Dealing with scares when home alone

[Running Girl]

You're a good writer, Misery, and funny as hell. But i can only say that because its you home alone in a scary, dark house, not me. I get scared when hubby is away on business sometimes. The idea of an intruder/ home invader is terrifying. Rule #1 - dont read or watch anything scary, anything about murders or the like, anything about true crimes. Rule #2- have a weapon nearby (i have a steak knife on bedside table for those nights.,) 3. Get a dog of your own. Teach it to bark at people it doesnt know. According to 'studies', a barking dog is the #one deterant to breaking into a home. 4.watch the Hallmark channel before bed? It helps to force yourself to believe in happy endings and rainbows and kittens.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Even though I believe in ghosts, I have no basement, considering, well, I live in South Carolina. Really only houses high upstate have basements, since that is where part a huge mountain chain is. The terrain here is too unstable for what a basement requires. I have always wanted a basement, though. I've slept in basements before, mostly when visiting family friends that live up north. I prefer it. IDK why. I just do.

 

[Misery]

Ye gods, how did this end up becoming anything about ghosts?

Anyway, about the house itself, since that was brought up: Pretty new place (relatively speaking), gigantic and very expensive. WAY too huge for us three that live here, it was constructed back when my brother was also living with us, but he's since moved out on his own (he's even married now, these last 2 years... talk about surreal, I still remember him as a little kid). There's my bedroom, the master bedroom, and 2 offices, and there's still 2 whole rooms unused, and the cavernous basement could have like 6 more added down there if they wanted to for whatever bloody reason and there'd still be space left over. Hell, the utility room alone is as big as the entire basement at my mom's place (this always seemed really dumb to me). The place is *big*, which... yeah, I've never liked, as I said. But I dont make the decisions around here, do I. The place has been around about... 10 years, then? Maybe 12? I still remember seeing it when it was only halfway built.

The size and expense of the place... and of the neighborhood in general... is one reason why I get paranoid about the possibility of intruders. It's exactly the sort of place that says "Hey... there's BIG STUFF TO STEAL here! Do some murders while you're at it!" I know I'm not the only one around here that gets a little bothered by the possibility. Dont get me wrong: This isnt a crime-filled area. I always describe this town as being "on the boundary of civilization and endless grass". We're on the very edge of the traffic-y shopping zone, and even that is very far from Chicago, the only remotely nearby city. Whenever I go anywhere, it's mostly farms around here, and most of the state really is just grass. But, LOW crime doesnt mean NO crime, and there has been some every now and then. Some idiot kid broke into my car, once. Stole the empty wallet that I never use and left his hat in there or something (???), was quickly caught and apologized. Uhhh.... also someone robbed the bank near my mom's house once with a shotgun, made THAT neighborhood paranoid for some time. That's about 30 minutes from here in another boring middle-of-nowhere area. And that's crime around here. It's really a boring area aside from the traffic, and even that isnt THAT bad, I guess. It aint Chicago traffic, at least.


Now, the house up north, THAT is the old one. Old place, small, and yes, somebody died in it (the previous owner, who was quite old when she passed). It's the sort of house meant to be "cozy" instead of "spacious". I get bored REAL fast up there, but I find it to be pleasant. If there's going to be weird sounds when I'm alone up there, it'll be from me banging my knee on the doorframe for the millionth time and yelling at the walls as a result. Clearly, that'll teach it a lesson. The town up there is very small and has pretty much no crime at all, so nobody really worries about stuff like that. No coyotes, either, just deer (very forested area). I sleep very well there (same down in Florida).


