Who Are You Playing With?!!

In 1952, my mother, grandmother, and I were living with a friend in her big house near Seattle. My mother was hanging laundry to dry on a clothesline in the basement. We were alone there. I was sitting at the top of the stairs above her, just being with her close by while I would roll a ball down the stairs. The ball bounced down gently and would bounce back UP again slowly, and I would catch it.

I did this several times until my mother noticed and turned to me holding the wet laundry motionless at the clothesline. She asked in a panicked voice, "Lynnie, who are you playing with?!"

I answered back calmly, "Mrs. Fisher."

She flew up the stairs, grabbed me, and slammed the basement door behind her.

Mrs. Fisher was a ghost who lived in the house. The story goes, whenever my grandmother was there alone, Mrs. Fisher would open all the kitchen cupboards and try to disturb my grandmother.

We moved away soon after.