Angel's House

I think I should get this in print, before I forget! My short-term memory is getting worse. I really should keep a diary, as many have suggested; sometimes though, things happen at awkward times.

The last week, I spent at our youngest daughter Angel's home, situated to the south of Johannesburg. We had spent Sunday 13 May, Mother's Day, with our eldest daughter, Nicky who lives to the north of Johannesburg. (Had a great time, and got spoiled rotten!) I rode home with Angel and her young daughter, Shenay. We left my hubby to find his own way home to our house in Randfontein.

Now, when I stay at Angel's house, I am always given Shenay's bedroom to sleep in. Small problem though; Shenay has two hamsters. As most will know, hamsters are nocturnal creatures; and I am a light sleeper. When bedtime arrived, Angel, very considerately, removed the hamster cage from the bedroom. She put the cage on top of the bar, two rooms away.

I settled into bed and read my book for a bit, then switched off the bed-side light, preparing to sleep. I am never one to fall asleep immediately, it always takes me while. As I was lying there, trying to clear my mind, I was jolted back to full awareness, by light scratching noises. I lay there in the darkness, listening intently! The sound was coming from the chest-of-drawers, on which the hamster cage usually sits. Now, I was wondering, did I actually see Angel remove the hamster cage? Yes! I am sure I did! But the scratching and scuffling continues. I am so confused by this time that I simply HAVE TO switch on the light, to have a look. Guess what? As soon as the light went on, the noise stopped. I switched off the light again, and went to sleep. No more scratching for the rest of the week.

In the early hours of Friday morning (it was still dark), I awoke to the sound of my bedroom door opening. I then heard the "click" of foot bones, as someone walked over the carpet. No light was switched on, so I presumed that it was either my daughter, or grand-daughter, fetching something. (This wouldn't be the first time that it had happened.) And they didn't need the light. I lay there, snuggled down in the duvet, knowing that if there was something wrong, they would call me. Nothing happened! I heard no more movement, and I didn't bother to look. I didn't hear the door close either.

When daylight came, I peered over the bed-clothes, to see the door shut. Later that morning, when Shenay was safely off to school, I asked Angel if she or Shenay had come into my room that night/morning. I got a puzzled look, and a "No, why?" answer. I brushed it off as, "No, nothing... I must have been dreaming." But I know that I wasn't dreaming! I lay awake until dawn after that. I know that Angel would have a conniption if she thought that there was "something" in her house! So, I kept my own council.

That night, I was having a last smoke before going to bed. I always smoke at the security gate, with the front door closed; there is about 6 ft between the two. It was somewhere around 9:30 pm, and all was very quiet in the complex, not even a barking dog. I could hear the traffic on the highway, humming away in the distance.

As I stood, blowing smoke rings, I noticed Jan (the dog) lift her head, to look down the road. She didn't get up, only cocked her head. I knew that something was "up" by her attitude. As I listened, I hear the sound of tyres, moving slowly, over the pitted surface of the badly kept road in front of the house. Both Jan and I followed the sound as it passed the house - not a thing to be seen! It sounded exactly like a car's tyres rolling by, but no sound of a motor! That was really weird!

I went to bed that night wondering, "What the heck was that!"

Is there anybody out there that may have any suggestions? Your comments are welcome.

Thank you for reading my experiences at Angel's house.