No, it's just THIS place, with that constant unnerving possibility of some drooling wacko breaking in, that gets to me. I think part of what it is, is that BECAUSE of the size of the house, if someone DID break in, there are a million places where they could hide, trying to wait out any investigative search I might do. Countless closets and alcoves, some of which I do indeed forget are there. If I had to investigate at the OTHER house, it'd be like "Okay, this'll take 3 minutes, very linear and there's like the one tiny utility room, I guess maybe a bad guy could fit in there if he bends just right and doesnt mind being horizontal". In this house though... it's like a 40 minute game of hide-and-seek where you really hope NOT to find Freddy Kreuger, who could be hiding behind one of 80 bloody doors that you might not remember are there.




Now as for all this talk about ghosts... was it because of the "Wooo wooooooo" thing? I'm sorry, but I cant see any ghost worth their salt actually making that sound. Imagine the conversation when they get together around the water cooler:

"So, Jerry, how's your haunt going?" "Pretty great, man! I pulled off that thing from Beetlejuice where he turns into that giant snake on the stairway!" "Wow, great job, dude! That's a tough one to do! How about you, Ron? How's the haunt up on Perth street going?" "I, uh, I put on a sheet and went WOOOOO for awhile while nobody was in the room" "Hahaha! Good one! No seriously though, how is it going?" "Sheet.... woooooo....."

Poor Ron would never hear the end of it.


I apologize if this is even more rambly and disjointed than usual. I havent had my caffiene yet. Kept losing track of things while I was typing.

 

[Fino]

I would either leave on a certain number of lights at all times or have a lot of night-lights.

To avoid entering states of panic, I call or text friends, such as when I'd have to walk places at night alone and would talk to a friend on a phone the entire time.

Once, I tried using the buses for the first time, failed, got lost, the buses service ended, it was late at night, and I was at least a mile from my dorm room. It was like that episode of Spongebob! But I called a friend and was only terrified rather than WFJWEFOWEMLASASL<SAD

 

[oregano]

The little cottage I live in is basically just one big room which is nice. My parents built a huge house up front for themselves, and that house can be a little creepy after dark even though it is only ~15 years old or so. It doesn't help that the immediate neighborhood is one acre lots, it was originally part of a land scam so no streetlights or anything. That means the night is crawling with intruders, looking to steal stuff under cover of total darkness.

My mom finally had to put special locks on all the gates because some people broke in one night, used a ladder that was outside to climb a fence between us and the neighbors, and stole a bunch of bicycles and bicycle parts-the neighbor's son sells rehabbed bicycles to make money. My mom had to pay quite a bit of money to the guy to compensate for what he lost.

Even before my parents bought the land from my grandparents, when I was living in a RV here, I would hear people hopping the fences and trying to break in to my RV. One guy down the street made the bad choice of leaving his back door unlocked one night and got confronted in the shower by a gun wielding crook who tied him up stark naked and stole a bunch of stuff.

I keep fans on at night because of all the weird noises around here-the sounds of a couple screaming at each other from somewhere, people playing loud ranchero music, people holding big parties late into the night, and of course burglars. The area was once a seasonal lake bed, so the ground is always shifting and the house always making noises due to that.

Misery needs to make sure that everything is locked, then look into the possibility of rodents, especially with a huge mansion. Coyotes are also a problem, make sure that there is nothing to attract them.

 

[Misery]

The little cottage I live in is basically just one big room which is nice. My parents built a huge house up front for themselves, and that house can be a little creepy after dark even though it is only ~15 years old or so. It doesn't help that the immediate neighborhood is one acre lots, it was originally part of a land scam so no streetlights or anything. That means the night is crawling with intruders, looking to steal stuff under cover of total darkness.

My mom finally had to put special locks on all the gates because some people broke in one night, used a ladder that was outside to climb a fence between us and the neighbors, and stole a bunch of bicycles and bicycle parts-the neighbor's son sells rehabbed bicycles to make money. My mom had to pay quite a bit of money to the guy to compensate for what he lost.

Even before my parents bought the land from my grandparents, when I was living in a RV here, I would hear people hopping the fences and trying to break in to my RV. One guy down the street made the bad choice of leaving his back door unlocked one night and got confronted in the shower by a gun wielding crook who tied him up stark naked and stole a bunch of stuff.

