Reeking Presence

Once upon a time, when I was a mere freshman in high school, with only vaguely formed beliefs on spiritual matters of any sort, I had a friend named (let's call her) Trish. Trish had all sorts of stresses in her life, the kind that make you think twice before you talk about how annoying your family is.

One day, I noticed she was more upset than usual. She was very shaky and looked as though she hadn't been sleeping well. When I inquired she began to tell me about the things happening in her home. Apparently, whilst her kindergarten age brother was playing Nintendo, his shirt was pulled over his head, and scratches were left all over his back. Trish complained of this thing approaching her and breathing on her while she slept and even bathed. All the kids in the house had encounters with it, all all four of them took to sleeping together in the living room. Of course, nothing happened to their parents.

She asked that I make a homemade Ouija board and bring it to her home. So I did one day after school. We were not allowed in the house, so we stayed outside. Trish and I could barely get the thing to work. Her parents left, so we went inside.

I sat with her and her sister in the living room talking about this thing, and we decided to pay a visit to their game room, where this thing resided. I went first, with Trish clinging to my back for dear life. I pulled back the curtain (it didn't have a door) and tried to cross the threshold. I say tried, 'coz I half bolted, was half pushed out of the doorway. I bolted because the room had the most horrid stench I had ever smelled. It smelled like rotting flesh! And we're not talking driving by road kill on the highway, here, we're talking overpowering! There was also a very tangible sense of presence in the room, and it was angry! I felt kind of like I'd been slapped over the face with something..

Trish and I bravely rushed back to the living room and clung to each other for dear life. She said later she saw something come out of the room, but I never saw anything. When we finally mustered enough courage to re-enter the room, the presence was completely gone, but the stench was still there, though not as strong. It was sort of like a "residue" of sorts.

She told me later that their encounters with this thing dwindled and then ceased to occur. She could find no explanation, save a distant relative who had died under mysterious circumstances.

Another quick story I can relate.. I moved into this house I currently reside in back in January. I'm here to help care for my sisters son and three stepdaughters. When she started leaving me alone with her 6-month old, I noticed an uncanny sensation from the steps while I sat in the T.V room with my nephew. Like someone was just standing there watching me! I shrugged it off as imagination. It wasn't very strong. Once, I swore I saw my youngest niece run across the hallway at the top of the steps from one room to another. I was a bit surprised when I called for her and she came to me from the other end of the house.. again, I shrugged it off.

I took my brother-in-law to the airport a month ago, and he mentioned his "old hag" experiences in the house.. he knows about these things being only sleep paralysis. I mentioned that some folks seem to think these things occur more in haunted houses.. and he says to me.. "..but our house isn't haunted.. oh wait.. before you came, the girls and the baby slept in the living room one night, and Kris had duty (being in the army).. and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.." He said he almost turned to see which one of his girls was coming down the steps, except he realized suddenly that all of them were asleep right in front of him!