The Farmhouse

[00:00:06] Good evening. I'm Ben, and welcome to the show where you and I gather around this campfire to share our scariest experiences. So whether you're a new or returning camper, I'm happy to have you. [00:00:18] There is a paranormal hypothesis that poltergeist activity is a physical manifestation of the inner turmoil of children. As a storyteller, its hard for me to really get to the bottom of this phenomenon. However, I can say that many stories that contain characteristic poltergeist activities do involve children. Tonights story is no different. Were headed to Maryland. Hear a story sent in by katie. Her story documents the transitional phase of her childhood immediately preceding her parents divorce as she and her sister navigated their new lives. So without further ado, do you want to hear a ghost story? [00:01:01] My parents divorced when I was young and my mom, who previously didnt work, moved out. With limited options in her price range, she rented an old farmhouse. We didnt know much about it, except that the farmer got it for cheap and only wanted the farmland that came with it. It was a beautiful old home full of character. But my initial love for this house quickly turned sour. [00:01:27] My mom, sister, our dog, Jack, and I settled into this new life in the middle of the cornfields. [00:01:34] My sister and I started a new school year and quickly fell into that routine. My mom, I suppose, had the most adjusting to a job, a new home, and taking care of my sister and I. We had been in the home for about a month or two when one night our mother started a new routine. As she sent my sister and I to bed, she would sit downstairs all alone, drinking what she called mom juice. [00:02:01] The ghostly activity in this home began soon after our mother picked up this new routine. I remember the first night with a strange occurrence as clear as day. [00:02:11] Mom was sitting downstairs having her juice as my sister and I brushed our teeth, getting ready for bed. When out of nowhere, Jack, our docile, always sleepy dog, who was lying just outside the bathroom in the hallway, began growling, staring down at the end of the hallway, he stood up, becoming rigid, the hair on his back standing straight up. My sister and I shared a confused look. She was younger than me, and I could sense the fear creeping onto her face. Jack was looking at something down the hallway that my sister and I couldn't see. His growling becoming more and more aggressive until he began to bark. [00:02:54] Jack quit. It came piercing up from downstairs, almost as if this command came from a dog whistle. Jack, my sister and I all cringed. It hit us. Jack stopped barking, but he didn't move, as if he too, could sense my mom's anger and didn't want to upset her further, but also didn't want to let his guard down from whatever it is he saw. My sister and I had to step over him as we walked to our bedroom. Looking past him down the hallway, we could see nothing, just the spare room our mom used for storage. He slept in the hall that night as if he needed to keep an eye on whatever it is that was lurking there. I guess in the fashion of everyone else getting new routines, this became his as the nights went on, the quantity of mothers juices increased, and so did my sister and I s apprehension towards being home. We never knew what state our mom would be in when we got home from school and the other strange things started happening more and more frequently. [00:04:03] Jack growling down the hallway was just the beginning of it. The tv in the storage room started turning on all by itself, displaying nothing but static. [00:04:15] Even weirder, Jack would calm down as soon as that happened. My mother, either too inebriated or, if we're being honest, too stupid, never thought to unplug the tv. In fact, why she had a tv plugged in in the storage room was never explained to me as a child. [00:04:34] As my mom spiraled into her routine, the energy in the house became oppressive. And now I'm not talking about the paranormal energy. No, I'm talking about the energy and how my sister and I would always go to bed early, quickly getting ready and jumping into bed as if the covers were an extra layer of of protection against our moms aura. We would lie there listening to her yelling, and then Jack would start barking. The tv would turn on. This cycle, repeat. My mother swearing and blaming the old house as she stomped up the stairs to go turn the tv off. [00:05:11] But as soon as she would return to her juice and yelling at whatever the hell it is she was yelling at, Jack would again, like clockwork, start barking and the tv would flip back on to static. [00:05:25] One night in the mid to late fall, I could hear my mother starting her routine. I never understood what it was she was yelling at. It was as if she was practicing an argument. But the drunker she got, the angrier and louder she became at whatever phantom was menacing her. I looked over at my sisters Bedev, but she was luckily asleep. I knew it was only a matter of time before my mothers yelling eventually meant that Jack would start barking, which means the tv would turn on. I went over and sat by the window, staring out at the half harvested cornfield in my backyard. [00:06:02] I opened the window as I contemplated how far into the corn I could get before anyone would come looking. I wondered what mysteries the corn kept. I imagined a secret world I would stumble upon as I ventured deeper and deeper into the corn. I was so deep into this daydream that I didn't hear Jack barking. But when the tv flipped on, I could hear the static louder and clearer than I could before, as if the tv was trying to drown out my mother's anger and pull me back in from drifting too far away. [00:06:36] My mom marched up the stairs again and turned the tv off. But instead of resuming her routine, she walked into her room, slamming the door behind her. [00:06:47] As fall rolled into winter, I began fearing what every night would hold in my little kid's head. I came up with any number of ways to distract my mother. I would throw balled up paper down the stairs, thinking maybe she'd see it and be quiet for me and my sister's sake. But it never worked. We finally got to spend more time with our father around the holidays. It was nice to get out of the house, even for just a little bit, and even if we had to go back home to sleep. [00:07:15] My mom picked my sister and I up from our dads house