If the dog said no then its no.

Always listen to the dog

The basement is the highest form of this medium while being the lowest room of this medium

Believe the dog! Always believe the dog!

Ok, lesson learnt tonight: I’ll remember not to click on basement stories at night

As someone born/raised/still lives in New England woodland- relatable story. Easy to get freaked out by shadows when the animals say something's amiss! Dogs don't tell lies (unless there might be snacks.)
Also, the Scooby Doo sound FX was a nice addition!
Thanks, Piano Man.

Me (reading thumbnail) ooh! We're in the basement again!
out of context I sound like I've lost my mind when I watch Youtube.

Heck yeah, basement!

There's always something about abandoned farmhouses/farms that's creepy in general. There's tons of them in Missouri and I've been to a few. They're eerie and usually very silent, but then you'll get the random creak of a hatch or barn door or something blowing in the breeze and nearly jump out of your skin.

The dog being at high alert is very concerning, though. Clearly Jezebel saw whatever it was just as well as everyone else and felt very threatened by it. They did the right thing by trusting their guts and getting out of there.

Also, Earl Grey is the best choice.

Go as spooky as you’re comfortable with!! I’m here for it

Almost certainly the real answer, have hidden it under 'see more' since I don't want to ruin the creepy for anyone who prefers the  mystery.



Moose.

Birch trees are a key source of food, especially late in the year.

They are deceptively silent, and move in ways that (even during daylight) can make them seem to appear out of nowhere, or 'teleport'.

Jezebel probably sensed moose outside the house in the past, but it wasn't until she was out there with a moose and all the humans *freaked out* that she learned moose are something the humans must be warned about.

I have friends that live in that area. They own a really old (1830s) house and barn, which they swear were haunted when they first moved there, 30+ years ago. Said hauntings have since dissipated. I visited them once and experienced nothing odd. Anyway, next time I talk to them, I’ll ask about this.

My parents have a place in Vermont near the Bennington triangle and my mother in law lives in super rural eastern PA. The storyteller here is totally right; every small rural town in New England and Appalachia has stories about these kinda places. It’s funny how many of them are about places that at one point were occupied by an unmarried woman (the horror!)  around the turn of the century. And probably started from rumors that she was a witch.

I live on the West Coast.  Silly people would attribute it to Bigfoot.  But... That's what you'd feel if you'd seen a mountain lion.  They stand on two legs to mark trees with the scent glands in their forepaws.

This reads like a Goosebumps story and I love it

Please do more scary stories. I'm here for the horror accompanied by piano

People aren't made for night vision. Our brains will make up lots of nonsense. Dogs have excellent hearing. They will react to things we can't hear. I had two dogs who knew when my father was almost home. He would be too far for human ears, but the dogs knew and freaked out. It wasn't the time, because he didn't necessarily come home at the same time. They could pick out his truck from all the other vehicles on a four lane road at rush hour.

The basement stories are my absolute favorite!!

Birch trees are commonly associated with creepy things. 😅

This makes me think of the root witch by Debra Castenada. But not really because that one was very strange.

But birch trees reproduce by their roots so the trees are all one large organism.

Great story!
I agree- trust the dog!

Dun dun DUN!  Basement Piano Man!  Poor Jezebel! Not something I thought I'd ever say.  💜

Honestly, after about 10 minutes in the dark our brain gets bored and starts making hallucinations to keep things interesting (think back to the times where you stayed up late lying in bed and saw stuff in the corner of your eye). This could absolutely be something like that happening. As for the pup, probably sensed a coyote, racoon, deer, some type of wildlife.
As for everyone back home, they were already freaked out. They'll see anything and chalk it up to anything else.
October is also wildlife migration season. Those critters gotta find the warmest spot they can find for rest, hence the pup growling at the back door. Something is shuffling back there just passing by 🙂‍↕️ all chill there
I also had a VERY chill black lab in my childhood. I'm talking you could use him as a pillow and he'd be happy as can be. Slept through anything, but if he spotted something in his territory out the window you know damn well he'd lock onto it and GROWL. He was a big scary cuddly boy