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Ooh-Err... Nasty House

True that.



I'd never heard the phrase 'brown light' before this, but it perfectly describes my own experiences of a certain type of man made environment.

I spent the first few years of my life in a two hundred year old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere - and the rest of my youth in a rambling Victorian house that might have pushed spooky buttons for other people, but which felt nothing like that to me. When I first took possession of it the place I'm in now was a semi derelict pile of rubble full of dark red and brown wallpaper (and one room painted entirely black - with odd stuff written on the walls in luminous paint) - but it didn't actually feel at all eerie to me. The usual tropes that accompany that idea of spookiness when attached to buildings don't really do much for me.

But, 'brown light' - most definitely.

The occasion that gave me most of a jolt was when I accompanied my then partner to a place she was going to stay when working for a couple of weeks in Sheffield - on entering the building I almost immediately felt something was very wrong about the place. If I had to put it into words I would say that my overriding impression was that the corners of the rooms were actively sucking the light out of the house; in fact, I think I later described it to my ex as a 'house that eats light'. (She only lasted one night there, and my comments were after the fact - I immediately hated the place, but didn't want to put the wind up at the time.)

There is a darkness which is simply the result of an absence of light - and then there is a darkness which appears to be an active destroyer of light. In real terms there may be no difference - in emotional, psychological terms, I've often felt the difference, real or not.
Interesting about the `Brown light` on another thread (cant remember) ive typed about my ex gfs stairs & no matter what light was used they where always dark, dingy........oppressive.
 
The usual place.

At night. In the building, on my own, place locked up, no one else allowed in, etc, etc. Everywhere is blackness apart from my office, blah, blah,blah.

Started work, nothing too unusual.

I was engrossed in writing a report. It was important to me because a colleague had f*cked up and needed some help so I was completely nailed on to get this thing done asap.

So I didn't go through my normal steps in checking the building's inner rooms just the outside ones which were locked. I also left the door separating my office open to the other side of the building which is normally the place that has the weird stuff happen.

So the door was open and I'd grabbed a drink In the kitchen before I started. This was around 0030hrs. I left the kitchen door open. Which is not far from my office.

At 0250hrs, I leaned back from the computer, stretched, and was just in the process of re-reading the last sentence I'd written when I heard the unmistakable sound of the kitchen peddle-rubbish bin open and close with its usual characteristic open and snap shut sound. It's a really loud sound even without it happening in the silence of the night.

This got my attention.

I am 50/50 thinking "Is it the haunted old building or some f*cker in the place?"

This is an old, steel kitchen bin with a rod and pedal set up. It's designed for schools, kitchens, hospitals, etc. You put your foot on the peddle, it moves a rod that opens the lid with a very distinctive sound, you put your rubbish in and let go of the peddle and it snaps shut. It needs some effort/human weight to open it.

I've used it hundreds of times and it is in perfect working order and it is designed to last forever. It is impossible to open by itself or stay open by itself.

Unlike most of the weird sounds that I attribute to my mind playing tricks or a minor ghostly experience I actually thought someone else was in the building.

I grabbed my torch, As I've written about before everywhere apart from my office is in utter darkness.

Nothing obviously, I played around with the bin. Half-conscious that whatever had made the sound might be watching me and silently laughing.

Weirdly I met a local history woman recently who told me about what was built there before and I was a little surprised. I'd been wrong about what I'd assumed and let's just say it might explain a few things.

Pick one of your top ten creepy or weird haunted tropes and it's basically one of those.
 
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I've never considered myself to be sensitive in any way, but when I think about it, I do seem to know when a house 'isn't right'. It doesn't matter how old the house is- it can be hundreds of years old and feel fine, or ten years old and I know I wouldn't want to live there. Very strange. I have on at least four occassions been correct. Without mentioning my suspicions to anyone else, it has turned out that someone has mentioned to me that they think it's 'haunted,' or have experienced something 'unnerving' also. In the case of my Grandparents' house, my Mother (who had continuously said how much she would love to live there), told me that when she was there overnight on her own when my Gran was in hospital, (40 years later), how 'spooked' she felt. Even though she had been born there she had never spent a night there on her own until this one time.
 
The usual place.

At night. In the building, on my own, place locked up, no one else allowed in, etc, etc. Everywhere is blackness apart from my office, blah, blah,blah.

Started work, nothing too unusual.

I was engrossed in writing a report. It was important to me because a colleague had f*cked up and needed some help so I was completely nailed on to get this thing done asap.

