Scary Stories

I just read a fab blog post about spooky stories and was inspired to share my own. Check out Akemanartist's post (via the above link) and I'd like to thank her for her that post as it reminded me of this story that I'd actually forgotten about.

One afternoon, back in my teens, I went straight home from school. I think I must have been grounded, otherwise I would have been hanging out with friends. I got home and began chores, cleaning the kitchen and prepping the dinner (my mom worked out of the home at that time).

The phone rang (land line and not cordless either). It was one of my friends and we started a typically marathon long teenage girl chat. As I chatted on the phone, I saw my younger sister walk in the front door. She said hello and put her school books on the kitchen counter and disappeared from my view. I had hoped she'd pick them up since I had been cleaning, but, I continued to blab, periodically calling out to her to pick up her stuff. When I finally hung up, I was annoyed that the book clutter was still on the counter and began calling out to her and walked through the dining room, kitchen and down the hall looking for her.

She was nowhere to be found and I was certain she was hiding from me. By now I more than annoyed, to be honest. There I was, standing in the hallway, walking in and out of bedrooms, calling my sister, and nothing, until the phone rang. I ran to my parents' room and answered the phone as it was closer than the phone in the dining room. It was my sister! I didn't see my face turn white as a ghost, but I could feel it. I could also feel my heart racing. She called to tell me that she stopped at her friend's house after school and had been trying to call me to let know but the phone busy for a long time. She was clearly upset that she couldn't get through to let me know because she didn't want my dad to get home from work and have me tell him I didn't know where she was.

Upon recovering from my initial shock, I thought this was some kind of joke as I saw her walk in the front door and drop her books on the kitchen counter. I told her to hang on, dropped the phone and I ran out of my parents' room, down the hallway towards the dining room fully expecting to bust her on the phone. There used to be some trick where you could dial some numbers and make your own phone ring and I thought she had done that. Well, she wasn't there and the phone was on the hook. I picked it up and she was still on the line. I then knew she really wasn't in the house as we didn't pass each other running through the house!

I told her what had happened, and as I told her about the books on the counter, I looked at the counter, and nothing was there! I freaked! When we hung up, I called my friend back because I wanted to ask her if I really was calling out to my sister to pick her books up off of the counter. My friend confirmed it and said she heard my sister talking to me when she first came in.

When my mom got home from work, I told her about it. The only conclusion we could come up with was that my sister being upset when she tried to follow the rules and let someone know her whereabouts (but couldn't get through) must have somehow projected herself home to get my attention. Who knows really, but it was rather scary as it was unfolding. As she is still alive, I know it wasn't a "traditional" ghost visit, and to this day, can't think of anything other than our above conclusion.

Do you have any thoughts on this? Have you had similar experiences or any hauntings or scary stories you'd like to share? Please feel free to share your thoughts or stories here.