Eugene and his sister
Do you believe in ghosts? Do you think there are some people who can see spirits that are invisible to the rest of us?
Do these so-called “ghost whisperers” possess a special sensitivity? Or are they just more imaginative than we are?
I don’t know. But if such people do exist, my late husband Eugene was one of them.
Eugene saw his first ghost when he was still a child. It was wartime and he lived in a war zone—a place with more than its share of people who’d died before their time, more than its share of discontented, angry spirits.
Enemy troops occupied his island in those days. Still, little Eugene wandered the lanes, watching the flow of life, playing and talking to the shopkeepers. One afternoon, he found himself far from home as the sun was sinking into the sea, and he realized he’d never make it back before curfew unless he cut through the cemetery.
As he sprinted down the lane, shopkeepers on either side were pulling their metal shades down for the night. The cemetery was all long shadows and pools of darkness. He heaved open the iron gate and darted inside. Then, skipping and dodging around the tombstones and newly dug graves, he raced into the spreading darkness.
That’s when he saw the ghost. She was floating over the graves, a tall, shining woman in a flowing white dress with the long nose and round eyes of a foreigner.
He froze for an instant. Then he ran as fast as he could, stumbling over grave markers, rocks, and uncut grass. He didn’t stop until he reached the gate on the other side of the cemetery. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her. She was close behind, floating between the trees, watching him.
“Stop following me,” he shouted.
She reached her hand toward him.
And he took off again.
When he told his mother and grandmother what he’d seen, his mother scolded him for staying out late. His grandmother simply asked if he’d ever done anything to harm a foreign woman.
“No, Grandmother,” he said. “Never.”
“Then you needn’t worry. Next time you see a ghost, remind her you did her no harm during her lifetime, and she will leave you alone.”
It was useful advice since the white woman in the cemetery was not the last ghost Eugene was to encounter. I’ve written another post, Eugene and the Angry Bangladeshi Ghosts, that tells the story of some ghosts who interfered with work at a cement plant in Bangladesh.
Happy Halloween.
P. S.- Eugene’s stories about his childhood in China inspired me to write my novel, Tiger Tail Soup. If you’d like to take a peek inside, you can read a few pages at Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com with their “Look inside” option. The book is also available at dogearpublishing and in bookstores.
Seriously Nicki, I see so many people who write memoirs and who really have nothing to say, But you have so much REAL material, YOU should write a memoir! Please!
I’ve never thought about writing a memoir, Mindy. Right now, I want to get back to working on my second novel. Maybe after Christmas.
Hari, I’m so glad you wrote some ghost stories–three haunting tales from Binjai, Indonesia.
homo sapiens have very few senses and with the focus on – technology! – we are losing what innate abilities we do/did have!
i’ll bet some of your readers, Nicki, have had the experience of just knowing someone close is in trouble, or has heard about that from someone they know.
a retired sailor told me, one night while he was at sea, his wife was thrown from her bed in the middle of the night – at just about the time, a rogue wave through him against a bulkhead!
as our scientists learn more about quantum physics, they are learning to accept that there is no such thing as absolutes!
“ghosts”??? spirits??? traditional “shaman” had/have more “awareness” than the average person
Neil McNeill has been studying and investigating psi phenomena for over fifteen years, and is currently offering college-level courses in paranormal investigation and energy medicine in the greater Seattle area.
he sometimes gives free talks at local libraries. he’s offering a class, tonight! – http://www.campusce.net/edmondsarts/course/EventDetail.aspx?361
the unknown is always much more interesting than the known!
what could we do – if we focused on improving our senses, instead of becoming slaves to “technology”???
The story the retired sailor told you is very interesting. I’ve heard of similar happenings between people who have a strong bond.
I cannot wait to read the next post!
The timing is just so right! Its almost Halloween. 😀
Though I don’t believe in ghosts I heard many stories of my mother and other family members regarding their experiences. My wife is a real believer when it comes to ghosts or demons and wont close an eye if I tell her some encounters people had in the area.
Once I did the mistake and told her in our cottage how two neighbours saw some kind of ghost just few meters away from the dirt road close to the forrest, oh my, no sleep that night for her and she was terrified of going out in the dark for some time
Spectacular telling of this spectral tale, Nicki.
I do believe in ghosts. Especially the ones that transformed Scrooge from a miser to a benevolent being.
Good choice, Nancy. I never tire of Scrooge’s transformation. I haven’t gone to a performance of A Christmas Carol for a while, but we have tickets to see it at a dinner-theater in Dec.
That sounds like a wonderful place to see it. We haven’t done a dinner theater in ages. Always fun.
I have goosebumps! I probably shouldn’t have read this before bedtime… ^^;
Wonderfully written and look forward to more. 🙂
Sorry for the goosebumps, Ri. Good to hear from you.
Wow, I’m sure I would have been scared too. I’m looking forward to the next story.
Have you read Amy Tan’s “A Hundred Secret Senses”? It’s about a Chinese woman who can communicate with ghosts and her American half-sister. It’s such a great read.
No, I haven’t read “A Hundred Secret Senses,” but I do like Amy Tan. I’ll have to put it on my to-read list. Thanks.
Ah, Nicki, you weave such superb stories, taken from the fascinating fabric of your life with Eugene.
Thank you, Gretchen.
Such a chilling story, Nicki. Thank you for sharing Eugene’s experience. That must have been frightening for a young boy.
A beautifully written post!! I can picture the way the whole story transpired in the graveyard – It felt like I was there watching. And it is right in time for Halloween!!
Thanks, Constance.