New House For Rent-the Ghost Is Free

This incident happened back in 1982. My sister, J told me about it just recently. Matter of fact. She told me about it last week. She 'thought' she told me years ago, but forgot to. Instead her 3 friends know about it. J and one of her friends-call her Lori-were there when it happened. It took place in Eastlake, Ohio. A small community of Lake County.

J and Lori went to visit another friend that was, still, a relative newly-wed. Her friend, Jenny, and her husband were married only a couple years, and had a 4 month old daughter. They had just moved into a new rental house. The house was very attractive with 2 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms, an ample-sized living room, kitchen, and laundry room with an attached 2-car garage. It didn't have a basement, but a fairly decent sized fenced in backyard. Just perfect for a young couple starting out. They signed a 2-year lease with a rent-to-own option at the end of the lease period.

My sister, J and Lori were invited over to their new house about 3 months after they settled in. Lori and J Got them a nice basket of fruit, and cheese, and some toys for the baby. They were somewhat excited to see their friend's new house.

They got there early in the afternoon in time for coffee, donuts, and just relaxing to chat. Lori noticed that Jenny was a little subdued, and not quite as bubbly as she usually was. This was out of character for Jenny, and they noticed it. J and Lori were hoping that Jenny, and her hubby weren't having any marital troubles, but were too afraid to ask for fear of sounding nosey. However, they were concerned. Even Jenny's husband, Bob, seemed a little withdrawn, and had difficulty holding a conversation.

They had been talking a little over an hour when Bob finally decided not to be hesitant anymore, and spilled the beans about 'why' they were acting like they were. He told Jenny that he could tell that J and Lori were noticing their less than jovial behavior. He said "They're your old friends. They've known you for years. They'll believe us."

Jenny took a deep breath, and shook her head in agreement giving Bob permission to explain what was going on.

J and Lori listened attentively as Bob, rather cautiously, began telling them what was going on with the new house since they got settled in recently. The first couple months they were far to busy unpacking, situating, and organizing everything. All this while Bob had to go to work mind you. I'm sure they were pretty tired after all that. Not to mention taking care of an infant. So they really didn't notice anything unusual during that time. However, after the dust settled and they began to relax in their new environment, they began to notice some perplexing and unnerving events taking place in their beautiful new home. Events that they could not explain rationally. Such things as objects disappearing and showing up in the most ridiculous places, or just never showing up again. The sliding door closet in the baby's nursery was always ice-cold. Even on the hottest of days. There was a light in that closet that had a string you had to pull to turn it on.

Frequently that closet light was on with neither of them touching it. They would store the baby's basinet in there when it wasn't in use. One day Jenny went to retrieve the basinet to bathe the baby. She unfolded it and began setting it up. She had just put water in the little tub, and was about to set the baby in it when the entire unit just fell apart. Fortunately she was holding the baby when it collapsed.

When she inspected it to determine what the cause was she was astounded to find that 'all' the screws, joints, braces and bolts were removed and lying in a small pile on the floor of the closet. That was utterly inexplicable as well as frightening. Jenny took the baby with her into the living room and called Bob. He could hear the panic in her voice and advised her to go across the street to the neighbors until he could get back home in another couple hours. She was, more than, happy to get out of the house to go visit. Besides the neighbor enjoyed playing with the baby. Jenny, of course, did not tell the neighbor 'why' she came over, but the neighbor didn't mind.

When Bob got home from work Jenny took him to show him the disassembled basinet, but it was no longer in the nursery. They found it in a heap on the floor of the kitchen. Jenny left the house. She didn't put it there, and it sure wasn't the baby. They both began to feel something almost electric in the atmosphere. Making the hair on their bodies stand on end. Neither one has any psychic capabilities. Yet, they 'both' felt the same sensation coupled with an intense cold spot in the kitchen that wasn't there previously.

This was beyond their comprehension. As much as neither one wanted to admit it, this was something paranormal. They couldn't hem and haw it away anymore. According to Jenny and her husband the episodes were starting to escalate to the point that they were afraid to even be in the house at all. They were beginning to feel unwelcome and threatened, but by 'who', or 'what'? There wasn't anything that they could physically point to as the root of the problem. It was unseen, but making them extremely aware of it's presence.

