In this case, the downstairs was my parent's basement. Cellar might be a more appropriate word--that's what we called it, the cellar. It was unfinished, with a concrete floor and cinder block walls. It flooded on occasion, so the washer, dryer, furnace and water heater were up off the floor. The cellar was lit by four bare light bulb fixtures--one in each quadrant. One we could turn on from upstairs and the other 3 had pull chains. At night it was a creepy place.
I made frequent trips to the cellar to put clothes in the dryer and to bring clothes up from the dryer. That was a regular chore. During one night time trip to the cellar (to get clothes), it felt more creepy than usual. Nothing strange had ever happened in the cellar, so I had no reason to feel weird. But I did. It felt like I wasn't alone. (Not feeling alone is supposed to be a good thing, right? :)
I hurried a little and tried to show no fear. Did I mention I was 8? Anyway, I filled the clothes basket--which was almost as big as I was--turned off the light and headed for the stairs. In my haste, I slipped when I was halfway up the stairs. I fell backwards with the laundry basket on my chest. I gasped, holding my breath in anticipation of an impact--the impact of my little head on the concrete floor. But instead, I felt something touch both of my shoulder blades...like two hands catching me. Suddenly I was standing up straight again, just a few steps down from where I had fallen. As before, it all happened so quickly I wasn't exactly sure what HAD happened.
Did our ghost save my life? Or at age 8 did I have the reflexes of a cat and catch myself? I'm happy with either answer.
That was my only odd experience in the cellar. But when I reached my teen years, odd things started happening in the upstairs bedroom (the pink one). Spooky odd things. :)
That sounds so creepy! I mean, good thing, but still... creepy! I used to be afraid of the basement, but not because I thought there were ghosts. But because I was convinced we had hundreds of mice down there and they were going to attack me.... (we didn't).
ReplyDeletexo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee
Eek! That is a scary thought. Maybe you saw a movie clip from a scary movie about mice and it stuck in your subconscious. Sometimes I get a shiver when I see a mouse or rat scurrying on the subway tracks (or maybe every time :).
DeleteOur cellar was one, large open area--no interior walls. But my dad had accumulated a lot of junk, so there were lots of creepy shadows down there. About the steps, maybe my reflexes and sense of balance were really good. :)
Creeeeepy! Glad you're ok whether it was ghost or reflexes.
ReplyDeleteI did have a good sense of balance--I used to stand on a 55 gallon barrel and roll it all over the place. I was pretending I was a lumberjack standing on a log in the water, but I think it looked more like a circus bear performing. lol!
DeleteYou were totally saved by a ghost - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for believing!!! :) I have been oddly lucky (knock on wood) in close-call situations. My guardian angel is pretty awesome.
DeleteI don't believe in ghosts. how about a portal to another dimension that happened to be in your basement. and a friendly parallel reality creature stepped out to help you so you wouldn't make a mess on their doorstep...
ReplyDeleteThat works--especially if the portal follows me around. :D
Deleteuntil i moved into this house, basements scared the crap out of me. btw, i moved into this house 6 years ago and i'm almost 38 LOL
ReplyDelete-kathy
Vodka and Soda
I think that just means you know creepy when you see it--and that you were meant to call that house home! :)
DeleteI would like to think that a guardian angel caught your fall and hoist you back up. They do have such guardian angels around. Wait, is this house the same as the one you saw your dad's mum's ghost?
ReplyDeleteMe too! :) I love my guardian angel. All of my ghost stories are centered in the same house. My father and grandfather built the house on land that had been in the family (mom's side) for a very long time. So the ghost almost had to be family.
DeleteThey used to air a programme about miracles when I was a kid. These are re-enactments of true stories and many of them featured "good ghosts" or "guardian angels". I vividly remember an episode where the deceased grandpa saved his grandchildren from the house on fire. The grandchildren had never seen their grandpa before but when they described the old man who saved them to their parents, tears welled up in their eyes for that was the description of the dad of either the dad or the mum.
Deletehmm that is interesting. I've never been saved by a ghost, or maybe I have and I consider that karma, I'm not sure, but I do believe there is a force out there that protect us!
ReplyDeleteThat is really creepy! But also fortunate haha
ReplyDelete