*As told by Jenny
It was a Saturday afternoon and I’d come home early from work so thought I’s watch the TV shows I’d pre-recorded during the week while I was at work. My partner Glen wouldn’t be home until later that evening as he’d gone with fishing with his mates, so I intended to just kick-back and relax a bit while I had the time and space.
At some point I must have fallen asleep on the couch while watching the TV because I was woken by the sound of crying ... wailing really. It started in my dream and got louder the more I woke up, but when I opened my eyes and looked around there was no one there. It had frightened the life out of me.
The TV was still blaring away, but no one had been crying on the show, so I put the crying/wailing sound down to my imagination or a bad dream. Deciding to get up to get myself a snack from the kitchen, I noticed a blanket half covering me. I lifted it up and looked at it with disturbed wonder. It was the throw-rug from off my bed, and my bedroom was down the hall. I hadn’t grabbed the blanket and covered myself - so who had??
I assumed then that Glen must have come home early from his fishing trip, so I headed off towards the kitchen calling out his name. There was no answer from inside the house so I went to check the shed. I noticed straight away that Glen’s car wasn’t in the driveway. So where was he? Maybe at the shops; maybe he was at his mate’s place? I rang his mobile and he answered straight away. He was indeed out in Port Phillip Bay fishing, making him at least three to four hours away. I figured then that I must have grabbed the blanket myself and had just forgotten I'd done it.
Putting the issue behind me, I made myself some food, then settled back on the couch to continue watching my shows.
After polishing off some vegemite toast I considered getting up again to make myself a cup of tea. Just as I thought it, the kettle turned itself on in the kitchen. I heard the distinctive ‘click’, then the water beginning to heat up.
I sat stock-still on the couch, my mouth and eyes wide open, and the sound of my rapidly beating heart in my ears. I just didn’t know what to think or do. I was too scared to move and I certainly didn’t want to go anywhere near the kitchen.
The kettle boiled and switched itself off. I still didn’t/couldn’t move and I had goosebumps up my arms and up my back. I was totally terrified.
I grabbed my phone from off the coffee table next to me and called my sister Yvonne. When she answered I started whispering into the phone.
“Who is this?” Yvonne asked with suspicion.
“It’s me, Jenny.” I replied.
“Why are you whispering?” she asked. “Speak up will ya.”
“I can’t ... someone’s in the house ... I don’t want them to hear me.”
“WHAT!?” screeched Yvonne. “Someone’s broken into your house?? I’ll call the cops - you get out of there right NOW!”
“No, no, no ... it’s not like that - I think we have a ghost Yvonne ...” I told her.
There was silence from the other end of the phone for an extended moment.
“Bullshit!” Yvonne laughed.
“It’s true! And I’m scared. Come over, come on. Keep me company until Glen gets home,” I pleaded.
I finally managed to talk her into it, promising her some chocolate cheesecake when she got here. (I’d have to raid the freezer for the very last of my famous chocolate cheesecakes, but it would be well worth it not to have to be alone.)
Within twenty long minutes Yvonne arrived, letting herself in with her own key. I still hadn’t moved off the couch, but felt more confident now that I was no longer alone ... even though I had to endure Yvonne calling me a scaredy-cat and making fun of me. I made her come into the kitchen with me nonetheless while I made us cuppas and took out the chocolate cheesecake I’d promised her.
In short time I felt much more confident and soon got over my earlier fear - and by then Yvonne had convinced me that it was my warped imagination that had frightened me so much, and nothing more.
Changing the DVD to a show of Yvonne’s choice, we settled on the couch to chat and while away some time before Glen was due home.
Within half an hour or so I fancied another cup of tea and was about to offer Yvonne a refill - when the kettle turned itself on again. I looked at Yvonne who stared back at me with a stricken look on her face.
“See ... I told you,” I whispered.
Yvonne gathered herself together, then charged off into the kitchen. The moment she rounded the corner, the kettle switched itself off with a click.
“You must be having some electrical problems ...” Yvonne stated. “That’s gotta be it ...” she continued quietly to herself. She fiddled with the plug of the kettle, then dismissed it and chose to ignore what had happened and made us both our cups of tea.
A bit later on, while Yvonne and I devoured the chocolate cheesecake, a clattering sound came from the laundry area at the back of the house. I jumped in fright and spontaneously grabbed hold of Yvonne’s arm and she looked down at it, then back at me in distain.
“I’ll go and check shall I?” she said sarcastically. I was happy enough to let her go by herself, but she insisted I go with her just so she could ‘prove’ to me how ‘silly’ I was being.
As soon as Yvonne opened the door to the laundry, I could see her back stiffen in front of me, although I couldn’t see around her into the room. Yvonne stepped back quickly, trampling my feet in the process, then shoved me hard in the chest as she tried to move me back down the hallway as quickly as she could ... a look of sheer terror on her face. She didn’t speak a word, but bustled around quickly grabbing her car keys, her coat and the remainder of the chocolate cheesecake. She snapped at me to grab my stuff because we were leaving right then and there. Yvonne was already out the door heading towards her car faster than I’ve ever seen her move in her life, as I locked the front door behind me.
It wasn’t until we were a few streets away that Yvonne finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
“What happened?” I asked, not that I really wanted to know - I was scared enough at it was.
“When I opened the door I saw a couple; a man and a woman who looked ot be around 50 or so. I was about to ask them who they were and what they doing in your laundry - but then I realized that I could see right through them - like they were sort of transparent ... grainy-looking or something.” It freaked me out totally. How long have they been around?” she asked me.
“Beats me ...” I replied. “I’ve never seen anything like that before and today was the first time the kettle shit happened ...”
Once safely at Yvonne’s place I texted Glen, asking him to pick me up on his way home from his fishing trip, and swore to myself that I’d never spend time by myself in that house again.
We didn’t have any kettles turning themselves on and off, or ghosts clattering around in the laundry for some time, and I’d all but forgotten about that afternoon with Yvonne until some week later when I unexpectedly found myself home alone again ... but that’s a whole other story ...
* As told by Jenny
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