All I can say is that I've gone through this. In high school, one of my good friends homes was very active. One of their biggest gripes was items going missing and then reappearing somewhere else. Sometimes, however, items never seemed to reappear- and if they did, it wasn't anywhere they could find them.

I've known several others who have had very similar unexplainable experiences, and I wish I had more answers for you. It's kind of along the lines of, "where do spirits go when they're not interacting with us". This really is a physics question. If spirits live in another dimension, well, then they take them there. How? Why? No idea. In another post I think on the syfy forum I once wrote about how cosmic critters let in by ouiji boards must be the source of all single missing socks. Granted, I was being silly, but in many respects, I have wondered how much of missing things are lost by us, and how much is taken by entities.

Somewhere in space and time is a giant pile of collected items that people will never find. And next to that pile is a whole bunch of very satisfied individuals admiring their collection. /wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Of course, there is also the theory of time travelers….but this isn't a subject I've done much research on. My friends who completely disbelieve in ghosts are believers in the time traveler theory. Anyone on here familiar with it?

Maybe that's where our stuff goes. It's certainly one place we haven't looked. My parents have done work from cellar to attic in their home since my pictures disappeared and they never turned up. Their walls are lathe and plaster, but there's probably storage space in there, right?

Maybe some future owner will be doing some remodeling and will find my pictures and all the rest of our missing items. Won't they be confused!

Back in the 70's my father "remodeled" our living room. Actually, he put paneling up on the walls, including over the closet. I always wanted to be a fly on the wall when the new owners tore that paneling off and found the little closet that still had our Easter bonnets and white lace gloves stored up high on the shelf!

I am always losing socks in my dryer I think it is the porthole to the other side /unsure.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='<_<' />

First of all, I'm so sorry that your little cousin has had to suffer so much, but congratulations to you on being such a good person. It must have taken tremendous courage to sue your cousin for custody. In my experience, most family members don't want anyone to do that no matter how bad things are because they don't like to "cause trouble" or air the family's dirty laundry, or because they sincerely believe that children are better off with their parents no matter how crappy their parents are. That kind of thinking makes it a hard world for children and you are to be commended for being the rare human being with the courage to make things better for a child. Getting custody of a child is a long, hard road so you must be tough as well as kind. Bravo!

The story of the disappearing shirt is so similar to the stuff I've seen! It almost seems that certain spirits actually do form a bond with us and can love us and be proud of us. It's likely that the button was the real prize for your invisible friend – maybe undoing the button from the shirt was too difficult or maybe he really wanted both. Doesn't it make you wonder if they aren't taking this stuff to "show off" to other spirits and brag about "their family"? I get a clear visual of your friend showing off the honor roll button complete with uniform shirt, bragging about your cousin's grades and about how bravely you had fought to give him a better life, etc. Can't you just see that?

When my senior pictures disappeared my mom was certain that our invisible friend (who seems to be very attached to me) had taken them to show to some of his "friends" and that he would bring them back but they were gone for good. Maybe he handed them out the same way my mortal family would have done? All I know is that the one picture that showed back up later when I needed it desperately had been cut from the sheet even though the pictures had all still been uncut when they disappeared. That's a story no one will believe so I won't even tell it but it sure made us all rethink what our friend was capable of.

It still doesn't explain where they store the stuff or why my friend took my magnifying glass! What's he doing – telling his friends about how I'm getting middle-aged and need a magnifying glass to see details of small stuff on the computer sometimes? Maybe he just liked the handle – it was pretty bright.

Maybe milomilford has it right and my magnifying glass has turned up on someone else's desk. Maybe our friend is cheating on us with another family! Perhaps that's why we don't see him very often anymore.

Boy, this stuff really does make your head hurt if you think about it too much, but I still can't stop myself from pondering what it all means. Argh!

aww thank you. I know getting custody is long and hard mine is still ongoing but for now he's with me and all i can do i pray it all turnes out well.

i can see him doing that… i also, and it breaks my heart to think about it, but at times i get the felling he took it because he wants a little part of of my cousin, the part where someone stood up for him the way no one did for for my ghost. To be honest my ghost story could be my imagination but i don't think it is a lot of people have seen him and his sister, so they are real. His sister even made an appearance in a voice chat once MK and i think Sithy was there. as for his name and story, I just know, i don t know how or why i just do and i know its what happened. I first saw him as a kid and always felt him around.

