For nearly eleven years a mysterious burglar (MB) has been invading our house in Trappe, Pennsylvania.   I am presuming he is male because would a woman ever go to all the trouble just to harasses us? The MB does not to seem to have a schedule, just seems to appear at  inconvenient times, perhaps to either make our lives interesting or to waste our time putting our house back together.

We moved here on May 21, 2004.  Almost from the start we became aware of a strange phenomena.  When we would enter the foyer from either the kitchen or dining room, at times the floor by the front door would make a cracking sound exactly as if someone stepped just inside the door ten feet away, but there is no one there.  Maybe the MB is invisible as well as mysterious.  How could it not be? If it were a floor problem it should happen all the time, correct?  Now that is really scary!! The MB has kept broadening his activities until in April 2015 he went too far. We will get to THAT invasion later.

One of the lamps in the master bedroom works from the wall switch by the door.  That way there is no need to go over to the lamp and turn the lamp on or off. This is especially useful at night.  Every now and then the MB turns the lamp off using the lamp's switch.  Why does he do that? What is he hiding?  Maybe he wants me to trip in the dark or is he giving himself some time to hide. I could start looking under the bed when that happens. If I found him there he might get angry so I will continue just turning the lamp switch on when needed.

At this time I am going to keep things brief maybe go into more detail at a later time.  Most of his activities consist of moving small objects from one place to another.  All this does is waste my time and once in a while makes me makes me fear that I have lost something important that could be difficult or impossible to replace. I have specific places for my wallet, keys, remotes of all kinds, shoes, telephones and other similar objects.   I remember one day I looked for about an hour for my wallet.  The MB had moved it to the end table next to my chair.  I did not appreciate that at all!!!

OK back to what he did to really provoke me.  If he does anything like this again I shall take drastic action. Perhaps 40+ years ago my daughter Susan gave me a picture of an American Indian on horseback. I also got another picture that might have been co-given with my son Alan. This picture of the Mall in Washington D.C. at night is the main subject of this mystery.  On the critical April day I looked at the wall and this is what I saw.  Obviously the MB removed the Washington D.C. picture.  I was frantic.  Over the next two days I spent maybe two or three hours looking everywhere for the missing picture.  I looked everywhere in every room. Closets, basement, loft, behind every possible hiding place and what did I find, nothing.  Thepicture was gone!!  I asked Susan and Alan if they had any idea where it could be, but neither had any.  Well Susan may have suggested that I took it down and re-hung it or broke it. But wouldn't I remember that?  During this search I did find a few things that I wanted, but I wanted the picture more.  I was very frustrated to say the least.

A few days later Susan and family came over bringing dinner with them and we also chatted about the missing picture. While they were leaving Susan called me over and pointed to the top of the stairs. Lo and behold hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs was the Missing Picture.  It is very clear to me that the MB felt sorry for me and had returned the picture but had forgotten where it belonged.  Then he hung it to the wrong place.  After all what other explanation could there possibly be?  after re-hanging the picture this  what I see.

I am warning you Mr. MB, you better be careful in the future about what mischief you get into while in my house.  BEWARE!!!

 

A true mystery?