As a child, I used to live in a country house in Iowa. Contrary to what people believe, the house wasn’t that old. It was built in a short while after my birth, since my parent’s old house burned down completely, by unknown causes. I remember I was about six or seven years old, and seeing figures around the house, at night, was something regular. I always think if that was my rich imagination, or those figures were real.

Even though my parents never mentioned anything about it, I could tell the house was haunted. I was very young, but I knew something was not right. Me and my sister were too afraid to sleep in our room, even if we shared one and were never alone. We preferred a couch in one end of the living room because it only had a short hallway to the room of our parents. But in the close vicinity of the sofa was the dining hall. I remember falling asleep very hard. I used to sit with my eyes opened until they fell heavy and eventually closed. Growing on a farm made be a not so sensitive girl, so princesses were not on my favorite list. Though, I used to dream about a girl, a beautiful one, dressed in a gorgeous dress, similar to a wedding dress. She used to dance all the time, and it seemed she tried to talk to me in the dream. Her expression was always sad, even if she appeared to be dancing and having fun.

So as I was trying to fall asleep, my eyes were set on the direction of the dining room. I saw multiple figures there, of very different colors. They weren’t white, or black. They had bright colors or pink, yellow and blue. One in particular was gray, and I could tell it was wearing a top hat. One of them had a big dress, but except for that and the one with the top hat, I couldn’t tell the how the other figures were. There were very many, walking around the small dining room. They never stepped out from the space. Just a couple of smaller figures used to run on the stairs, running up and down and entered the bathroom. I thought back then that this was an ordinary sight to see at night. But now, that I live in a regular house, which is not haunted, I can tell that wasn’t something usual.

After me and my sister grew, my mother finally talked to us about the things we’ve seen. Although we never mentioned anything about it. She told me one of the figures, with the large dress, was the bride. Seen from a distance, she appeared rather beautiful, with a long hair of brown color. She resembled very much with the princess I used to have in my dreams. But seen up close, she was very frightening. Her face was ugly and looked like an evil skull. I get shivers up my spine each time I think of it. And I never told anyone about this yet. Then, there were the little children, the figures playing on the stairs. Mother told us that even grandmother used to see them exactly in the same spot, each time she came to visit. She used to describe the sittings exactly how we used to see them, in spite of never telling mom the things we witnessed at night. So I don’t think they were telling lies.

There was a story about our house, which mother told us. It was believed that houses like the one we lived in, and which had an intense ghost activity, were some portals to the other world. The house was also placed on an ancient Indian burial ground, so it makes sense why so many ghosts were present in our home. Mother used to believe that the portal was inside my sister’s room. Because each time she would close the door of the closet, it started trembling and shaking, like someone or something was forcing its way out. A lot of activities were present in that room, and it was pretty scary too. But eventually, mom realized the portal was in the dining hall. No wonder, since there were so many ghosts there every night. Again, mother made this conclusion without us telling her that we saw those figures there every night. Our house was very populated by those spirits, so I guess anyone living there could tell it was haunted. Our faith in God was the one holding us together.

We moved out of the house and today I live in a regular house, without any activity of that kind. Growing up in that environment made me got used to the things I experienced in the house, during my childhood. But now I realize it wasn’t normal at all, and that we had a severe case of ghost haunting. I am thankful that the spirits didn’t want to do us harm.