Weird Sensations

In an incredibly long apartment search with my best friend, we came across old, new, clean, dirty, revolting and far overdone places. While ultimately we found the perfect match, there is one I will never forget.

I know that being a girl on a budget means keeping a very open mind, which is why I said nothing when we walked the four or five block distance away from campus. I said nothing when we stopped in front of a dirty looking building and an unkempt yard. I said nothing when a lizard scurried up the wall. I said nothing when we called the landlord and he had forgotten who we were and that we had an appointment to view the place.

We walked in to the narrow entry, and up the uneven stairs with mismatched carpet, and into the unlocked door on the second floor. We looked through the bedrooms. I ignored to broken door handles and rusty windowpanes. I looked past the mismatched cabinets and odd floor plan, stained carpet, and inconsistent cabinets in the kitchen. The one thing I couldn’t ignore was the feeling I got when I walked into the bathroom. The hairs on the back of my neck raised and my shoulders tensed. There was nothing there that I could see that was out of the ordinary; it was simply a feeling I got.

We then walked to the next floor it was a loft with no distinction between kitchen living room, or bedroom. There was no closet, but rather open shelves no more than three inches deep that lined the walls. It made no sense. While the landlord was talking to my friend in the unit below, I told my other friend that was with me that we had to get out of this place. We walked back down to talk to the landlord who proceeded to tell us that the building was an antique from the early 1900’s. I tried not to let anyone see my quick short breathing or nervousness, and told the man that we would stay in touch without asking for details.

Upon leaving the building I quizzed my girls on what they thought about the place. They just said “well its old.” “Really?!” I replied. I was shocked that they didn’t feel anything. I was overcome with the nervous feeling that I was being watched or followed. Where do these feelings come from? Why was I the only one who felt them? I realize that I was the only one who went into the bathroom, but why would walking into a bathroom cause a person to feel this way? To feel as though I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I wonder has anyone else had such an experience? Where do you think it comes from? Why do you think that some people feel it and others don’t?