Saw it....Better her than me..
Woke up in the middle of the night to loud repetitive bangs emanating from downstairs. It would stop for 10-15 seconds and then start again. Sounded like someone slamming a 2 X 4 board against the walls or kitchen counter. Very Loud!
I Woke up my husband ( former deputy sheriff). He hears it and immediately grabs his gun. Runs across the hall, grabs our 3 year old out of her room. Throws her on the bed with me. I watch as he heads downstairs, gun drawn, back against the wall, slowly making his way down the stairs.
This is before cell phones, so I grab the phone and call 911 and shakily tell the operator what’s going on as far as I know it. 911 says help is on the way!(but We lived out in the country,, back off the road a ways.).
In that moment, I was terrified, scared for my husband. I’m expecting to hear gunshots or yelling, but hear nothing....even the loud banging has stopped...
I can, even in the dark house, see my husband calmly coming back up the steps. He sees me on the phone and says “ tell them everything’s okay “.
He says that the noise was from a Mylar balloon that my daughter had gotten a few days before and was slightly deflated but still floating. It had gotten into a ceiling fan and was getting whacked by the blades. It would get pushed away and the air conditioning vent would blow it back into the ceiling fan! Talk about relief! 911 operator Still wanted to have the deputies come by, but we said not necessary. She could tell from my voice that I wasn’t scared anymore!
That happened almost 30 years ago! Still chuckling about it but will never forget how I felt watching my husband go downstairs not knowing what could have happened to him.