A Couple’s First Home Together
Moving in with your partner is a big deal for everyone. It’s a major life step, and you’ll typically spend years there. James and Mandy Fisher were the owners of the specific house we are discussing today. Since it was their first, they were naturally thrilled. At least for a while, they intended to raise their children here.
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But soon after they settled there, they began to notice that a few things about the house didn’t seem quite right. However, we’ll address that section shortly.
Settling Down With Their Dog
Mandy and James were not the only ones moving in. They took Scout, their dog, with them. It was just the three of them, and they eventually found an old Victorian near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, even though it took some searching to find the ideal home. Mandy had a gut feeling that this was the ideal location for the three of them to begin their life together after taking in the stunning décor.
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After five years of marriage, it seemed like the proper time to start saving for a down payment on a house and consider their future. For Scout, there was even a spacious yard available.
Time to Move
As previously mentioned, James and Mandy had been wed for five years at this point. They didn’t have a lot of belongings to move to their new home because they were renting an apartment at the time. For the most part, it was merely boxes full of standard items like clothing, dishes, electronics, books, and so forth. This old Victorian of theirs is not nearly enough to furnish a whole house, not in this old Victorian of theirs.
No matter how many things you have, moving can be a headache. Fortunately, the couple was so excited about their new home that their only concern was getting there.
More Than Enough Space
They were surprised by how much space they actually had when they moved into their new house. After touring the property earlier, they were a little taken aback by the empty corridors and rooms, which were still crammed with furniture. But as they brought in a few boxes, they really took it all in, and their imaginations started to go crazy with all the numerous ways they could decorate.
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The house was two levels, with the bedrooms occupying the second floor and the majority of the living area on the first. This was simple, but they found something they missed on their last trip in the kitchen.
A Hatch in the Kitchen Floor
It’s odd that the couple didn’t remember noticing the floor hatch when they viewed the house, as one would expect it to be a noticeable feature. Mandy surmised that a table or carpet might have hidden it. However, it seemed secure, and no one had mentioned it or given them a key.
They agreed to keep moving things in and worry about opening it later when they had more time after James carefully examined it.
The Old Cupboard
Despite hauling out most of the furniture from the once elderly woman’s property, an ancient cupboard remained in the kitchen. As soon as he saw it, Scout’s ears pricked up, and he began growling in that direction. Despite Mandy’s attempts to soothe him, he appeared adamant that something was off. A small space separated the wall and the cabinet.
She saw the gap and wondered why it wasn’t flush with the wall, but she also reasoned that it was a decent piece of furniture, and maybe they could use it or sell it for some extra money.
The House Needed a Bit of Work
The house needed some work, but it was still lovely inside and out—in a way that most old Victorian homes do. The age-old hardwood flooring had a worn-down stain, and some of them gave way underfoot as you moved. Furthermore, there were a few areas on the wall that required touch-up painting.
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Still, the majority of the house was in quite decent shape, and improvements wouldn’t require a lot of labor. Most of it was just the typical stuff you’d expect from an old house.
The Mysterious Door Behind the Cupboard
Mandy noticed the opening behind the cabinet after she had finished unloading additional boxes and had made her way back through the house to the kitchen. It just seemed so inappropriate and out of place. She decided to attempt looking behind it. She peered inside but couldn’t see anything, so she carefully moved one side of the cabinet out and away from the wall to uncover a door.
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She was concerned about the potential consequences. Was there a room beyond the door, or possibly a pantry? The door, like the central kitchen hatch, was secure.
Searching for the Key
James and Mandy wondered if the realtor noticed them since she hadn’t opened the door. Mandy rummaged through the kitchen drawers and the cabinet in the hopes of finding a key, but she was unsuccessful. After days of getting used to their new house, the couple and their dog were still no closer to opening the door or hatch.
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There wasn’t much time for anything else between work, relocation, and visiting their new town, but the gap and their curiosity about what was behind the two doors started to bother them.
