back against the wall

So, Stacie was asking us to share stories about feeling the need to have our backs against the wall. We talked about this a bit over the weekend, both of us having read Norman's creepy stories. It was actually a revelation to me (after reading them) that what I've experienced throughout my life probably IS attached to me, and not a particular house or location. Anyway, that said, I've got a bunch of creepy stories I can tell, but for now, I'll just stick with one that's sort of funny. (Don't want to creep anyone out too much!)

I have a ghost. Well, I think he/she is still around? Anyway, a little background. We moved into this house in October 2001 (WOW! just realized it's been 5 years yesterday). Wesley was just 16 months at the time. I truly believe children have the ability to see/hear/communicate on a different level that most adults either choose not to recognize or are too embarassed to admit exists.

When he was around 2-1/2, he started "talking" to someone... much in the way children create imaginary friends. He would giggle, smile, and actually "look" at whoever he was communicating with. I tried to ask him questions about his little "friend" not wanting to discourage his awareness, but he never gave me anything more than a playful laugh. I know he saw him/her. I know he played with him/her. Whether he still does now, I'm not sure.

Our ghost isn't a harmful one. He/she is actually a prankster. On one occassion, when The Rents were visiting, he/she played a trick on my mother. For whatever reason (and there always is one... neck pain, pissed off about something, my dad's snoring) my mom decided to sleep on the couch in our family room for the night. As I found out the next morning, she awoke during the night to use the restroom, and when she went to "sit" on the toilet (with the lights off) found herself falling in the bowl since not only the lid, but the toilet seat were up. With three boys in the house (my dad, my ex, and Wesley) this wouldn't be an uncommon experience except for the fact that SHE was the last one to use the toilet the night before and when she went to bed... everything was down.

We asked all the boys if they'd for some reason come downstairs in the middle of the night to use the toilet instead of using one of the two perfectly funcitioning ones upstairs. Of course, they hadn't.

I couldn't help but laugh, and told her it was obviously the ghost playing tricks on her. Not only did she NOT think it was funny... she just looked at me and said, "I can't believe you REALLY think you have a ghost in this house!"

Well... how else do you explain it?