I believe I lived in a haunted house for 2 years. Furniture seemed to move on its own and I'd wake up with mysterious scratches.

• In my 30s, I moved into an upstairs apartment in a large building.
• I heard whispers, furniture moved on its own, and scratches formed on my body.

I was in my early 30s, teaching elementary school and living a relatively humdrum life. I had my head on straight, and life was good.

To top things off, I had just been offered a place to live that was outstanding. I was a friend of a family who remodeled the upstairs of an old building they owned. It was one of those buildings that every small town on Main Street seems to have. The large brick building in Illinois had been constructed in the late 1800s. After renovations, it now looked more like a modern loft building that you might find in the big cities.

I moved in, but I wish I hadn't because I think it was haunted.

In the beginning, it seemed like the perfect home

I hate to even call it an "apartment." The place was a bit over 2,000 square feet, on the second level with original hardwood floors, and the ceilings were 12 to 13 feet high. I was the only one living in the building, but during the day, two antique stores operated on the first floor.

I moved my things in and couldn't have been more thankful. The family that provided me with this opportunity could not have been nicer. In fact, on my first day there, one of the sons mentioned he might be going out on the town that night. I invited him to stay at my place that night if he needed to.

Something strange happened the first night

I am an extremely heavy sleeper. On top of this, I always have a small fan running to block out most sounds. Still, about 2 a.m., I heard heavy booted footsteps approaching my bedroom. With the whole place having hardwood floors and the ceilings so high, there was an echo to them that jostled me awake.

At first, I believed it to be my friend. But the footsteps kept coming through the darkness and right up to my bed. As I lay face down on the mattress, it occurred to me that my buddy might have had a few too many.

Without turning over, I said aloud, "Someone here is about to get their ass kicked if they are planning on messing with me."

Silence.

I waited for about 30 seconds, and still nothing. I finally flipped over — no one. I searched the whole place. My front door was still locked. I even went out to the parking lot and my vehicle was the only one there. I was all alone.

It's odd how you can convince yourself in the daytime that the night before wasn't so strange. I called my friend later, and he mentioned he didn't end up going out the night before and never came over. I didn't tell him about what had transpired.

The next 6 months were much worse

That first night was a precursor to what was to come. I experienced strange shadows on the walls, whispering coming out of the darkness, furniture moving by itself, appliances kicking on, cabinets opening and slamming in the kitchen, and faucets turning on by themselves.

I kept it all to myself. I was concerned about my reputation and worried people would think I was nuts.

The nightly visits were becoming more aggressive as well. The ghost now sat on my bed, pulled on the blankets, and even pinned me down. There were nights when I would flip on every light in the place and sleep with one eye open. Finally, I started confiding in close friends when I began waking up with scratches on my body.

Friends started to ask if they could spend the night

It wasn't long before it seemed like most of the town had heard. Many didn't believe in ghosts and wanted to prove there was nothing to it by sleeping over.

In the end, the majority of the people who spent the night experienced something quite severe, including seeing figures. In fact, a few of them had to leave in the middle of the night because they could not take it.

After 2 years, I decided to move

When you're all alone suffering through these nights by yourself, it's not so much fun.

It took me another year to finally find a house I wanted to buy and for all the paperwork to go through. But finally after two years, I moved away.

I sometimes watch the paranormal shows and see how the hosts will freak out when they hear a sound in the next room. I think to myself, this is with a camera crew following and usually two or three other hosts with them. I think I experienced much worse — by myself.

The house I eventually purchased was secluded in the middle of the woods. People often came by and asked how I could live in such a place, out in the middle of nowhere, with creatures walking around at night. I'd just smile and know I'd already survived a much spookier place.