It Runs in the Family

In my life, I have had many experiences that I can not explain. I began to think that there was something wrong with me. I was hearing things and feeling things that scared me. I felt alone, I tried to tell my mom but she just kept telling me that I was trying to get attention and was scaring my little sister. When I moved in with my dad, I, again, began to have experiences that I could not explain. But this time I was not alone. My step mom was experiencing the same things that I was. I began to ask my family about any experiences that they had. I was shocked by all of the experiences that my dad's side of the family has had and more shocking, some of my mom's side of the family. These are just a few of the stories that I was able to collect. It leads me to believe that I am more prone to these experiences than others. Anyway, here are some of my favorite stories.

My dad has only spoken of this story once, I think that it hurts to much to retell it. My dad as a teenager was wild. Some of his stories seem to outrageous to believe, but you know how stories can get, they get bigger and bigger over time, but no matter what the story, there is always his trusty sidekick. This sidekick was not only my dad's best friend, he was his cousin as well. I think it's better not to give my dad's best friend a name, don't you? Anyway at the young age of twenty five, my dad's friend/cousin died of cancer. His death was dramatic and as I understand it, painful. About five years later, my mother was expecting her third child, but unfortunately, she miscarried. My dad was away on business when it happened. When he came home, he shared a remarkable story with us. His cousin/friend had visited him during his trip and he wasn't alone. He was holding a young girl by the hand that my dad can only describe as looking incredibly similar to me. In fact, he admits at the time that he thought that it was me. He said that his cousin/friend told him that everything is ok, he told my dad that (and I quote), "I have her, she is safe with me." It was a great comfort to my dad when he needed it the most.

My mother refused to tell me anything that happened in her family, so I went to my grandpa. Grandpa has never lied to me and has always told me what my mother refused to. He said that one of the most incredible experiences that he ever had was when he and my grandmother moved into their present home. My grandpa was having a hard time and was experiencing things that he could not explained. He said that all of his kids were afraid to go upstairs, so he decided to go upstairs to see what was wrong. As he walked up the stairs he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. He could feel the presence of something lingering just behind him. He said that he took a deep breath and just kept walking up the stairs like nothing was wrong. He entered the first room at the top of the stairs. The feeling intensified, but he just kept pretending that everything was fine. When he finally got downstairs, he related the story to my grandma. He still to this day claims that if he had turned around, he knew he would have seen it.

My step dad's mother had quite a few interesting stories that, though they do not affect me, they are extremely... creepy. My step grand mom's mother moved her family into a larger home due to growth in their family. She remembers that there was always an empty place at their crowded table. I found this odd because her mother had eight children and yet, they always kept a place at their small table open. Why? Because if ever a plate was set in this particular place it would crack. What ever was in the home did not allow anyone to sit in that certain spot of the table. The same woman, in her younger years, lived in a small home just after marrying her husband. She was cleaning her home when she was suddenly attacked from behind, someone or thing was chocking her to death. She was not a religious woman but had once heard that if you invoke the name of christ, nothing unearthly can harm you. So in an act of faith she invoked the name of christ. Just after she invoked his name it stopped. She immediately got up and checked every room in the house. There was nothing.

One of my favorite stories is of my uncle and his visitor in the night. He was asleep in his room when he heard a noise and looked at the foot of his bed. There, standing in authentic pioneer garb, was a young boy he just stared back and as is traditional in my dad's family, it doesn't matter if the world is coming to an end, you just go back to sleep and think about it in the morning. Unfortunately I could never do that -sigh-.