The Old Woman's Cottage
Julie, CA, USA
June 2006
This isn't really a story about a ghost in particular, but something that to me was very bizarre and confusing.
This event took place many years ago...At least 13 years ago..When I was around 4 to 6 years old..but it still remains clear in my mind...
First, I'll just say that I don't have a history of delusions or false memories. In fact, I have a very good memory and can remember events, people, and places almost perfectly.To this day I don't know exactly what it was..or what it means, but I'm 100% positive that it happened, and 100% positive that it was not a dream.
My family and I had gone on a trip by road. To where? I don't know. I remember grumbling and mumbling because I wasn't happy about the long car ride...which was upwards of 10 hours. I was an energetic little girl who could not keep still for very long. Anyway, I fell asleep on this trip, and woke up to a very strange scenery... We were in a vast forest. Trees scattered everywhere... We stopped in front of a small cottage residing in these woods. It was quaint. It was rustic, but still very picturesque. When I got out of the car, I surveyed the land with my youthful eyes. The trees were so tall and big...they seemed to go on forever in the sky. The ground was mostly dirt, and rays of light or "fingers of god" as my parents call them, shone down and hit the ground. My parents were walking towards the cabin along with my brother. And I, after soaking up the scenery, skittered along behind them.
A thin old woman with snow white short hair, in a blue dress with a tiny white flower pattern answered the door and had us come inside. My dad began speaking to her. I could only imagine we had gotten lost. I wasn't really listening to the adults...just looking around her cottage. I was getting hungry, really hungry and tired. I wanted to watch TV...and grab some food. The old lady was occupied talking to my dad, so I took the opportunity to look through her cabinets to see if she had any food. I'd never steal, but I just wanted to see what she had. Strangely she had no fridge...and when I looked in all her cabinets, there was nothing. They were absolutely empty and bare. I glanced over at her tiny kitchen table. There was a silver tea set on it. I got the attention of my mom and told her that I was really hungry and there was no food. My mom said, "Oh she must have some food." but I knew it was a tiny, tiny cottage. In fact, it was just one room. The layout was the door, then when you walked in there was the little table with the tea set to the right...and straight forward was the..I guess you could call it a "kitchen" there was nothing in it, just the counter and the cabinets. The kitchen was missing everything including the kitchen sink. Anyway, I told my mom that I had looked in her cabinets and that she had NOTHING.
My mom was a little surprised because I had been looking in the cabinets, but didn't do anything. I then asked her, "If she has no food...then why does she have a little tea set?" my mom answered: "That set was probably passed down in her family from dead relatives." I was staring intently at the tea set wondering why she had no food, no TV...no kitchen..no bathroom...just a plain' ol room with blue wallpaper. I heard the woman speaking..to me... "Is something wrong, young lady?" I looked at her and tried to say no, but I was just struck speechless by her. The look she had on her face...neither intimidating or angry...just a look that confused me. I felt she was reading my mind. She knew what I was wondering... Why she had no food or water..or TV..or anything... She said, very slowly: "I know the secret of God." After that phrase, the rest is a complete blank. Everything...I don't remember anything else after that...no trip...no nothing... I know for sure this wasn't a dream...it just wasn't. Nobody has any recollection of what happened except me. My brother accuses me of having false memories, my mother thinks I was dreaming...my dad thinks I was just imagining things. I know this happened...and to me it meant something very important..what IS the secret of God?
Sometimes I'll remember this occurrence...and ask out loud.. "Old woman...what is the secret of god?" When I ask..I get this feeling..that I'm not alone.