"Stranger" In The Night

A few days ago I was settling down in bed, preparing to go to sleep. I usually turn a fan on as it provides white noise, but on a low setting, and I can still hear backround noises.

It's important to note that I wasn't already asleep or even close to sleeping, so there was no "lucid" dreaming occuring. The door to my room was closed, and after a few minutes I turned the light off.

Shortly after turning the light off I heard 3 distinct, what sounded like footsteps ascending the stairs. My stairs are very 'creaky,' and it's impossible to ascend or descend them without making alot of noise. What's alarming about this is that my roomate works the night shift and they were not home. I sat up in bed and listened intently for about 10 minutes but did not hear anything else. I got up and cautiously opened the door, and began checking every room as I was convinced someone was in the house.

I checked the upstairs rooms one by one. Nothing. I descended the stairs, then checked the doors. The back door was unlocked. This freaked me out even more as I usually lock it, but it was possible I had forgotten this time. I continue my sweep of the house and checked every room, closet, the basement, and shined an LED light into darker areas.

I looked outside for the roomates car. No car, and no lights on. There were no sounds other than the steady tick of the ceiling fan in the living room.

The search came up empty, and I was baffled. Surely someone or 'something' had come up the stairs, but there was no noise when they went back down, no doors opening or closing, just silence. I know what I heard, and my sense of hearing is very well tuned.

Set up a hidden camera. I saw a video of a woman who was staying in a guys crawlspace, coming out at night to eat his food and use his sink as a toilet. People these days are extremely bold; you can't be too careful.

reply to post by v1rtu0s0


Sounds to me like you mistook a sound for something else, but cannot bruise your own ego by admitting that your perception is fallible.

If you heard a sound, then checked and verified that nothing was there, why are you still concluding that something was there? Seems like a logical gap to me, but maybe you can offer some more insight into your thought process.

Be easy.

Depending on where you are and the condition of the house, it could well be humidity and changing air pressure, for example.

Did you sense anything unusual? A cold chill or a spot on your body that felt suddenly very cold? Did you see anything out of the corner of your eye? Did the hair on the back of your neck stand up at any point?

There are lots of things it could be. More info!

Originally posted by adeclerk
reply to post by v1rtu0s0

 

Sounds to me like you mistook a sound for something else, but cannot bruise your own ego by admitting that your perception is fallible.

If you heard a sound, then checked and verified that nothing was there, why are you still concluding that something was there? Seems like a logical gap to me, but maybe you can offer some more insight into your thought process.

Be easy.

There's no ego to bruise considering I would be glad to have been wrong. The sound I heard was not mistakeable for something else, it was very loud and distinct.

Originally posted by CosmicEgg
Depending on where you are and the condition of the house, it could well be humidity and changing air pressure, for example.

Did you sense anything unusual? A cold chill or a spot on your body that felt suddenly very cold? Did you see anything out of the corner of your eye? Did the hair on the back of your neck stand up at any point?

There are lots of things it could be. More info!

No cold chills and nothing appeared visually. I guess the question is, was it paranormal, or was there someone in the house?

houses gradually move. they sink into the ground, and tilt. What you heard was possibly your house settling.

Originally posted by avatar01
houses gradually move. they sink into the ground, and tilt. What you heard was possibly your house settling.

So, the house settled 3 times in a row causing the stairs floor boards to creak loudly each time?

I'm not trying to scare you guys, but I know some people will try to dismiss it because the thought of it may keep them up at night...

Youre assuming you heard someone going UP the stairs. My guess (if you discount the mundane) would be someone upstairs you didnt know about (maybe your roommate left late or something even) going DOWN the stairs and out the back door.

Originally posted by 35Foxtrot
Youre assuming you heard someone going UP the stairs. My guess (if you discount the mundane) would be someone upstairs you didnt know about (maybe your roommate left late or something even) going DOWN the stairs and out the back door.