I keep fans on at night because of all the weird noises around here-the sounds of a couple screaming at each other from somewhere, people playing loud ranchero music, people holding big parties late into the night, and of course burglars. The area was once a seasonal lake bed, so the ground is always shifting and the house always making noises due to that.

Misery needs to make sure that everything is locked, then look into the possibility of rodents, especially with a huge, very old mansion. Coyotes are also a problem, make sure that there is nothing to attract them.

We actually have had rodents here before. But only one at a time, and only a couple of times. Though, it was determined that this was mostly because it was winter, and they get in through the garage to find warmth if given the slightest opportunity (probably my fault, I often dont close the door to the garage all the way, the stupid thing sticks on the rug). Otherwise, they just keep to themselves outdoors. Field mice, you see. No big rats or anything. There's alot of... er... fields around here. I always feel bad for them, they're just mice...

I tell ya, it's a bit "surprising" though when you're in the pantry, looking for snacks, and find that something small is looking right back at you from a nearby shelf. My stepmother was none-too-happy about THAT little discovery of mine. I wasnt too happy about it either, nearly jumped out of my socks there.

The coyotes though, yes, those are scary. A neighbor once had his little dog snatched by them (poor guy even had to watch it happen, helpless to do anything). THAT made me REALLY paranoid for awhile. Granted my dog is hardly "little", but still. Stuck near his side as if I was glued there for some time after hearing that one. I never, ever let him out of my sight when he's outside. Just... uuuuugh. I dont like even thinking about that one.

How big is an acre? Hear that term all the time, all those "5 zillion acres of space, buy it and build condos on it today!!!!" business signs and such, they're always advertising in acres, but I have no idea what that means.

 

[Judge]

We actually have had rodents here before. But only one at a time, and only a couple of times.

Might be best to begin a close up external inspection of your home, checking all around it at the foundation. Looking for any open spots where some critter might be entering. Also to check below the roofline, where they might be able to enter the house from other open spots there.

Are there any trees with lots of branches that are close to the home? That's a rather basic way for some of the larger critters to invade your home by going up a tree and crossing over to the roof. And check your attic if you have one. Check for droppings and other telltale signs that you may have new neighbors above. Though I'd skip baking them a nice casserole.

The bigger the critter, the louder the noise they may be able to make.

The big noisemakers in my apartment are pigeons and doves, thermodynamic expansion and contraction of my front door, noisy neighbors at all hours and what a strong wind can do. Though at night I usually have electronic ambient sound to drown out any number of such sounds. Usually rainfall.

 

[Misery]

Nah, they already had all that stuff checked. My father tends to be extremely thorough and brings in professionals whenever necessary. After all, it's not just a matter of mice leaving droppings or germs around... there's the worry that the dog, who thinks he is a mighty hunter (big klutz mostly, though he IS very fast) might catch one and eat it. That could be bad. "Through the garage" has been the only working theory since having those things checked.

No big trees around here. There are some forested spots in this state, but really most of Illinois is grass. What few trees there are around here are small and stupid looking. The closest forest sections are a good 20 minutes away.

We dont really have larger critters around this area, either. As far as I know, there are three types of things around here: Coyotes, mice, and skunks. The skunks fortunately tend to mind their own business and just roam around the subdivision (and every nearby area, too) as if they own it. Which, considering how people react to their presence, they probably do own it. No squirrels or raccoons or anything like that. The more foresty areas though do get those.

 

[tducey]

I never stay alone during the night but I can see how hearing a weird noise could be scary especially at night. My bedroom at my home is a converted storage place, over the past while I can hear strange noises at night as well.

 

[SusanLR]

Ye gods, how did this end up becoming anything about ghosts?

