Ghost Story

As if sleeping upstairs with my sister wasn't scary enough, my mom and 2 of her sisters, Fern and Viola, shared an episode they had in the room nest to where we slept.  Our upstairs was big, at the top of the stairs there was a railing with slats to prevent anyone from walking off the edge of the floor and falling.  The ceilings were higher than they are today in most low income homes, that would be any under $70,000.  The first room had our metal framed bed, you know that metal draws lighting right?  We each had a dresser, and Diane's had a mirror.  Between the two dressers was a wooden door with a tiny hook and eye sort of latch.  Security was not a priority in those days.  The door opened into a huge room with 2 tall windows and a small rectangle window.  Oops, forgot to tell you in our bedroom we had a tall window at the foot of the bed for ventilation.  Anyway, in this other room, behind the door was a closet without a door and was approximately three feet by four feet,  Next to that sat a long rectangular wooden hand built box. it had a lid that could be latched and locked with a pad lock.  It was where we stored the blankets and winter coats and other things.  It could hold lots of stuff.  This was the room I would play in, all by dolls, toys, books, my chalkboard, and my little kids table and 2 chairs.  There also was a single bed in the corner under the small window.  There was another small door on one wall to get into the attic.  It was a doorway that was maybe 4 feet high and narrow.  You would have to step up into the attic, and there was a pull string for the only light bulb, which was not of high wattage.  It was not a room that was finished, the floor was 3 boards wide and went the length of the attic.  At the far wall was a teeny tiny window, too high to look out.  Usually in the summer there was a nest of yellow jackets by the door going into the attic.  The room was rich in loads of spider webs, and my theory, where there is spider webs, there are spiders!!  Now that I have set the ambiance for the story I'll get on with the telling.  My mom and her siblings were raised in this house also.  Which means they slept upstairs like my sister and I.  They were talking one day and began to relate an episode as they called it, that happened to the 3 of them one night.  They were in the second room playing near the attic and all of a sudden the locked door of the attic banged open, which in itself would be enough to fill ones pants.  But, they swear this to be a true story, out of the attic came a few white misty type clouds that floated around their heads!!!   They said that they almost killed each other trying to get out of there and down the stairs!!  They would laugh so hard after so many years, reliving there battle to be the first one down stairs and not be the last, afraid the ghosts would get a hold of them to prevent their escape.  Well, we laughed too, until it was dark and bedtime!!  Every night we checked and double checked that tiny hook latch on the door to the next room.  Sometimes we thought we heard strange noises coming from that room,  but if you close your eyes long enough with the covers over your head, you fall asleep.  When I would play in that room, it was always during the day with something heavy in front of the attic door.  Also there was always something to prop the door to our bedroom open so it didn't slam shut.  Just maybe, as I played< I was looking over my shoulder, oh wait now I remember, I would never play with my back to that attic door!!!  When I first heard this story, I was maybe 5years old.  Could this be why I am afraid of the dark?  Afraid to go to the bathroom by my self?  This was not a good bedtime story to hear, even my sister was afraid to go in that room and especially the attic.  Thank goodness I am allergic to bees, it was the only reason I never had to get anything out of the attic.  Ha-ha Diane!!