Ghostly Memories

Quite a few years ago when I was a teenager, a strange occurrence took place in our home. The memory is still clear in my mind, and goose bumps crawl up my arms each time I recall the experience. My mother was the first to see this apparition. One morning while I was sitting on the couch sipping coffee, I heard my mother's footsteps coming down the staircase. She entered the room still dressed in her nightgown. Her face appeared pale but most notably, her nightgown was horrific.

"Mom," I asked, "what happened to your nightgown? What did you do to it?"

She looked down at her ragged nightgown and amazement filled her eyes as did mine. It was obvious that she was not aware of the condition of the nightgown until I questioned it.

The nightgown had been ripped, clawed, torn, and it contained many burn holes. It looked like she had been in a cat fight! Mother looked directly at me with fear upon her face as she said, it was that lady! Again, I questioned her, "What lady?"

"The lady in my bedroom last night," she replied. She began telling me of how she had awakened during the night only to see a lady standing at the foot of her bed. She described the lady as having long hair and wearing a long nightgown. She continued to describe how the lady stood with her arms stretched out as if she were calling my mother to come to her.

Mom said that she was so afraid that she was unable to move. She was scared stiff and the only thing she could do was SCREAM! Upon hearing her screams the lady flew under the bed as if she were a bird! Mom said she feared the lady would grab her legs if she attempted to get out of bed. Mom spent most of the night lying awake in fear until she finally fell asleep. It must have been during that time that something destroyed her nightgown. Mom never slept in her bedroom again.

Approximately one year later, I no longer lived with my parents but came to stay the night. I had a lovely time visiting with my parents, and that evening I had settled into bed for the night. Oh, I can barely contain the trembling as I recall the memory of that night. My head was pressed against the pillow as I was lying curled up on my side. It was the bedroom that faced the door of the bedroom, in which my mother used to occupy.

As I began to close my eyes to drift off into sleep, I heard a noise.
Yes, it was the sound of the old wooden floor creaking as though someone had entered the room. I opened my eyes to see who came in and there she stood! It was the lady that my mother had described! She was a young lady with long hair and a long white nightgown. She stood in the open doorway to my mother's bedroom. She stood with her arms crossed. I had the impression that she must have been watching me for awhile. She saw that my eyes were now open and she smiled at me. A long slow smile! Her teeth were crooked and gangling looking. Her eyes were somewhat protruding. A fitting description would be that she had bubble eyes with dark circles underneath.

She slowly stretched her arms out as if she were trying to welcome me with open arms. I was so scared that I was unable to scream! I was unable to move! I took a deep breath and everything inside of me just stopped! As her arms opened wider, she began to move towards my bed.

Her feet NEVER touched the floor! I was paralyzed with fear! The only thing I could do was watch as she floated towards me. She was so close that she was almost over me when suddenly she flew under the bed! I was able to move then, and MOVE I DID! I jumped out of that bed and ran as fast as my feet could carry me! I ran down the stairs so fast that I am fortunate I didn't fall and break my neck! That was the last time I ever stayed in the upstairs of my parents home.

My father had always joked with me and mom about our experiences. He never believed us. As a matter of fact, he didn't believe in the supernatural at all. A few years later, my father developed terminal cancer. He became very ill one evening and mom called me to come to the home. She said dad had been asleep and she couldn't wake him up. I drove in from out of town and by the time I had arrived, dad was alert. He looked pale and I insisted that he go with me to get examined at the emergency room.

It was in the triage room when the nurse started asking dad questions about his lethargy. She asked him what Happened when mom tried to awaken him? He replied by telling her that he wasn't sure but when he awoke he saw mom standing there with another woman beside her. I stopped and asked him, "What women dad?"

He said he didn't know her but she was standing there beside mom. At that time I excused myself from the room and walked to a phone in the hallway. I called mom to question her about the woman. Mom told me that she had been the only one in his bedroom and nobody else was in the house. She said that when dad awoke he stumbled out into the dining room asking where the woman went? Mom said she thought he must have been hallucinating.

I joined the nurse and dad back in the triage room. I asked dad to describe the woman and he did. I'm sure that by now, you can guess what he said. He described her just the way mom and I saw her. I knew that dad was telling the truth. I knew that he was not hallucinating because he was not on any medications at the time. I told him then that it was the same person me and mom had saw. He believed me! He finally believed me! Dad was so sick and I didn't want to scare him. I told him that she must be an angel watching over him.

Dad lived a few months and then died. Mom lived a few years longer then she died from a stroke. The old home was torn down. A parking lot has taken its place. Nothing lives there anymore. I rarely drive down that street but the memories live on in my heart. The precious memories of my parents and my old home place. Memories of the good, the bad, and the ghostly.