Now THIS Is Creepy!

This is another ghost story, so if you don't like it, click away from this site immediately.

Last night I went to bed at midnight. Everyone else was in bed at this point and I walked into the kitchen for my usual glass of ice water and dose of pain pills before bed. The kitchen was clean. There was nothing on the floor. I took my pills, shut off the light, and went to bed.

Amazingly, I slept like a baby last night, perhaps due to the fact that I haven't slept AT ALL the past two nights.

This morning I awoke at 7:00 AM- the first one up, as is usually the case. I entered the kitchen and grabbed a glass for my morning glass of ice water. I opened the fridge to look for something quick to grab for my breakfast as I began my morning typing ritual (trying to crank out as many reports as possible before my children awake only to interrupt me every 5 minutes).

I found some already sliced cantaloupe, dumped it into a bowl, grabbed my glass of ice and turned to exit the kitchen. That's when I noticed something small and dark in the middle of the kitchen floor. I squinted my eyes and leaned in for a closer look. It was a cockroach. A smashed cockroach, right in the middle of my kitchen floor. I furrowed my brow. "Who would leave a smashed cockroach right there in the middle of the kitchen floor?" I thought to myself.

I set my bowl of fruit and glass of ice down on the counter and grabbed a paper towel, then scooped the cockroach and his guts up and threw him in the trash. Then I scratched my head and thought, "Oh well, I'll ask Bertrand and John when they wake up. Must have been one of them and they decided just to leave it there this time."

I then went back to work.

7:45 Bertrand arose. I asked him if he had gotten up in the night. He responded with "No, why?" I asked again, "Are you sure? You didn't get up and go into the kitchen at all last night?" Again he responded with, "No! Why?" I then explained about the smashed cockroach. He shrugged his shoulders and walked on.

8:30 John arose. I asked HIM if he had risen in the night and gone to the kitchen for anything. "No," he responded. "Are you sure, John?" I pressed. "You're not in trouble or anything. I'm just wondering about something. I'm just curious."

"Mom!" he insisted. "I didn't get up. I'm telling the truth. What's going on?"

I told him about the cockroach smashed in the middle of the kitchen floor this morning. His eyes got a little big and he said, "Told you, mom. I knew there was something in this house."

We have no pets and there is NO WAY my 2 or 3-year-old would have gotten up in the night, smashed a cockroach to that degree and not screamed. My girls don't get up in the night and leave their bedroom at all. I'm sure of this.

So, that leaves only one explanation, really - unless you can think of another reason why this cockroach would be smashed in the middle of my floor.

I do know that this presence we've all felt does tend to hang out in the kitchen a lot at night because that's where we hear most of the noise coming from. And I have spent a few nights on the couch in this house - the couch right by the kitchen - and have heard shuffling footsteps and things moving around on the counter.

I guess I should be grateful if it is in fact the ghost man we all sense around here. At least he's helpful.