Things that go ding in the night!

I posted this to my "friends only" Mommy blog on July 15, 2006.



Okay, I have an overactive imagination. I do not handle "spooky stories" well, nor can I watch scary movies. The movie, The Shining just about did me in in broad daylight. Had to sleep with the lights ON. I was in college at the time as well.

So, yesterday, I notice a thread on a forum "Wanna see a Ghost?!" I had ignored it for days, but this time I notice it has over 5 pages worth of posts. Okay, I'm curious. I open and read. They have a photo straight out of a disposable camera with a supposed ghost on it. Weird. But I can dismiss that. You...PHOTOSHOP. LOL Stupid me continues to read. The rest of the thread is full of stories of personal accounts of things that are "hanging around people." One lady had her husband pass away when she was 9 months pg with their daughter (3-4 years ago). She has LOADS of stories of "odd" things that she claims is her Dh hanging around helping her raise their daughter, and hanging around letting her know he's there. Lots of little spooky stories. I read in the afternoon. I thought for sure it would be okay. In fact, I was not scared at the time. Just interested, and disbelieving. I do believe in angels, but ghosts? not really. Which led me today to thinking exactly how contradictory that sounds.

So, late last night, I was reading a book. Luckily, even though it was set in historical Scottland and London, there were no "spooks" in this book. ;) I heard a "noise" that sounded like a piano key being pressed. Just once. Weird...but faint. I thought "must be a toy." I heard it over and over every once in a while for the next 2 hours (by this point it was 2:30 AM). Bad me for reading so late. I go to bed, lay down and I hear the noise. I truly thought "that sounds like a piano key, somewhere around an octave higher than middle C being pressed." WEEEIRD.

I try to "calm" myself and NOT think about all those ghost stories I had read that day.

I hear bumps and strange noises, not piano related. Normally I can dismiss them as Einstein (as having the cat DOES help since he makes most of the noises). A little bit later...that PIANO key was pressed again. My heart starts beating a little faster. My mind starts racing a little more. A loud crashing type noise...surely that's not Einstein! I start trying to remember if I left any doors unlocked. I'm trying to distract my mind from ghosts. I remember that the piano key lid has not been opened for at least 4 months. I mean...I clearly remember having BOOKS laying on the piano key lid. ACK!!!! My heart starts beating even faster, my mind is racing, I'm wanting to cower under the covers but I'm getting sweaty and HOT...I scoot over closer to Dh. I look at the clock, it's 2:55 AM now. More noises...another piano noise. I'm starting to see SHAPES and PEOPLE SHAPES. I basically am laying on top of Dh now (or trying to get under him). I'm shaking. I'm absolutely freaked out and terrified.

I hear MORE noises. I give up. I shake Dh. I poke Dh. I shake him some more. STILL SNORING. Finally I prod and shake and poke enough and hard enough and get him awake. I whisper, "I'm hearing noises. Like piano keys...be quiet and you'll hear it too."

Okay, I have to admit here, I've done this many times before. Dh is a great guy, he thinks I'm crazy but he investigates all my noises.

I continued on, "I know there's a logical explanation, but I'm freaked out and it's 3AM" We lay there for a few minutes, I'm shaking and he's trying NOT to fall back asleep. "DING" ah...vindication...see I'm NOT hearing things. Dh gets up. He's awake now. He turns on all the lights and goes to the piano. He says, "I think a string is breaking." We clear it off, and open it up. I don't want to reach in there...who knows what I'll feel. He runs his hands over all the strings and applies pressure. They seem fine. I notice a sticker - Tuned 1989. OMG...it's been THAT long?! Found a nail. pull it out. close the piano back. I go to the bathroom, Dh sits on the couch (fighting sleep, but curious since he DID hear it). "DING"

Dh says, "it's not the piano." I heard it in the bathroom, but faint...so between our bathroom and the great room. What could it be? Lights are on. Doors are all locked BTW. Einstein is in full form and wide awake. Dh checks the fire alarm. It's wired into the electrical system, but the test button didn't fire. Hmmm...perhaps that's it. He gets it to beep, but thinks even though the LOUD beep isn't our "ding" that the echo might have been it. I'm not so convinced. My mind is still on those ghost stories and I'm wondering if it is time to head to a hotel. ;)

He sits in the hallway. I sit on the bed. "DING"

Not the firealarm, it's in our room. Okay...what could it be? It's got a slight electronic sound...so...we invetigate the electronic stuff. Our obvious choices - littermaid box or the weather alarm (shorting out or acting up).

"DING" Nope...not either of those. It's not from MY side of the room, or from the alarm clocks. NOTHING is left. I'm no longer thinking ghosts...Dh has that calming influence. I'm relaxing...lights are on, but I dare not fall asleep after waking Dh up. We find 2 remaining objects...the light/fan switch (it's a remote switch in the wall) or Dh's cell phone. Cell phone looks normal though. We've had problems with the lightswitch before (though it never made sounds). Remember at this point it is roughly 3:40AM. Dh has one ear next to the wall switch, and one ear with the cell phone on it.

"DING"

Cell phone it is. Battery is basically dead and it was alerting us that it was almost dead and needed recharging.

WHO decided to make it a "B" above middle C on a piano last tuned in 1989 sound? I dunno. But I learned my lesson...NO MORE GHOST STORIES!