The Henderson House and Kitty Phantoms

After events in my previous story, "Strange Things Happened in That House" things were pretty quiet for a while, having moved to a few different locations in Pennsylvania. There was one instance of being at my parents' friends' house and chasing the smell of perfume around the room, but nothing else eventful for three or four years.

The day came when my family moved to Henderson, North Carolina, and boy was that a culture shock! None the less, it was a good neighborhood with lots of friendly kids who came to play with my sister and me, as soon as word got out we were there.

A few weeks passed when my dad's temper seemed to rise to a peak and boil over. He had always been short tempered and quick with a curse word or two, but this was complete madness, almost as if he were possessed, which I believe he might have been after what I experienced.

I was about ten or eleven years old when I started having dreams about the small creek and woods in our back yard. I was always looking for something that was just beyond my vision. Then I dreamt of digging bones up in the back yard. My sister and I tried upon waking, but of course we got in a bit of trouble with mom, and I couldn't dig beyond about a foot in that thick red clay anyway.

Then came the episodes of blacking out while writing or doing homework. I would kind of come to and there would be a page full of curse words and black scribbles, and I didn't remember doing it. It would really tick me off sometimes as I would do it right over my homework.

One day, I felt the funny feeling I would get before one of these episodes, and I fought it. I couldn't stop it, but it was like I was watching myself and felt pure evil emanating in the room. I would have high tailed it out of there if I could have.

One time, after we had gotten a cat, it happened while she was in the room with me, and she scratched me in the face. I did other things in this evil state, but they are too embarrassing to list. Lets just say, I know I was possessed.

We all really hated living in that house, besides having good neighborhood friends. Mom even made the comment a few times that there was something evil there. So, we moved to another haunted location fifteen minutes south in a small town called Oxford. But that move and the experiences in that house will have to wait for a later date as it is a large portion of my life, and thus a long tale.

Skipping ahead to this past February, for my second experience, I had some strange and one sad experience. I live with my boyfriend in an old apartment house, also haunted. It was the week of Valentines Day, and I kept thinking I saw a few of my cats that have passed since living here. Out of the corner of my eye I would see Lynk, a very light colored tabby, slinking around. Lynk passed from feline leukemia in 2006.

One day I walked into my kitchen an there on my stove for a split second was Metallica, my old black cat, who was hit by a car in 2002. Every day up until Valentines Day, I saw these two slinking around my house. Sometimes I would feel a cat rub my leg, and see one of them for a split second, and poof they were gone!

There was even one night when all three of my living cats were outside, and I felt the presence of Keedon curl up between me and Jeff as she used to do when she lived with us. This happens from time to time. Keedon I raised from bottle as her mother died delivering, and I gave her to my parents in 2001, as they spoiled her on canned fish. A much better kitty life than I could afford. Keedon was very sick and put to sleep last year. Feline leukemia strikes again, and she was even vaccinated for it.

Well, Valentines Day comes, and something feels off all day. I am out to a maternity appointment, then shopping, and getting prescriptions, just totally busy all day. When finally I am done, I am driving my mother's car back to her and for some strange reason blurt out to myself, "No dead kitties today!" I thought "That's weird. Why would I just say that?" It was like tourettes or something.

So I returned my mom's car and my little brother took me home helping me with my parcels. He left to go home, and I began making a nice Valentines' dinner for my Jeffery. Well I had just barely gotten the groceries away and the chicken in the roaster when my little brother came running back into the kitchen.

"Um Steph, are all your cats in the house?" he asked very concerned. My heart sank. I had only seen Mr Pooh and Puck. I ran to the back door and called out for Muffin and she never came. She always came to my calling. I knew then and cursed out loud.

My little brother Eric tried to reassure me by saying that the cat in the road looked too big to be Muffin, but I knew it was her. I gave him a hug and he left. I finished getting my bird into the oven, and tried calling Muffin again.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and went to where he said he saw her. Sure enough it was Miss Muffin. Thank God, it appeared other drivers avoided her body as she was very clean. She took a good blow to the head, but wasn't gross or anything. I stood there for a minute in the middle of the road in shock. Then I realized, people drive on roads and I should move! I pulled her out of the road and speed walked back home bawling. (My animals are like people and family! Plus I am pregnant and everything makes me cry right now!)

I cried well after Jeff got home. At one point my mother came bursting through the door knowing what had happened, and worried I was alone. Her and Jeff put Muffin in a nice box.

We buried her that night in my parents' yard next to the flowery bush near Keedon's grave. Muffin's son Gage witnessed the burial from afar. My mom said maybe it was coincidence, but she told Gage his mother had died and a little tear ran down his kitty nose.

I know she died an instant death and felt no pain. I also think it was something unavoidable considering the phantom kitties that roamed my house before hand. It was as if they showed up to take her, or maybe even let me know it would be alright.

Stranger still, I had a dream that my deceased PapPap (grandpa) came to see how I was faring, and Miss Muffin was with him.

Well that's all I have for tonight kiddies. I will be back with many more tales some other time. I hope y'all enjoyed, and thanks for reading.