A woman recalls a strange anomaly that she had seen several times in her grandparent's home when she was young, namely a real 'stick man' carrying a gun and guarding a room!
The following account was forwarded to me by my friends & colleagues Kyle & Cam at Expanded Perspectives:
"I listened to your account about the black stick figures from 4 years ago and have a story of my own. This took place when I was 6, and I am now 45.
Last summer (2023) we had a family reunion at my grandparent's home. While chilling on the 2nd day, my cousin asked me if I remembered telling our grandma about a stick man who walked the hallway at night. It brought back a ton of memories I completely forgot about! My Papa (my daddy's daddy) built their home from a rectangular rail car. The house had add-ons and had depth and dimension to it by the time our parents came along. It has 3 bedrooms with a possible 4th, 2 big separate living areas, and of course a bathroom. It has a large front porch and in the back of the house a built-on covered back porch. One particular room we called the utility room. It had the washer/dryer, hot water tank, and toiletries like tissue paper, soap, etc lined on the shelves. On the hot water tank was a stick man logo.
My sister and I, along with an older cousin asked me if I remembered growing up in the house. It was full of love and adventure and we always had something fun to do. We had sprinklers we ran through in the summers and my Papa was always making neat things for the front of the house. One year he made a diesel (18-wheeler) out of scrap materials that was a little longer than the length of a home office desk. It came up to the height of about an adult's hip and he planted flowers and succulents in it. He used pop cans as headlights. He mounted several mirrors he screwed together so you could move that had scientific accuracy that caught every angle so that we could see who was driving up the long driveway from inside if you were in the living room in the back of the house. He made a swing set for my sister and me and lovely flower beds that ran along the house for my grandma. There was a huge field next to the house, and I remember riding on my Papas riding mower to mow and collect rocks for the driveway. I really miss those days!
I was the youngest of the three, a quiet, shy, but rather independent girl who didn't need entertainment or playtime with anyone. For some reason, I loved sleeping on the floor and my grandparents let me. It was a hot summer night but I was bundled up from the cold air conditioner. I was lying at the foot of my grandparent's bed when movement caught my eye. They always left the hallway light on for us kids if we needed to use the bathroom and against the dark bedroom and lit hallway I saw something. From underneath the bed, I saw a pair of white stick feet! I laid on my stomach for a better look and yes, stick legs and stick feet! I saw this thing walking back and forth the entire length of the hallway.
I was shocked but not scared because somehow I knew it was the man from the heater and I knew it wouldn't harm me. I pushed myself out a little past the bed because I wanted a better look. He was completely WHITE. He was tall, skinny, and flat with a circle head but had stick arms, legs, and feet. He also had a tall hat on. You won't believe this but he also held a gun! I would have assumed it was a stick too only if I couldn't see the outline of a gun. I don't know what they are called but what comes to mind is those old war guns held by soldiers. Or the type that guards carry across the shoulder. I immediately got the sense that he was doing exactly what he was doing, guarding. I guess I stared until I fell asleep!
I'm not certain the next time it happened but I guess maybe a year later. Same as before I was happy as can be on the floor. My sister and cousin slept in a different bedroom. I saw him again! I watched him for a long while but this time I decided to get up! I was an unbothered little girl. I got up to go to the bathroom which was in the hallway. His back was facing me, and I stopped by the door and watched him. He turned around at the end of the hallway and just stood there. He didn't start walking back my way. We somehow looked at each other but I can't quite explain as he didn't have eyes or turn his head. I went ahead and used the bathroom. When I came back out he was still standing at the end of the hallway. I waved and quietly told him goodnight and went back to my floor bed. As soon as I laid back down he started walking back down the hallway. I guess I fell asleep again.
I saw the Stick Man 4 more times after that, on random nights at my grandparent's house. He never bothered me or made a noise and nobody else ever saw him. Each time he just patrolled the hallway. I got up again the last 4 times I saw him and like before he waited until I came out of the bathroom.
I kept my secret until I was 10 years old. My grandma used the utility room to inject herself in the stomach with insulin as she was diabetic. She would always let us know and kept the door shut. One day when she was done I walked in and told her I saw the man on the heater. She asked what I meant and I told her I saw him walking the hall at night. To my surprise, my grandma told me he was our "Watchman"! She told me he guards the closed door when she takes her insulin so that she has privacy! Any loud noises or if we burst in could have cost her. She could have possibly injected herself with a higher dose or maybe even an additional prick from the distraction.
One day my sister was frozen in front of the door. I kept calling her but she didn't move. I don't know how long we both stood there but she snapped out of it when grandma opened the door. Was Stick Man protecting Grandma? She also told me his gun was one of my Papa's father's guns! My Papa was born in 1914 but not sure of the year of his father's birth/death without looking or if he served any form of military. If you knew my grandfather you'd know he had many rifles and shotguns that were kept in the bedroom I slept in with them. Some were standing in a corner, and some were in the closet but I never saw any old war-type guns. Us kids knew never to touch them but we'd watch my Papa hunt rabbits and things.
All these years I still can't process why/how he let me see him, why/how he had the gun, and why he was patrolling the house. I also can't process how he wasn't a threat to any of us and how my grandma had the same feeling about him as I did. He didn't frighten her at all. I never had a thought that he would actually use the gun. I don't know how long she'd been seeing him either. I wish I would have asked her. What's interesting is that my grandma, Papa, and my father all died in that house! It's still lived in by my uncle and we visit quite often, as mentioned at the reunion. My cousin had many experiences seeing things when we were growing up but I never saw anything other than the stick man. It still has a unique vibe in the house. Not scary but definitely different. I do not have a memory of telling my sister and cousin but clearly, he knew since he asked me if I remembered telling our grandma.
I have spent a year trying to find Stick Man logos on old water heaters. I can't find the image I remember anywhere! This would be in the 80s, and I have no idea what the brand was." C
NOTE: I searched for a manufacturer of appliances that used a stick man logo. I was unsuccessful as well. Lon
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