Talk to the house

Have you ever seen something that defies "rational" explanation?

I have.

Back in the early 90's I shared a house with a co-worker and her two little boys. The house was a nice, normal little 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on a quiet street in a decent neighborhood. It didn't happen too often that I was home alone, but one Saturday afternoon I was delighted to find that I had the house all to myself. Roommate and kids were out of town for the night. I was expecting company but they hadn't arrived yet. Ahhh, blissful quiet.

It was late, late in the afternoon and the remnants of the sun's rays were coming through the windows at the back of the house casting long shadows and tinting everything a dark golden orange hue. I had been watching something on TV and hadn't gotten up to turn on a light yet, even though it seemed to be getting darker by the minute. I was curled up on the sofa, completely relaxed and comfortable, with a blanket on my lap.

As evening crept in, the colors in the room gradually shifted from the warm golden glow of the sun to the cooler grays and purples of the nighttime spectrum and these tones were further enhanced by the blue glow from the television.

After a while I was startled to notice a whirling shadow, which I immediately identified as the ceiling fan over the dining room table. It took me only a moment to realize that it shouldn't be on. It hadn't been on. I know this because even without the circulating air from the fan I was snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket. I got up and went over to the switch on the wall and saw that it was in the "off" position. Curious, I flicked the switch "on" and then "off" again and saw the spinning blades begin to slow down. I remember thinking that was odd but really, we hadn't lived in the house very long and who knew what odd quirks there might be. I waited for the fan blades to come to a complete standstill and then I turned on the light, went back to the sofa and sat down again.

About 20 minutes after I reclaimed my position on the couch those same swirling shadows caught my eye again and this time I was alarmed by the thought that we must have some faulty wiring in the house. I remember getting up, flicking lights on and off and plugging things into random outlets all over the house. Everything appeared to be working correctly with the exception of the ceiling fan, so this time I made sure that the pull chain on the fan was also in the "off" position. I couldn't imagine how that could make a difference, since I had clearly seen it stop and then begin again, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

This time it stayed off and I made a mental note to mention it to my roommate. We would need to speak to our landlord about it and have him take a look.

Not long after, I heard water running in the master bath. Believing it to be just an air bubble in the pipes, I expected it to gush for a second and then stop. But it didn't stop. Now, I'm not talking about a trickle or even a slow steady stream. This was a sustained sound, in the tub, just as if someone had turned on the tap to get the temp just right in preparation for a shower.

I got up and hesitantly went into my room (the master bedroom was mine). By now I was halfway convinced there was someone in the house who was messing with me and I'll admit I was scared. I crept through the bedroom, checked behind the door and quietly looked into the closet. Nothing. Meanwhile, the water was still running. I knew I had to go look.

I took a deep breath and peeked around the door frame. There was no one there. By now I was quite unnerved and before doing anything else, I ran through the house, checking under every bed, in every closet, the laundry room - everywhere! I checked all the doors and windows. The house was locked up tight and I wasn't any happier to discover that.

Quickly, I went back into the bathroom before I lost my nerve. I stood looking at the tub for a moment, searching for an answer. I'm a very logical thinker and so after a moment I convinced myself I was just being silly. Surely, the washer on the faucet was going bad and some extra pressure in the line could have caused the water to turn on. I clearly remember thinking that we really needed to talk to the landlord first thing in the morning.

I reached for the handle and before I could touch it, I watched it turn. Off. By itself. The flow of water simply and completely stopped. I stood there, blinking stupidly, not comprehending what I had just seen. I couldn't think of a single explanation. I couldn't rationalize it away.

Stunned, very excited, and a little bit nervous (I'll admit it) I went back out into the living room. I slowly turned in circles a couple of times and then, me being me, I took the direct approach and spoke to the house.

I said something along the lines of "Ok, so now I know you're here and clearly you know that I'm here. I have no problem sharing this space with you, and as long as you leave me and the others who live here alone we'll leave you alone. Deal?"

We lived in that house for a total of 6 months and not one additional weird thing happened there. Make of that what you will.