Calgary's All Abuzz

Calgary residents in the northern neighborhood of Ranchlands haven't been able to get a decent night's sleep in months, thanks to a mysterious hum, the origin of which is unknown.

According to neighbors, the hum is undetectable during the day, but once night falls and everything quietens down, a low-decibel hum similar to that of "a diesel engine on low idle" can clearly be heard. The volume remains steady and neither the frequency nor tone ever change. Experts have been called in to detect the source. Theories include waterworks, phonelines, and electrical lines.

For a year or two in my youth, I suffered the same problem. I literally had dreams about this noise, which only I seemed to hear. I even wrote a dark fantasy/horror short about it! It turned out to be an old transient who had setup residence in a shed on the unsold property next to ours. The shed was well into the field beyond what were the backyards and no one saw him coming or going because he snuck in and out at night. The constant buzz was a small, gas-powered generator.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009