With the Halloween weekend around us and the ghost walks and tales about the city and countryside, I thought it would be a fitting time to discuss “Things that go bump in the Night!”

The phrase goes back to the early 1900s and is steeped in Scottish tales and prayers.

The meaning of this phrase was a frightening but imagined supernatural event.

The earliest known example of the phrase in print is in the 1918 Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. It appears that anything not understood or explained was automatically assigned to the supernatural world of spooks, goblins and ghosts.

At the turn of the century, Africa and Asia were great, vast continents of unexplored areas and wildlife. The National Geographic Channel, Animal Planet and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom among others weren’t educating us about what might be out there after dark.

A few years ago, while we were staying at a historic inn, we were awoken in the middle of the night by a loud thud and chattering noise.

The innkeeper had warned us with a tale of a young bride waiting for her groom at the hotel suite next to us a century ago who met a tragic fate. She expresses her sadness by frightening guests in the middle of the night according to legend.

I believe it was more likely raccoons in the attic dropping their chubby hind quarters to the floor on their way to check out the left over scraps of the Inn’s special bourbon chicken.

I didn’t want to ruin everyone else’s fantasy, but I well know of these critters antics when it comes to a tasty meal.

It isn’t just happening at historic inns, but also at our homes in the country and suburbs.

A shriek in the middle of the night that is unexplained or at least not familiar with most people.

Likely the culprits are one of the many nocturnal animals that roam Penn’s Woods.

I expect that the Red Fox, feral cat and the owl family have combined with the raccoons to make a nice assortment of spooky sounds and calls.

Many times in rural northern Butler County, you will hear the barking of a fox or coyote along with a squeal of an unlucky rabbit in the wee hours of the night.

I can see how it might transfer to a banshee or supernatural creature of the dark to some imaginations.

Many times thumps on your roof or scratching noises can be greatly amplified by our imaginations.

More likely it is flying squirrels, mice, bats or raccoons making a tour of your property.

It amazes me how adept they are in finding the smallest opening in your household security. I had dusk-to-dawn security lights placed on my buildings and the critters of the night had me lighting up the neighborhood all night long. It got to the point that I would have liked to see Bigfoot just to prove my security was in the right place.

A family of nocturnal flying squirrels landing on my roof and gutters always makes a racket.

If I didn’t recognize their antics, I am sure that I would feel that we were being haunted with their scratching and scraping around the gutters. Fresh maple seeds, acorns and nuts are always an interest for them.

I was cleaning my gutters out and found a cache of corn and sunflower seeds piled up like no other critter would do it.

I put screens over the gutters and surprisingly the middle of the night scratching and other noises ended. Most noises are eventually identified or become more common as you listen for them. When you can put a fox to a cry or a raccoon to a snarl or even a crash to a bear raiding your trash cans, you become more accustomed to and rational about a night time disturbance.

I wouldn’t have believed most of the noises made by the culprits if I hadn’t seen them for myself.

So, my friends, don’t be alarmed by a scream, bark or cry in the middle of the night, it is most likely the nocturnal animals of the Pennsylvania woodlands. If you would rather believe the tales of the supernatural I better leave you with this old Scottish prayer…From ghoulies and ghosties…And long-legged beasties…And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us!

Amen.