Paranormal Experiences
Our Loose Blogging consortium includes Anu, Ashok, Conrad, Gaelikaa, Ginger, Judy, Magpie 11, Maria, Ramana and yours truly. Each of us when available, will contribute a piece for the topic for the week. The call of work, study or family concerns, often prevents some members from taking part on the day or indeed the week in question. This weeks offering was chosen by Ashok
Paranormal experience
It had been a very difficult and stressful few weeks for all concerned. The house was full, there were more bodies than beds and EJ was tired. At last the chatter, singing and banter of the evening had stopped and the place was quiet and settled for the night, but for the normal creaks and groans of a sixty year old house. Perhaps the walls were saying goodbye!
EJ struggled to find comfort for himself on the sofa bed, It was not long enough to stretch his long and lean legs. He longed for a cigarette, but the packet was emptied an hour earlier. The most he could expect was to rest his weary bones while replaying the events of the day in his head. He was not happy with how all the events were handled. Having her in a bed in the next room was not his idea, and if the truth were told he found it a little unnerving. At least the sliding doors to the other room were closed. He didn’t need to see her.
In the dark hours before dawn he drifted into the half world between sleep and wakefulness.
He was back in the bedroom one floor above and a child of seven once more. It was summer and difficult to sleep when it was still daylight outside and voices trailed in the open window. His older siblings were playing Rounders in the field at the bottom of the garden. He wanted to be out there, even if it meant fielding in the tall grass of the outfield. He jumped out of bed to look out the window.
It was then he heard the signal: His mother was running silently up the stairs to reprimand him. Like all his siblings, he knew when she was on the prowl or warpath; the medals acted like a warning bell. Two silver medals – one quite large – were always worn on a long chain round her neck. The medals rattled and clanged with every move. At times it was a comforting sound, especially if you were sick and in bed. The medals were cue to a hug or a tempting titbit of food.
Suddenly EJ sat bolt uptight bumping his knee in the process!
He heard the medals! There was the definite sound of metal on metal and there was a move in the sliding doors. After sixty years the doors were stiff and difficult to open. Someone was trying to open them now! The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It was a very long time since EJ invoked the help of the Mother of God, but he prayed more in that moment than he had done in years. She was coming back into the room! All the misdeeds of his youth played out before him and here was his mother raised from her death bed coming to haunt him. Was she coming to fulfil the promise to leave the imprint of her five fingers on him?
The doors inched open a little more…..
In sauntered Snooks the cat, with tail held proudly in the air and her bell gently tinkling!
Suddenly EJ laughed! A loud and hearty laugh. The idea of his late mother who in latter years had shrunk to half his size putting him over her knee and spanking him until she left the imprint of her five fingers, was just too funny.
The laugh was what EJ needed. The wake was over and in a few short hours he would join his siblings to lay their dear mother to her rest.
Rummuser said,
June 18, 2010 at 3:16 pm
That is not fiction surely?
Grannymar said,
June 18, 2010 at 3:31 pm
A true story. Very true! I am sure Elly has heard me tell it many times.
Nancy said,
June 18, 2010 at 5:12 pm
When we were first married we lived in a little two story house with a narrow set of stairs going up to the second floor.
One day my Dad was going up those steps and suddenly he stopped and backed up against the wall. I called “Dad,are you all right?” He answered,”Yes, I just had to step aside to let my Mother pass.” He swears his Mother walked down those stairs in the black dress she always wore. My Dad was not superstitous or into the paranormal but insists his Mother passed him on those stairs.
My Mother in Law tells of the night she delivered a stillborn baby and after the midwife left she cried herself to sleep. She awakened to see her Grandfather with whom she had been very close sitting on the edge of her bed holding out his arms to her. She found great comfort in seeing him there and was sad that he never appeared to her again.
gaelikaa said,
June 18, 2010 at 5:40 pm
By God that sounds like a frightening experience all right. I wouldn’t say he was the better of that. EJ is very rural Ireland, must be Edward Joseph. Was he a relative of yours?
Ashok said,
June 18, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Just the way I love it, told through a story. The fact that it is a true story makes it better
Grannymar said,
June 18, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Nancy - Do you think your grandmother was coming to check out your house?
Gaelikaa - EJ tells a good story, but it is a true one and like ourselves he comes from Dublin. He is definitely no Edward.
Ashok - I was about to begin reading your entry for this topic. A simple story is the only way I know.:D
Nancy said,
June 18, 2010 at 8:44 pm
She may have been, GM. She is the Granny I always mention who lived with us when I was a little girl. She taught me all the Irish superstitions which plague me to this day.
I can’t go out a different door than I came in. I can’t put new shoes on the bed. If I find a penny “heads up” I keep it and thank God for it and if it’s “tails up” that is bad luck so I have to turn it over so the next person finds it heads up.