An Odor in the House
The two were still attempting to return to schedule by the end of the first week, but it appeared like they were finally succeeding. They both crawled into bed after work, spending a few hours rearranging furniture and talking about interior design ideas. James had just closed his eyes when Mandy took out a book to read, and they both saw something odd.
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The room was suddenly filled with an awful stench. James sat up and looked at his wife, and Mandy saw it simultaneously without saying anything.
Trying to Figure Out Where the Horrible Smell Was Coming From
Once they exchanged a few words and neither of them could identify the source of the odor, Mandy hurried to get some air freshener spray. But the scent was so strong that after about a minute, the spray no longer covered it up, and the stench returned, just as strong as before. They both decided to change rooms after around thirty minutes.
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They would simply spend the night in a different room until they could locate the source of the scent. In the end, it was difficult to solve the fragrance mystery.
The Couple Switches Rooms
James decided to change rooms, so he turned on the heat in the room, and they got into bed. However, it wasn’t long until the smell returned. However, James knew roughly where it was coming from this time. James told Mandy he thought it might be the heating as Scout waited outside the room, unable to stand the smell.
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It appeared that the only similarity between then and now was that he had turned on the heat in the previous room before they went to bed.
The Next Day
Because of financial worries, James was a little hesitant to follow the problem too far, but at least he had a place to start. It wasn’t clear how the smell related to the heating, but he knew it did. It was the first time the scent appeared, and they had to turn on the heating from the previous night.
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It couldn’t be a coincidence that the two items were related. All James needed to do was figure out how, and he knew where to start.
Testing All the Rooms
James would begin by trying to determine whether the issue was unique to the house or whether it persisted throughout. James proceeded through each room, and each time the smell appeared shortly after he turned on the heater. He was concerned because the fragrance pervaded other areas of the house as well. After a long summer, this wasn’t the usual smell one could encounter while turning up a heater.
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This had a totally distinct scent. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint it, and neither did Mandy. It wasn’t just a minor irritation; it was very awful, almost excruciating.
Looking Into the Vents
When he was confident that the heat was the source of the problem, James began inspecting the vents. He unlocked the vents in each room and peered in as far as he could with a flashlight. But in each instance, he was unable to identify any errors. This was both comforting and somewhat unsettling. This implied that the issue was most likely located further down the heating system.
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James had some knowledge about heating and air conditioning, but not enough to identify the issue, and he soon came to the conclusion that he might need to contact someone for assistance.
Coming Across Something in the Vents
Since they had recently purchased a home, calling someone in would require additional expenses, which he really didn’t want to do. But it seems inevitable; they were unable to put up with the stench or survive without heat. James checked one last vent, and although it appeared to be no different from the others, he did discover something inside.
While aiming his flashlight inside the final vent, James noticed something unusual. He grabbed it and took it out. It proved to be a key, but not to what he thought.
Unlocking the Door in the Kitchen
The pair knew the key James had found had to be rather old because it was a skeleton key. They also knew just where to try it out initially. They hurried to the kitchen, excited that, at last, after a little more than a week, they would be able to open the mystery door behind the cupboard. After James slid the key inside, the door twisted and unlocked with a click.
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It became clear to the two that they were looking down a set of steps into the house’s basement. They would then need to descend to discover what additional mysteries awaited them in their new house.
Scout Starts Barking
Scout barked just before they entered the basement. Normally a fairly quiet dog, Scout pointed his ears back and lifted his back hair at this moment. James approached him in an attempt to soothe him, but it didn’t work. Scout simply kept barking, this time toward a seemingly random living room corner rather than the basement.
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James eventually got him to calm down a little, and he carried him along with him as he and Mandy got ready to grab their flashlights and investigate the basement.
Exploring the Basement of the House
The two essentially dragged Scout out of the living room before they descended the stairs and entered the basement. Scout declined to follow, still acting as though he was a little concerned by what he had seen in the living room. Mandy agreed when James suggested that the basement might hold the key to the awful stench. In an attempt to unravel the enigma, the two went down the steps while holding their flashlights.
