You are here: Real Ghost Stories :: Apparitions / Voices / Touches :: It

Real Ghost Stories

It

 

In 1985, my best friend and I shared a townhouse in Dale City, Virginia, with 2 guys (Jeff and Bryan). Completely platonic, by the way. One day as I was coming in the door after work, Jeff was on his way out to visit our next door neighbor. I asked him if anyone else was home and he said just him and he'd be next door visiting Charlie and It. It was a huge black cat. I absolutely loved that cat. I locked the downstairs door after Jeff left, because I didn't want anyone coming in without me knowing it while I was taking a bath. We had an ex-roommate who was a little bit on the angry side and left on not so good terms.

I got ready for my bath, shut and locked the bathroom door. While I was in the tub, I heard the downstairs door open, heard footsteps come up the stairs and go into Bryan's bedroom, which made me automatically assume Bryan had come home. But then I heard the footsteps leave Bryan's room and go into Jeff's. That's when I realized it wasn't Bryan. Bryan was a very quiet, shy guy who would never think of going into someone else's room. And, yes, he would have known I was home because my car was parked in front of the townhouse. So even if he was sneaky, he wouldn't have done it with someone home.

The footsteps walked around in Jeff's room for a few minutes. I heard what I thought to be the lid on a chest that Jeff had being lifted and closed back down and heard other things being moved around. At this point, I just figured Jeff had come back in. I couldn't figure out why he went into Bryan's room, though, but it was none of my business anyway. I had already half decided it wasn't Jeff when I heard the footsteps heading toward the bathroom. Considering Jeff knew I had intended on taking a bath, he would have said something to me when he came up the stairs. I then saw a shadow pause in front of the bathroom door. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I never made a sound. I think I was too afraid to move. I had no idea who was on the other side of that door. By the way, I was only 20 at the time, so things scared the crap out of me pretty easily. At almost 45, the same situation would probably scare the crap out of me now too! After a few seconds (it really felt much longer at the time) the footsteps (and shadow) then went into the room my best friend and I shared. I never saw or heard anyone leave our room. A few minutes later I heard something fall and break in our room. At that time I collected porcelain and I thought one of my Dutch dolls had fallen and broken.

Before I could get out of the tub (yes, I had found my courage and was going to check and see what fell in my room), I heard Jeff running up the stairs, yelling my name. I answered him and he asked me what was wrong. I asked him what he was talking about and he said he heard me screaming his name for help. Remember, he was next door at Charlie's, but thought he heard me screaming for help. I told him I didn't. He insisted he heard me screaming for help. After I got out of the tub and got dressed, I went into my bedroom but nothing had fallen or broken. I told Jeff what I saw and heard and asked him if anyone else had come in. Jeff said no because the door was locked when he came in and he had to use his key. We searched the entire townhouse, from top to bottom (even the attic) and found nothing. We were even anticipating a raccoon or squirrel in the attic. But there was nothing up there. Charlie, our next door neighbor, had a big black cat named "It." It loved to come into our townhouse. Whenever the door was open, it would run into our house. So Jeff went to Charlie's and brought It over to see if it reacted strangely at all. Well, Jeff and I got a much bigger reaction than we were expecting. As soon as Jeff brought him in, It started to hiss and the hair stood up on his back. Jeff brought It to the staircase and he hissed really loudly (It not Jeff!), staring up the stairs and started fighting Jeff to get down, clawing and scratching to get away. When Jeff let him down, it bolted for the front door. We could never get It to come back into our townhouse after that. If you've never seen a cat do that, it is one of the freakiest and, I'll admit, scariest things to see.

Jeff and I spent the rest of that night downstairs, listening for any sounds to indicate something was still there. We never did hear or see anything that could explain what we experienced. And, yes, the subdivision we lived in was rumored to have been built on battle ground. There were several cemeteries close to where we lived. This was at the point in my life where I was so completely uneducated and inexperienced in this kind of thing that I had no idea what to do or even what was going on. All I knew then was something was in that townhouse. I didn't, and still don't, know what it was.

Oh yeah, my best friend? When she came home from work we told her what had happened. She turned around, told us she was going to spend the night at her mom and dad's and left. Gee, thanks a lot, huh?

Other hauntings by Miracles51031

Find ghost hunters and paranormal investigators from Ohio

Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Miracles51031, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Cersed240 (2 stories) (26 posts)
 
7 years ago (2016-12-23)
Funny you mention. When I lived in San Lorenzo, CA. My Aunt lived with us (my Mom and I.) She had a brown tabby cat named Toby. When he was a kitten, he seemed perfectly normal. But when he got older, he would freak out all the time. We just thought he was getting crazy in his old age. Makes me wonder now.

