Weird Stuff My Family's Experienced

Eyes in the Art Room

So when I was still in elementary school (before I was switched to homeschool), we had an art room that was five or six steps down from the rest of the building. (The library was the same way. I still don't understand it.) There were two entrances, both with doors. In third grade, I had to walk past one of those doorways to get to my class.

I'd never liked being in the art room, especially when the lights were off. It always made me uncomfortable. I think part of it was the teacher. I've never been good at art and I tend to be a perfectionist, so she'd kinda yell at me for still being on the first or second step when others were on their fourth or fifth. And then there was the time in second grade I saw a piece of a pipe cleaner on the floor right as we were lining up to leave. (We'd been doing a project with them so I wasn't surprised it was there.) Perfect, I thought. I'll just set it on the counter as I walk past and I won't have to go up and have an awkward 'hey I found this on the floor' conversation.

So I got in line, spinning it between my fingers. She saw and came over.

"Is that yours?" she asked.

"No."

She started in on how if it wasn't mine then I shouldn't have it and blah, blah, blah. Lots of yelling that a 7 year old trying to do a good deed doesn't need to hear.

I tried to say I was going to set on the counter as I went past, but she demanded I give it to her right then, like I was going to steal it. I refused and slammed my hand down on the counter and glared at her. She glared right back. Needless to say, we did not get along.

Anyways. The only worse thing than the art room with no lights on was walking by the open door when there were no lights on. It creeped me out and I usually ran those few steps, feeling like I was being watched. Sometimes I'd hear what sounded like a growl. (Thinking back on it, it was likely the kiln or other equipment.) Being the who-cares-about-safety-when-there's-a-dog type, I always turned to look because obviously growl=dog, right? I never saw any dog. The most I ever saw were tons of red and yellow eyes staring out at me. I only saw them a few times, but it still was really freaky to an 8 year old, even if it was only my imagination.

It actually got to the point where I was not only uncomfortable in the art room, but I was actually afraid of being in there. I'd even start to get panicky if I wasn't able to get out quickly when we lined up to leave.

I actually got in trouble because I was at the back of the line and cut ahead in front of the teacher, who'd paused to chat with the art teacher.

I'd been getting really jittery when I heard a noise behind me. The line had begun to move, but nowhere near fast enough and I found myself bolting for the door and forced my way out when there should've been no way I could've fit through. Turns out the noise I heard was only a chair the art teacher was pushing in, but seriously, that's how twitchy I was in that room.