If you ever followed me up the street you’d think I was crazy picking up pennies looking at them ,then either putting it in my pocket or putting it down on the street again,turned over.
So, yes, I guess she was checking the house out to make sure the Moon didn’t shine on my bed or I didn’t have a cat with one blue eye and one green (Verrrrry bad luck). Yeah,that’s why she was there…
Grannymar said,
June 18, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Nancy - Some Irish grannies were fond of their superstitions! Alas some people took them far to seriously. The door thing is very big here in Northern ireland. Pennies… now we know how you made your fortune!
Darlene said,
June 18, 2010 at 11:18 pm
My family ghost story occurred when my maternal great grandmother died. She lived with my great aunt in another part of town from my grandmother and grandfather. This was before the telephone was in every house.
At one am my grandparents woke with a start. They heard rustling from the front door and it went clear through the house and exited at the rear door. They found out that she had died at that precise moment. No one could convince them that my great grandmother had not gone through their house to say goodbye.
Skeptic that I am, I think the wind may have caused an eerie coincidence.
Grannymar said,
June 18, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Darlene - I have heard of that kind of thing happening before. Some people talk about suddenly feeling a very icy draught in a room.
Conrad said,
June 19, 2010 at 2:39 am
Sheesh! Now I’m afraid of EJ’s mom, Granny “Stephen King” Mar!
wisewebwoman said,
June 19, 2010 at 5:04 am
There are more things in heaven and earth, as they say. Whether in our imagination or in the ether.
I’ve had some mighty peculiar things happen to me, too long to post here but will get around to it sometime.
XO
WWW
PS You are a very good writer, GM, you created so much atmosphere in that story!
Grannymar said,
June 19, 2010 at 8:13 am
Conrad - EJ’s mom, was some character!
WWW - I look forward to reading of your paranormal experiences!
Baino said,
June 19, 2010 at 8:46 am
I knew it was true. Must be a very Irish thing I think to have the wake before the funeral. And the thought of ‘her’ being next door would creep me out big time. Lovely story though and very nicely written GM.
Grannymar said,
June 19, 2010 at 10:02 am
Baino - There was another gathering after the funeral and it went on quite late..
Maria said,
June 19, 2010 at 8:20 pm
I loved the story and that cat - what a little vixen. I wouldn’t put it past her to be part of a little game between her and the spirit of the old mother. I have always been convinced that cats have magical abilities when it comes to the spirit world.
Grannymar said,
June 19, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Maria - Snooks the cat is still around acting like she owns the place!
Maria said,
June 19, 2010 at 11:05 pm
Now you have tweaked my imagination. How does a cat get named Snooks? When I was a child, there was a radio program with a character named Baby Snooks.\. One of my posts ( the one on voices)was about this. Anyway, Snooks as a name, doesn’t seem to be on the 100 list of most popular cat names here in the States. Is is it a common cat name in Ireland?
Grannymar said,
June 19, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Maria - First off Snooks is not my cat. You may have gathered I do not like cats, perhaps because they never leave me alone! Snooks was a pet name that an elderly gentleman used when he met the young members of this particular family. With time they lovingly referred to him as Uncle Snooks. I have a feeling the cat arrived into the household shortly after he died, perhaps that was why he was given the name.
Maria said,
June 20, 2010 at 12:14 am
Grannymar,
If a cat knows you would rather be left alone, it will immediately target you to bother will all its attention. Now since we are on the subject of Paranormal, let us just imagine the possibilities that Uncle Snooks reincarnated into this marvelous, but pain in the cabootie, animal or maybe he just sent Snooks to the family from some outer realms - just as a reminder of a beloved gentleman . Oh imagining is so darn much fun.
Grannymar said,
June 20, 2010 at 8:00 am
Maria - The very thought of that dear old man ‘Uncle Snooks’ being reincarnated as a cat is abhorrent to me. He would never push his way in like the cat does. This cat climbs all over the furniture, the kitchen surfaces and indeed is allowed into any bed in the house! Nah! Maria, you will not win me over on this one.
Maria said,
June 20, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Grannymar,
It was a good try, but I wil back off and let Uncle Snooks rest in peace on some heavenly cloud. LOL Given any opportunity I can let my imagination run wild so thanks for reining me back in.
You are right about cats being all over. Before I had cats, I was astounded the first time I saw a friend’s cat leap up to the table while we cleaning up after dinner.
Then as my kids were growing up, we had many cats of our own and I learned to yell, “Get that cat off the table’” almost as easily as breathing in and out.
Grannymar said,
June 20, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Maria - Thank you!
Grannymar » Viewing the Future said,
June 22, 2010 at 6:00 am
[...] I wrote the post about Paranormal Experiences the questions keep popping [...]
Grannymar » PPM –Week 1 said,
June 23, 2010 at 3:01 pm
[...] Every Friday afternoon I produce something based on a common topic chosen by the members of the LBC (Loose Blogging Consortium). [...]