These houses in the area were built in the 50's if I remember right, so they really didn't have all that much history behind them. We had one other cat at the time. Didn't seem to be bothered by anything. A black cat named Purrfect, and later a big orange tabby that showed up after the 89' earthquake. Neither of them showed any of the same signs as Toby though.
Manafon1 (6 stories) (712 posts)
+1
8 years ago (2016-03-16)
Ahh, that makes sense Miracles. A creepy maintenance man. Yikes. I once rented an apartment and someone knocked at the door. I was young and studying for a college exam and ignored it. Suddenly I heard keys and the door opened. It was my landlord! He assumed my girlfriend and I were out and just walked in. He had an excuse about something he needed to check but it always made me a bit uncomfortable knowing he could walk in whenever he wanted to.

Enough of this topic! I think you solved your case. 😁
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
+1
8 years ago (2016-03-16)
Yes, your assumptions about keys and doors are correct. And I've seen one of those full-bodied, looked as real as my daughter, apparitions so I know what you're talking about 😊
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
8 years ago (2016-03-16)
Manafon - I would much rather live my life believing this to have been a non-living visitor rather than an intruder but this is why I don't think it was. The apartment complex I lived in had maintenance men, who obviously had keys. Before this incident happened, I had a not so nice experience with one of them. This is why I believe it wasn't paranormal, and also why I wasn't about to let him know I was awake.
Manafon1 (6 stories) (712 posts)
 
8 years ago (2016-03-16)
Miracles--If the experience you describe happened to me (and I didn't look) it would drive me nuts trying to figure out what person could have entered the room. If nothing was taken from the apartment and if only you and your roommate had keys (I'm just guessing on that) and your doors to the outside were normally locked (I'm just guessing again) it seems a fair possibility that the presence you felt was of the paranormal variety.

It reminds me of the only time I saw a full body apparition. I assumed with complete certainty it was human until it simply vanished. If it hadn't vanished I would have lived my life assuming it was a living, breathing human I had witnessed!
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
+1
8 years ago (2016-03-16)
Manafon, I am certainly glad I posted my comment on this story. I was rereading through the story and comments and realized I thought there was a definite person (not necessarily intruder though) in this apartment, which is different than the one I posted my original comment about. (Confusing? LOL)

Anyway, I wanted to clarify my earlier comment 😊 Memory just isn't what it used to be, which is why I am so glad I keep a journal LOL
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
8 years ago (2016-03-16)
Manafon - decided to move this to one of my stories so we don't derail mym's story.

My roommate, like I, had moved to this city due to a job. Her friends were all at "home" (different state) so I am confident when I say it wasn't one of her friends. I did mention it to her, along with who I thought it may have been. She didn't feel the same so the conversation ended there.

It is very possible it was paranormal, but having only had a couple experiences before this (and not one remotely close to this situation) it wasn't my first thought. Still isn't LOL
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
12 years ago (2012-06-25)
Fergie - yeah, trapped in the bathroom 😨. I'm not bothered by the thoughts of our ghosts being outside my bathroom door now, but at 19 1/2? It really bothered me LOL. I try not to think of them being in the bathroom with me, though. Mind over matter 😉

I think what bothered me the most, though, was when It reacted the way he did. When cats react that way? Yeah, something is definitely up and it's not good.

Probably a good thing you didn't think about ghosts when that happened, huh? LOL
Fergie (40 stories) (1159 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-06-25)
Miracles: The creep! To catch you at such a vulnerable time/place! 😨
You have just reminded me of an incident, that happened many years ago, when I was 19. I was visiting a boyfriends house for the weekend. We were laying on the carpet in front of the stereo, listening to Beethoven. His mom's big black cat was laying a few feet away; front paws tucked in under him. From dozing... To full, huge fluff ball... Tail looking like a bottle brush... Took only about two seconds! He scuttled out of the room... I never found out what caused that! I never gave spirits or ghosts a thought back in those days. 😕
Well, thanks for the memory, and thank you for sharing, Miracles. ❤
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
 
12 years ago (2012-01-16)
omgitsjessika: Just want to let you know that I'll be contacting the site owner... Stop on your own or get banned from this site... Your choice...
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+1
13 years ago (2011-07-19)
TID: I'm from Northeast Ohio, close to the Pennsylvania border, where West Virginia's panhandle sits in between...Can't get a whole lot more hilly than that! 😆...In my opinion, "the Heartland" is a little further west...Midwest, yeah, I'll admit to that 😊...The license plate for Ohio reads "The Heart of it All", but that's just because of the shape of state LOL...

