I waited in the living room with Neil, Lee, Valerie, and Mark. Some of my friends, also Police Officers, were attending later, as was Neil’s brother Stuart who was travelling from London. It would be quite a gathering. ‘What do you think they will be like?’ I asked, while peering out the window.
Lee gave us one of his dazzling smiles, showing off a row of perfect white teeth. ‘Probably very weird professor types, with mad frizzy hair. More than likely wearing sandals… and… a dickey bow,’ he said, his description complete.
I smiled and rolled my eyes, glad Lee was there to lighten the mood. ‘Yeah but what if they want us to do all kinds of strange stuff? I’m not doing any Ouija boards!’
Neil joined in, ‘They won’t need to, they’ll probably walk in and say, ‘woo I see dead people!’’
I walked away from the window, fiddling with the chain around my neck. ‘No doubt they are also hoping they have not driven all the way from Newcastle to meet a bunch of weirdoes who are imagining things.’
Neil stood up as the headlights of a car flashed through our front window. ‘Well now is the time to find out. Here they are.’
I followed Lee and Neil outside to greet the investigators. They stretched their limbs, stiff from the five-hour journey. Mike walked towards us, extending his hand. Casually dressed in jeans and a shirt, his face creased in a smile. I guessed he was in his fifties by the strands of grey running through his dark hair, tied in a low ponytail at the back. At about 5 ft 6 he was somewhat shorter than Neil, but sturdy in stature. He looked thoughtful as Neil pointed upwards, explaining the direction of the stones when they fell from the sky.
A younger, bearded man introduced himself to me as John Triplow, and the blonde lady beside him as his partner Kelly. They were also dressed casually in jeans and sweaters. They firmly shook me by the hand, and I instantly relaxed in their company.
Neil showed Mike the pieces of brick lodged in the guttering high on the roof. John and Kelly brought their equipment inside and set it up. I busied myself making refreshments while Mike began by filling in a questionnaire with Neil.
‘I don’t want you to worry. We don’t expect to see much tonight as these things often avoid us,’ Mike said, in his broad Newcastle accent.
We did not want them to have a wasted visit. It was our greatest wish that this thing left us alone for good. Having people who believed us would be a bonus.
It did not take long for things to start happening. The phone calls began with my mobile playing its ring tone, stating my husband was calling. I took it from the fireplace to show the caller display to Mike. Neil went to the kitchen and brought out his phone. He put it on the table beside mine and Mike answered the call. Background noises echoed in the distance, and after a few seconds, the call cut off.
‘Hmm. That’s strange,’ Mike said, tapping his clipboard with his pen, ‘I could hear our voices in the background.’ Unperturbed, he made a note of the call and continued his paperwork. Half an hour later my phone rang again, displaying Neil as the caller. This time Neil’s phone was resting on the arm of the chair where Mike was sitting. Mike answered the call to hear the same background noises. He tried to end the call with great difficulty. The call would not terminate. Eventually the mysterious caller hung up the phone.
Neil recounted his experiences to Mike. He brought him out to the kitchen and demonstrated how the cooker hob had been moved weeks before. He also showed Mike the site of a small fire on the work surface, which started on its own. The surface was slightly raised and damaged as a result. Later that night the hob moved again, the cause of the movement was unknown.
Evening closed in and John called me outside. ‘Caroline, was this window open?’ he asked pointing up to David’s bedroom window on the second storey.
I frowned. ‘No. Nobody is allowed to open the window, we wouldn’t want David to climb out onto the ledge and fall.’
John checked the photos he had taken when they arrived and could see the window had been closed. Odd things continued throughout the night. Stones were thrown in the back garden, mysterious breezes wafted past, and coins hit the floor. It was minor compared to events that had been occurring previously.
Neil said he could feel the entity’s presence. Static electricity filled the air. It was always a sign that something bigger was to come. At four o clock in the morning Neil walked into the living room and winced.
‘You alright?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know. Can you check my back? It feels like it’s burning.’ Lifting the back of his polo shirt, Neil exposed an area that was red, but not bleeding.
