Ghost Tales, Pre-Dawn

One of those all too frequent nights when I cannot sleep. At 3:45 AM, I call it a night and head to the office to fire up the computer and work on another chapter of this book I'm behind on. I then traipse into the kitchen, lights off and fire up the water for a cuppa Joe. I choose the 2016 Starbucks Christmas edition and an Aero press for a heavy jolt of caffeine. As I'm waiting in the mostly dark kitchen, with only a small light over the range on, I feel a chill and sense something moving.

In the shadows by the floor, I see a darker shape. It's a black cat, rearing up with it's tail straight up and poised as if in a strike position. The hairs on my arms and neck are now standing straight up and I'm waiting for the pounce when a factoid occurs to me.

The thing is, there is no cat living in my house and has not been since 2013. It's a shadow of something which does not exist, but all in all, not an unknown in my regular experiences with spirits.

An hour later my kids Shih-tzu, Kami, which to this point has been asleep, awakens and barks her territorial warning growl. I call to her to stop as there is nothing here, not even the snow plows have yet gone bye in sleepy Brookfield on this snowy morning. She advances, growling and I walk with her to the front door and open it, as her teeth are bared in a snarl, to the frozen snow of my front yard. Not a living creature in sight, not even the small herd of white tail deer which will walk through at first light. I venture outside with her as she seems adamant that there is someone out there. I feel a deep chill, not from the cold and me in my jams, but a sense that I'm being watched by something malevolent.

Kami finally settles down as I take my time scanning the darkness and the feeling passes, however, I am convinced that the dog felt something beyond the ordinary and that what I felt/ sensed was real as well. We go back inside and I double check that the door is locked, knowing fully well that whatever was there would not be stopped by a locked door. Even now, as I write this an hour later, I keep having the feeling that there is someone looking over my right shoulder. I wonder which of my past associations it may be this time as it certainly feels familiar. Cheers.