MANY STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN BUT . . .
NOT ALWAYS IN OLD HOUSES!
Aunt Reba’s House
Aunt Reba & I had a bad
experience in that house that Pat Patterson designed
& built in 1958. He was her husband. He had a
considerable sum of money in it at that time. Quite a
bit for that period.
This very nice home was built in
the shadow of Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio.
He had the house about two thirds, perhaps three
fourths done, when fate intervened.
He sustained a very bad
heart attack at the old house next door. He never
recovered at the hospital.
Grandma Dooley was a very sweet
lady, God rest her soul. She became upset at Aunt Reba
& I for discussing the events that had a profound
effect on us. Mom & dad tried to
downplay it too!
Aunt Reba & I didn't think it
was funny at all.
Grandma insisted it was a big
rat. Lovingly, I told her, yet sternly, "Grandma,
rats don't wear number 9 shoes". It was after I
said that, that I noticed she was rather uncomfortable
with the two of us being so serious.
We were very bent out of shape
from the events of that first night. No one had spent
the night in that house before us.
I noticed over the years that it was on
the market many times.
I had helped Aunt Reba getting
moved into her house that day. Dad, mom, Ronnie &
I all helped to try getting things over to to the new
house to help her.
Late that day, (what with me
being between my Sophomore & Junior years in high
school), Dad turned & said to me, "Freddie, I
want you to stay here tonight to keep your Aunt Reba
company".
Don't get me wrong, I loved Aunt
Reba. To a kid in high school, staying with an
"old Aunt" didn't cut it.
I didn't want to hurt her
feelings, so I agreed.
I wasn't prepared for what was
about to happen that night.
I had the bedroom next to the
staircase while aunt Reba had the room at the end of
the hall.
We didn't even have a car up
there at the house, that night.
I woke up & heard someone
throwing the firewood around. I had stacked it up
against the west basement wall during the afternoon of
that same day.
I instantly thought Aunt Reba had
"gone round the bend".
However, I laid on my back
concentrating on what was happening. It soon dawned on
me that I couldn't handle that much firewood without
being worn out.
I realized Aunt Reba couldn't
handle that much wood either. I figured we had an intruder.
All of of a sudden it was very
quiet in the basement.
Some days later, I realized,
enough time had passed for some one to walk from the
far end of the basement to the steps below my room.
Then, there was a step on the
pine step, followed by one on the pine landing. It was
slow and methodical. This, followed by a step on the
oak steps, one slowly, by one, to the top of the
stairs.
Then silence. Again, some time
later, I realized that there was time to go down the
stairs even though nothing was heard. Then it started
at the bottom all over again. It continued for a long
time.
I never heard the steps of Aunt
Reba quietly slipping down the hall to my room. She
said frantically, "Freddie, Freddie, did you hear
that!?"
I know you don't believe in
levitation, I have to admit. I thought I had floated
straight up in bed in shock. I said" I did . . did . .
did . . n't hear anything. Go on back to bed".
She
knew I was lying.
She went back to her room. I had
had enough of what this character was doing to upset
us.
The climbing of the stairs did
not quit. I got up quietly and eased up on the bed
till the springs were free from tension.
I went across the floor in the
dark bedroom to the door. I reached out & felt the
knob gingerly. I very slowly turned it until I felt it
catch. I Applied steady pressure past that point until
the door could come open with no noise.
Stealthily, I entered into the
hallway. I was unaware of the stern eyes watching me.
I was thinking, I'm going to get
this guy. I went slowly to the basement door. I placed
my right hand on the door knob, my left on the light
switch. I was now ready to deal with our intruder.
Aunt Reba told other people later
she was watching me as I prepared to open the basement
door. she said, "Oh my God. He's going to let
that thing in the house with us".
Swiftly, I jerked the door open,
while turning on the light at the same time.
What I saw caused me to reel
across the hall into the other wall where I fell.
I saw nothing. I couldn't
understand it. I was in a state of shock.
Aunt Reba came running up to me.
I was stuttering and stammering. I admitted I
had heard it. I told her I didn't understand this.
We went back to our respective
rooms. The trouble continued.
Finally, I got up. I went across
the floor in the dark bedroom. I threw the door open
caring not who heard me. I went across the hall into
the bathroom.
It was a lovely bathroom with
double sinks & vanity. I recall even now the pink
color of the sinks.
Suddenly, everything was becoming
a blur as I fell. Sad to say, I lost my cookies as I
spun and fell. I made a terrible mess out of that
bathroom.
I was laying on my back and a
distorted face seemed to lower toward mine. (I was
& am nearsighted, needless to say, I was
without my glasses.
Aunt Reba, a practical nurse, was
in the process of trying to help me. She cleaned me up
and got me back to bed.
Our troubles continued in the
night.
Within two weeks, Aunt Reba had
moved out of the new house & into the old house
next door. She had another nurse staying with her
during those two weeks. She never again said anything
to me as to what happened during that time.
