all three of us decided to name the ghost Suzy.

Suzy Makes Herself Known

Four days in, Suzy was no longer keeping her secrets. Early one morning I found my parents huddled in the kitchen. My dad whispering “But I saw a lady in our bedroom!” Accusations from my mother followed, “well you knew this house was over 90 years old!” They immediately stopped talking when I walked in. But our three sets of eyes met, the moment now etched in time. We reached a mutual, unspoken understanding. From that point on, “Suzy” sightings became a regular nightly event. Suzy in the living room at 3 a.m, watching herself some TV. Suzy in the kitchen. Suzy in the window. Suzy in the hallway. Suzy in my bedroom. Suzy became our dirty little family secret, just the three of us. Who could we tell? Not knowing what else to do, we just went about our days. While Suzy went about hers. I soon developed a structured system for bedtime. Right to bed. Directly under the covers. Blanket over my head. Garfield and Odie by my side.

A Family Reunion Goes Sideways

Three months later and it was summertime. Planning the family reunion had been in the works for almost six months now. Two fun-filled weeks of family activities. Two aunts, two uncles, two cousins, and one set of grandparents. All traveling from Germany. Since we had five bedrooms, it only made sense for the entire family to stay with us, under one roof. It was late afternoon before everyone arrived and settled into their respective rooms. We had a great night catching up on old times, and pigging out on fancy European chocolates.

The next morning, however, things had taken a drastic turn. Uncle Bob raced into the kitchen. He looked visibly frazzled, with eyes as wide as saucers. He announced that a transparent woman was sitting on the foot of his bed last night. Both he and my Aunt Linda checked into a hotel for the rest of their stay. Later, Uncle Bob told me he was too old to be dealing with “things that are transparent in nature.” Fair enough.

Suzy slowly introduced herself to the rest of the family. Each night was something new. One cousin decided to sleep with a flashlight. The other cousin, a rosary. Grandpa got the worst of it, seeing Suzy perched on the staircase during his midnight bathroom run. Finally, two weeks had come to an end. Time for goodbyes. At the airport, Grandpa announced he would be returning to Germany a changed man.

Catch You Later

Another three months passed by, and our time with Suzy was up. Dad’s accounting firm told us the owner decided to put the house up for sale and thought we’d liked to make an offer. Dad declined quickly. We had our fill of Suzy. We found another house in the same city. It was much smaller and very modern. I felt an immense relief as we walked in, and sleep was peaceful once again. For the first time in six months, Garfield and Odie had the night off.

Every so often, I think of Suzy and that old house. The miniature hallways, her transparent hands. Those sleepless nights. Life is strange indeed.