I lived in a newer farm house in western Iowa for many years and felt, at times, I was being watched. Nothing real weird, but a bit unsettling when I was home alone at night or when my husband was out in the fields or at a meeting.

I didn't worry too much because my husband's family had been on that land for almost 100 years and had built the house, so I felt IF anything WAS there, it was most likely friendly. It had never done any harm to my family or myself.

One year, we were entertaining friends who were in from Maryland. We had a rec room in the basement and were playing cards when I noticed my dog standing and staring at the stairs going to the upstairs. I dismissed it, but the wife of our friend asked who was on the stairs. I told her I didn't believe anyone was as I could hear the kids upstairs watching a movie. She told me she'd heard someone start to come down the stairs then stop halfway. That's when my dog had gone to the foot of the staircase.

I went and checked it out. Old Buddy was pretty nervous and happy to follow me back to hide under the card table. The episode made for lively conversation, as both my son and I had fallen down those stairs previously.

Several days after our company left, when I was alone in the house again, I had a talk with whatever was there. I wondered if I was nuts or paranoid, but no one fell down the stairs again the rest of the time we lived in the house.