Probably because there are a number of people who might have ghosts come to mind when in a large
house at night.
We all grow up with various beliefs and the woo-wooo sound for what ever reason could conjour up
the idea of a haunting. Why would a ghost make that sort of noise?
As mentioned,( if there is such a thing) just as humans, there are those who might get a kick out of
scaring someone.
Like some might be afraid of the devil due to beliefs.

I would think first of danger from the physical world also. Intruders, animals, or a natural noise caused
from something to do with the house that you might not think of.
It is just natural to feel fear of the unknown and things that go bump or woo-wooo in the night are
unknowns. The fight or flight hits us as a built in mechanism for self protection.
I personally also have anecdotal experiences and believe in ghosts.

Foremost I believe in people with bad intentions.
I prefer a small place to live also as it is easier to keep check on things and surrounded by your own stuff
is just comfortable. But, I don't have a choice right now either.
I have a golf course adjoining the back yard which has woods and ponds behind the house.
We see a lot of coyotes in the back yard from the woods the golf course is in and other assorted wildlife.
There's been a lot of good suggestions on preparedness in this thread.

As far as what you watch before you go to bed depends on the person I guess.
Dark psychological thrillers and horror movies are what I enjoy watching at night.
And I don't even get nightmares. To each his own.

 

[VAW]

Okay, so this is one I've been through a few times.

I'm home alone for a few days every now and then. Usually when the others head up to the lake house for a couple of days... if I dont feel like going with, I'm stuck here at the main house till they get back.

Most of the time, I'm fine. But at night, sometimes things get a little freaky, and it can be... troubling. Happened tonight.

The situation today was, I'm in the basement... already a bit of a spooky place at times, it's basically one giant cavern. There's a whole lot of furniture and pillars and it's STILL mostly empty space. You'll *never* catch me down here with the lights out. That's a big NOPE right there. Even with the lights on... well... I personally prefer smaller, more cramped spaces. Exactly why I tend to find hotel rooms so pleasant. But my computer and gaming stuff are down here, since the VR setup needs a huge amount of space to work properly. So... basement it is. As long as I keep myself active, I'm fine. Better yet, my dog is usually down here if I am (he associates the basement with OMG HAPPY FUN PLAYTIME WOW, so he doesnt let me come down here without him), but he's not here right now, as he's always with them when they're up north.

So, I'm down here, and during a quiet moment while I'm browsing Youtube, I hear a sort of crunch sound. Then another, then another. It's one thing to hear "house settling" noises coming from the walls. It's another to hear them in the floor above you in an empty house, multiple times in rapid succession, seeming to move across in a specific direction.

Whenever this sort of thing happens, I must go investigate. I haaaaaaate doing this, but I must do it anyway. The main floor isnt too bad. I tend to be a bit nervous when investigating there, but... not too bad. No, the real trouble comes from this part:

View attachment 55393

It's that bit on the right that I have trouble with. NORMALLY, it doesnt have to be like that at night. There's a giant chandelier overhead, bigger than I am, that blazes with the force of a thousand stars when turned fully on. The thing seems impractical to me, but what do I know. But I cant turn it on right now, something has gone wrong with the light switch that controls it, been that way for a couple of months now at least. I can turn on a couple of lights in the area to the left, but it doesnt carry upwards at all. If I'm going to investigate enough to satisfy my paranoia though, I have to go up to that freaky bit in the upper right.

When I do, I am greeted with this:

View attachment 55394
This is the entrance to the master bedroom. I try not to go in there if I dont have to at night, for reasons that are likely obvious just by looking at it. But also because there's a pair of steps beneath it with slippery wood paneling put there by someone that I hope got fired for it (I've had more than one fall there). Now, with any other bloody room in the house, you dont actually have to walk inside to turn on the lights. Reach your hand in, and the light switch is next to the door. Makes sense right? But not THAT room, no sir. The switch is BEHIND the doors (both of which are larger than normal doors), that swing open a full 180 degrees (unlike normal doors that almost always have restricted movement). Wanna turn the lights on? Gonna have to go all the way in. Worse yet, the light "switch" in there is bizarre. A funky panel that has never quite made sense to me. So I have to go in there, walk in a pitch black area, find a panel I cant see, and just mash buttons and hope it does something. And also hope it's the CORRECT panel, as there's another one for the AC control. I dunno who thought ANY of that was a good idea.

