My great grandfather was a farmer in Missouri. On the side, he would debunk haunted houses that superstitious folk wouldn't buy. My favorite story involved the Peg-Leg Ghost.

An old abandoned house was reported to be haunted by the ghost of a man who had a peg-leg.

At night, people heard the distinct "step...thump" of a man with a peg-leg walking on the old wooden floors. My great grandfather set up one night with a lantern and sometime after midnight, he heard it upstairs.

Step...thump

Step...thump

He slowly climbed the stairs and when he got to the top, the sound stopped. He searched the entire second floor, but found nothing.

The next night he planned to be more patient. He set up at the foot of the stairs armed with only matches, no lantern.

He waited in the darkness until he heard it on the second floor.

Step...thump

Step...thump

Step...thump

The last was from the top of the stairs and then it descended toward him.

Step...thump

Step...thump

Step...thump

All the way down the stairs until it was right before him.

Step...thump

And he struck the match and looked straight ahead. But he saw nothing. His heart pounded and his breath left him. He took a step back and his head dropped.

That's when he saw it.

It was a huge rat that long ago had lost its hind legs, probably in a trap. It had learned to walk by lunging forward with its front paws, then bringing up its hind with bony stubs.

Step...thump.