So I didn't go through my normal steps in checking the building's inner rooms just the outside ones which were locked. I also left the door separating my office open to the other side of the building which is normally the place that has the weird stuff happen.

So the door was open and I'd grabbed a drink In the kitchen before I started. This was around 0030hrs. I left the kitchen door open. Which is not far from my office.

At 0250hrs, I leaned back from the computer, stretched, and was just in the process of re-reading the last sentence I'd written when I heard the unmistakable sound of the kitchen peddle-rubbish bin open and close with its usual characteristic open and snap shut sound. It's a really loud sound even without it happening in the silence of the night.

This got my attention.

I am 50/50 thinking "Is it the haunted old building or some f*cker in the place?"

This is an old, steel kitchen bin with a rod and pedal set up. It's designed for schools, kitchens, hospitals, etc. You put your foot on the peddle, it moves a rod that opens the lid with a very distinctive sound, you put your rubbish in and let go of the peddle and it snaps shut. It needs some effort/human weight to open it.

I've used it hundreds of times and it is in perfect working order and it is designed to last forever. It is impossible to open by itself or stay open by itself.

Unlike most of the weird sounds that I attribute to my mind playing tricks or a minor ghostly experience I actually thought someone else was in the building.

I grabbed my torch, As I've written about before everywhere apart from my office is in utter darkness.

Nothing obviously, I played around with the bin. Half-conscious that whatever had made the sound might be watching me and silently laughing.

Weirdly I met a local history woman recently who told me about what was built there before and I was a little surprised. I'd been wrong about what I'd assumed and let's just say it might explain a few things.

Pick one of your top ten creepy or weird haunted tropes and it's basically one of those.
Really really overweight mouse? They jump into our tall garbage cans constantly. Not so good at getting out. You hear thump-rustle-thump-rustle and finally go and release them.
 
The usual place.

At night. In the building, on my own, place locked up, no one else allowed in, etc, etc. Everywhere is blackness apart from my office, blah, blah,blah.

Started work, nothing too unusual.

I was engrossed in writing a report. It was important to me because a colleague had f*cked up and needed some help so I was completely nailed on to get this thing done asap.

So I didn't go through my normal steps in checking the building's inner rooms just the outside ones which were locked. I also left the door separating my office open to the other side of the building which is normally the place that has the weird stuff happen.

So the door was open and I'd grabbed a drink In the kitchen before I started. This was around 0030hrs. I left the kitchen door open. Which is not far from my office.

At 0250hrs, I leaned back from the computer, stretched, and was just in the process of re-reading the last sentence I'd written when I heard the unmistakable sound of the kitchen peddle-rubbish bin open and close with its usual characteristic open and snap shut sound. It's a really loud sound even without it happening in the silence of the night.

This got my attention.

I am 50/50 thinking "Is it the haunted old building or some f*cker in the place?"

This is an old, steel kitchen bin with a rod and pedal set up. It's designed for schools, kitchens, hospitals, etc. You put your foot on the peddle, it moves a rod that opens the lid with a very distinctive sound, you put your rubbish in and let go of the peddle and it snaps shut. It needs some effort/human weight to open it.

I've used it hundreds of times and it is in perfect working order and it is designed to last forever. It is impossible to open by itself or stay open by itself.

Unlike most of the weird sounds that I attribute to my mind playing tricks or a minor ghostly experience I actually thought someone else was in the building.

I grabbed my torch, As I've written about before everywhere apart from my office is in utter darkness.

Nothing obviously, I played around with the bin. Half-conscious that whatever had made the sound might be watching me and silently laughing.

Weirdly I met a local history woman recently who told me about what was built there before and I was a little surprised. I'd been wrong about what I'd assumed and let's just say it might explain a few things.

Pick one of your top ten creepy or weird haunted tropes and it's basically one of those.
No cats loose in the building? I have seen a cat open a peddle bin in the past.
 
No cats loose in the building? I have seen a cat open a peddle bin in the past.
Cats aren't daft.

I was once given a full tray of roasted chicken portions for my lot.
As I was tired I forgot about the chicken and left it in my rucksack overnight.

Next morning the rucksack was fully unzipped and the place was strewn with picked-dry bones. :chuckle:
 
No cats loose in the building? I have seen a cat open a peddle bin in the past.

It's not really a peddle as such but a steel bar connected to a spring-loaded rod. The pressure you exert works against the spring so when you take your foot off the bar the lid the pressure is released and the lid snaps shut.

