Never tell one of my family members that ghosts do not exist. Such a comment will immediately earn an eye roll, look of disbelief or a straight up “mmh, okay child.” For generations, members of my family have felt things, seen things and heard things that can’t be described as merely a coincidence or draft in the room. Being the total scaredy cat I am, the following stories caused me to question everything from the flicker of a light to a weird feeling of intuition.
- “Grandma Is Getting Wet.”
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My mom’s young cousin was able to communicate with the dead. There are multiple stories, but I like this one the most. She would dream of her late grandmother visiting her. In every dream, the grandma would tell her, “I am getting wet.” Each day, the child would tell her mother, “Grandma says she is getting wet.” The mother was confused, until she visited the grandmother’s grave site. Her grave lay at the bottom of a hill, and due to recent heavy rain, the water created a hole in the ground that allowed water to drip down to the casket.
- “Tell The Lady To Go Away And Leave Me Alone.”
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Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to a stranger staring at you. Another cousin, Michael, used to wake up to a lady at the foot of his bed. Not recognizing her, he constantly asked his mom to “tell the lady to go away and leave me alone.” Aunt Louise decided to switch beds with him one night. Sure enough, she woke up in the middle of the night to a lady at the foot of the bed. However, unlike Michael, she recognized the woman; it was her mother watching over the room. The visits of Michael’s grandmother are a reminder that our loved ones can still connect with us after they have left this earth.
- The Shadow of Cousin Ian
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When I was six years old, my mom would tuck me in and then relax before going to bed herself. One night, she was watching television downstairs in the family room. My playroom where I would play with Barbies, a little kitchen and all my other toys was right next to our family room. As she was unwinding on the couch, she saw a small human shadow run into my playroom. Immediately disturbed, she grabbed a Bible and went into the room to pray over everything. She thought she saw an evil spirit because she could not explain the dark figure.
The next day, she was talking with my older cousin, Desiree, who has a son named Ian. Ian is three years younger than me. During the conversation, my mom learned that around the same time she saw the shadow, Ian had woken up from his sleep crying out for me. When my mom reflected, she realized the shadow’s size and shape matched Ian. We believe his energy traveled to our house, particularly my play room, in search of me.
- The Broken Doorbell
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Years ago, when my mom still lived at home, the front doorbell broke and wouldn’t make a sound. The new doorbell had finally arrived, but we didn’t replace the old one immediately, so the replacement doorbell remained open in its packaging on the dining room table. My mom, my cousin and my grandmother were all upstairs together when they heard the doorbell ring. They all rushed down to see who was visiting when they stopped dead in their tracks as they looked at the dining room table. The new doorbell had not been installed yet, and the old one was still broken. No one was at the door.
- A Visitor While Playing Cards
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My grandma, Aunt Florence, Uncle Paul, and Uncle Paul’s buddy were playing cards late one night. In the middle of their game, their Uncle Arthur walked into the house and straight up the stairs. They all stared at each other in shock as he headed upstairs to his room and closed the door. Their uncle had passed away months ago. Uncle Paul jumped up and ran upstairs after him, but Uncle Arthur had disappeared by the time he reached his room. Meanwhile, Uncle Paul’s friend totally freaked out, stood up and said, “Well, it looks like it is time for me to go!”
- The Protective Rottweiler
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My mom was 22. One summer night, she was coming home from work around 9:30 PM and she took the bus home. Usually, my grandma would meet her and drive her home, so she wouldn’t have to walk the six blocks by herself. That night, my grandma was unable to pick her up. When the bus pulled up to her stop, my mom noticed a huge dog outside the window. She didn’t want to get off, but realized that waiting for the next stop would create a longer walk alone in the dark. There was no one around except for her and a big Rottweiler across the street. Terrified, she had to pass the dog to walk home. As she walked past it, the Rottweiler started walking directly beside her. My mom felt scared. Would the dog growl? Would it attack or do something to threaten her? However, the dog kept its distance by a few feet, and my mom remained calm. She told the dog, “Okay, I stay over here, you stay over there, and we won’t have a problem.” The Rottweiler walked my mom all the way to her street. Once reaching her block, the dog remained at the top of the road and watched her walk home. When my mom made it safely to her door, the dog turned around and walked into the night. She never saw the Rottweiler again, but she knew it was a guardian angel.
- “That’s What Happens When You Aren’t Acting Right.”
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A friendly spirit often visits my Aunt Pam’s house. Being a strong spiritual woman, she has never been afraid of its energy as it protects her. We believe this spirit to be my late grandfather. He is known to stomp on the steps and drop objects when she is up too late and thinks she needs to be in bed or to remind her she left the back door unlocked.
When my aunt was still married, one night her ex-husband was out very late without explanation. As he was walking down the stairs upon returning home, he was pushed down by an invisible force. My aunt, who was on a couch facing the steps, says it was apparent he did not slip or trip; there was an obvious push. Her daughter, my cousin, looked shocked as her father unexplainably fell down the flight. He tumbled down the stairs, hit the banister and ended up breaking his toe. After the incident, he was terrified of the house. My aunt didn’t really feel bad for him, and just thought, “Well, that’s what happens when you aren’t acting right.”
- The Watchful Dove
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My pop-pop died before I was born, making my Grandma Rose a widow. One day, Grandma Rose’s front door lock randonly broke, and a locksmith could not come out immediately to fix it. Living alone in the middle of Philadelphia, this was very scary.
One morning, she noticed a dove resting on the rod iron fence in front of her house. The afternoon arrives, and the dove has not moved. Come evening, and the dove is still there. The dove even remained on the fence through the night, never moving from the front of her house. The bird started to make my grandmother nervous; she was unnerved by its constant presence. She called my Aunt Pam about the bird, and my aunt came over to calm her down. When my aunt arrived, she looked at the bird and said, “She’s alright. I am here now.” Then immediately, the bird flew away and never returned. The dove was keeping peace over the house until it was no longer needed.
These stories give me chills every time I think about them. My family has even more ghost and supernatural stories than the ones written above, but my mom won’t tell them to me until I’m older. She knows how easily freaked out I can become, and while part of me thinks I’m mature enough to hear them, the other part reminds me that I could barely watch season three of Stranger Things. Regardless, the unexplainable stories of my family remind me that there is always someone or something watching over us, and we are never truly alone.