Poltergeists & Gremlins

I was doing last minute cleaning in the basement the night before we moved into our house 19 years ago. My son’s bedroom smelled really weird. I got upset because Ben was only 7 years old and would be sleeping downstairs alone. By daylight the next day, the house seemed less creepy and we moved in without incident. Over the next few years, Ben had some weird experiences getting locked inside things. I called home from work one night to find that my husband was in the process of bashing down the bathroom door. It had locked with Ben inside, and he couldn’t get the door open. After that night, Ben got locked inside a locker during a Cub Scout function at a community center. Another day, he got locked in the bathroom at a Starbucks. Writing about it now, these occurrences seem pretty strange. At the time, though, we thought they were kind of amusing (I doubt Ben was amused). The last time this happened, Ben got locked in his bedroom. We took the doorknob off, but the tongue part was stuck inside the doorjamb. It was weird to see and talk to Ben through the doorknob hole and still not be able to open the door. Rick had to break yet another door to rescue Ben. My sister said maybe a playful spirit was at work, which only served to creep Ben out. It would be years before he would sleep in his room. Nowadays, the only inexplicable occurrences in our house involve missing accessories. I’m convinced I have a jewelry gremlin who has recently graduated to swiping my eye glasses. It eventually releases my missing stuff, and fortunately has never locked me in a room. Maybe all those years ago Ben should have offered up a bracelet or earrings. Who knows? It might have saved us a couple of doors.