In 1992 Hurricane Andrew went through Homestead, Florida and my unit was then temporarily stationed in Tampa, Florida. During this time I flew my son back and forth from Tampa to Miami to be with his Dad. Due to this I had many "frequent flying miles" and was invited up to Fitchburg, Massachusetts for Christmas by the family of my best friend.
A little background on the house: It had been in the family for 40 years and had one time been a morgue. The basement was dug out by the mother but another set of stairs led to another basement where they said the bodies were kept. It is now being used for their carpet store. They also sell oriental rugs in the garage by the house. The Mother died from Cancer in the home.
The day of the encounter my friend and I went into Salem and of course went through the Witch Museum. And I bought tons of ghost books. That night I decided to go upstairs to read said books. I could see the lights from downstairs and everyone laughing at a television show they were watching.
I became tired and turned off the lights. As I laid there all nice and warm the little cuckoo clock by the beds chimed. Thinking nothing off it I rolled over to face the door. As I laid there a bright light (like Tinkerbell) came through the bedroom door and floated to my bed. I knew immediately that it was my best friend's Mom. I had never met her so I said "thank you Mrs. D for inviting me to your home". I then rolled over to face the wall and fell asleep.
The next day I told her daughter what happened. When I mentioned the clock her eyes got real big and she said "that clock has not worked in years"...
As in my incident, it seems the phantom chiming was to get your attention and the light was the mother paying you a brief and reassuring visit. Thanks for sharing your subtle and straightforward experience.