Strange Goings On In My House

I moved into my house almost two years ago. It is a small, single storey property comprising one bedroom, lounge kitchen and bathroom. The house is ten years old and was built on a farm building originally used to house pigs. The house is made from reclaimed bricks and made into a barn converted style property.

When I purchased the house it was vacant possession as I was told by the estate agent that a couple had bought the house for their mom and she didn't like it and moved back to the area she had come from and so the house remained empty for 18 months.

Strange goings on first started whenever I was in the house alone, sat at my PC in the bedroom. I would hear a knocking on the wall from behind my computer. I walked into the kitchen which is the other side of the wall expecting to see something knocking against the wall, but there was nothing. I checked behind the computer to see if the table was banging the wall or the monitor but both were a distance from the wall. Bemused I sat down and carried on with my work. This continued frequently for a few months and then stopped and hasn't happened since.

The next thing that happened was not pleasant. On Christmas eve my girlfriend placed Xmas presents on and stacked against my late great nans chair in the lounge with the bedroom leading straight off the lounge. I was lying in bed in the early hours awake but with my eyes closed when I heard voices. I first heard a mans voice say "where are they?" followed by a womans voice saying "they're in there" I opened my eyes immediately and looked at my girlfriend who was fast asleep and first thought she was talking in her sleep which she has never done before, nor since. I then realised I had also heard a mans voice before the womans voice. I lay there in bed still, listening, wondering if there were intruders in the house. I never heard anything and so presumed I had dreamt it.

On Xmas morning my girlfriend walked into the lounge and said to me "oh what have you done this for?" I got up and walked in wondering what I had done to see the presents strewn all over the floor, away from where we had stacked them, but still in the wrapping paper, with no paper torn.

Two days ago (21/07/03) I had another encounter. Again I was in the house alone working on the PC when I heard loud breathing. At first I thought it was the sound of my own breathing but slowly I started to have doubts. I held my breath and still the breathing noise continued. I then held my hand over my mouth and nose tight but still the breathing noise continued. I turned around expecting to see someone behind me but there was no one there. I got up and walked to the window s to see if the noise could be coming from outside but no, it was from within the room. The breathing continued for about 15 minutes and then stopped.

I am now left wondering what will happen next. It's not a case of if, it's a case of when.