Background

I Thought My Husband Was in the Bathroom

Water running from a bathroom faucet

My husband and I stayed at the Read House in Chattanooga a few years ago for a weekend trip. I didn’t know anything about the hotel being haunted when we booked it. We just liked historic hotels and thought it looked like a fun place to stay.

The first night I woke up sometime in the middle of the night because I could hear water running. I was half asleep and assumed my husband was in the bathroom, so I didn’t really pay much attention to it.

After a while I started wondering why he was letting the water run for so long. I rolled over and realized he was asleep right next to me.

I got up and went into the bathroom. Nothing was on. I checked the sink and the shower and everything was dry, but I could still hear water running. It sounded close enough that I actually stood there for a while trying to figure out where it was coming from.

Eventually I decided it had to be another room or pipes in the walls. It was an old hotel, so that seemed reasonable.

I went back to bed but left the bathroom door open.

A few minutes later I heard the door start moving.

It didn’t slam or anything. It slowly swung closed until it clicked shut.

I sat up because I thought maybe my husband had gotten out of bed, but he was still asleep beside me.

Then I realized the sound of the running water had stopped too.

That was the part that bothered me.

I got back up, opened the bathroom door and checked everything again. Still nothing. I even tried moving the door around to see if it would swing closed by itself, thinking maybe the floor wasn’t level. It stayed wherever I put it.

I left it open again and went back to bed.

Not long after that I woke up because I felt someone sit down on the edge of the mattress near my feet.

It was enough that I felt the bed dip.

I immediately looked over at my husband because I thought he’d gotten up without me noticing, but he was still beside me.

I turned on the lamp and there was nobody there.

At that point I woke my husband up and told him what had been happening. He checked the bathroom, looked around the room and basically came to the same conclusion I had. Old hotel, old plumbing, uneven floors, mattress shifting when one of us moved. There were explanations for all of it.

I didn’t sleep very well after that anyway.

The next day I found out about Room 311 and the stories connected to the hotel. That was also when I learned that people have reported things like unexplained running water and other strange activity there.

We weren’t staying in Room 311, and I had never heard any of those stories before that night.

Maybe the water was plumbing. Maybe the door moved because the building is old. Maybe my husband shifted in his sleep and made the mattress move.

I can explain each thing separately.

It’s having all three happen within the same hour that I’ve never been able to completely explain away.

About the author

Echoes of the South™

Echoes of the South™ is the editorial voice behind submitted stories, field notes, and curated content featured on the site. While individual contributors will be highlighted as the project grows, this profile currently represents community submissions and developing investigations that reflect the spirit of the platform: thoughtful storytelling, regional history, and the mysteries that continue to echo across the South.

More stories

0%

Login to enjoy full advantages

Please login or subscribe to continue.

Go Premium!

Enjoy the full advantage of the premium access.

Stop following

Unfollow Cancel

Cancel subscription

Are you sure you want to cancel your subscription? You will lose your Premium access and stored playlists.

Go back Confirm cancellation