Ghost Stories

Dragging Chains

This experiencehappened around 1975.

My brother, Charlie and I lived at home with my parents while wewere working and going to college but every summer my folks wouldtake off, just traveling around the U.S. and leaving us to house-sitand mow lawns. One particular warm humid night not long after myparents left, I came home from work, watched TV and went up tobed. My brother was already asleep in his room which was next tomine. As I laid down in bed I heard the distinct sounds of amedium to heavy weight link chain being dragged on the other sideof my bedroom ceiling directly over my bed. It sounded exactlylike a person picking up a length of chain, dragging it across aflat surface (there were no floorboards in this attic space), andthen dropping the chain to the floor again. It would then repeatitself, yet the noise never got any distance from the spotoverhead. I listened to this eerie sound for three nights in arow, each time reasoning with myself that there had to be arational explanation for it. I kept it to myself, least mybrother think I was crazy. It bothered me that he never indicatedthat he heard anything at all during the night and I was becomingworried that I was the only one who could hear this.

On the fourth night my nerves started to frazzle. That nightshortly after I went to bed the sounds started up but, instead ofdirectly overhead in the attic, the sounds of the 'pick up, dragand drop,' of the chains changed location, and were now on theother side of my bedroom wall. The very wall where my bed waspushed up against. Accompanying the noise of the chains was athumping sound against the same wall. I had an unshakable feelingthat there was an intelligence behind it and that I was thetarget of the cacophony; as if the noises were intentionallydirected at me. I was beginning to wonder if I was going a littlenuts myself.

The following morning before we took off to attend to ourdiffering schedules, I asked Charlie if he ever heard noises inthe attic at night that he couldn't account for. He replied thathe hadn't.

I began to tell him about the 'pick up, drag, drop' of the chainsbut he cut me off by tossing a dirty look. He thought I wasputting him on. That night I heard the chains start up not longafter I climbed under the blankets. I was not surprised that thesound of clinking chains had resume their original position backoverhead my bed. I shut out the noise by placing pillows over myears.

The following morning, I came downstairs and noticed my brotherlooking tired. With much trepidation, I cautiously asked if heheard the sounds that I had told him about the day before. Helooked at me with wide eyes. "Yes, I heard it," hereplied. It was very clear he'd been shook up and didn't want todiscuss it. Disappointed by his attitude, I was still greatlyrelieved to know I wasn't 'hearing things.' All I really neededwas the conformation.

Other strange things happened in that house that I won't go into,but as for the sounds of the chains, they went from a nightlyoccurrence to being present only occasionally. After about eightweeks they disappeared altogether. It was only then I checked outthe empty attic. There was nothing up there that could accountfor the constant eerie clinking of metal one long ago summer.

I have posted this letter in a few places asking if anyone hasever had the experience of hearing ghostly chains. So far no onehas replied to this question. I ask, because the phenomena itself(chains rattling or dragging) seem peculiarly confined tofictional stories, for example, Charles Dickens, 'A ChristmasCarol. Yet what I heard was most definitely the sound of'dragging' chains!

So I ask: Is there anyone out there that has this experience withchains? I am very much interested if you have.