As for your magnifying glass, every thing happens for a reason, IDK what web browser you use but with most of them if you click ctrl then + it zooms in. clicking ctrl 0 puts the screen back to normal size I use that little trick when websites use a really small font. hope thats helps till you get a new one.

Wow, thanks for sharing this story, Pynki. So glad to know that Jonathan is in safe loving hands now /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> Your story is actually tying into a comment that NoWhammies made on my Followed Home post- the theory that some people, specifically women, give off the "mother vibe".

And I just love how with people sharing stories on here we can all end up seeing a pattern- there does seem to be a correlation among the stories told here and items that were recently touched. Even my own stories from friends- the items were recently used.

Awesome stories, everyone!

I'll get on board with that, i could definitely see ghost of children haunting those people . That would be an interesting study

IMHO the shirt may represent the love and support you have shown to your young cousin. Maybe your little ghost literally wants to wrap himself in that loving warmth by wearing the shirt so he can feel protected and loved by you, too. I really do believe that the items spirits choose to take puts out some kind of glow or heat that appeals to them and that they don't take random objects.

You'll know I'm right if he's wearing a white shirt with a button on it the next time he's seen. Wouldn't that be the sweetest but most heart-breaking thing ever?

Maybe the button just came with the shirt or maybe he's just so proud of your cousin's success that he wants to share in it and show it off. Also, even a dead child could easily covet the button and what it means and want it for himself. Poor little guy.

Okay, I'm not liking the direction of this post! You all get the ghosts of children, which says that you are motherly. I get random dead guys. What the heck does that say about me???

I'll admit that I'm not the nurturing kind but WTH?

Ghost children break my heart.

It says you're a sexy mamma who attracts both the living and the dead /biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

It would be nice to think that, but I'm pretty sure that it's my policy of non-interference that they like.

I don't mind the spirits using my house as some kind of way station as long as they don't annoy or frighten me. They just seem to want me to acknowledge their presence when they arrive and then they usually leave me alone, other than occasionally sitting in a chair in the room I'm in or the like. As long as they respect me by not breaking my rules (like no coming in my bedroom) then I show them the courtesy of not asking them to do parlor tricks or talk into a recorder, etc. I guess dead men appreciate not having to talk as much as living men do.

I can understand my old friend visiting because he and I go WAY back, but who are these strangers? Is there's a sign over my house that says wandering spirits will find a warm welcome here – sort of like that drawing of a cat that meant "kind hearted woman inside" that hobos drew in front of houses during the depression? Maybe my house is some kind of retreat for spirits: It is really quiet here.

Fortunately, I only get a wandering soul every year or so and each only stays a few days or maybe a week, but it's all really odd. Why my house? Why me?

I don't seem to get any needy or lost spirits but like I said, I'm not the nurturing type. I can handle an invisible companion every once in a while but ghost children would break my heart.

Lord, it's a good thing these posts are anonymous: the men in white coats would be at my door any second if they could find me.

Maybe some people just attract that kind of thing :shrug: i know weird stuff seems to happen around me. the same goes for one of my friends, when we're together…. We have this one friend who's a big wuss when it comes to things like that and i mean wuss with a capital W U S S he now refuses to hang out if the both of us are together after dark because of one incident. its a shame really he's this big 6'6 intimidating looking guy who at the word ghost or spirit would cover his ears like a two year old and go "NO NO NO NO NO"

I realize that what I am going to tell you is going to sound bizarre, but I have been thinking about this for a week and I am just going to post this because the whole thing is absolutely making me crazy and I need to talk about it. PLEASE tell me your thoughts about this. I really would appreciate any input that any of you may have.

About a week ago I had a visit from the spirit that has been part of my life since my family bought the house he "lived" in. I was 11 then and he was very active the entire time I lived at home and while I was in college. His activity tapered off gradually but he was still around a lot. He has always been able to visit me wherever I am, seemingly at will, but in the past few years he has been MIA way more than he's been around. He seems to spend more time with me than anyone but even I only get an annual visit or even less these days. My family and I actually think he's gone for good and then he pops up out of nowhere for a visit and then pops out again just as quickly.

He just made an appearance here for a few days. It had been so long since his last visit that I wasn't even sure it was him at first but now I know it was. I know this is going to sound completely insane but when he left he took the magnifying glass off my desk with him. This has always been a signature trait of his. He just takes stuff occasionally. Usually it goes missing for a few hours or a few days and then turns back up either right where you left it or someplace crazy like the roof. Sometimes, though, the objects are never seen again.

