The Woman In My House

by Liza G
(Wisconsin)

I've lived in the same house my whole life. It's a very old house and over the years I've grown accustomed to odd things happening - hearing footsteps on the stairs when everyone is asleep, things falling off shelves with no explanation, etc. I've always thought my house was haunted, but never badly. I've only had two visual supernatural experiences that frightened me.
Both of these happened when I was a child- I'm older now.

When I was very little, I remember waking up and feeling very strange. I was definitely awake and not dreaming, but I felt crushing pressure and warmth all around me and I found it difficult to breathe, not to mention impossible to see anything. In the next instant, I saw a light far away and heard what sounded like a woman singing in a very high voice. I'm not a big believer in God, heaven, or any sort of afterlife, but if I had to describe the experience, I'd say it was like being buried alive, dying, and seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel - all within a span of seconds. Almost immediately after, I heard a door close elsewhere in the house and everything was back to normal.

The second experience happened when I was a bit older, maybe thirteen. I was sitting on my sofa reading a book when I suddenly had a strong urge to look up. From where I was sitting, I could see a little into the hall at the other end of the room, and I saw a woman walking down the hall towards me. She was very tall, definitely over six feet, with pale skin. She was wearing what appeared to be a black Victorian-style mourning dress, with a veil that covered her face and made it difficult to see, other than her bright glittering eyes. She seemed to glide rather than walking, and she stared straight ahead, as if out the window behind me. As soon as she stepped out of the hall and into the room, her eyes shifted slightly and she looked me in the eyes. No sooner had she done so than she disappeared.

My house was built in the 1800s, so the time period of her clothing would fit with someone who might've once lived here. I try to be a skeptic, but with my experiences it's hard to say my house isn't haunted. Thank goodness the spirit(s) appear to be harmless.