The story takes place in the narrator's childhood home, where he and his family are startled by a series of strange occurrences. A loud thumping sound and subsequent flickering of the lights leads his father to believe the house is haunted by a ghost. His father, despite being a practical man, is convinced of the ghost's presence and takes action, attempting to communicate with the ghost and even preparing to exorcise it.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family is trying to make sense of the commotion. The narrator's mother and sister are initially scared but become increasingly annoyed by the whole situation. The narrator himself is more amused than frightened, observing the events with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.
As the night unfolds, the ghost's antics become more absurd, culminating in a comical scene where the father chases the ghost around the house with a gun, only to find out that the ghost is actually a drunken neighbor who had fallen asleep on the porch.
The story ends with the family exhausted but relieved, having faced their fear of the ghost only to discover it was something much more mundane. The humor lies in the exaggeration of the events, the contrasting reactions of the family members, and the absurdity of the ghost's actions. The story also touches on themes of family dynamics, the power of belief, and the irrationality of fear.