There is no question that the magnifying glass is gone. It's about a foot long, about 5" wide and it's very heavy. It is always on the desk by the computer so I can get a good look at things in spite of my middle aged eyes. My husband and I tore up the house looking for it even though we know that we are the only ones who live here and that neither of us moved it. I honestly thought that my invisible friend had just moved it into a guest bedroom or the closet or something, but it is gone. The thing is not something that could easily get moved or misplaced – like I said, it's large and heavy. It also has a brightly colored ceramic handle so it's very hard to miss. We can't find it anywhere. It is just gone.

I used to accept this "taking" as just one of his tricks, but now that I am older and supposedly wiser I just can't figure this out. Has anyone else ever had objects removed from their home by a spirit?

I am hoping someone can tell me WHY he take things, HOW he takes them and most importantly, WHERE does he take them??? I never really thought about it much before but now it's like trying to figure out where the universe ends or how long eternity is – it makes my head hurt. Before this, it was aggravating when things disappeared. Now it's driving me crazy! I really want to know how it is possible for a spirit to remove an item from a house. I can sort of understand how he can move things from spot to spot, but to actually make it disappear entirely? How is that possible?

Assuming that it is possible for him to take objects, which I know from a long history with my friend that he can and does do, WHY would he want to take things? The most aggravating thing he ever took was my senior pictures. He just took the whole packet of them one night. They were on the kitchen table when we went upstairs for the evening and gone when we came down the next morning. Poof! they disappeared without a trace. They've been missing for more than 25 years now. But WHY would he take these things? What could a spirit possibly want with school pictures or a magnifying glass? Are they souvenirs of some kind? Do they have sentimental value to him? Does he take them to make a point of some kind? To drive us crazy? Just because he can?

Finally, and I think this question is the one that is the most maddening, WHERE does he take them? I can't believe that the spirit world has closets. I'm not trying to be funny – I seriously want to know where the items go. They have to materialize somewhere after he moves them, right? They are physical objects so they have to physically be somewhere, don't they???

To the best of my knowledge the magnifying glass is the heaviest, largest item he's ever taken. Mostly he takes off with jewelry, keys, etc. I can't tell you the number of times my mom or I have screamed at him to at least take both earrings if he takes one of them, but part of the game for him seems to be leaving one just so you know that he took them and that you didn't just misplace them or forget where you took them off. We find one earring just where we took them out and then search everywhere for the mate. Just when you give up, you go back to where you started and both earrings are smiling up at you. Wow, that's infuriating! He loves that game, but every once in a while the missing earring doesn't turn up again. Why does he keep some and return others?

I know some of you are going to scoff and say that we just lose earrings, but it's not true. Last winter my whole family came to visit. We were all sitting in the family room and I took off my very heavy earrings while we were chatting and laid them on the end table next to me while we chatted. I reached down to pick them up when I went to bed and only one was there. My whole family searched for the **** thing and couldn't find it. It still hasn't turned up.

He once took three screwdrivers in a row while my husband was putting together a bookcase. My husband tries to ignore the paranormal, but after the third screwdriver vaporized even he had to admit something was up. We didn't find them until we were moving out of that house – all three screw drivers were lined up neatly on the very top shelf of the storage rack in the basement. You just have to shake your head.

My theory is that he takes the stuff that we've most recently handled, such as keys or jewelry or screwdrivers. Maybe they give off some kind of glow that attracts him? I used my magnifying glass a lot – could that be why he took it? Or did he just take it to show off how strong he is? Is it the same thing as taking just one earring – to prove that it was he who took it and not just us misplacing it? It did make me sure that it was my friend who had been with me, but honestly, I just don't know if that was his reason for taking the magnifying glass..

This is absolutely doing my head in, so I would really appreciate any and all input on this, especially from anyone who has experience with anything similar. It would be good to know that we are not the only people this happens to.

Thanks.

It seems to me that the items this person takes are symbolic of something. If you look at them and attach a meaning, such as the magnifying glass means 'find me' or 'look closer', what does that tell you? What do the other items tell you? You have the tools (i.e screwdriver), the key, to figuring this out? What do they have in common. This person is trying to tell you something through the meaning of objects, not just the object themselves. Only you can put these things together and figure out what the whole means.