The Stomper

When I was in the seventh grade I didn't want to go to school because I hated it. So, despite my mom begging me to go to school I just ignored her which I learned was probably not a good idea.

It was a work/school day. My mom was babysitting about five toddlers in our home, we were all in the living room. It was in the morning and surprisingly everyone fell asleep except me. I was watching TV suddenly I started hearing something so I muted the television and listened. It sounded like someone was bouncing a basket ball downstairs. We had a huge basement and it freaked me out. I always felt like I was being watched when I went down stairs so I tried to always have someone with me. I wasn't about to go check by myself. It stopped so I turned the volume up again. Soon, it started bouncing again. I'm thinking maybe it's one of my brothers or sister skipping school also, but hiding out downstairs; however, why would they be making all that noise. Having a few unexplained things happen to me already in the house I became a little worried. It kept bouncing on and off for a couple of minutes. I tried to ignore it but it was just strange.

I looked around at everyone and I wondered why no one was hearing this but me. Next, I hear someone stomping up the stairs, slow but loud. Looking around again, I didn't understand how this was not waking everyone up. I called out to my mom but she didn't hear me. I didn't want to yell and wake the kids so I just sat there frozen, listening to whatever it was coming closer. I didn't know if I was more scared of it being a ghost or a stranger. Suddenly, I heard the kitchen door open and someone walking over the creaky floor in the kitchen. That's when I got scared and ducked behind the coffee table (LOL). Whomever or whatever it was walked into the living room and just stood there and I could feel it staring. I got this bad feeling and whether I lived or died, I was not about to look. After a while, it left and went back through the kitchen.

I'm still amazed how everyone slept through the racket. Maybe it was just meant for me to experience. It could have been an actual person, but I felt like it was something else. I don't know if it was a ghost trying to scare me or a dead relative trying to get me to go to school. All I know is that it was creepy, but to this day I wished I snuck a glance. Sometimes I wonder though if my mom prayed against me. She and my grandma used to say to us kids. You better be good or you're going to see that old lady!

Another time, I experienced something similar was when my sister, a friend, and I where home alone. We were doing our homework at the dining room table. However, there was probably more talking about boys and laughing than doing the actual work. Suddenly, I heard someone coming up the stairs so I told the girls to ssshhhhhh! We heard stomping coming up the stairs so I said it's probably just so and so trying to scare us. I could have sworn all my brothers went shopping with my parents in another town. As the sound moved closer and closer we just stared at each other and waited. Finally, we heard the kitchen knob turn and the door opened, but we didn't see anything. My sister and I are used to the basement/kitchen door opening on its own or sometimes the cat even manages to open it.

Seriously, my cat figured out how to open the door unless it was the ghost opening for her. Just as I was about to say don't let it scare us, the door started opening and banging shut on its own like the ghost was angry. This caused our friend to bolt, followed by my sister and I. We ran to our friend's house across the street and told her family. They didn't really believe us, but they could tell we're scared and out of breath. We didn't go home until my parents got home. The house was a mess when returned due our homework scattered on the floor and the chairs being knocked over in our haste to run out of the house. Of course our friend never stayed the night again after that!