Frozen with Fear

~ A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
AND TRUE STORY ~

One summer, around the time when I was about 12 or 13 years old, I twice was asked to babysit for a friend [who was the "regular" babysitter] who had made another obligation.  Of course, I agreed and made arrangements with the parents.

The house was located on Bentley Avenue in Poultney.  My first gig went fine, although I recall feeling cold and uncomfortable in the house and after putting the two girls to bed, I believe I fell asleep on the couch until I heard the people for whom I was sitting come home.

The second time, was about 2 weeks later.  Outdoors, it was very hot and humid.  I remember using the downstairs bathroom and had this horrible feeling of a dark presence that felt like it surrounded me, and the house was cold.  Strangely cold.

I ran to the living room couch where I remained for hours, curled in a ball in the corner of the living room, not daring to move.  I felt an indescribable terror, which basically rendered me frozen with fear.  When the parents came home, I couldn't leave fast enough and ran to my house, opting to take the sidewalks, and not run up the railroad tracks, which would have been a creepier route.

When I arrived home, I told my parents about my experience, and my Dad, in particular believed what I said.

In 1979, our family moved to another town.  A couple years after moving, my father was reading the newspaper and called my name, saying to me, "Hey, do you remember babysitting in the house on Bentley Avenue, and the weird feeling that you had?"  ...."Well, who ever is renting it now, discovered the bones of a girl between the ages of 14 to 17 buried in the basement, and apparently she had been murdered."

Dad handed me the article, and basically the house was being rented by some college students who had discovered the body in the basement, and forensics were called in to examine the bones.  It appeared that the girl had suffered trauma to the head, and it appeared there was some violent wound to her femur.  That is all I remember from the story and cannot locate the story online, and, unfortunately, the Rutland Herald archives only go back to 1999.

                    

All I can say, is that something was in that house - it was dark and malevolent - and the feeling of terror that I experienced never left me.  The only other time I felt this was at the "Thrall Farm" in Poultney - also in the basement - where a ping pong table was set up.  I went into the basement for just a moment and had a similar feeling - I fled in terror and never again returned to the cellar of that home, and I was there very often during my youth.


By Denise Hinckley, October 4, 2013 - Please request permission to publish - All rights reserved.