What makes it even worse? I can turn on other lights nearby on that floor... and it is still pitch-black in there. The angle of the nearby lights means that it doesnt penetrate past the doorway whatsoever. Bloody stupid design, if you ask me, but what do I know?


So yeah, that's the situation that happens sometimes. I do feel a bit better and less freaked out from writing about it, but still. I find it very nerve-wracking when it happens. I've never liked being here by myself in this bloated mass of a house to begin with. And this just makes that worse.


So, I ask you: What would you do, dealing with this sort of situation? How would you handle it, in your own house? And if you get anxiety with things like this... how do you avoid entering a state of panic? As someone who tends to be afraid of nearly everything, I struggle with that last bit quite alot. I never really know how to handle scary unexpected situations.


There, I'm done rambling. And it's not even Halloween.


EDIT: Okay you know what's NOT FREAKING COOL? Hearing "wooo wooooooo" from upstairs (I'm in the basement again) out of nowhere 5 minutes after posting that. Now I'm just outright shaky. I havent the foggiest bloody clue what could make that sound.

I am not an aspie but i am afraid of being alone a lot of times, i hear noises that scare me and i find myself just listening for noises, so if i am alone in the house at night what i always have on is the t.v. so it drowns out any noises i may hear.

 

[Misery]

Probably because there are a number of people who might have ghosts come to mind when in a large
house at night.
We all grow up with various beliefs and the woo-wooo sound for what ever reason could conjour up
the idea of a haunting. Why would a ghost make that sort of noise?
As mentioned,( if there is such a thing) just as humans, there are those who might get a kick out of
scaring someone.
Like some might be afraid of the devil due to beliefs.

I would think first of danger from the physical world also. Intruders, animals, or a natural noise caused
from something to do with the house that you might not think of.
It is just natural to feel fear of the unknown and things that go bump or woo-wooo in the night are
unknowns. The fight or flight hits us as a built in mechanism for self protection.
I personally also have anecdotal experiences and believe in ghosts.

Foremost I believe in people with bad intentions.
I prefer a small place to live also as it is easier to keep check on things and surrounded by your own stuff
is just comfortable. But, I don't have a choice right now either.
I have a golf course adjoining the back yard which has woods and ponds behind the house.
We see a lot of coyotes in the back yard from the woods the golf course is in and other assorted wildlife.
There's been a lot of good suggestions on preparedness in this thread.

As far as what you watch before you go to bed depends on the person I guess.
Dark psychological thrillers and horror movies are what I enjoy watching at night.
And I don't even get nightmares. To each his own.

You know, I do the same thing, with the watching/reading scary stuff all the time. I dont get nightmares either. Hell, I tend to have an odd attraction to creepy places/things. My dreams are too twisted to turn into nightmares anyway. Though, "creepy things" are definitely different than "intruder with a gun"... creepy stories and such usually dont involve that. Well, unless some spooky thing eats the guy or something. I did read one like that recently, "The Terrible Old Man" by Lovecraft.

 

[VAW]

You know, I do the same thing, with the watching/reading scary stuff all the time. I dont get nightmares either. Hell, I tend to have an odd attraction to creepy places/things. My dreams are too twisted to turn into nightmares anyway. Though, "creepy things" are definitely different than "intruder with a gun"... creepy stories and such usually dont involve that. Well, unless some spooky thing eats the guy or something. I did read one like that recently, "The Terrible Old Man" by Lovecraft.

My son has the complete works of HP Lovecraft.... He seems to like those kind of stories! Me???? I don't read or watch any spooky thing because i am a scaredy cat.... LOL