I wondered if the entity was suppressing its activity in front of the investigators, who were preparing to leave. I felt things went well and was happy with the visit. They assured me they would be in touch, and as they were armed with the facts, they would be able to work out a plan of action. It was half four in the morning. Things died down in the house, and after a cup of tea, most of our visitors had left for home.
Neil’s brothers Stuart and Mark, as well as Lee, decided to stay with us and get a couple of hours sleep. As we made our way upstairs an object whistled past us and bounced against the floor downstairs. ‘Did you see that?’ Neil asked. He made his way back down and bent down at the foot of the stairs to inspect the missile.
‘What is it Neil?’ I joined him, not wanting to leave his side.
Neil held the object up, ‘It looks like a piece of slate. I wonder where that came from.’ Another ping reverberated in the hall as a five pence piece landed sharply on the wooden floor at Neil’s feet.
I could not believe it. Had the entity been waiting all this time for Mike to leave? ‘Neil, let’s go back to Clacton. I don’t feel comfortable staying here anymore.’ My grip on his forearm made clear how unnerved I was.
‘We don’t want to disturb the kids. It’ll be bright in a couple of hours; we can get some sleep and go back then.’ Neil smiled, patting my hand.
I did not appreciate his dismissal, but kept my thoughts to myself.
His brother Mark gave him a shifty look, ‘Err, I need to use the toilet. Neil will you come upstairs with me?’ Neil dutifully followed him up and waited outside the unlocked door. I stood with Neil, hoping he would stand guard for me after Mark was finished. A few minutes later, Mark came out looking shaken.
‘Are you all right?’ Neil asked as the colour drained from Mark’s face.
‘It’s weird. I was in the bathroom when a bottle of bleach made a whooshing noise as if someone had squeezed it.’ Mark’s eyes darting nervously around the landing, ‘Then the bath made a thudding noise like someone was sitting inside it.’
I knew one thing for certain. I certainly did not feel like using the toilet anymore.
Stuart and Mark walked into Joe and David’s bedroom, hoping to put the events behind them and rest. I entered our bedroom with Neil and lay on top of the duvet.
Mark shouted out ‘Neil, can you come here a minute?’
‘You’re not leaving me on my own,’ I said, jumping up off the bed to follow him. We walked in to see Stewart pointing at the blinds, which were swaying by themselves. They did not look as if they were going to stop. I walked over to check the window, which was still closed. I glared at Neil to convey it was time to leave, but he ignored it.
‘It’s just a breeze.’
The windows were double-glazed, and I knew he did not believe it was a breeze any more than I did. ‘Let’s go back downstairs for a while until we know this has stopped,’ I suggested. We walked out to the landing, unsettled and nervous. An object hit the carpet beside us.
‘It’s a pen,’ Neil said, while the rest of us scuffled down the stairs as quick as we could. Sitting in the living room, the air felt thick with anticipation of what might come next. I willed morning to come quicker. Bang. A thundering noise came from upstairs. It sounded like huge, furious fists hammering on the walls. The walls of the house shook as the vibrations spread like an aftershock. Bang, Bang, Ban
g, it went, an invisible wrecking ball hitting the walls of our home. My heart began to hammer, and I grabbed on to Neil’s arm.
‘That’s really loud!’ Stuart stared at the ceiling open-mouthed. ‘What is it?’ He began to pace, seemingly unsure of what to do.
‘It’s him! He’s angry because we’ve had the investigators down,’ Neil said. ‘I’m going upstairs to check it out,’ he said, pulling away from me.
I grabbed his arm tighter, panic rising in my voice ‘Don’t go upstairs Neil,’ I pleaded. I was terrified at what may await him.
‘It’s okay; I’m not going on my own.’
As Neil and the others marched up the stairs, I realised I was being left behind. ‘Hang on, don’t leave me here alone.’ Mark turned and stayed downstairs with me. It was taking all my strength not to run out the door. We listened anxiously at the foot of the stairs.
