I used to live in a house that was owned by the town, on a mountain near a lake and a cemetary. The first night I was just full of fear, because I had no means of communication; no cell phone, no land line, nothing, in a strange land in the countryside. I heard a sound, like a scratching, and opened my sliding door to see a..
spider!
no, not a ghost.
but it was as big as my hand, as fat as a fist, and hairy. it was disgusting. and shocking.
then I was introduced to the centipedes.
there were three of four a night, because there was a centipede nest under the house (maybe because the house hadn't been in use for over ten years?)
but more scary than fat, hairy spiders and poisonous centipedes was the girl I saw one night in my house.
It was the first week I was there. I was sleeping with my new cat (Shadow was a mean alley-kitten), and looked up to see a young woman or girl, with her hair parted to the side and wearing a white t-shirt in my hallway.
I stood up, ready to fight this intruder, and put the cat behind me on the soft sheets. When I looked back towards the girl, it was as if she had evaporated into thin air.
I checked all my windows and doors, carrying a plastic toy bat, but noone was in my house and all the locks were secure. But I was so tired: new country, new life, new responsibilities, that I just went back to sleep.
Before that day, I could hear footsteps sometimes, and doors opening and closing, but when I went to investigate, all was silent.
I had parties at my house (I was younger then), and the people who spent the night would complain about two things:my insane cat, and the sound of someone walking and slamming doors.
But after a while, seeing the girl in my house became common (except that time I was so scared I tucked Shadow into my shirt and hid in the closet), and those noises continued but I stopped thinking it was strange unless a friend spent the night and complained the next morning.
One time I found wet footprints on my floor, but the pictures didn't come out well.
And things would go missing. my keys. my contacts. my wallet.
and after a long search, I would find them in the back room (I never used), in the closet, on the top shelf in the back. every time I couldn't find my keys, I learned to search there. And more often than not, they were in the back room.
in the closet.
on the top shelf.
in the very back.
and I moved away from that house to a place where the toilet was a hole, my olive oil froze solid in the winter, and I had to go outside to take a bloody shower. but I digress.
a few months later, the guy who had come to take over my position called me, frantic, asking me to come to work and talk to him.
I went. we talked. and he said:
I saw a girl. IN MY HOUSE.
What kind of girl?
A young girl.
What does she look like?
She was Japanese. Had hair parted to the side. Wearing a white t-shirt. (which shocked me, because I hadn't told anyone about the girl, especially about how she looked)
When did you see her?
Last night. I was sleeping and woke up because I was so cold. And I found my blanket folded next to me--I never fold my blanket. and I looked up, and she was standing in the hallway, looking at me. I screamed SH*T, and she dissappeared.
Wow.
Have you ever seen her?
Yeah, but it's not a big deal. She isn't vicious. Just lonely.
and as I was leaving, he happened to complain about having lost his wallet.
I said, check in the back room, in the closet, on the top shelf, in the back. your ghost likes to hide things up there.