This story starts a couple months ago, during a visit from my in-laws. We were getting into our car, when our across the street neighbor stopped by to tell us that their house had been broken into that morning. She told us that she was working in her basement office when she heard somebody coming through the window. She screamed at the top of her lungs and scared the intruders off, who got into their car and proceeded to another house in our neighborhood where they were foiled again in their attempts to break in. The intruders were identified as a male and female in their early twenties driving an old silver compact. Our neighbor's story certainly frightened us, especially the boldness and recklessness of the assailants.
Fast-forward a couple of weeks, Natalie and I are fast asleep at 5:59 am. We are awakened by a loud, frantic rapping on our front door. Nine boisterous, distinct knocks rhythmically placed within a two second window of time. I shot up fast enough to have to sit back down on the bed and let the blood flow back to my head as Natalie gasped, "go see who it is!" Being in my underwear, I decided to run across the hall and try to get a look at the porch from the window in the nursery. The rushed nature of the knocking led me to expect to see one of two things at my door, a distressed neighbor seeking shelter and assistance, or an officer of the law hot on the heels of a criminal.
I saw nothing but a quiet street bathed in the early morning sun. I quickly went back to my room and threw on some clothes so I could check the perimeter of the house. Everything was in order and there were no signs of a break in, but that didn't stop my heart from beating a thousand times per second. Standing in the backyard, I realized I should go back to check on my wife and unborn daughter. I rushed up the stairs and found Natalie where I had left her, in bed with the sheets pulled up to her chin. She told me how the baby had been kicking like crazy, obviously sensing the tension in her mother.
A couple weeks earlier my Dad had been cleaning out the garage and discovered a .22 rifle that he had given me for my 16th birthday. He sent me home with it after a visit one night. Not knowing what to do with it, I hid it in the top of our walk-in closet. Seeing my wife in distress reminded me of the weapon at my disposal and the fact that I hadn't yet checked the basement. I grabbed the empty rifle and headed down the stairs. An intruder wouldn't know the gun was empty and at least I would have something to club him with if it came to it. I thoroughly checked the basement, and found nothing. As I walked through the rest of the house again I noticed out the window some teenagers walking down the street on their way to school. I hypothesized that it could have been one of my scouts "doorbell ditching." We eventually went back to sleep just in time to wake up for work. We were a little shaken by the mysterious knock, but we continued on with our day.
Fast forward a couple weeks. It happens again. The same time. The same frantic knock. The same rush to the window, this time a good five seconds faster. The same property-wide search. Still no sign of an intruder. We lay in bed and go over the details in the mystery.
Fast forward a couple weeks. 5:59 am. It happens, and this time we lay in bed with our thinking caps on. Jaded and wiser. It is the same time, same EXACT noise. What have all of these instances had in common?
...Automatic sprinkers...
Each instance had coincided with the instigation of our automatic sprinkling system. The loud knocking noise was made by the water pipes in our house. We chuckled at our selves as we felt the adrenaline levels return to normal, and we drifted off to sleep.
5:59 am. This morning. It happens again. My head lifts off the pillow for half a second. Within 10 seconds I am back to sleep. For those of you who have endured this story and are still with me, now is a good time for a mental "note to self."
IN CASE OF LATE NIGHT / EARLY MORNING EMERGENCY REQUIRING ASSISTANCE FROM THE CROWLEY'S: RING BELL. PHONE. DO NOT KNOCK!
4 comments:
Nice story! I'll remember that next time I hear knocking on my door. I find it a little strange that teenagers are walking to school at 6AM...
A similar thing happened to us in our old house but it involved an extremely loud coming from our unfinished basement. I was convinced it was a ghost or demon or something. My heart was in my throat and I had my keys and cellphone on me as I inspected the basement in case I had to jet. I found nothing but later realized the wind was blowing open and slamming shut a door on the back of our house.
There were several sounds in that house that took me like a year and a half to learn what they were before I was certain that house wasn't haunted.
Truly I was gripping my chair in suspense to find out who the "bad guy" was! I totally thought it was going to be your neighbor! Those darn sprinklers. Funny, funny story...something Jason and I would pull. Nice detective work, though! P.S. When's your sweet baby girl coming? So exciting!
We should write a book, maybe a booklet of 'things that go bump in the night' collected stories. You're familiar with ours. That was a great story. The whole time I thought your neighbor was pulling your leg about the break-ins ("Never Cry Wolf") and it was going to be a practical joke of some kind. Good news and bad news that her story was straight.
Mom C.
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