True Ghost Tales

Shaking Bed

Though I do have aninterest in supernatural fiction, I can't claim to be a hard-corebeliever in the supernatural. I am inclined to view most of theshows and reports about the supernatural with some skepticism.Being a sensible person, I tend to believe that there is arational explanation for most things. However, I have knownpeople and have experienced firsthand some things that defyrational explanation so I do know not all things are in ourphysical domain. The story I am about to relate is one of mypersonal experiences into this realm.

This particular incident happened in the spring of 1993 not longafter I purchased a bed from a local antique dealer in Fullerton,CA. I live alone so it could not have been a roommate or familymember playing a joke.

One day driving home from work, I passed an antique store onHarbor Boulevard in the business section of Fullerton. I saw abed and matching chest of drawers that just looked perfect. Thedesign is late '30s early '40s style of Matchstick veneer withsome craved accents and brass and Bakelite pulls on the drawers.It struck me as so appropriate to my personal taste that I parkedthe car so I could get a better look in the display window. Theprice tag was visible and it looked like a fair price for twopieces of nice furniture of any era. After getting a secondopinion on the deal, I purchased the bed and chest.

I owned the furniture for about two months when the first eventoccurred. I was shaken awake one morning at about 5:15 am. Beingin California, I thought it was an earthquake until I noticed apressure holding down my arms and legs and that noticed nothingelse in the room was moving. Also, I could not speak. My thoughtswere, "What the hell is going on!" then "Oh, Godmake it stop!" It scared me but the experience only lastedabout two or three minutes. I passed it off as one of those weirdthings that happen in life and forgot about it in a couple ofdays.

About two months later, I was awakened by the feeling of someonesitting on the bed, again at about 5:15 am. I tried to see if oneof my cats had gotten into the bedroom but found that I could notmove. I noticed a very distinct pressure holding me down. Thistime it was not just my arms and legs, but it felt like anotherbody on top of me holding me down. That was enough to unnerve me,but then the bed began to shake violently. Had something not hadme pinned in place, I definitely would have been shaken out ofthe bed. Again, I could not find my voice to say anything but inmy mind I kept thinking, "Oh God, what is happening! Oh God,please make it stop!" After a few minutes, it did.

The noise was so loud, I was sure my next door neighbor heard theruckus through the wall since on a couple of occasions she hadcalled to ask me to turn down the volume on my television. When Isaw her that evening, she never mentioned any loud thumping. Thisleft me very frightened. I was reluctant to talk to anyonebecause, as many of you know, you get "the look" andthe patronizing attitude.

In September, I moved and thought the incidents would stop once Iwas in a new place. In November, I was awakened again at about 5:15am by the pressure holding me down only this time it was pressingso hard I could barely breathe. I was terrified because I thoughtit would stop with the move. The bed began its familiar shaking.I began panicking and thinking, "What is this? What can Ido? God, please help me." The shaking showed no signs ofstopping when I was finally able to get out, in a hushed voice,the words, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I orderyou to stop!" The shaking stopped immediately and thepressure on my body ceased.

I was so distraught, I finally told the story to a friend and shesuggested the obvious earthquake theory. I said that no quakeshad been reported on any of the occasions and that nothing elsein the room was shaking. She then suggested that it might be thehouse coming off the foundation since it was an older house. Isaid that might explain one house but not both and pointed outthat at the duplex my neighbor had not experienced thisphenomenon. I also said that nothing else in the room moved whichwould have happened just as it would in a ‘quake. She summedit up with, "There must be a rational explanation for this,we just haven't found it yet."

This has not occurred since that morning I invoked Jesus' namebut I cannot explain what happened or why. It still gives megoosebumps when I think about it and I have not been comfortableor slept well in the bed since.