A Ghost Story, Part 1- Kerry's Story

I'm feeling nostalgic for Halloween (what? I'm weird) so I decided to share a real-life, honest-to-goodness ghost story with you today. Back when I was younger, my best friend lived down the street. Okay, to be honest, she wasn't my best friend at the time, and she isn't my best friend now. Let me explain. I hated her from ages 1 through 3. We have home videos with me in the background throwing blocks at her head and head-butting her when our parents put us in a swing together.

I look so sweet in my bonnet but the back of Danielle's head probably says otherwise

But eventually we became good friends. Except not now, because I think she is like a top-secret super spy or something.. where was I again? Oh wait, okay, the ghost story. So for those of you who are still reading, Danielle lived down the street from us and her mom Kerry was my mom's good friend too. Well, the town we lived in was supposedly (according to elementary school legend) built on an indian burial ground, so of course haunted, OoOoOoOo. Except that in spite of my previous sarcasm, Kerry and Danielle's house seriously was haunted. Here's how I know:

Number 1. Danielle was an itty bitty baby, and Kerry's husband Dennis was away on business (he was in the military). While he was gone, she sat her wedding ring down next to the sink one time while she was doing dishes. She washed washed washed, then went to get her ring, and poof, gone. Kerry actually turned her whole house upside and never found the daggone ring. Before you say "okay, duh, the ring obviously fell into the sink and went down the drain.."

Because a few days later, while Kerry was doing the dishes, she looks next to the sink, and BAM!! there's her ring, right where she left it. Except not, because it was missing from that spot for 3 days, then miraculously appeared.

Number 2-A. Kerry's husband was away again, and Danielle was still not at walking age (this information is pertinent because this way you know it HAD to be a ghost). Well remember Keds? Those stylish plain white canvas shoes that all 90s moms wore (okay, and I have a really cute pair from Kohls.. don't judge me). Anyways, you could wash those puppies, so after Kerry washed her Keds, she stuck both shoes in the dryer. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, the dryer double thumped. Until it didn't. Kerry went to check the dryer, and ONLY ONE SHOE WAS IN THE DRYER. I know some of you Know-It-Alls will be like "duh, the shoes were heavy and the shoes knocked the dryer open and one flew out. Except actually when Kerry went to check the dryer IT WAS STILL RUNNING. So how could one shoe have gotten out, shut the dryer door, and started the dryer again? That's right, it couldn't.

Number 2-B. So later that day, after Kerry took her one shoe out of the dryer, mystified, what does she hear, but thump-silence, thump-silence, thump-silence, the dryer single thumped. Yup. The other shoe was in the running dryer, by itself. Freaked out yet? No? I've got more..

Number 3. A candle lit by itself. Pretty freaking scary slash dangerous if I do say so myself.

Number 4. Dennis was away again (pretty freaky how all this stuff happens when he's out of town, huh?) and Kerry was giving 3 year old Danielle a bath. They hear a voice downstairs call, "Kerry? Danielle?" Danielle called back "Daddy!!" and got super excited. Kerry quickly grabs Danielle, wraps her in a towel, and they rush downstairs thinking Dennis got back early from his trip. But Dennis was not there. Dennis called to say goodnight a few hours later and Kerry asked if he had stopped by the house at all earlier, to which he replied, "No, why?" Oh, no reason..

Hearing Twilight Zone music in your head yet? Come back next week for Part 2, Carolyn's Story (Carolyn and her husband were the owners of the house after Kerry and Dennis).