Thanks for link, I'll check that book out... I miss the simplicity of home sometimes...
TruthInDarkness (4 stories) (259 posts)
 
13 years ago (2011-07-19)
granny - Yes, I suppose there are a number of scenarios. I know that some people have uncles who are younger than they are. Didn't you grow up in the "heartland" and not the "hills"? On that note, I'm reading a book titled Haunted Heartland now (http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Heartland-Dorset-Reprints-Scott/dp/0880296143/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311080427&sr=8-1). It's got some pretty cool stories. You can probably get the hardcover version at B&N for about $8. That's where I bought it. It was in the bargain section.
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+2
13 years ago (2011-07-18)
TID: I just want to mention that age is really not a factor when it comes to being a grandparent... My parents were grand-parents at 37... My brother was 35 when he became a grand-daddy, my parents were great-grand-parents at 55 😆...The child mentioned is 6 months older than my youngest son, which means they were great-grand-parents and grand-parents in the same year LOL...Ah, life in the hills! 😆
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
+1
13 years ago (2011-07-18)
TruthinDarkness - I should have answered your last question tomorrow when I hopefully don't have a migraine. Sorry, I should have said "I have 3 grandsons with 2 more grandbabies on the way" instead of "1 have 3..." Sorry about the typo.
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
+1
13 years ago (2011-07-18)
TruthinDarkness - I will be 46 Thursday. I have 2 stepdaughters, both older than Jerrica, one who has 2 boys currently aged 6 and 8 and the other has a little boy who is 3. Both of my stepdaughters are pregnant LOL. So, yes you've heard me mention I have 3 daughters and 1 son and 1 have 3 grandsons with 2 more grandbabies on the way. Jerrica's dad and I divorced 11 years ago, but I didn't divorce the girls.
TruthInDarkness (4 stories) (259 posts)
 
13 years ago (2011-07-18)
Yes, I've read that you are obsessive compulsive. LOL. I am too about certain things; though I'm definitely not a "neat freak". I was just curious since you did hear something fall and break. Though I'll admit that I've heard something fall over or thud in another room only to look and nothing seems to be out of place. So, who knows? Maybe the spirit used that noise to try and lure you into the room. Luckily, you stayed put.

Forgive me for pointing this out, but if I'm doing my math right you're 46 correct? You mention your daughter Jerrica quite a bit. Then, in one story you implied that you had an older daughter. And stated it outright in another story. I'm curious. Is this a step-daughter? One that is older than Jerrica and, thus, capable of having a 7 (possibly 8 now) year old son and making you a grandmother? My grandmother was 52 when I was born and I'm her oldest grandson.
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
13 years ago (2011-07-18)
TruthinDarkness - I don't know if you've read enough of my stories and comments to have caught on that I am obsessive compulsive. Even back then, everything had it's place. I won't swear to you that my porcelain clowns (OMG Loonies, yes I had clowns! They were little ones LOL) were positioned exactly the same way on my shelves, but I'd bet money they were. I can tell you without batting an eyelash that my porcelain dolls were standing exactly the way they were supposed to be. But to say without being 100% sure that everything was exactly the way it was before I got in the tub? No, that I can't do.

Thanks for reading and commenting on another of my stories.
TruthInDarkness (4 stories) (259 posts)
 
13 years ago (2011-07-18)
Wow! A big, black cat acting scared? That had to be a sight! I once knew a large, gray cat when I lived in Grafton (Yorktown, VA). I can't remember it's name to save me, but it wasn't afraid of anything! Then again, I don't know if any spirits were around at the time. I didn't know his owners that well. I only saw him when he was outside. He seemed to like to hang out at the bend (psuedo-corner) of the street. It was a T intersection and the top part of the T curved a bit. He actually lived in a house along the street that created the trunk of the T.

I have to wonder who/what came into the townhouse that day. It seemed to be looking for something. Even though nothing fell, I am curious as to whether you noticed anything even slightly out of place.

Thanks for sharing.
dreamergal72 (6 stories) (793 posts)
 
13 years ago (2010-11-12)
Cats do sence thing there and Can see what its there same my cat taffy she look at whatever that I can't see I ask her we not alone huh? Then she still look at it whatever there like she won't answer my question. Yes she is funny.
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
13 years ago (2010-10-17)
DCinAZ - 😆 you are absolutely right. I was totally at their mercy, whether they were human or ghost. And I wasn't getting out of the bath naked even for a ghost! Ridiculous, I know, but still.