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With every step Mandy and James took, the ancient steps creaked. Despite their age, the wooden boards never seemed to be about to crumble.
Moving Further Into the Basement
As they down the stairs, neither Mandy nor James seemed to be paying any attention to what was beneath them; the steps themselves seemed safe enough. James staggered on the last step and dropped his flashlight to the floor. Fortunately, he was unharmed, and Mandy immediately lifted him up. He reached for his flashlight and pointed it at the basement wall directly in front of them.
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There were large barrels against the wall that appeared to have previously held wine. There were many different items piled on top of one another throughout the spacious basement.
A Weird, Lonely Feeling
The pair discovered items like antique chairs, pictures, chests, and documents as they directed their torch toward different areas of the basement. Mandy immediately headed to the old pictures and started poking around. The woman who had previously occupied the residence seems to have utilized the basement for storage. But when Mandy looked through the pictures, she couldn’t help but feel isolated and alone. She was glancing back into the life of a total stranger.
However, this stranger had previously spent decades living in the same house, and it’s likely that she had many of the same memories that Mandy and James had intended to create.
The Couple’s Attention Turns to the Hatch
Before considering the kitchen hatch, Mandy looked around for a few moments. She realized that the key might be somewhere in this basement. As best they could, the two sifted through files and examined every shelf, but it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Down in the basement, there were just too many ways to conceal an old key.
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When they were ready to quit, James noticed something on a shelf. It was the next best thing, though not very important.
Breaking Into the Hatch
James discovered a crowbar on the basement shelf. Maybe he could break the latch and let them in. Once in the kitchen again, James found a way to break the latch with a little leverage, and the two went down the creaky stairs once more. Similar to the basement, the hatch appeared to have served as a storage area.
There were some antique-looking cans and rusty jars full of who knows what. On one of the shelves, Mandy spotted a box, which she swiftly picked up and started to open.
Artifacts in the Basement
Mandy discovered what appeared to be old paper when she raised the box’s lid. It was yellowing after being there for a while, but when she shone her flashlight on it, she could see what seemed like a recipe. The leftover papers held the same information. During her tenure as the house owner, it is likely that she stored her recipes here for safekeeping.
Based solely on appearances, the couple concluded that the pantry was located under the hatch rather than the entrance, which led to the basement. It was an ancient house, even if it appeared to be a quirky feature.
Blueprints for the Home
A larger sheet of paper felt out of place, even if the pantry largely had items you’d expect to find in a pantry, if a little past their expiration dates. James snatched up the rolled up paper and unfolded it to reveal blueprint-like drawings. These had to be the house’s initial blueprints. His mind began to draw links between the lines on the paper and the pattern he’d grown accustomed to during the previous week.
The bottom of the paper bore the year of the house’s construction, 1887. James assumed that these were likely the house’s original blueprints.
Bringing Back the Old Papers
It had been enjoyable to explore the rooms, but they were growing weary of digging through the shadows and the seemingly endless dust. After deciding how to end the day, they went upstairs to retrieve the paperwork from the pantry. They put the box and the designs on the kitchen table, then headed inside. It was nearly time for dinner, so perhaps they could continue after they were done.
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Despite the couple’s intention to review the documents again that evening, an incident caught their attention and deepened the mystery surrounding the odor.
Thinking About the Day’s Events
Mandy’s thoughts quickly shifted from dinner to everything they had learned that day. The realtor had overlooked the pantry and the basement, she reasoned. That was understandable because the pantry was beneath a hatch in the kitchen, but how do you overlook the fact that the house you’re showcasing includes a full basement? Mandy was beginning to question the situation she and James had found themselves in.
The house not only featured two hidden chambers filled with antiquated items, but it also emitted an unexplained smell that they could not identify.
Scout Starts Howling
In a separate room of the house, Scout let out a howl while Mandy reminisced about everything on her mind. It scared her at first. And then there was that, she thought. Scout has never behaved in such a manner before. In their previous apartment, he did more than just bark at random spots on the wall. Until now, he had never even howled. After turning off the burner, Mandy went to see how Scout was doing.
