1st Person Account: The Scorched Bed

My mother bought an antique bedroom set from a neighbor for a good price but there was one catch. Our neighbor told my mother that it was haunted.

We soon discovered that a ghost named Jonathan now resided in our home. Jonathan’s antics included: unlocking doors, opening our kitchen cabinets, moving spoons and cups around and walking up and down our hallway.

The only time Jonathan bothered me was one morning as I used the master bathroom. I saw the lock on the door turn and then it opened. Annoyed since I sat on the “throne” I told him I was busy at which point the door closed and I saw the lock turn again.

Jonathan spoke to us once--through my father. One night my father retired early having gone on a long hike with the unit he was training. Surprised we saw him up and about shortly after this. He told us that when he lay down the sheets on the bed were warm but no one had been on the bed.

He sat in his favorite chair and watched television with us. This is when we heard Jonathan’s voice. He told us his name and that he had died from grief several months after his wife had died. He mentioned that he had owned slaves.

He told us that one night his bed had caught on fire when the bed warmer tipped over. The hot coals spilled out setting the linens on fire. Later when we examined the bed we found scorch marks in the lower left corner near the foot.

Months later Jonathan alerted my sister and myself to the fact there was an intruder attempting to enter our home. Jonathan turned on the back porch light and we saw a face in the sliding glass door as he tried to jimmy the door.

My father entered the room and turned on a light. We watched as the intruder jumped two chain-link fences to get away.

When my father was transferred overseas we lost Jonathan for my parents sold the bedroom set. Most of my family’s experiences with Jonathan were positive. Sometimes I wish we still owned that bed.