In the years just after the Second World War many Belfast houses stood empty after evacuations and bomb damage. A young couple moved into a long-abandoned house on the Lower Falls and tried to make it their home. Household objects vanished and reappeared elsewhere, and others were hurled across rooms. Doors banged, footsteps echoed, and the most terrifying event was a night when their bed rose from the floor and shook.
A neighbour familiar with local lore told them that if a child under seven slept in the house, the disturbances would stop. They agreed, and the neighbour's young daughter stayed a short time. From the moment she arrived the activity stopped and never returned.
No date or names are given. The detail of the child under seven may preserve an older folk belief about the protection of the very young.
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