She began to realize that she, too, had been tense all day. As soon as she turned and began to move away from the stove, the smell reached Mandy.
The smell returns as Mandy is preparing dinner, but this time the heater is off.
James was showering in the bathroom when Mandy called out to him. Following several phone conversations, he went down the stairs clad in a towel, and Mandy inquired as to if he had activated the heating. He understood her question. Although he claimed not to have touched the heater, he claimed to have noticed the stench as soon as he came downstairs. Scout’s howl echoed in the background as they gazed at each other for a brief moment.
Since the smell was new and unrelated to the heater, it unnerved the new homeowners. They required some clarification.
Time to Call the Realtor
Even though it was late and they didn’t want to trouble the realtor, they were now both worried. Not only was there an odd stench emanating from somewhere in the house, but they also wanted to know what was broken, if they had purchased it, so they could get it fixed. Fortunately, the realtor responded, revealing that she had replaced the central heating system prior to the house’s sale.
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She added that they had carefully cleaned the house before moving in. The realtor also mentioned that the kitchen cupboard held the invoices for every heating job.
Finding the Invoices and Starting to Think It Might Be Ghosts
James and Mandy hurried to look in the cupboard for the invoices. It took little time to locate them, and as the realtor had mentioned, they displayed every aspect of the replacement heater’s work. But if they had replaced the central heating, what was the source of the strange smell? Their anxieties were not greatly alarmed by this, and their thoughts shifted elsewhere.
Mandy and James were both rather sensible individuals. Even though they didn’t believe in ghosts, spirits, or anything similar, their thoughts were starting to lean that way.
Tensions Boil Over
At this point, all they could do was finish preparing dinner and attempt to eat in silence. They entered a different part of the house, but the smell persisted, and since they could smell it both directly in front of them and in the back of their minds, their anxiety only increased. When things reached a breaking point, James yelled, “Dammit, I need to figure out what’s going on.”
By now, Mandy was also sick of everything. Together, they had recently purchased a new house. Despite their intentions, it wasn’t the happiest time in their lives.
The Couple Try and Assess the Situation
Mandy tried to quiet James after he yelled, telling him that everything would be okay. She advised them to focus on getting through the remainder of the day and return to identifying the source of the stink tomorrow. Everyone seemed tense these days, not just the pair. Although Scout had stopped howling, he was clearly just as nervous as James and Mandy.
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The pair tried to fall asleep, but they had trouble unwinding because their minds were constantly buzzing. They could only find comfort in the possibility that they would finally solve the mystery tomorrow.
Mandy Wakes up in the Middle of the Night
Eventually, the two did get to sleep, but at some point, Mandy woke up late. When she finally looked, she found James nowhere in sight. Reluctantly, she got out of bed to search for him after calling out for him in a gentle manner without receiving a response. She was down the stairs when the house was dark, but she could hear movement coming from the first level.
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She discovered James in the living room, spraying air freshener. The smell consumed him as soon as he got up. She persuaded him to return to bed after around sixty seconds.
The Morning After
They both woke up very early, not because they were resting, but rather because they were having trouble falling asleep. James could tell that neither of them had a restful night’s sleep because of the way they seemed. Additionally, he realized he had to take some action to try to convince Mandy to forget their problems and the difficult night they had spent together. They should, after all, be enjoying their newfound freedom as homeowners.
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Despite the pain in his bones from the fall and the previous day’s activities, he forced himself to get out of bed and move downstairs to the living room.
Looking Through the Box
Since they couldn’t use the heater in the morning due to the chill, James thought it would be a beneficial idea to start a fire in the fireplace. After bringing in additional wood from outdoors, they soon had a crackling fire that provided warmth for the majority of the space. He then took out the pantry box of plans and began checking them.
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They leafed through the recipe book and looked at the house’s original drawings. But soon after they began examining the designs, they became aware of something peculiar about them.
