Growing Up

I was brought up in the suburbs of Columbia, South Carolina in the 70's and 80's. Not a whole lot of "spooky stuff" going on but I would like to share what I do remember and recollect now as an adult.

I grew up in Irmo SC, in a middle class neighborhood that was just wonderful. We had a large colonial house that sat on pond front property. My family were the second owners of the house. Nothing really happened with the original owners, nothing that would cause a haunting.

My earliest memories of something being "strange" or "off kilter" were my experiences in the upstairs bathroom that my sister, brother and I used. Many times I would be taking a shower and "feel" something watching me. I was scared to soap up my hair in fear that I could not see! I never saw anything but things would move from one place to another in the bathroom during these showers. I knew something was going on but did not know what. I thought at first that my siblings were playing tricks on me. I thought that my missing or moved clothes were the antics of them. I found out one night that this was just not true.

The season was summer and my family was at a local swim-meet. My older brother and younger sister swam on the team. Not my thing in those days, I wanted to fish. And fish I did!

I came home to a empty house. The others were at the Meet. Here I was, dirty as you can imagine. I had mud all over my legs and on the shorts I was wearing. I kicked off my shoes downstairs in the "mud room" as Mom called it. This is where you put your dirty "mud shoes" when entering the house so as not to track it around. From here I headed upstairs to get a shower. Nothing strange... Not yet.

I walked into the bathroom, took off my shorts and laid them on a seat beneath a small window that looked over the back yard. I started the shower and got in. I must admit that the feeling at the time was making my nerves crawl but I ignored it. The warm water was refreshing and the soap smelled good as usual. Back then, Mom bought Prell to wash our hair with. I cleaned all the dirt off of myself and then washed again knowing how it would not all be gone after the first washing. Feeling clean and tired, I turned off the water and pulled back the shower curtain. To my amazement, my clothes had been moved. My shirt was on the floor and obviously moved from the chair. I grabbed a towel, and got out of the shower, curious as to what had happened. The bathroom door was open, and a small trail of mud led out from the tile work of the bathroom to the hallway. Keep in mind this is not a small bathroom, two sinks and a large toilet area.

I dried off and walked slowly out into the hallway. I looked to my left. Nothing out of the usual. I looked to my right and saw a muddy trail all the way down the wall to the bottom of the stairs. At the bottom, of course, were my shorts. It was as if someone had held my muddy shorts at arm level on the wall and walked all the way downstairs with them, leaving the trail behind. This would normally freak anyone out, but what do I do? I freak out knowing Mom was coming home soon and I would get my rear end worn out if I did not get this cleaned up.

I did my best to get the red mud streaks out of the wall paper but was unsuccessful. I was even more unsuccessful explaining the whole thing to Mom and Dad, as I am sure you can imagine.

This was but one experience in this house.