Thursday, February 24, 2011

Strange things are afoot at Chez Gingham

Oh, where to begin...you remember my gnome doors? Those doors that lead to nothing (or something--I'm afraid to investigate)? Well, the one on the outside bathroom wall leads to pipes. This much the Frau established on one of her visits. The one in the bedroom closet probably leads to someone's head, but the ceiling door--the SEALED ceiling door must lead to some kind of attic space. Right? I wouldn't know as it has never--NEVER--been opened the whole time I've lived at here, which is 11 years. In fact, the ceiling door was painted shut, the hook-and-latch lock painted over as well.

Then, this morning, as I was steaming my sweater and waiting for a good head of steam to build, I looked up at the ceiling thinking, "It's time to clean up those brown spots again," when I noticed it. THE DOOR IN THE CEILING HAD BEEN OPENED!! When, I don't know, but sometime in the past month someone (or something) has been tampering with that door. How do I know? Well, for one thing, the painted-shut lock is no longer painted shut.
Pardon the bad cell phone photo. You see the rust spot where it's been pulled out of it's loop? Then, there are the finger marks...yes, finger marks!!
Finger marks that appear to be coming from inside that door!!!! I know!!!

Yeah, so if that's not creepy enough for you, how about this. A few nights ago, I was awake at 3:00am and reading in bed with my Kindle and a book light. Suddenly, my bedroom door rattled the way a door does when a vacuum is formed by another door opening somewhere in the apartment...the apartment in which I live alone...with no windows open...at 3AM! I turned the bedside light on and stared at the door for an hour until I fell asleep. And THEN, the next morning, as I was leaving, I noticed the deadbolt on my front door was UNLOCKED! I always (obsessively) double and triple check that before I go to bed.

My friend Amber is convinced I have a split personality and my alter ego, Rebecca, is a party girl who wears blue eye shadow. She also thinks Rebecca's lover enters and leaves through the window in the bathroom closet (don't ask; this house is bizarre) and hides in the attic when I come back to being Laurie Ann. I want to know how Rebecca is getting some and I'm not. Amber wants to call the Ghosthunter people to come and scope out my house.

My other fear, since I had to leave a key for the Frau to fix my bathtub faucet, is that someone got a hold of that key and is coming in and...Yikes! That's just too creepy a thought to complete. But my faucet is not fixed, so I know it's not the Frau. I think a new lock is in order. And then a new apartment. THAT'S what I should have spent the insurance money on...security deposit.

Oh well, live and (never) learn.

2 comments:

jennifer said...

ok..that's really freaky. I don't have any secret doors in my place, but I do live alone and now *I'm* jumping at every creak I hear tonight!!!!! eeek!!!!!

Did you call your largest male friends over to investigate the mystery space???? If you do, be sure to film the 'ghostbusting' for us!!! As much as I'd be terrified to open that door, I wouldn't be able to sleep without having SOMEONE check it out!!

good luck. if you suddenly disappear from your blog, should we send search dogs?

Anonymous said...

Laurie Ann, I've been following your blog for some time - I'm Laurie from Bartonsville, PA- I love to sew, knit and read, and your PA localisms crack me up. I may be your doppelganger.

Seriously, was the gouge on the edge of the door by the fingerprints there before? This looks to me like someone fished a wire through to unhook the latch, The direction of the fingerprints indicate someone reaching down from the ceiling. Sometimes these access doors can lead into other apartments, especially if it was a house converted into apartments.

My friend had one such ceiling panel, and on a drunken evening some of the rowdier members of our group finally investigated it. They crawled through and ended up inside the closet of the apartment on the other side of the wall. The neighbors weren't home, and never even knew they were in there.

I'm just saying...you need to screw those doors shut, they can always be unscrewed for legitimate access from the right side later.

Be safe. See you at the West End Fair!