I had an "exciting" thing happen last night (Saturday) just before bedtime. I was watching a show and I started to hear faint screaming, as in blood-curdling type screaming! At first I thought it was on the show, since it would have fit the scene, but then I muted the sound and still heard it!

I jumped up and grabbed my 1911 from its hiding place and ran out the front door to check things out, but didn't hear anything. I then walked around the side of the house which faces a busy street, and lets me check out the back yard and a bunch of neighbors. I live on a corner, so my BY is followed by a whole block of other backyards. Three houses back I could see several young children out on the back deck, some were screaming, and 2 or 3 had flashlights... one which kept pointing hers my way.

I grabbed my tac light and keys and drove around the corner to their house as quickly as I could (didn't even bother with shoes or putting on my seatbelt, no wallet, etc.) and whipped into their driveway. I eased up to the gate calling out for anyone, and shining my light back that way looking for predators (4 or 2-legged), when finally one young girl about 12-years old looked around the corner of the house at me but didn't say anything. Moments later another one came around the corner and walked a short ways toward me and I again asked what was wrong... was everything okay? She responded that they were okay but with no further explanation. I started to step through the gate when an older female dressed all in black and wearing a hideous mask walked around the corner! As she pulled her mask and wig off, she explained that the girls were having a birthday party and watching scary movies on the deck, and that she decided to dress up and scare them! She did thank me for caring enough to respond and come check on them, apologized for creating the problem, then quickly rushed past me to her front door.

It was well over an hour before the adrenaline was completely gone from my system! That is the first time in my life that I have grabbed a gun to rush to the aid of a neighbor, much less one I do not know!!! I am so thankful that nothing serious happened, nobody was hurt, and no further problems were encountered!

Edit to add: I did keep the gun out of sight so nobody would be unduly alarmed by a stranger showing up with a firearm!

Hindsight says I should have at LEAST grabbed my wallet for identification, but I was already in my sleeping shorts which had no pockets, and I was afraid to waste even one second of time if someone was getting attacked!

Whew! Glad all ended well!

Also, glad it ended well.

Glad everything worked out. About 10 yrs ago near midnight, both the wife and myself heard this awful screaming that went on for almost a minute. Called the neighbor and he said the foxes were getting it on.

My grandfather had a black bear rug at his cabin on Lake of the Woods Ontario. One night he put it on and came to the windows and scared the shit out of everyone. They didn't think it was funny.

Your situation is a good reminder that not everything that goes bump in the night is a threat.

We had a cat that was capable of putting out some blood curdling cries.
The first time he did it I was launched 2 feet in the air and landed on my feet from a sound sleep.

So, you just never know.

Bob

I fostered a blue and gold macaw once and quickly discovered why he was a foster bird.

He would scream at the top of his lungs (200db) HELP!!!! HE'S KILLING ME!!!! AAARRRRGGGG ARRRRGGG!!! HEEELLLLP HEEEELLLPPP!!!!!

And the police showed up. While he was doing it and when he saw them, he did it even louder. When I invited the officer in, he started laughing in macaw laugh.

Evidently he saw too many murder shows.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I fostered a blue and gold macaw once and quickly discovered why he was a foster bird.
<<snip>>

Now THAT'S funny!!!

My dad came home from work one time wearing a Halloween mask he had bought at the store. I opened the garage door when he knocked not knowing who it was and I punched him in the face out of instinct, which is funny because I never punched anyone before in my life. I was probably 9 or 10.

THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, Whew!

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I fostered a blue and gold macaw once and quickly discovered why he was a foster bird.

He would scream at the top of his lungs (200db) HELP!!!! HE'S KILLING ME!!!! AAARRRRGGGG ARRRRGGG!!! HEEELLLLP HEEEELLLPPP!!!!!

And the police showed up. While he was doing it and when he saw them, he did it even louder. When I invited the officer in, he started laughing in macaw laugh.

Evidently he saw too many murder shows.

As a night shift cop, I always hated October. Halloween is still almost a month away, and it's already started. I'm covering nights this weekend for a guy who's on vacation, and last night I encountered some full-grown adult in a Mike Myers mask and jumpsuit creeping around his neighborhood making a promotional video for his upcoming Halloween party .

The false reporting Macaw would have made me laugh, though .

If I got up to "check on things" in my neighborhood every time I heard a kid screaming, I'd never get any sleep! It is almost a nightly thing around here. Wouldn't you know it, it's always the same bratty girl from across the street. In fact, she started up crying in the street as I was typing this!

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
My grandfather had a black bear rug at his cabin on Lake of the Woods Ontario. One night he put it on and came to the windows and scared the shit out of everyone. They didn't think it was funny.

My Dad apparently did something like this multiple times to my sisters when they were growing up and had friends over for movies. He had it in the basement and would drape it over him and crawled into the living room on all fours and let out a low bellow. Worked every time.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I fostered a blue and gold macaw once and quickly discovered why he was a foster bird.

He would scream at the top of his lungs (200db) HELP!!!! HE'S KILLING ME!!!! AAARRRRGGGG ARRRRGGG!!! HEEELLLLP HEEEELLLPPP!!!!!

And the police showed up. While he was doing it and when he saw them, he did it even louder. When I invited the officer in, he started laughing in macaw laugh.

Evidently he saw too many murder shows.

Oh man, that is hilarious!

We have had our Blue and Gold Macaw for 24 years. He has learned to say many things and most enjoys screaming like the sound children scream when playing outside. It quickly grades on you.

One night I was outside standing by our back door. I live on a corner so the back door also faces a street.
The Parrot was inside near the open patio door, he began to screech. A car drove by slowly then stopped in the street. The driver had his window down and yelled out to me, "Is everything ok". at first I wondered about his question, then realized he was referring to the screaming Parrot inside our house. I answered the motorist that the noise,screaming, was coming from our Parrot, He chuckled then drove on.
Because of the area In Chicago that I live, I have MANY Police living around me (Chicago forces there employees to live in Chicago).
I'm glad a SWAT response was not ordered.

After reading your story, I’m confident you’d be the first to die in a horror movie.

Reading this I am reminded about a customer review of the Marlin Guide Gun in .45/70 when it listed T-Rex under appropriate game after it appeared in Jurassic World that seems on theme in both time and topic. Something along the lines of:

"I can personally attest that this gun WILL put a t-rex down. Had to do it today. Don't know what it was doing with the bucket of candy, but didn't affect stopping power of the round at all".

I have a friend from out of town staying at my house for a wedding coming up this weekend.
She bought a dark colored, full length wedding dress over the weekend.
Sunday evening after I went to bed she hung the dress up on a hanger over the outside of a coat closet at the end of the hallway connecting the bedroom area to the living area. The closet faces the hallway from across the entryway to the house.

Later that night I got up to pee and to get a drink of water in the kitchen. After I took a pee I rounded a corner and headed down the hallway. As I did, I could just make out the silhouette of what I thought was a 6 ft. tall person facing me about 18 ft away at the end of the hallway. Good thing I took a pee first because it scared me real good.

We had a good laugh about it the next morning.