In 1959, I got married. We bought a small house--today you would call it a starter home--a small cape cod with four rooms on the first level. The attic was unfinished except for a four foot wide catwalk the width of the house. We moved in after returning from our honeymoon. Three peaceful months passed, and then the knocking started. The first time, I was lying on the sofa. It was getting late, around 10 or so, and I was startled by a loud, hard knocking. It was coming from the master bedroom where my wife was sleeping. I thought she was just being silly, so I yelled at her to cut it out, and the noise stopped. The next morning, I confronted her, and she denied even being awake. The following week, the same thing happened again. I didn't say a word. I thought by not saying anything, she would see it wasn't bothering me and would stop the knocking. It then began happening every night, always at 10. The second time, I ran into the bedroom, expecting to catch my wife acting silly but, sure enough, she was sleeping like a baby. My wife went to the parish priest and told him the story. He came over the same day, blessed the house, and we didn't hear any knocking until a year later. My wife was ready to deliver our first child; it was a Saturday evening, and it looked like it was going to be a long night. Finally, the doctor told me that I should just head on home and get some rest. I took his advice and was dozing on the couch when the knocking started again. It was louder than it had ever been, and soon it sounded like children bouncing a ball in the attic. I ran towards the attic door, and there in the open doorway stood another large man. At that moment, the telephone began to ring. I knew that it was news from the hospital that I couldn't miss, so I had to leave the phantom. By the time I returned, he was gone. My wife had a baby boy, and I never told her what had happened. Instead, I went to a realtor and told him to put the house on the market, under the guise of needing more space because of the baby. We sold the house and that was the end of my terror. I don't even want to know what other owners have experienced.

Joseph De, NJ