My first strange experience

Over the years, I have had quite a few experiences, but the earliest I remember was one that I had when I was about 6 or 7 years old. At that time we lived in the southeast side of Portland, Or. (where I was born), and stayed in a two story town house. I remember that the townhouse was large, and was shared by my mother, my aunt, my older brother, and myself. I had a lot of good times there, but I also remember being deathly afraid at times, especially when I was on the second floor. I had a lot of nightmares too when I was young, most of them taking place on that second level and involving the appearance of some type of ghost or spirit. Well, I guess it should have made sense to me later on when I experienced something strange on that upstairs floor.

I was upstairs in the room my brother and I shared, watching television. I had stayed home that day because I was sick and turned on the tube to pass the time. I don't remember how long I had been sitting there watching TV, but as some point, I heard my name being called:

"Alex, Alex".

It sounded like my aunt's voice, so I responded with a "yes?" However, there was no answer. I waited for a second and called her name, but still there was no answer. I got up to see where she was, going from room to room upstairs, but I did not see her. I decided to go downstairs and find out what she wanted. But when I got downstairs I only found my mom, who was cooking in the kitchen. I looked around puzzled, wondering if maybe my aunt had gone to the bathroom or stepped outside for a moment. When my mother saw me looking around confused, she asked me what was wrong. I told her that nothing was wrong, just that I heard my aunt calling me and and I wanted to find out what she needed. My mother stopped what she was doing and looked at me for a moment. She asked me if I had heard someone calling my name, and I said "yes". She told me that my aunt was still at work and wouldn't be home until later this afternoon, she (my mom) didn't call me, and we were the only ones in the house. I remember being surprised, and I told her that I had heard her voice calling me. At that point she asked me if I responded to the voice, and I told her that I did. She told me that if I ever hear anyone calling my name when no one was around, never to answer. Ever. I was confused, and I asked her "why?", but she just told me to follow her instructions. I really didn't think much of it at that time, just that it was a little weird, and I went back to watching TV.

Later on, as I grew older, I immersed myself in the strange and supernatural. It was always interesting to me, and my knowledge on the subject grew. I also began seeking answers to certain things that I had experienced, that I could not explain. I thought back on this particular event...Could it have been a delusion? Was it just me imagining things? Well, I wasn't asleep, that is certain. I wasn't sick enough to be in a delusional state as it was only a cold that I had. I did however, hear (in my research) that spirits may call out to someone, in hopes of contacting or reaching them. I also heard that if the person answers that spirit it could create a type of "bridge", leading the spirit to that person. Although this doesn't mean that a "spirit" tried to contact me, it would definitely explain why my mother gave me the advice that she did. Being a little superstitious, I suppose that she believed in this (at least a little) and was hoping to keep me safe from any unknown forces, even though she probably doesn't remember this event now. I, however, have never forgotten it, and still remember it very clearly.