Footsteps

I grew up in a very small town in rural Saskatchewan (Canada). In small towns there is not much to do, and in Saskatchewan winters can be long and unforgivingly cold. Growing up, there was always talk and rumours about one particular house where someone had committed suicide.

The house was an old Victorian style house, off of the Main Street and likely one of the oldest in town. The rumours were that this particular house was dark - that somewhere along the way something had stayed behind. One year, my family moved to the house across the alley from this place, while my dad was building our new home. I was about 13 yo at the time. I got to know the people renting this house, and agreed to mow their lawn for cash. I would mow the yard once a week, and collect payment at the end of the month. The people renting the house were pipeline workers, and would often work long days, so I didn't see them often, except for when I was to collect payment.

One afternoon, after mowing the yard, I was looking to collect payment for the months work. I walked up to the back door, which was the main door that was used on this house, and knocked on the door. The house had two stories so I knocked loudly so that I would be heard if they were upstairs. I could hear footsteps coming down the stairs, and stop just before the door. I stepped inside and took a few steps in, expecting to see someone there, where the footsteps had ended. There was no one. I yelled up the stairs "hello!".

When I realized that no one was home, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and my heart rate spiked. I ran out of there, suddenly feeling like I was somewhere I did not belong. The footsteps were so clear, I could have swore there was someone home. I felt so confident that I opened the door and let myself in.

That was the last time I ever stepped onto the property. I ran into the renter a few days later at the grocery store, and he paid me. I never told him about what I experienced. Within weeks, the renters moved out. This house has remained mostly vacant since then - over 20 years later.