Then there was the time I was in the basement of a warehouse. There was no electricity down there so the manager lit his lighter. I only needed to check something quickly or I'd have gotten a step ladder and flashlight. The basement was a high one with 8 foot ceilings.
So the manager is standing there with his freaking lighter in this dank basement and I climb up on this VERY unstable stack of old newspapers. Dumb but I did it.
I'm now on the top of the stack of papers which is about 3 or 4 feet high; it's wobbling a little and the manager's lighter keeps getting hot so he lets it go. Total friggin darkness. Just drip drip drip and... little scurrying sounds. Then the lighter goes on again.
I was trying to check the 'protector' where the first connection is made and just when I'd be getting someplace the papers would wobble or the lighter would go out.
Then, the manager gets a friggin 'bright idea'. "Hey!" he says. Without waiting or asking or anything he bolts out of the room and on his way upstairs he says, "I just remembered where my flashlight is!"
Now I'm standing in the total darkness on a wobbly stack of newspapers trying to be motionless. Have you ever tried that?
The wobbling got a little worse so I put my hand on the sill of the basement wall. That's the little flat part at the top of the concrete wall up in the joists.
I waited and waited. It was probably about 2 minutes but it seemed like an hour. Then... it happened.
I don't really know what they were... mice or rats, but they ran over my hand.
I couldn't move or I'd fall off the newspapers and I couldn't get down off the newspapers because I couldn't remember where everything was. I'm talking TOTAL darkness. They ran over my hand again.
I really don't know how long it was before the manager came down again but when he did he had the flashlight.
Neither do I remember *exactly* what I said to him but I recall distinctly that it wasn't 'thank you'.
In about 5 minutes I fixed the phone and left. I never did say 'thank you' to the man.

True story.

 

 

I was expecting a "lonely housewife" story.

 

Oh I have those.

 

Excellent story! I have a basement story for ya!

Mommy Led

*My family owned an Italian Restaurant in Ridgefield called the Old Ice House for 95% of my childhood. I was there every single day and so was everybody else. It was common practice to have my mom bring laundry from our apartment to do in the basement of the Ice House. This basement is HUGE. 9 foot ceilings (at least) with all sorts of buzzing and groaning from the machines running stuff like the bar fountain, Air conditioning....etc etc.

There was a manhole cover in the floor by the washer and dryer. At this time, the cover had been removed to work on some lines into the building, and the workers there just put a piece of plywood over the hole. My mom was down in the basement doing laundry. When she stepped back she kicked the plywood and ended up falling into the manhole. One leg was completely in the hole in the floor....the other was sticking straight out in front of her. My mom is partially paralyzed...has been her whole life. She couldn't pull herself out.

Yeah....she was stuck.

So she starts yelling upstairs for help.

After awhile, my Uncle was asking "Where'd Mugs go?" (Mugs is my mom's nickname). Noone could find her. So we started looking. I went to the basement....

I walk down the stairs and shout out through the basement. "Mom.....mom ya down here? EH!!!...MA!!!!!!??!!!!"

At this point mom had been yelling in the basement for half an hour and was so hoarse that she couldn'y shout loud enough for me to hear her over all the machinery....so I thought the place was empty and she left the light on.

I go back upstairs...turn the lights off...and shut the door!

My mom...god bless her...was down in the basement...unable to move....for two hours....Finally someone went down to switch out one of the kegs for the tap and saw her there. She was still hoarse...*

 

Poor mama

 

Oh GEEZ! Your poor Mom. Good one.

 

We're waiting. :tapsfoot:

 

She was fine....but I think she still sleeps with either the TV or a nightlight on......

 

You've had your story for the day. Off for your nap now.

Maybe I'll tell another one tomorrow if you good.

(I'm off to a meeting right now.)