Neil, Lee, and Stewart checked the upstairs bedroom and all was quiet. Neil called Mike to update him and followed the others back downstairs. Just as they made their way into the living room, the noises began again. Bang. It sounded like someone dropping heavy weights on the floors above. Bang. The coffee cups on the glass table downstairs tinkled in response. The noises were so loud Mike could hear them in the background. Neil put Mike on speaker. Mike’s voice grew terse as he said the entity had been playing games with him all along. After four loud bangs, everything died down. We sat around for a while waiting to see what would happen next. After half an hour, Lee decided to go home.
Mark and Stuart said they just wanted some sleep and Neil agreed. ‘I think he’s run out of steam. Why don’t we try to get some kip? It is nearly morning. We can go back to Mum’s soon,’ he said, yawning.
I was not so keen. My stomach was still churning from earlier events. ‘I don’t want to stay here Neil, there’s no way I’ll be able to sleep now.’
Neil began walking up the stairs, weary. ‘Look, it’s all died down now. If it starts up again we will leave, I promise,’ he said, in his most reassuring tone.
‘I'm going to hold you to that,’ I reluctantly followed him up the stairs. As I climbed into bed, Neil looked at me with amusement, ‘You’re not coming to bed with your shoes on, are you?’
I was fully clothed and intended on staying that way. I must have looked a sight, with the duvet pulled up to my neck and my trainers sticking out of the side of the bed. ‘Too right they’re staying on. I want to be ready in case we need to leave in a hurry.’
Neil smiled, undoing the buckle on his jeans. ‘But you’ll wait for me to get dressed if anything happens… Won't you?’
I responded with a withering look, which told him he was on his own. I fell into the familiar pattern of not wanting Neil to fall asleep, leaving me the only person in the house awake. I listened to the birdsong as dawn broke, squeezing my eyes shut and pulling the duvet up further to my chin in an effort to feel safe. I jolted when Neil’s mobile phone rang.
Neil opened his eyes and blinked. He picked up the phone from the bedside table and looked at the display. ‘Unknown number,’ he whispered. He put the phone to his ear.
‘Who is it?’ I asked, now bolt upright. ‘Nobody, just silence.’
I was beginning to hate that ring tone. It made my flesh creep. Just as Neil hung up, a mobile phone rang from the children’s bedroom. Simultaneously the home phone rang. Neil ignored them. We held our breath as a faint knock echoed on our bedroom door.
‘Are you decent?’ the voice said. It was Mark.
We exhaled in relief. ‘Yeah, come in,’ Neil said. Mark did a double take at my trainer-clad feet sticking out of the bed. ‘My phone just rang, but when I went to answer, it displayed unknown number,’ Mark said.
I could tell he was wondering if sleeping in the house was such a good idea after all. I turned to Neil with a knowing look. ‘Can we go now? You said…’ My sentence hung in mid-air as Neil rose from the bed.
He looked at me and uttered the words I wanted to hear, ‘Let’s go.’
I was out of the bedroom like a shot, at the front door waiting before Neil could get his shoes on. We drove to Clacton in silence as Mark and Stewart followed behind. I felt exhausted, physically and emotionally drained. I knew it would not be very long until the children were awake. We crept into the rooms so as not to disturb the sleeping occupants. Stewart and Mark took the sofa bed in the living room, while Neil and I slept in the spare room with the children. There was not a lot of room, but we managed to squeeze in between the children on the floor. I took my shoes off and lay on the carpeted floor.
Neil scratched his head. ‘Any pillows?’ he whispered.
I closed my eyes, beyond caring. ‘Dunno. Use your coat,’ I murmured, already drifting off. I could have been lying on a bed of nails for all I cared. I gave in to exhaustion as my body fell into sleep.
The investigators came and went several times, gathering evidence. Mike was always willing to listen, and had a calm and easy manner that reassured Neil throughout. But their friendship was tested when it became apparent the investigators had growing suspicions of Lee. I knew they had to investigate every aspect and seek out rational explanations, but Neil was very hurt. As far as Neil was concerned, Lee stood by him from the very start, and was a good friend. He was very defensive of anyone casting doubt, and I admired his loyalty. Neil believed the entity was trying to make it look as if Lee was responsible for the attacks.