Comparing the Blueprints
Fortunately, the couple had a copy of the house’s blueprints from the realtor. However, while comparing the two, they discovered a few details that differed from the original. They wondered, How could that be? It was plausible that the residence had undergone refurbishments throughout the years. It was an ancient house, after all, and the rooms might have undergone modifications.
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Though it made some sense, they couldn’t dwell on these ideas for very long, and as soon as they realized there were variances in the designs, Scout began barking once more.
Trying to Tell Them Something
The exact place that Scout had been barking at since they moved into the house was where he was now. Initially, the pair chose to ignore it. Although Scout had been acting strangely, they were unable to identify anything abnormal about that particular spot. But now it seems as though Scout could be attempting to communicate with them. At this point, they would have tried anything to get any sort of relief.
James and Mandy were now willing to consider the possibility that Scout knew something they were unaware of, and that perhaps he wasn’t just going insane as they thought.
A Vent Under the Carpet
Scout glanced up at James as he rounded the corner, then returned to the corner. James realized that he was actually barking toward the floor rather than the wall. He felt around the carpet and found the spot where the corner was, where there was a small bulge. With a box blade in hand, he sliced through the carpet and pulled it aside to uncover a vent beneath. He returned to Mandy with the blueprints.
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The realtor had provided them drawings that strangely did not have the vent, even though it was part of the original, late 19th-century designs. Both of them thought it was strange.
Getting Inside the Vent
Unlike the other vents in the house, this one seemed to be in pristine condition. The other vents seemed brand new because they were still bright and white. The brown vent had rusted shut. James managed to adjust the vents, and his screwdrivers were useless due to the stripped screws. James attempted to pry open the vents before using larger equipment.
He attempted using a chisel, which had some promise but eventually broke. He proceeded to use the crowbar next, but it soon became apparent that it was too large to obtain any kind of leverage.
Mandy Starts to Worry
Mandy just watched as James tried every trick in the book to get the vent open. Sweat was drenching James, who appeared to be growing fixated on the vent. She was starting to feel anxious. An hour or two later, Mandy attempted to dissuade him from opening the vent. James had not advanced, and it was now clear that it was harmful.
She approached James and politely mentioned that perhaps they ought to try not to worry about it just yet. In the morning, they might give someone a call and ultimately resolve everything. At last, James gave in.
Getting Through Another Night
James nodded, and the two set off to try to salvage the remainder of the day. The day went relatively uneventful, but as dusk drew near and the twilight became darker, concerns about spending one more night in the house began to dominate their thoughts. Each knew the other was nervous about sleeping. They did eventually fall asleep, but once more in the middle of the night, something startled Mandy up.
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She bolted out of bed and down the stairs as soon as she realized James wasn’t lying next to her when she woke up. She discovered him there in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, attempting to force open the vent.
The Next Day
After a short while, she was able to get him back into bed. The next day, James called us to see what time the repairman could arrive at the residence. When he eventually made an appearance, the couple could finally exhale in relief. It seemed to them both that they would soon be able to put aside the unusual fragrance and, hopefully, enjoy their new home.
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With the right tools, James easily opened the vent, which by now looked even worse than it had before due to all the prying and chopping he had done in an attempt to get it open.
Something Out of a Horror Movie
Everyone was stunned when the repairman eventually opened the vent and shone a light inside. Inside, they found jars of various sizes, each containing what appeared to be organs and bones. Fortunately, nothing appeared human. Rather, they were the organs and bodies of creatures, preserved for who knew how long in jars. Once again, that odor, but this time they knew why.
The repairman informed the couple, understandably shocked by what they had discovered, that this wasn’t as strange and grisly a scenario as they had initially assumed.
An Old Regional Tradition
The repairman reassured them that this wasn’t as unusual as they would have thought, and that they occasionally come across comparable objects hidden away in older Victorian-era homes. It appears that employing animal parts in an attempt to heal people was formerly a state custom. The previous owner of the house appeared to have practiced the powwow before her death.
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The couple hastily shook their heads no when the repairman offered to remove all of the jars. The elderly woman’s memory served as a reminder to cherish life while it lasted, even though they could now finally move on with their lives in peace.