Lesser known facts #1; when a house is truly cursed, there is no getting rid of it. And the Old House is the gift that keeps giving (stories).
Did I mention that I'd sold the (definitely cursed) house? Yes? Yes I did. I sold it to a property developer. I sold it to them, and I moved my stuff out, and I cleaned the place, and I handed over the keys. And the Old House was now the property developer's.
This is such an important fact.
And for the first week or so I woke up every morning, happy that I was finally out of the old house. It was only when I moved out that I realised just how much I'd hated being there. A massive weight was lifted off my shoulders. In fact I loved being out of the old house so much, that I developed an irrational fear of being told I had to move back.
So the irrational part of me was already expecting the knock on the door when it came. Ruth, the woman from the property company, appeared on my doorstep on a Saturday afternoon; Could I accompany her to the old house? there seems to be some kind of problem, and she doesn't know where the house is.
Lesser people would have claimed amnesia, and muttered that it was so long since they had sold the place, they too had forgotten details... I am not a lesser person.
Let's cut to the chase. The "problem" was that a tank or a pipe, or something that normally carried (a lot of) water had burst. For the past week water had been pouring down through the house. Not dripping, not trickling, but full scale pouring from the roof downwards. As we stood at the back door, we could only peer through a sheet of water upwards to the very roof itself, for the flood had brought down both the bedroom and kitchen ceilings. Wires were hanging where the kitchen light used to be, for the light fitting and the rest of the ceiling was on the floor. Pipes which had previously been under the bedroom floors were now visible, holding up what remained of the bedroom floors.
Ruth and I could get no further than the back door without hard hats, heavy duty raincoats and a squad of emergency plumbers.
..........
It's been two weeks now.... two weeks when I've reminded myself every day that I sold that house, and this is someone else's problem.
Did I mention that I'd sold the (definitely cursed) house? Yes? Yes I did. I sold it to a property developer. I sold it to them, and I moved my stuff out, and I cleaned the place, and I handed over the keys. And the Old House was now the property developer's.
This is such an important fact.
And for the first week or so I woke up every morning, happy that I was finally out of the old house. It was only when I moved out that I realised just how much I'd hated being there. A massive weight was lifted off my shoulders. In fact I loved being out of the old house so much, that I developed an irrational fear of being told I had to move back.
So the irrational part of me was already expecting the knock on the door when it came. Ruth, the woman from the property company, appeared on my doorstep on a Saturday afternoon; Could I accompany her to the old house? there seems to be some kind of problem, and she doesn't know where the house is.
Lesser people would have claimed amnesia, and muttered that it was so long since they had sold the place, they too had forgotten details... I am not a lesser person.
Let's cut to the chase. The "problem" was that a tank or a pipe, or something that normally carried (a lot of) water had burst. For the past week water had been pouring down through the house. Not dripping, not trickling, but full scale pouring from the roof downwards. As we stood at the back door, we could only peer through a sheet of water upwards to the very roof itself, for the flood had brought down both the bedroom and kitchen ceilings. Wires were hanging where the kitchen light used to be, for the light fitting and the rest of the ceiling was on the floor. Pipes which had previously been under the bedroom floors were now visible, holding up what remained of the bedroom floors.
Ruth and I could get no further than the back door without hard hats, heavy duty raincoats and a squad of emergency plumbers.
..........
It's been two weeks now.... two weeks when I've reminded myself every day that I sold that house, and this is someone else's problem.
29 December 2012 at 21:41
mmmmhh ... just in time. I hope the whole transaction was finished, like in "everything is paid". Now they own a pretty picturesque ruin.
29 December 2012 at 22:13
Sounds like they have. fair bit of developing to do :-)
Sx
29 December 2012 at 22:14
...well that comment went wrong... your old house is cursing the comment box now.
Sx
29 December 2012 at 22:33
Crikey. Well, if the damage is bad enough they could take the insurance and build an uncursed house. If, er, it was insured...
29 December 2012 at 22:53
Everyone likes a water feature
29 December 2012 at 22:55
(Actually, this sounds very like the house we both wanted to buy but just had enough sense not to. While we were being shown round - three weeks after the last rainfall and with all the water tanks having been emptied and the water turned off outside - there was a waterfall coming down the back living room wall.)
29 December 2012 at 23:38
Timing is everything.
30 December 2012 at 00:31
I think you should immediately buy a lotto ticket!
30 December 2012 at 03:35
Fuckit! Ye did get out just in time! :¬)
xxx
30 December 2012 at 04:05
i think LX is right, sugar! go buy a lotto ticket because you are one damn lucky girl! and remember my chant, it's not my fault and it's not my problem!xxoxoxox
30 December 2012 at 06:15
I've heard of roofless developers...
30 December 2012 at 11:40
Mr Mago - Well it was paid in that I'm now sitting in the house they sold to me in the part exchange deal. And I'm not moving!
Scarlet - Going to need more than a coat of paint, that's for sure!
Nice new avatar btw!
And yes. This curse has tentacles...
Mr Musgrove - Water feature or a small scale reproduction of Hurricane Katrina?? You decide..
Pat - It is indeed. Especially on a grand finale :)
LX - Oh I don't know. Might be my luck used up for the next decade...
Maps - And without a hard hat we're not allowed back in!
Savannah - I will! And I'll add a third refrain...Things could always be worse; I could be at the old house
Rog - Oh yes, but these builders have a roof - just nothing much under it!
30 December 2012 at 12:50
Jeez, you certainly got out just in time! As Scarlet said, a fair bit of developing to do. Maybe an exorcism would help as well.
30 December 2012 at 15:23
Oh, wow. But- and I'm nearly afraid to ask- since you don't own it any more, why did the developer bring you back to see the problem? Hardly to remind you of your great good fortune in being out of there...
30 December 2012 at 20:55
Nick - I'd suggest an exorcism to the builders, but I don't want to remind them that I've got anything to do with the place!
Speccy - Ruth said she needed someone to show her where the house was - and who could show her where the water turned off. Turns out the water needed to be turned off at the mains...
30 December 2012 at 22:38
Same thing happened to our neighbours (the burst pipe thing). So not funny when you still have to live there - someone is definitely smiling at you Macy!
31 December 2012 at 13:53
We bought a house that then had this problem......we could see the bedroom ceiling from the sitting room....but that is all behind us now...and it is behind you too Macy...smile and count your blessings.
31 December 2012 at 16:00
Curry Queen - Would it be too much to ask, d'ye think, that that smiling person is at least 5 foot ten, over forty and in possession of most of his own teeth and hair???
Libby - Indeedies. I wake up every morning GLAD to be out of there!
1 January 2013 at 09:34
I'm enjoying the saga of the house, but I'm mainly commenting to say ... Have a very lekker 2013 in your new house! ^^
16 January 2013 at 05:46
Just sounds like great timing--the old house held ot til you deserted it