Could a creepy joke be making my new house feel worse?

A vivid dream can feel unusually convincing, especially when the house is unfamiliar and you have already been thinking about the attic and the odd details upstairs. That does not prove anything caused the dream or that there is something in the house. Dreams often borrow from worries and surroundings, and a joke can make an idea stick in your mind.

Try checking ordinary explanations in daylight, like what the window reflects and whether anything in the attic or walls needs attention. Then give yourself a break from spooky stories and charms before bed. If the fear keeps disrupting your sleep or daily life, talk it through with someone you trust or a health professional.

I'd start with the practical stuff, not because your fear is silly, but because checking the house can take some uncertainty off the table. Ask someone you trust to look over the attic access and upstairs rooms with you during the day. Check that doors, windows, and any loose fixtures are secure, and consider whether headlights, reflections, or moving branches could explain what was seen in the window.

Also, try not to investigate alone at night when you're already on edge. If there is a real maintenance or safety issue, you can deal with that directly without deciding what the cause is.

Your mother having a similar dream or noticing something at the window is worth talking about calmly, but it still leaves plenty of room for ordinary explanations. You may both be reacting to the same unfamiliar space, and a fleeting shape outside can be hard to identify from indoors.

Maybe agree to describe what each of you remembers without trying to fill in gaps for one another. If there is something concrete to inspect, do it together in daylight. If there's nothing to find, you can still make the upstairs feel less ominous by using the room normally and improving the lighting.