My Childhood Home (1)

First a little history. I live in a small town called Big Stone Gap, VA. When I was around one year old, circa 1983, my mother, brother, and myself lived in a small 2 story apartment. Sometimes I would lie awake in the bed at night hearing noises coming from downstairs. Sometimes the footsteps would ascend the stairs, only to stop short at the bedroom door, which was usually open, only to have the hall light flipped on by an unseen person. Of course, to an infant's mind, this was terrifying. I remember it vividly even though 23 years have passed.

After my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimers & became bedridden, the three of us moved just up the street to her house so that my mother could take care of her. I haven't set foot in the apartment since, but would love to go back. The apt. was nothing considering what was in store for me in our new home.

After moving into this new place, a few strange things happened. First off, I 'liberated' my uncle's flashlight with the sole intention of doing a little night exploration. When I made sure everyone was asleep, I crept out of the bedroom and walked out into the hallway. I soon found that I didn't need a flashlight as there were many small globules of light flickering around the house. I walked through them in amazement towards the middle room and into the kitchen. Nothing happened after the orbs, so I decided to go back to my room & try to get some sleep. There were a few minor incidents after this, spanned out over several years, such as seeing a fleeting glimpse of a woman in a dress with her hair in a bonnet walk through the living room. Feelings of nervousness & general unease were dominant throughout the 11 years that we occupied the house.

My grandmother died in 1988, and my brother moved into her room, and moved out of the house completely a few years afterwards to seek employment in another state. In March 1994, I moved into the room.

Within a week of moving into the room, I began to notice & feel things that were much more powerful than anything I'd experienced in the house. Around midnight there would always be this presence that would enter the room- it would start near the door, remain there for a while, and slowly move towards my bed. The room was very small, L-shaped due to a recent renovation (my grandmother had this house built in the 20's & there was no shower stall upstairs- only in the basement. So, my family installed a tub & shower), and my bed was situated at the far end of the room, underneath the window. I had bunk beds, and whatever was in the room with me seemed to either settle on the top bunk or just hover over me. I was petrified with fear. I felt as though if I were to look on the top bunk, I would see a corpse-like face with long, stringy hair & empty eye sockets silently screaming at me. This image burned itself into my mind, and to this day I can still see its face leering at me.

At the time, I had a collection of G.I.Joes with spring loaded weapons on shelves I had built directly beside my bed. This presence obviously liked the toys, because almost every night some or all of the weapons would fire. It couldn't have been the toys themselves. Each day when I came home from school, they were just as I had left them. This only happened for me, each & every night.

In 1998, my brother & I were talking about the old house, when I asked him if he'd ever felt anything or had seen anything odd while living there. The stories he told me sent chills up my spine, & still do. While he was there, he had a dresser with a large mirror situated in the corner of the room so that one was able to see behind themselves, out into the hallway. He reported that once, while he was combing his hair, he saw a tall man with white hair walk past the doorway to his room and into the bathroom. When he went to check, no one was there. He says he saw the man several times afterwards, but couldn't make out details- almost as if the person was enrobed in a shadow, all but their hair. For some reason, he wouldn't go into much detail. He also went on to tell me that as he lie awake in bed one night, he could make out a mist-like form emanate from beneath the door. His friends would never come over- they saw things as well, but I've never had a chance to speak with any of them.

The basement had a life all its own. Every time I was down there by myself, I felt as though I was being watched by more than one person. Needless to say I never stayed there long.

We moved out of the house in 1995. Since then I've experienced a few things, but I sage my house all the time. The only thing that happens to me here are the recurring nightmares of whatever it was in that house. These dreams are very vivid, and the presence is always there. Each time I wake up disoriented & horrified.

I'd love to talk to the new owners of the house to see if they've experienced anything- maybe someday I'll go back & confront whatever is waiting for me.