The Crying Spirit

My father once told me that, when he was a small boy, somewhere in the 30's, there was the spirit of a woman in a shroud, walking around somewhere in the vicinity of their home, which was in the Transkei. She walked up and down, up and down, crying all the time. Then one day my great grandfather went to her and asked her: "Woman, why are you crying? Is there something we can do for you?" She told him what her name was and that her children were in such and such an orphanage and that they were terribly unhappy and that they were hungry, filthy and had lice on their hair. My great-grandfather promised her that he'll do his best to help her children.

My great-grandfather and my grandfather went in search of those two children and sure enough, they found the children in those exact circumstances that the spirit has described. My grandparents took them out and gave them to very good people to care for them. Since the spirit was still walking around and crying, and the area in the Transkei that my family stayed was in a very remote and mountainous area where a minister was very hard to come by, my great-grandfather took a bible and went to the spirit and told her that her children were happy and safe and to whom they have been given. Then he proceeded to read and pray for her and told her to rest in peace - and she did just that.