Crunchy Gravel

by Derek R.
(Australia, Victoria)

A couple of years ago I lived with my family in another state in an old beach house, more like holiday house. It had three small bedrooms and no phone line and the house was on the smallish side too.

Living in an area run by tourism and by the beach was okay at first until night descended. The house on the right was a permanent resident and had a lovely old couple living there that we spoke to occasionally. The house on the left was a holiday home and vacant for six the eight months of the year.

We knew the owners and they seemed okay and chatted with us whenever they were staying there. The driveway into their carport was white gravel. There was no fence between the properties until you got to the backyard, so the house wall was effectively the fence. My wife and I like fresh air at night so we left the window open which faced the carport and gravel driveway.

One night I had just turned out my light and was trying to sleep when I heard crunching in the gravel just outside our bedroom window. It sounded like footsteps approaching and I was certain a face would appear at the window any moment. I waited!

Nothing, no face or person and the crunching stopped. I flew from bed and grabbed the mag light (big heavy metal torch) and raced to the window. Nothing, not even someone running away. I was puzzled, scared and in no mood for sleeping. The next day I went next door: no one there and no marks in the gravel.

A couple weeks later the wife and kids went to grandma and grandpas' (my in laws) to visit. I had received a huge block of work and being low on funds stayed home to work. Two nights after they left at eleven pm the gravel started crunching again. I was ready and rushed to the window torch in hand. I flashed it outside and nearly messed myself. A huge man was walking toward me, but something was not right. He was opaque and fuzzy, like an out of focus photo. Then about a foot from the window he vanished.

I freaked out and slammed the window shut, jumped into bed, and hid until I fell asleep.

I never told the wife or kids and even with the window shut I could still hear the crunching gravel at least once a week. I was sure glad when we moved, but that brought other problems I will write about later.