Historic Portsmouth Virginia 2003

by Galen Fish
(Wilmington, NC)

I was living alone in an old three story brick building in historic Portsmouth Virginia in 2003. My apartment was on the first floor, high ceilings, and large rooms, (2bdrms). The master bedroom was in the back of the apartment away from the street. The two upper floors of the building were occupied by service members of the U S Coast Guard who rarely in the building. So I enjoyed a quiet and spacious home overlooking Norfolk.

In the living room, on the coffee table, I kept and used a heavy green glass ash tray. This ash tray was kept clean and centered on the table, as I am a bit of a neat freak. Occasionally the ash tray would go missing, a quick search of the apartment and nothing. A day or so later it would reappear in it's proper place. I just thought it was me being busy and absentminded.
But then, sleeping in the master bedroom got to be weird. I would lay down and cover up to sleep and it would feel like someone was pulling the covers off as if they were laying next to me. I did not get the feeling that someone was on the bed with me, just the covers being gently slid over. Soon the sleeping situation progressed to the point of someone sitting on the bed and then laying down and wanting their share of the blankets. I was a bit scared, but mostly annoyed. Who ever was doing this seemed, or somehow conveyed, to be gentle and loving...I do not know how else to say it!
A lady friend came to visit. I did tell her about the now and again ash tray or about the night time visits I had been experiencing. I knew she would think I was a bit touched in the head. We slept in the master bedroom that night and nothing unusual occurred. In the morning I got up first and went to the far end of the apartment where the kitchen was to make coffee. Then there was a loud ba-bang and my lady friend screaming for me. I rushed to the bedroom where I was told that something had picked up the end of the bed and let it drop to the floor!!! She said it was lifted about 3 feet, hung there and then dropped. I heard the noise it made and certainly have no doubt of it.
I moved from Portsmouth shortly thereafter for new employment.