Can't see a cat or dog having enough strength to open it as well as it is too fiddly for a paw. Also, the "animal" had no way in or out.

It's an industrial bin made for large-scale kitchens.
 
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It's not really a peddle as such but a steel bar connected to a spring-loaded rod. The pressure you exert works against the spring so when you take your foot off the lid the pressure is released and the lid snaps shut.

Can't see a cat or dog having enough strength to open it as well as it is too fiddly for a paw. Also, the "animal" had no way in or out.

It's an industrial bin made for large-scale kitchens.
Ah no as you say unlikely that an animal would be able to do it. Friend's cat would jump off the top of their plastic pedal bin onto the pedal which would open the lid, but he never worked out how to keep the lid open to get at the contents.
 
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Sort of like these but more robust as it's old.

s-l1600.jpg
 
Different building.
Talking to a colleague recounting old ghost stories, he had just finished the highpoint of one of his stories when we both watched a screwdriver fall off a shelf and land on the concrete floor between us.

It's amazing that it choose that exact time to make its literal leap off the shelf.

No heavy traffic, earthquakes, meteor impacts. The room is small and was deadly quiet.

He's a wise old soul and just looked me in the eye, nodding...
 
We employed a guy to cover our role. He was fine for awhile, seemed to enjoy it. Then he stopped. This guy is as manly as you can get - a major nonsense guy. He's seen everything.
 
These posts remind me of a flat I lived in in my late teens it was part of a manor house that had been made into flats. The living room had two massive window's one was a bay so the room was flooded with light. But whenever I tried to sit in there the atmosphere would get steadily heavier and darker I never felt that I was alone in there. So I spent most of my time in the kitchen which had a lovely atmosphere. I pass the house on my way home from work on the bus and even now 30+ years on I have to turn my head so I don't look into the living room window I have a weird notion that if I do I'll see my terrified 19 year old self looking out. I've given myself the heebie jeebies just talking about it.
 
Seasonal article from NY Times about "How to Live with a Ghost".
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/realestate/haunted-house-paranormal-ghosts.html

Many Americans believe that their home is inhabited by someone or something that isn’t a living being. An October study from the Utah-based home security company Vivint found that nearly half of the thousand surveyed homeowners believed that their house was
haunted. Another survey of 1,000 people by Real Estate Witch*, an education platform for home buyers and sellers, found similar results, with 44 percent of respondents saying that they’ve lived in a haunted house.

Researchers attribute increasing belief in the supernatural to the rise of paranormal-related media, a decline in religious affiliation and the pandemic. With so many people believing that they live with ghosts, a new question arises: How does one live with ghosts? Are there ways to become comfortable with it, or certain actions to keep away from so as not to disturb it?...


*typo or deliberate?
 
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I have no problem with this. I have a graveyard just across the street from me, visible from my living room window. If anything, it adds tranquillity
My junior school was right next to a graveyard and it was always a very peaceful place. Old graveyards can also be wildlife havens. I suppose it might depend. On a gloomy, wet winter day with night closing in the view from that house above might seem depressing and unsettling, but in bright weather a tranquil place. It depends on the general mood of the person who lives there; some will take no notice and even say it adds something, others will feel that is drags them down. I saw a few articles for houses with graveyards.

One rather charming little place in the middle of one in Plymouth
 
I used to live next door to a church with graveyard, and now I've moved two doors away. I walk past every night with the dog, can see gravestones from my back window, and I love it. It's quiet and peaceful and full of wildlife. I actually suspect that the graveyard used to be bigger and might well go underneath at least one of the houses built up against it.... but I'm not going to tell the occupants.
 
Seasonal article from NY Times about "How to Live with a Ghost".
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/realestate/haunted-house-paranormal-ghosts.html

Many Americans believe that their home is inhabited by someone or something that isn’t a living being. An October study from the Utah-based home security company Vivint found that nearly half of the thousand surveyed homeowners believed that their house was
haunted. Another survey of 1,000 people by Real Estate Witch*, an education platform for home buyers and sellers, found similar results, with 44 percent of respondents saying that they’ve lived in a haunted house.

Researchers attribute increasing belief in the supernatural to the rise of paranormal-related media, a decline in religious affiliation and the pandemic. With so many people believing that they live with ghosts, a new question arises: How does one live with ghosts? Are there ways to become comfortable with it, or certain actions to keep away from so as not to disturb it?...


*typo or deliberate?
Half?

What are these folk on?
 
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