Haunting Kiss

Hanover, Pennsylvania spring of 2000 or 2001

I had just recently moved to Maryland from California. My dad was a naval officer at the time and was going to be deployed, sending me to my mother's to begin high school. Starting high school after the year had already started brought a lot of attention to myself and it took a while for me to adjust to east coast living. After defending myself from a bully (I swear I was innocent - sort of) I was waiting in the principal's office and that's where I met Nikki.

Nikki and I began dating weeks later and it was that sappy type of romance where everyone hated us. The two school troublemakers teaming up and all that. A few months into dating we were discussing our plans for spring break. She told me that she usually goes to Pennsylvania on weekends and holidays to visit her mother. Due to inner family drama (and probably an expulsion or two) Nikki was staying with her step-father in Maryland where should could attend a much quieter high school. I hinted at the fact that I would like to meet her mom sometime. She clearly avoided the topic of conversation and didn't want to talk about it. As our seasonal break grew closer she finally broke, saying that her mother has invited me up for the two weeks where we can be together - unsupervised. Her subtext had subtext and I was clearly getting the hint.

Nicole's mother lived in an old house in one of the central boroughs of Adam's county. The house was clearly built before the neighborhood sprang up around it. Just looking at it from a distance you could tell the house had personality. Defiant and proud as the house tried to be it was definitely the kind of house nobody would dare solicit to. I'm not entirely sure but for the sake of visual clarity I'd say the house was built in the 1950s maybe early '60s. Every window was a large overbearing portal. They would often rattle when the wind hit them just right. The hardwood floors were clearly older than I was and you could hear the boards protest like an old man "is someone walking on me? Is that a pin dropping? Oh it's cold outside let me squeak and groan to show my dissatisfaction". Everyone knows the type of house I'm talking about. Sixteen foot high vaulted Victorian-esque ceilings, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, two dens - no pear tree. Stepping foot inside the house for the first time I was immediately hit with a sensation that I can only describe as déjà vu mixed with vertigo. I put it in the back of my mind. Remembering my girlfriend's veiled promises for strength.

Meeting Nikki's mom for the first time was grueling. She was entertaining company who were all too fascinated with me. A makeshift party to gawk and interrogate her daughter's fresh kil - I mean boyfriend. The first night we stayed up with the adults, talking and laughing. I was sharing stories of California and my trips to other countries. While laughing the mom blurted out "I hope you don't mind ghosts young man. This house is filled with them". All the adults in attendance nodded in agreement as if she had just stated the sky was blue. I felt Nikki tense up but I'm not sure if she felt me react. Since I was a kid I've had various encounters with entities that I could never seem to explain to adults properly. My parents never believed me and why would they? But to be in a room with people twice my age and have them just nonchalantly address the paranormal, it perked my interest. For the sake of my new relationship I didn't let on about my past experiences; instead choosing to appear skeptical. That night as Nikki and I were watching a movie on the couch alone (finally) I asked her if she believes what her mom said. She tensed up again, hesitated then admitted that a lot of paranormal things have happened in that house. She immediately asked me if I thought she was weird. I was glad she had the same mind frame as I did. As the first week flew by I began noticing dramatic changes in temperature, the constant feeling of being watched, unexplained footsteps and seeing things just inside my peripheral vision. The occurrences left me feeling uneasy but as my innocent romance turned into a more physical one, I was definitely preoccupied. But then something happened that got my complete attention.

The second week we were at her mother's house we were lying in bed for the night. We began kissing and the moment got a little heated. She stopped me with a "hold on tiger" and she went to take a shower. I lay there with my arms above my head, I heard her walk down the hallway and heard the heavy wooden door to the bathroom close and latch. I felt a bit embarrassed thinking that I had done something wrong. As I lay there lost in my thoughts I heard a door in the hallway open and slow footsteps down the hall. I figured she was trying to be quiet because it was so late at night. I felt that the best way to remedy the awkward situation was to pretend to be asleep. I heard her come into the room. Slowly closing the door behind her. I felt her climb into bed on all fours. I felt her weight on my hips. My teenage hormones were betraying my acting attempt. She leaned down and kissed me, I felt her hair fall in around our faces. Her tough absolutely drove me insane. The most electrifying feeling. I figured this was the moment to act and I adjusted my weight, preparing to wrap my arms around her. I opened my eyes but in the pitch black I couldn't see her - then the bedroom door closed.

When my girlfriend flicked on the light and stood there shivering in a towel I thought I had gone crazy. I could still feel pressure on my legs as if someone was sitting on me. She turned off the light and quickly jumped into bed complaining about the cold. I was stunned I didn't know what was happening. Just then I heard a voice, subtle in my ear say the word "Handsome". I had never encountered something like that before and didn't know what to say. Nikki sensed something was wrong and I quickly explained what just happened. She wasn't as surprised as I thought she would have been. We slept with the light on that night. Nothing so chilling happened the rest of the week and we promptly got out of there. We didn't talk about it for months but I know what I felt and swear that I was awake, alert and not under the influence of anything at the time.