one night, even though it was still early. The winter darkness had already settled in. The car ride was silent as usual. Our mother never asked us anything about the time we spent at our fathers, and even if she did, my sister and I wouldnt dare say anything, fearing it might trigger an even longer night than usual. When we pulled into the driveway, I was scared, but ready to face the night ahead. What the hell? My mom yelled as she put her car in park. We werent even inside and she was already yelling at something. My heart sank, but I forced myself to look up at the house. It was lit up like the Christmas tree at our dads house, every single light glaring when we walked inside. Not only did we realize that from the basement to the second floor, every single light in every single room was on, but we were met with a familiar symphony of the static from the tv. My mom grumbled about electricity bills and she angrily flipped each switch off. [00:08:26] She must have run out of juice early that night as the rest of the evening was thankfully uneventful. Well, that is, until we were going to bed. [00:08:36] I turned the hall light off. I noticed a faint glow coming from the attic access in the hallway. [00:08:43] I knocked tentatively on my mothers bedroom door, not wanting to disturb her when she opened it. I just pointed to the faint light. [00:08:54] Youve got to be kidding me. My mom sighed I turned to my sister to find her watching through the cracked doors of our bedroom as my mom switched on the hall light. The hinges to the ceiling access groaned as my mom pulled open the hatch. Dust fell as she unfolded the wooden ladder. We had nothing up in the attic and we had never even bothered to go up there and look at it. From my vantage point, though I could see old boxes and furniture. My mom climbed up the ladder just enough to pull the chain and turn the light off. I looked at my sister, whose wide, inquisitive eyes mirrored my own. [00:09:34] As if this was not perplexing at all, my mom climbed down and closed the hatch. She turned, catching my sister and I still watching. Go to bed, she said sternly before turning the hall light off and heading to her door. But just as she was closing her door, the tv flicked on. Oddly, Jack never barked, never growled, but just laid at my sister and I's doorway even weirder. No longer facing the storage room with the tv instead, he now seemed more focused on our mothers room. My mother, not saying a word, rushed into the storage room to turn the tv off before finally retreating to her bedroom. [00:10:18] We didnt stay in that old farmhouse after the lease of that year was up, but the memories of those nights never faded. Even after we left. [00:10:27] When we were moving out, the old farmer came to help and he was curious to know how living in the house was. When my mother was carrying a box to the car, she yelled over her shoulder, you need to get the electricity. Looked at the tv and the lights were just always turning on by themselves. [00:10:44] She continued walking to the car, leaving my sister and I alone with the old man in the foyer of the house. [00:10:51] He chuckled. Is that true? My sister and I nodded, taken aback by our agreement. He glanced up the stairs. Hmm. I bought this property from an estate sale. When I bought it they said the woman who lived here died upstairs in that back bedroom at the end of the hallway. He chuckled again as he grabbed the box and walked to the car. [00:11:14] Maybe she was a bit of a prankster, he said, looking back at us. [00:11:19] Now that I'm older, I still don't have an explanation for the things that happened in that house. I also cant confirm the old farmers story. Thinking back on it, it is equally as likely that he was just an old man trying to scare us or make a joke. But after all these years, I like to think that the ghost of the old lady sensed my sister and is fears and that she took an action that was intended to help us. It brings me some sense of comfort to memories that are otherwise rather uncomfortable. [00:11:53] Thank you Katie for allowing me to share your story. I have noticed that many of the stories that get sent in happen to submitters when they are very young. While many of them include a skeptical sentiment within their submission, it is apparent to me that their experiences have shaped how they view the world. They always have a sense of wonder and they dont immediately dismissed any of their claims or any other claims they talk to me about on the show. It is fascinating to see from my shoes. You know, maybe it really is we become less attuned to things in this world as we age, or maybe as we age we simply gain more context about how things work. [00:12:33] Regardless, paranormal stories continue to proliferate. While I do recognize patterns within some stories, I dont necessarily seek the truth behind them. I leave that to the paranormal investigators. But Katies story has reminded me why paranormal encounters, which eventually do become the ghost stories that I love so much, are often scrutinized by both believers and the non believers. Very few places exist anymore to simply share your experiences in a way that connects as opposed to trying to defend the validity of your claim. [00:13:10] Which is why im glad Katie sent her story in the way that she did. Her story and so many others that I have chosen to share on this show all highlight the humanity behind the paranormal. For me, that is where ghost stories and other stories of paranormal experiences are the best. Not when they are being dissected, but when they are being felt. I am glad to have you all as campers on this journey. I know I say it every episode, but for me sharing these stories is a way for me to connect with all of you who have those unexplained experiences in their past. [00:13:49] I suppose I will leave you there for the night. Please keep sharing the show with anyone you think might like these stories or someone you are just trying to scare. If you have a story, please please send it to do you want to hearghostorymail.com? you can also follow the show want to hearghostory on Instagram and TikTok. If you liked this story and want to do more to support the show, get a shout out at the end of an episode, access to bonus episodes and more. Check out patreon.com. do you want to hear a ghoststory? All this information from the Patreon to how to connect to the show can be found in the episode description. Until next time.