seriously spooked

Hey all... we're here at my sister's in Memphis having our holiday. The weather is fantastic... mostly hot and a bit humid (nothing like Bahrain), and it's rained with thunderstorms many times already... with us having to get in the bathtub once from a tornado warning! :) That scared the daylights outta me, but all was ok. And you know how I love heavy rain, so I'm loving it. :)

Real quick though... before the little one wakes up... last night, for the 3rd night in a row, I heard something in the bedroom where Naief and I are sleeping. It first started about 3 nights ago w/ sounds like a mouse or squirrel in the wall - or what I told myself it had to be - then the night after that, it sounded like something was under the bed and I found myself asking myself if Queenie (a little chihuahua), my niece's dog, was under the bed. That sound went on for a bit and then stopped... but it didn't scare me - I only dismissed it.

But.. last night there were sounds in the room that seriously spooked me. I was on the computer last night until about midnight at which time I heard Chelsea - my sister's dog - growling outside our room. It was a very deep, low growl that continued for several seconds. I got scared, got up and went into the kitchen to check and make sure all the doors were locked. The door to the garage was unlocked, I locked it, checked the front door and went back to bed. She didn't growl again.

After this, I said goodnight to hubby, turned off the light and tried to go to sleep. It was at this time that I heard the first of the sounds.

Sounded as if someone was shuffling papers at the dresser. As if looking for something really. I immediately got scared but talked myself into calmness.... then a bit later I heard another noise right next to me. It was as if someone was closing the drawer to the nightstand next to me. I turned over and looked in that direction.... really terrified that I'd see something, but didn't. I closed my eyes and then reopened them slightly thinking or still wondering if I'd see something. The sound stopped, but again started. This time at the nightstand on the other side of the bed. Same sound.. like someone was closing the drawer or messing with it.

I get chills just thinking about it.

While it was happening or after, I couldn't help wonder why they weren't tripping over our luggage and whatnot in the room... I had the computer on the floor next to the nightstand that was next to me and cables on the floor but nothing moved. We have two suitcases in the room, a box w/ stuff on it - the room is pretty stuffed with stuff... but nothing was touched.

I don't know what it is, but when I got up this morning and told my mom, she told me that she had the same experience in her room lastnight! She had turned off the light, rolled onto her stomach and that's when she heard something being sat down on her dresser. She said it sounded like whomever sat it down had lost their grip and it made a heavy thud when it hit the dresser!!!!! She said it scared her to death. She turned on the light several minutes later, but again, nothing.

I found myself hardly sleeping lastnight... have no idea what time I finally drifted to sleep, but I know this.. I'm afraid to sleep in this room again. I had to talk through it ... telling myself that they wouldn't hurt me and they're here for whatever reason... but still, I'm afraid.

We're gonna tell my sister when she comes home for lunch. I wonder what she'll say. She's never mentioned hearing anything and my niece has never mentioned hearing anything, and when talking to my mom more this morning, she told me that she's had a similar experience in the room where we're sleeping - where she used to sleep. One night she felt the mattress move. It was as if someone was under the mattress and moving it. She said it only happened once.... goodness.