Home's Guardian Spirit

This tale takes place in my friend's house, who is only a few doors down from my parents (formally my own) home which I wrote about before, entitled 'House upon the Gallows'. It's a similar lay out, kitchen/diner downstairs and double doors (not a feature in my parents place) leading into the living room and a hallway that leads upstairs, with a small bathroom underneath the staircase. On the upper level, there are four bedrooms, two at the front and two at the back, with an ensuite and main bathroom. Like I say, similar to my own but a little different.

My Friend has lived there, I'd say as long as we had, if not longer. She lives with her husband, and three small children and we've been friends a long time. I confided in her my tale about living in Rosses Point, and the weird dreams I'd been having in my parents house. My friend, then told me about her own experiences. About a little girl spirit that had followed her for years, since she had dug up an old coin in her grandmother's garden. My friend still has this coin, but it disappears on occasion and returns somewhere exceedingly odd months later. My friend was told the spirit was protecting her, that the little girl was a deceased member of her family. She likes to make herself known by flushing the downstairs toilet and moving things around if she feels out of sorts, redecorating, moving, holidays, birth of child etc. In one instance while my friend was watching television after eating some cereal, she looked over to the double doors to the kitchen only to find the bowel on the floor between the two doors, after she expressly remembers placing it in the sink some 5 meters away to the left. However, it only showed itself to female family members.

I used to baby sit on occasion for my friend, I wasn't worried about this spirit because it only showed itself to family members, and I was not. However, this night I had put the children to bed and was watching a horror film when I heard the downstairs toilet flush. I leaped off the couch as I hadn't heard any movement from upstairs. Thinking I was being foolish, I went to check on the children and all three were fast asleep. Thoroughly freaked out, I went to sit back in the living room and had to turn off the movie and put one of the kids films back on. My friend thought it was hilarious, and said I was part of the family now. I was and still, remain entirely unthrilled about it.

A few months later, I think just after the DVD release of paranormal activity, I went down to my friends to watch it (you'd think I'd learn, right?) but I hadn't had another experience since my initiation so I didn't worry about it. Whilst watching the film, the curtain edge closest to the tv peeled back, and then fell back into place. It repeated a few more times, my friend asked if I'd seen it and I told her yes, we decided to ignore it and focus on the film. Then a helium balloon her youngest had brought home, began to rotate round in circles. My friend popped it and things fell silent again.

Fast forward to 2011, August. I had moved to the bottom of Gallows hill and was six months pregnant with my first. My friend's family had gone on holiday for a week, and asked me to take care of her two cats (one had just had a litter of three kittens) two guinea pigs and assorted fish. This was fine, as my mother and fiance were to help me with their litter trays. I just had to feed them all. I developed a routine, and three days in the trouble started.

In the morning, I would go and open the curtains in each room. I had to use the hallway to get to the kitchen as my friend had leashed the double doors into the living room shut with an old dog lead. I would feed the fish and put their light on. Then the cats and kittens would be fed and watered (they had the run of the house except for the bathrooms) and then I would go down and change guinea pigs' water and feed them. Then in the evening, I would close all the curtains again, turn off the tank light, feed all the animals again and turn on either the landing or hall light thus making it look like someone was home.

On the third day I brought my mother with me to change the litter tray, when I was opening the curtains I found I had not closed one pair the night before, even though I thought I had double checked the night before. At first I reasoned maybe one of the kittens had done it, but then how they hooked themselves back. I put it down to human error. That night, my mother helped me check that I had closed them all. The next morning, same thing, different set of curtains. The spirit was playing with me. Every night and morning, one set of curtains would either be open or closed somewhere around the house. I decided not to let it bother me, I was only there for 20 minutes at the most.

On the sixth day, I thought she'd left me in peace. My fiance was cleaning the litter tray and I went into the youngest's bedroom thus proving the curtains had been left closed, and untampered with. It was only when I'd turned round to go, I found her built in closet door pulled open and it's contents thrown on the floor. I know some cats can open doors, but surely not pull doors open? I threw the items back in and shut it quickly, knowing my friend didn't like the cats in the cupboards. I quickly left.

The next day was even more extraordinary. I went through the motions as normal, fish first then cats, as I entered the kitchen and went to open the cat tin I saw a very disturbing sight. There on the counter was the dog lead my friend had used to keep the double doors shut, neatly folded. Certainly no cat could do that. I was the only one with a key, and I seriously doubt someone breaking in would leave behind the valuables and only do that. I rushed through my chores, re-lashed the door and just before I slammed the door shut for the last time, I called out "They're home tonight! I promise!"

These experiences weren't frightening or threatening. I think she just wanted to let me know that she was there, protecting the house. Or maybe she was wondering where the family had gone. I've never been terrified of that home, not like I had in my own. Perhaps the homes being built on hanging ground makes the homes more susceptible to such things. What do you think?