In 1973 when I was 8, my family lived in an old farmhouse in rural southern Ohio. The closest house was about 1 mile away. The house we lived in was on a working farm with a barn, a wind mill water pump, several acres of fields, a small creek, and it all backed up to a line of trees about 1/2 mile behind the house.

The house was built in the 1850s. It had a root cellar and two stories. The upstairs had three large bedrooms and a small bathroom with an old, metal, claw foot bath tub. Wide stairs terminated at the top at the north end of the large landing and a walkway ran from the top of the stairs along the west wall past my sisters bedroom before turning east. The walkway then passed my parents room, my room and then ended at the bathroom. At the landing (the north end) there was a large window. I should mention that the ceilings were about 20 feet tall. So the window on the north wall started about 8 feet above the floor. My room was on the south end of the landing/walkway.

One January night I needed to heed the call of nature so I got out of bed, and walked to the door. Across the upper walkway/landing was a figure. It was about 6 feet tall. Its face was silvery white and glowing. It had spiky lightning bolt like hair and its body while bipedal and humanoid was ill defined and not glowing. It was standing at the top of the landing, 40 feet away from me and it was looking at me.

I screamed.

After what seemed like an eternity my sleepy parents entered the common walkway area. By this time the creature had disappeared. My mother sent my dad downstairs to check out the house while she comforted me and checked on my younger sister. My sister slept through the whole incident. I stood rooted to my doorway out of terror while my dad investigated the downstairs. While my dad was downstairs I heard the sounds of metal banging. It wasn’t very loud but it was loud enough for my mom and I to hear. The sound only lasted a few seconds.

When my dad came upstairs he reported that there was nothing downstairs. I asked him what the metal banging sounds were and he said he hadn’t heard anything.

I’m not sure how but I somehow managed to go back to sleep that night. I know my mom sat up with me until I did.

This was the only time I saw something strange at this house. We moved that summer.