My sister, and her friend could see the sincerity, as well as, unmistakable fear in the faces of the couple as they reported everything that had been taking place in the house. This young couple was truly on edge and terrified. Simply not knowing what to do. My sister, and Lori believed them completely.

Bob said he was unsure about how to approach the landlord about it. J reminded him that the landlord never mentioned that the house, or the area was haunted to Jenny and him. Bob thought the landlord didn't know the place was haunted. My sister couldn't buy that. She was pretty sure that the landlord was fully aware of it all along. For one thing-the rent that Bob was paying was 'remarkably'-shall we say-reasonable for such a beautiful home. She told him he should've smelled a rat right then and there. Jenny sheepishly told my sis and Lori that they had taken to keeping the baby with them at all times for fear of what might happen. Jenny told them that every now and then something would pull on the back of her hair to the point that it hurt, but there was never anyone, or anything in the vicinity to account for it. As the typical mother protecting her young she began carrying the baby with her everywhere in the house in one of those baby-carriers with the big handle on it (good mother). They kept the child in her crib right by their bed in their bedroom. If the child so much as let out a peep they would shot-put out of bed with alarm. They were getting hardly any rest by that point in time. Poor Bob still had to go to work to pay the rent leaving Jenny and the baby home alone. That was beginning to go over like a lead balloon.

Jenny said she was getting beyond scared and didn't know where to run to get away from it. When Bob heard that he got angry. Not at Jenny, but at whatever was tormenting them. He began raising his voice and demanding that whatever it was to stop being a coward and show itself.

That was the wrong thing to say because in challenging it he got an answer. They were all in the kitchen seated around a dinette facing the living room. The baby was sitting in it's carrier on the floor next to Jenny when, suddenly, the baby's blanket was literally ripped out of the carrier and thrown at Bob. The baby began to cry and shake violently. They 'all' saw it. Jenny was seated facing the interior of the living room and shrieked. My sister was distracted by the baby, but the other 3 of them 'saw' a bread knife that was normally kept in the silverware drawer, hovering in mid-air by itself in the middle of the living room. It was suspended in air for several seconds and dropped to the floor.

Jenny and Bob went ballistic. This was the final straw. Jenny screamed "you leave my baby alone, we're getting out, we're leaving. You can have the lousy house". My sister, J and Lori hurriedly helped them pack up their suit cases very quickly. They all proceeded to tear out of the house, but not before calling Jenny's parents, who only lived 15 minutes away, to ask them if they could stay with them for a while. They said something traumatic was happening and they would explain further when they got to their home.

Before exiting the house my sister and her friend told whatever it was to stay in the house and leave them alone. They slammed the door behind them.

About a week later Bob called my sister, and Lori to inform them that they were living with Jenny's parents for the time being, until they could secure another place to live. Unfortunately, the landlord of the haunted property was 'holding' Jenny and Bob to the 2-year lease and expecting payment even though they had to flee the place. Bob accused said landlord of renting a haunted home to them without ever disclosing that fact. The landlord told Bob he was nuts and just trying to get out of the lease. Bob became quite indignant and informed the landlord that he was going to sue for failure to disclose that the house was haunted and furthermore he had 2 reliable witnesses to what transpired that drove them from said dwelling. He contacted J and Lori for written depositions verifying what they witnessed. Both girls were happy to oblige. My sister was a legal secretary at the time. She typed up the depositions and got them notarized. They didn't want their friend, and her husband getting cheated by a lying, money-grubbing landlord.

Once Bob had the depositions in hand he and his lawyer paid a call on the landlord. Strangely enough the landlord released them, in writing, from the lease. Once he was confronted with a lawyer and written testimony he didn't have a leg to stand on. Don't you just love it when less than honest people get it stuck to them?

According to my sister the couple found a nice, slightly smaller, but totally un-haunted house to live in. Their daughter is grown, but she doesn't remember anything as she was a baby during that time. Her parents don't want to tell her. They prefer to leave well enough alone. I trust the validity of my sister's account as her, and I have had shared paranormal encounters before. Also, her friend Lori, who is now a divorcee' living in Eastlake, Ohio, has corroborated this account. Lori and my sis said they've both wanted to write about that incident for many years, but never found the time. I volunteered to do it for them. I apologize for the length of this narrative, but this is the full account as it was recently told to me. Thanks for reading!