This was one that scared the crap out of me. Even now, 24 years later, I can remember how I felt not knowing who was on the other side of that door.

Thanks for reading and for commenting.
DCinAZ (guest)
 
13 years ago (2010-10-16)
OK, that was a high 8 on the creepmeter! I absolutely hate when stuff happens while in the tub/snower! What are you supposed to do? Run out of the house naked? NO WAY! You're pretty much stuck where you are waiting for it to go away and praying it won't come in. It's like they know they have the run of the house and take full advantage. I HATE that! 😨
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
14 years ago (2010-04-16)
Vulcan10 - I was terrified thinking there was someone in the house, who stopped in front of the bathroom door (and you're right -- I don't know whether or not it peeked😨) but I wouldn't have screamed for help. So I think you and Cosmogal hit on something there. Someone knew I needed help, knew I wouldn't call for help because a. I was too terrified and b. I was too terrified! So someone screamed for help for me. Wish I'd thought to thank them.

I'm glad my comment about my friend hissing made you laugh out loud. 😆

Thanks for your comments, Vulcan.
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
14 years ago (2010-04-16)
rockstar09 - thanks - guess I'm going to have to read Poe's black cat story now. 😊
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (4999 posts) mod
 
14 years ago (2010-04-16)
Hope and Claudia - thanks for your comments. They are appreciated.

Cosmogal - you're absolutely right. The timing is just too coincidental for it to be a coincidence (does that make sense?). I understand the whole "is anybody home" thing. After awhile you just get used to it and then get "scared" when someone actually answers you 😆. Thanks.
rockstar09 (3 stories) (11 posts)
 
14 years ago (2010-04-14)
Wow that's freaky! I've heard a couple stories like that before. It sorta reminds me of Edgar Allan Poe's story about the black cat:P Thanks for sharing:)
vulcan10 (5 stories) (332 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-04-14)
another thing, I've heard a voice too several times throughout my life. Several times it has saved me from wrecks, getting killed, going to a location that was getting robbed, and just general mischief. I've also heard it out of the blue when I was busy working or something just say my name like a friend standing over my shoulder fixing to tell me something. I don't know the point of just saying my name but a guy I used to work for said that, (after I came around to the front of the house we were working at having just heard my name called out loud, twice, and asking what he wanted), he said that he has been milking (he has cows he milks every morning before work), and has heard his name called. I asked what he did and he said he just says,"yes Lord", and goes on about his work. In your case it seems that what ever screamed at your friend in your voice maybe knew that you needed someone with you then and called to someone that would respond.
vulcan10 (5 stories) (332 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-04-14)
sometimes people refer to these as events replaying themselves, caught in time, or something. This couldn't be the case here. The (whatever) came in the door, which couldn't be in the exact location of any other building that would have been there during the time of the battle, if there had of been any anyway, and up the stairs, which the chances of an old structure being two storied are nil, and it used the doors to the rooms and recognized that you were in the bathroom even though it didn't peek. (that you know of) So it interacted with it's surroundings. That's a cool supernatural event. And I laughed out loud picturing your friend hissing.
cosmogal926 (9 stories) (1223 posts)
+1
14 years ago (2010-04-14)
Wow that was creepy. That is so weird how at the same time you were hearing someone in the house your roomate was hearing you scream for help! I grew up in an apartment, and I can't remember how many times I would come home from school get in the shower, and hear the front door open, close, someone walk into the kitchen, and drop keys on the table. I would call out, mom, dad you home? No answer and nobody was there. Oh, and I love that the cat's name was It! That's awesome. 😊
chopis (78 posts)
 
14 years ago (2010-04-14)
Hahaha...curious story, I have a cat that have done that couple of times, don't know if its just spirits passing by or what, but we lived in that house for almost 10 years without nothing spectacular happening besides the cat hissing from time to time... (and of course when my dad passed away but that's another story) :)
Thanks for sharing,
Claudia
hope4ever (4 stories) (75 posts)
 
14 years ago (2010-04-14)
Sounds to me like it was on a battle ground, and thus one of the spirits is what is in your house.

I myself have seen cats do this, my cat used to do it all the time. I have had other animals do similar things too, which freaked me out. I was used to it from my cat, but my other pets I wasn't.

Thanks for sharing the memory
😁

To publish a comment or vote, you need to be logged in (use the login form at the top of the page). If you don't have an account, sign up, it's free!

Search this site: