Walking on the Roof

This took place in San Diego about 6 or 7 years ago. I lived in a two story house with with my mother and stepfather. The roof of the house was angled steeply on both sides. To get an image of the house and where I was at, the front door opens right to a small tiled area with the door to my bedroom on the left and the door to the garage on the right. A straight staircase from the tiled area leads upstairs to the living room, kitchen, and other bedrooms. There is a hatchway to the attic in the ceiling at the top of the staircase.

Early on a Saturday evening I was home alone in my bedroom with the door closed and I heard someone knock on my door. Now, my parents were long gone at Lake Havasu so I know they weren't around. I could see the area by the front door from my window so I looked there but didn't see anyone but I went to the front door anyway. Before I opened the front door I heard very heavy thumping sounds from the ceiling; as if someone was walking across the roof or in the attic. I just stood there at the bottom of the staircase staring up the stairs at the attic hatch for literally at least 5 minutes and the footstep sounds continued. One minute it sounded like someone walking slowly and the next sounded like someone jogging the next minute it stopped like someone was pacing randomly.

I kept telling myself there was an animal up there but animals just don't sound like this did. I was pretty scared but very curious too. I grabbed a chair and a bat from my bedroom and headed upstairs. I'm not sure what I thought I was going to do but went anyway. Going up the stairs and closer to the ceiling I'm positive it was coming from the attic. Besides the roof was very steep so I can't imagine someone walking around too much up there. When I got to the top of the stairs and under the attic door, I lost most of my nerve and just waited. The steps had stopped for the moment and then it sounded as if someone sprinted across the ceiling and stopped right above me. It was so loud and so clear I can still hear it now. I decided not to look in the attic after that and instead to just left whatever it was alone. I left the house for the night soon after that and never heard footsteps again.

I've had other strange experiences and encounters in this house, one of which I talk about in the entry titled invisible rain.