The Unexplained Noises That Fueled a Childhood Mystery It is wonderful that five thousand years have now elapsed since the creation of the world, and still it is undecided whether or not there has ever been an instance of the spirit of any person appearing after death. All argument is against it; but all belief is for it. —Samuel Johnson I was about six years old when the trouble started, and I retain only fragmentary memories of what happened: I remember the sound, big and booming. To me, the noise suggested something was angry—and trying to break in through the roof. Once, I can remember, the sound woke me up out of bed. I shared a room with a big brother, Dave. He had already stood up and turned on the light. Our sisters were down the hall. We could hear them, hollering to us. But the booms seemed to come from the roof over our heads. “What’s happening?” I asked. In response, Dave stared up at the ceiling and put his hands over his head—the way I’d found stressed adults sometimes did to keep their heads from, you know, popping off.
