I lived in the same house for most of my life. My parents brought
me home to it the night I was born, they made pencil marks on a wall as I grew
taller, I lay in a bed crippled there are 13, dragged myself to the bathroom
and learned to walk again in its halls. It became a ward where I thrived and
recovered, and over time I almost convinced myself it loved me back. But
eventually Mom had to put it up for sale.
The packing was intense. I spent one entire morning dividing
things from my filing cabinets. Near noon I hungered, and because our fridge was
unplugged and appliances packed, our only hot meals were takeout. I paused for
a moment, looking out my door to Mom’s, which was perpendicular to mine, and so
I could see hers was open. Listening, I heard papers rustle in her room, and so
I called out.
“Hey Mom, want anything from the deli? I’m thinking about lunch”
I heard the sound of papers being set down, but she didn’t
answer. When I called again there was still no reply. I got up and walked over
to her door, and found while there were folders on her bed, she wasn’t around.
I could see every corner, even the door to her private bathroom. Unless she was
hiding the bathroom with the door open, no one was there.
Thinking I must have been mistaken, I returned to my room to
get a little more work done. Once Mom returned, I’d ask her what she wanted for
lunch. But almost as soon as I opened my desk drawers, I heard the distinct
sound of someone walking into Mom’s bathroom.
I called one more time, something to the effect of, “Hey,
Mom?”
Water began running through the pipes. My sister was
downstairs doing laundry, and the laundry room was relatively close to our
hall, just a flight down, yet I could swear I heard water running through the
pipes into Mom’s room. As I walked toward her bathroom, the sound of water in
the pipes stopped, though continued faintly downstairs. I checked through the
open bathroom door and saw that it was empty; the window was closed, and the
shower stall open and vacant. The sink was dry, making me doubt my hearing. I
looked around impotently, for there was no other way in or out of her bathroom
than through this door.
A little while later, back in my room, I heard water running
through the pipes again, and this time the inclusion of water splashing in her
bathroom sink. When I yelled for her, no one responded, and I went straight for
her bathroom. The sink was off, but now it was wet. I put my hand to it, just
to make sure.
When I asked my sister, she had no idea and seemed unnerved
by the story. We’d been alone in the house. Mom arrived home some time later;
she’d driven out for some moving-related errands. She had no idea what I’d been
hearing, and joked that the house was going to miss me.
I don’t think our house was haunted, or that it had gone
sentient and messed with me on my last days of residence. I do wonder about it,
though, from time to time.
Spooky. But at least it wasn't unfriendly!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with you and bathrooms?
ReplyDeleteThat's spooky in the best way. Wonder what was really going on. A sad house with echoes of the past?
Stacey
Sometimes pipes (of all kinds) can be temperamental!
ReplyDeleteThe place we grow up in is special though. I know that I'll always remember the house I grew up in, the big kitchen window, the underwater heating in the living room, the large balcony. There's something special about those memories. The pipes never did weird things though.
Jai
I am not surprised that you still sometimes wonder. Where does your wandering lead you?
ReplyDeleteThat's awesomely creepy. I have a hard time shaking things like that, I don't wonder that you do to.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a clean ghost - ha ha
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like an especially strong echo to me. Most "hauntings" I've encountered have been echos, typically happening to people who are quite alive and well. Makes sense -- family leaving a house they've been in for a long time and have gone through a lot in, etc. It's a particularly interesting example, though, since you had the physical evidence of the wet sink.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Any particular reason its top of mind now?
ReplyDelete