I had just gotten used to living alone when something strange started happening in my house. I wondered if it was a ghost, or if my late husband was playing some kind of dirty game, but I didn’t believe it. When I finally discovered the truth, my head couldn’t stop spinning with shock!
At 62, I’ve been living alone since my husband died 15 years ago. Our son passed away two decades ago and now lives full-time in another country. However, over the past month, I’ve noticed strange things happening in my house. At first, I acted as if nothing was wrong, thinking I’d simply forgotten where I’d put things. But one day, reality hit me.
A woman in distress | Source: Midjourney
For weeks, my furniture, photos, and small objects like vases and frames began moving around my house on their own. I initially attributed this to old age, but as the days went by, it became impossible to ignore.
One day, I found a dining room chair pushed against the living room wall! Then, I noticed a family portrait I hadn’t touched in years sitting on the kitchen counter! I thought I was LOSING MY MIND!
A dining chair in the living room | Source: Midjourney
To avoid jumping to conclusions and to reassure myself, a few days later, I began taking photos of each room before going to bed. I then compared them to the view the next morning.
To my dismay, the furniture had indeed moved! And not just by an inch or two; sometimes entire items were in different rooms! This wasn’t just a memory lapse or an oversight on my part!
A woman comparing a photo | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t sleep because of my paranoia. I lay awake, listening for any noise that would give me a clue about what was going on. But the nights were silent.
I realized I needed solid evidence, so I decided to set up a security camera system around the house. I installed two cameras in the living room, one in the kitchen, another in the hallway leading to the bedrooms, and one in my bedroom.
They were simple devices, but I was determined to get to the bottom of this. This turned out to be both the best and worst decision, as the truth was much darker than I expected.
A camera system | Source: Pexels
For the first few days, nothing unusual appeared in the images. No movement, no shadows; just the same empty rooms and the occasional stray cat wandering around. But on the fifth day, I discovered something I hadn’t expected.
I watched the recording from the living room camera and froze when I saw it: a figure dressed entirely in black!
Whoever it was, he was careful not to expose any part of his body. Even his face was hidden under a mask! I almost lost my mind when I saw what was happening!
An intruder in a house | Source: Midjourney
I watched in horror as this person moved slowly, almost cautiously, as if they knew exactly where the cameras were. It gave me chills!
The figure rearranged the elements of my house, moving furniture, placing objects in new positions, and even standing eerily still at times, simply looking around. The footage showed it sneaking into the house at odd hours, mainly when I was out running errands or early in the morning, when I had just left to go shopping.
The burglar moved so silently and systematically that I wondered how long this had been going on!
An intruder places an object from the living room into the kitchen | Source: Midjourney
Panicked, I called the police and told them about the intruder. I showed the footage to the officer who came by, and he too was visibly disturbed.
“We’ll be increasing patrols in the area, ma’am,” he said, glancing worriedly at the paused image of the silhouette on my screen. “But until we catch this person, you need to be extra careful. Lock your doors and windows.”
I agreed, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that more needed to be done.
An upset woman speaks to a police officer | Source: Midjourney
I realized I couldn’t live like this, constantly on edge, feeling unsafe in my own home. So I asked the police officer to help me come up with a plan. He suggested I leave the house during the day, but stay nearby and watch the live feed. That way, if the intruder returned, the police would be ready.
The next day, I packed a small bag and left the house as if I were going to do my usual grocery shopping. But instead of running to the store, I went to a small cafe across the street from my house. I could clearly see my front door from the window seat.
A woman looking at a laptop in a cafe | Source: Midjourney
My laptop sat in front of me, and I anxiously watched the live feed from my cameras. For hours, nothing happened. My heart pounded as the minutes ticked by. I sipped my coffee and pretended to read a book, but I couldn’t focus on ANYTHING but the screen!
Then, just when I thought it was another false alarm, the front door creaked open.
I was breathless!
An intruder at the door | Source: Midjourney
The intruder was standing in my hallway, dressed the same way as before! With shaking hands, I grabbed my phone and called the same police officer as the other day.
“He’s here,” I whispered as if the intruder could hear me while trying to keep my voice steady. “He’s in my house NOW.”
The officer assured me he was already on his way. They had a team positioned a few blocks away. I watched, my stomach in knots, as the intruder moved into my house again. But this time, something was different.
A worried woman on a phone call | Source: Midjourney
He wasn’t just moving things around, he was going through my things. He opened drawers, took out old photo albums, and sifted through my personal documents!
I watched helplessly as he walked into my room and opened the closet. He took one of my late husband’s old sweaters and held it to his chest for a moment. Then he casually dropped it on the floor. It was as if he was mocking me, trying to show me that he had control over my life!
An intruder holds a sweater | Source: Midjourney
Just as he was about to leave the room, a loud bang echoed through the house: the police had arrived! I saw the figure freeze for a split second before rushing towards the back door. The police burst in, guns drawn, shouting orders!
The character tried to run away, but it was no use. They tackled him to the ground in my garden!
From my laptop, I watched everything unfold like a movie. Relief washed over me, but it was quickly replaced by a sickening fear when they removed his mask.
Officers apprehend an intruder | Source: Midjourney
He was my son.
The same son I hadn’t seen or spoken to in 20 years! He stared at the officers with wild eyes, struggling against their grip.
“Let me go!” he shouted. “This is MY house! I have the right to be here!”
The officers exchanged confused glances and turned to look at each other as I rushed out of the cafe, stumbling across the street. I felt like I was moving in slow motion! When I finally reached the backyard, I stared at him, disbelief and heartache swirling inside me!
Intruder apprehended by cop | Source: Midjourney
“Why, Trevor?” I managed, my voice barely a whisper. “Why did you do that?”
I was taken aback when he laughed… a bitter, almost unrecognizable sound!
“Why? You cut me off years ago! You left me with nothing!” He struggled against the officers holding him down. “I needed money, and you were sitting on all of it, living alone in that big house!”
I felt my legs weaken. I had to grab the side of the patio table to keep from collapsing!
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
“So?” I asked, my voice trembling. “You wanted to drive me crazy? Make me think I was losing my mind?”
“YES!” he spat, staring at me with a look of pure hatred.
“If I could get you declared mentally unstable, I would become your guardian. I could sell the house, have access to your accounts…”
I couldn’t listen to him anymore. I turned away, tears blurring my vision. I’d spent years regretting it, wondering if I’d done something wrong as a mother, and now this? My son, the little boy I’d held in my arms, had come back to torment me for money?
A shocked woman crying | Source: Midjourney
After the police took him away, I sat in the living room, the room that had been my sanctuary. Now I felt like I was in a stranger’s house. Everything was in its place, but I no longer felt like I belonged.
A few days later, I received a call from the police station. My son had confessed everything, in a police report. His debts were enormous, and he was desperate.
I agreed to pay his debts, not for him, but to end this nightmare… he was still my child, after all.
I even dropped the charges against him, but I got a restraining order.
An upset woman on a call | Source: Freepik
However, I made one thing clear: “I never want to see or hear from you again, Trevor. If you reappear, you’ll go straight to jail! Your father would be so disappointed in what you’ve become. You’re not my son anymore.”
I hung up the phone feeling emptier than I’d ever felt in my entire life. I thought losing my husband was hard, but this… this was a pain I couldn’t even begin to describe.
A distressed woman sitting and thinking | Source: Freepik
In the following story, Lily was by her mother’s side when she began to deteriorate due to cancer. After her mother’s death, her greedy aunts and brother attended the reading of her will where they received millions! Lily received nothing and was devastated until the lawyer gave her something that would help her grieve for her mother peacefully .
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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