Good point, but I followed up with them and they weren't home at the time. The back door is not the door used for leaving the house either.

so i'm not the only person hearing little noises here and there late in the middle of the night, enough to get me out of bed, staring into the pitch black?

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0
There's no ego to bruise considering I would be glad to have been wrong. The sound I heard was not mistakeable for something else, it was very loud and distinct.

But there was nothing there, so you were wrong. Perception is fallible, what may seem distinct to you could turn out to just be the ice maker dropping a load. I'm not offering an explanation for what you heard, just saying that if nothing was there, you need to throw out your "someone/something ascending the stairs" hypothesis - it was wrong.

Be easy.

Originally posted by yourmaker
so i'm not the only person hearing little noises here and there late in the middle of the night, enough to get me out of bed, staring into the pitch black?

They were fairly loud noises, but yes, I never hear sounds during the day, usually. Infact, I hear little sounds all the time at night, but ignore them. This one was different.

Originally posted by adeclerk

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0
There's no ego to bruise considering I would be glad to have been wrong. The sound I heard was not mistakeable for something else, it was very loud and distinct.

But there was nothing there, so you were wrong. Perception is fallible, what may seem distinct to you could turn out to just be the ice maker dropping a load. I'm not offering an explanation for what you heard, just saying that if nothing was there, you need to throw out your "someone/something ascending the stairs" hypothesis - it was wrong.

Be easy.

Your assuming there wasn't someone or something. Something made the noise, so indeed it was something.

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0
Your assuming there wasn't someone or something. Something made the noise, so indeed it was something.

You searched the house, there was nothing there but you. You're right, you may have heard an actual noise. But whatever was causing it was not present when you searched (e.g. stairs creaking from expansion/ contraction of wood), so why are you assuming it was something "other" when there is nothing "other" to explain it?

You're seeking truth, but rejecting the actual truth that doesn't fit your previous assumptions.

Be easy.

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0

Originally posted by yourmaker
so i'm not the only person hearing little noises here and there late in the middle of the night, enough to get me out of bed, staring into the pitch black?

They were fairly loud noises, but yes, I never hear sounds during the day, usually. Infact, I hear little sounds all the time at night, but ignore them. This one was different.

same, loud enough. and same, I NEVER hear anything like it during the day.
it's always coming from inside the house. I ignore it sometimes, but most of the time, i'm up and out of bed within a second and in predatory hunt mode lol.. I actually considered ghosts knocking on the stair's hand rail haha

reply to post by adeclerk


In your black and white world that may be enough. Some people require more explanation or at least consideration of what it could be. If you're satisfied with , then that's fine for you. Don't expect everyone else's curiosity to be quelled so easily. I know mine never is!

Originally posted by adeclerk
perception is fallible.

you keep harping on that on every thread i see you on lately
[it's getting offensive]
despite the fact that the above statement represents
the ultimate in positivist-materialism's ignorance


unable to accept the evidence of your senses
you prefer to think something is wrong with them

despite millions of years of evolution proving you wrong


when whats wrong is more to do with your interpretation of what your senses report

but hey keep repeating it to yourself
until you achieve total senselessness

see no evil, hear no evil,say no evil

then again crashing your outdated operating system/paradigm
may just be what's needed

to finally "open your eyes"

reply to post by DerepentLEstranger


If perception was completely reliable, magicians wouldn't be able to perform tricks. It is a pretty simple concept, the brain takes a lot of "shortcuts" when processing sensory data, magicians exploit this.

A good example that we have all experienced is how things appear to us over time. Think of the first time you saw a thing/place, and compare what you perceived then to what you perceive now. Your new living space didn't get smaller, you just have a better idea of its scale now, unlike when you first saw the place.

Be easy.

I see no one here is giving you the possibility it could have been paranormal. So........ I will.

I have had paranormal experiences all my life. Some things are out there that cannot be seen by us... but heard.
It could also have been residual noise from someone coming up the stairs that used to live there... or maybe they still are, and haven't crossed over yet.
I have many of my experiences on my thread: www.abovetopsecret.com...
if anyone would like to read them.