If I had been asleep, I might not have been so frightened. However, I was fully conscious and watching TV. I heard a small noise. Doesn't it always start that way?
It was a sound like an animal clawing at something with one tiny clawing, picking sound. Then, there was another followed in close succession by several sounds closer together. The hair on my arms stood up. What wanted in my house so badly?
But, maybe it was something clawing at a bucket or box outside, things going out on trash day. I peeked out the picture window. Nothing. I peeked out the window of the door. Nothing. I opened the door and nothing was on the porch. I stepped onto the porch and looked at the picture window and wall below. I slammed the door as I quickly stepped back inside.
The sound was louder and less thin. It was definitely a bear trying to get into something. You do know bears can rip off car doors? This sound was definitely coming from the wall of the house!
What? The sound shifted. It is in the neighbor's yard? What could be happening? I fell onto the bed, really worried and fearing whatever it was!
Fireworks? But, the usual suspects were not shooting off fireworks because I can see those from the picture window near the door. My mind was spinning.
The slight sounds evolved into muffled booms and I realized it was fireworks further off. There is a church near a park that utilizes the park for different events. Maybe the city was shooting fireworks? At any rate, I was annoyed at my 45 seconds of fearful confusion.
It took my heart about an hour to calm down!
After about ten minutes, the noise ended. I never did get in the car to see the event. Oh well!
Lest you think I have a lot of fear and even more of an imagination, let me put that thought to rest.
When we first moved here, we could distinctly hear voices that were blocks away. Voices from the north distinctly came from the south! The high school band could be heard in our back and side yard even though the band is blocks away and on the other side of the house. We could clearly hear anyone on the microphone speaking to band students or football players during practice. Yes, we could hear the band performances and everything said at ball games. We finally just accepted it, voices and all.
Other people who have been in my back yard have questioned where the voice came from. People have thought the neighbors were loud. My friend John, guy who died, knew me for twenty years and still commented on the freaky noises as we were right outside the side door in the yard. You can hear it at other places in the yard, but the sounds of reverberating voices and other sounds are clearer right at the side door and into same side in the front yard, all beside the house, not in the front or behind the house. John would always comment on the voices as he was in the side yard.
THE REAL PROBLEM: The sound seems to come from the opposite direction! That is the part that confuses people new to my side yard.
Neighbors who have been here cannot hear the same sounds in their yards. My children could hear the band in their bedrooms which were upstairs. Of course, we knew the source of the sound when they were upstairs.
John and others figured the sound was bouncing off the house next to me. I suppose. But, the fear last night was palpable to me. Yet, it was no wild animal trying to get into my home. Even now, I can step into the side yard and hear conversations. They are real, just conversations from the high school.
Your turn
Have you ever had a situation where sounds from a far distance are heard clearly from a different direction? Has a sound ever really frightened you to the point you were fearful?
I have not, but I live on the side of a hill with valleys to the north and south of me, so the directions of the sounds are pretty clear.
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteI have never lived in a place with this kind of acoustics.
I have never experienced this type of thing but I have a friend who works for state government investigating pollution complaints and many of them involve this kind of situation: odd acoustics producing noise pollution
ReplyDeletekylie,
DeleteI was just discussing my post with exbf. He said that there was a hum that annoyed people near where he lived. Finally, everyone referred to it as The Hueytown Hum. He said conspiracy theorists abounded.
Do you suppose it's like the astronauts hearing music from earthly radio stations?
ReplyDeletecarol,
DeleteIt could be. I don't know.
At our house we do hear sounds that are actually coming from the east, but it sounds like they are coming from the south or west. Here in our subdivision I think it is a combination of the arrangement of the homes and the very busy road that sits up higher than the yards in our subdivision do. I think those details combined cause noise to be echoed and funneled in certain directions that defy what one would normally expect.
ReplyDeleteThat is different from the scratching sound you describe. We had that one time at our back door. My Pomeranian kept telling me he heard something long before I did. When I spied out the window that is in the door I could see that it was a big rat (not possum). It had gotten the storm door open and was actually trying to get into the house. I banged at the door from the inside hoping to scare it away. Apparently, Fuzzy barking and me banging scared it away. The next day we called a pest control company and never heard from the rat again.
Susie,
DeleteYou understand! I think having experienced this over a long time, my experience with these acoustics makes sense. I think the popping of the fireworks made it sound like scratching. I was not going to look out the door until I looked through the window on the door because I was afraid it was an animal. I once heard a noise and opened the door to a tiny raccoon, a little baby, trying to get in the house. I kept having to shove him back so I would not close the door on him. I am glad Fuzzy alerted you before the rat found his way inside!
When we moved into our current home 9 years ago we could always tell where noises & voices were coming from. 5 years ago a two 3 story apt buildings were built behind us and the adjoining 10 lots with 6 of them having houses. There is also a 10 ft high wall between our homes and the apt buildings. Now we cannot tell where sounds are coming from whether it be vehicles, voices, dogs barking, fireworks and sometimes even thunder. It all seems to reverberate around and around, bouncing off the wall, the apt. building and the houses. Very confusing to us as sometimes it seems people are in the side yard talking and yet no one is in sight or a truck is stopping out in front of the house but it is on the next street over. Does keep us on our toes making sure nothing is out of the ordinary.
ReplyDeleteBellen,
DeleteThis has been my life since 1977! Yet, I stay confused about sources and directions as you do. Thanks for that. I feel better for some strange reason. The only upside of your situation is the 10 ft wall.
That is so spooky! Do you think it could have been an animal scratching to get into your house because of the fireworks? Or maybe scratching to get out of the house because it was listening to the same fireworks you were listening too. Or you could have ghosts.
ReplyDeletetana50,
DeleteIt was just the sound of the popping of the fireworks reverberating on the side of my house. I had all the same questions as you posed. We did have ghosts, but no more.