The narrator shares two frightening experiences they had in their basement, one as a child and another as a teenager.
As a child, the narrator and their brother would hear strange noises coming from the boiler room, such as the dryer door slamming shut, and the TV turning on by itself. They would often run upstairs and tell their parents, who would investigate but find nothing. On one occasion, the narrator felt something hit them in the back of the head, and they saw a red ball bouncing on the ground. The door to the boiler room slowly shut, and their parents came upstairs, strangely silent. A police car showed up, but the narrator's parents wouldn't let them out of their rooms or tell them what happened.
As a teenager, the narrator was home alone, playing video games in the basement, when they heard a strange noise. They investigated and saw a hand reaching out from the air vent, waving at them. A deep, raspy voice said, "Come here, I need help." The narrator was terrified, called the cops, and hid in a room upstairs. The police arrived, and the man was taken away, but not before giving the narrator an evil stare that still haunts them.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator's grandparents passed away, and their parents let them live in the grandparents' house.
2. The narrator was of moving-out age and had to pay taxes and monthly expenses.
3. The narrator got a two-year-old German Shepherd dog named Rocky.
4. Rocky was calm and gentle, hardly ever barking unless he felt threatened or was playing with another dog.
5. One night, the narrator woke up to Rocky barking, and they found Rocky barking and clawing at the basement door.
6. The narrator opened the basement door, and Rocky ran downstairs.
7. The narrator followed Rocky and found him standing still, looking at a closet door.
8. The narrator called their dad for advice, and he suggested going back to the basement with a knife or weapon.
9. The narrator decided not to open the closet door and instead took Rocky back upstairs.
10. The narrator realized the basement door was open, and they heard footsteps heading towards the front door.
11. The narrator called the police, who arrived and found that someone had broken in through the basement window.
12. The narrator had left a large amount of cash in the basement, which was stolen.
13. The narrator has a fear of basements since they were a kid.
14. The narrator's fear is subdued now that they are 18, but they still get nervous when alone.
15. One night, the narrator was playing video games in the basement when they heard a noise behind them.
16. The narrator took off their headphones and heard a Clank sound with a metallic echo.
17. The narrator walked slowly to the back of the basement and saw a hand reaching out from an air vent.
18. A deep, raspy voice said, "Come here, I need help."
19. The narrator screamed, said they were calling the cops, and called the police.
20. The police told the narrator to go to a room upstairs with a weapon, lock the door, and hide.
21. The narrator heard the intruder break open the basement door and scream.
22. The narrator climbed out the window and ran to a cop car that had arrived.
23. The police arrested the intruder and took them away.
24. The narrator still hangs out in the basement occasionally but not as much as before.
From the second story:
25. The narrator's family used to live in an old house with a basement where they would play video games.
26. The narrator and their brother would hear strange noises coming from the boiler/laundry room.
27. One time, the door to the dryer slammed shut, and the narrator and their brother ran upstairs, screaming.
28. Their parents came down to investigate, but no one was in the laundry room.
29. The narrator remembers hearing the TV turn on one night, but no one was downstairs.
30. Their dad said it was a glitchy TV.
31. A few days before they moved to a new house, the narrator and their brother were playing video games when something hit the narrator in the back of the head.
32. They saw a red ball bouncing on the ground behind the couch.
33. The door to the boiler room slowly shut, and the narrator and their brother ran upstairs, screaming.
34. Their parents went downstairs, but when they came back up, they were strangely silent.
35. A police car showed up, but the parents wouldn't let the narrator and their brother out of their rooms.
36. The parents wouldn't tell them what happened until they moved to the new house.