It certainly looked that way when the investigators were around. Whenever Lee went into a room or upstairs on his own, something happened. Whenever he was the last to leave the room, something was thrown. Noises came from his direction. It only happened when the investigators were around, or before people who came to ‘have a look’ for the first time. There were countless paranormal occurrences when Lee was not even in the house, and things were often thrown at Lee from thin air. The trouble was that the investigators were not always there to see it. I felt their suspicion also implied that Neil and I could be involved in the deception, or we were extremely naïve. I made a living out of investigating offences and felt annoyed that someone could doubt our validity, even if only briefly.
The investigators visited often, although the distance made it difficult. The more they attended the more activity they witnessed. It seemed as if the entity had given up trying to ‘frame’ Lee for what happened, and Neil felt happier their doubts were fading away. Eventually suspicion against Lee subsided completely. Any living person, including Lee, could not have orchestrated the activity they witnessed.
The next time they arrived, they had a chat with Lee to clear the air. Although Lee was upset by the accusations, there were no hard feelings. Lee understood that by looking at him closely, the investigators were only doing their job.
It was an active month. We continued to stay in Clacton at night, and returned home during the day. We became accustomed to objects moving on their own. The entity seemed to evolve from one party trick to another, each one more powerful than the last. I urged Neil to speak to the priests. The Catholic Church and their failure to support us disillusioned him. Instead, we returned to the Free Church and attended a service. They were always sympathetic and understanding, although limited in their capabilities.
Dressed in their Sunday best, the children skipped up the flower-lined street in front of me. It was a beautiful hot day, and good to be outside. Parishioners nodded and smiled as we walked up the steps to the large double doors. I ushered the children into the pew at the back of the church, and a hush descended as the service began. I hoped it would provide us with some comfort.
Halfway through the service, Neil shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ‘What’s wrong?’ I whispered. I became very aware of the other parishioners around us.
Neil grimaced as he whispered. ‘He’s here. I can feel him. My back is burning.’
I stared at him in surprise. This was not meant to happen. Then again, this thing did not play by the rules. We stood as the hymns began. I leaned into Neil and w
hispered, ‘Do you want to go?’
Neil winced as he rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I’ll stay as long as I can.’ We waited until the offering and snuck out. The children raced each other to the car, oblivious to Neil’s distress.
‘Do you want to speak to the priests?’ I asked.
‘What’s the point?’ Neil slumped his head. The question lingered unanswered in the air as we walked towards the car.
A few days later I cleaned the house while the children played upstairs. I was struggling to adjust from a person who had never experienced the paranormal, to having full blown encounters. Keeping my mind on the housework seemed a good method of distraction. Work was intermittent for Neil, and he was spending more and more time at home. Trotting up the stairs, I realised I needed the clothes basket in the kitchen. I turned and swivelled to go back down. Gasping in surprise I felt something rush towards me, its energy thick and heavy. ‘Oh!’ I grabbed the banisters tightly as something passed through me. It was like the thickest cobwebs, but nothing could be seen. What just happened? The pungent smell of rotten cabbage lingered in the air. I cupped my hand over my nose and mouth in disgust. I stepped forward, and it was gone. I took a step back and smelt it again. Shaken, I ran down to tell Neil, who was watching TV. ‘There was someone on the stairs,’ I blurted out.
Neil looked up from where he was sitting and turned to face me. ‘What do you mean, what happened?’
I gathered my thoughts. ‘It was like someone had been following me quickly up the stairs, and when I turned around, they couldn’t stop. For a split second I thought it was you behind me.’
‘Did you see anything?’
‘No, but I felt it,’ I said, hugging myself, ‘and there was a terrible smell.’ I began to feel upset with the invasion.
Neil put a comforting arm around me. ‘I believe you. I’ll ring Mike and let him know.’
Paranormal Intruder Page 9