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My Cousin Kenny

 

Hi Again, This is my second submission to this site. My first was about my sister's "bargain" haunted house. This story is much more personal but I feel good about the people who share this site, so I will post it here. Feel free to share thoughts about this story. I only hope that none of my relatives read this site because this story might upset them. I have never told them about these experiences.

The story begins late in the night/very early morning, after midnight, January 1, 1977 (New Years Eve). I am 8 years old at the time, I will turn 9 at the end of January that year. My mother, my brother and myself were living in the basement apartment of my grandmother's house. We are all sound asleep when we are suddenly awakened by shrieking from upstairs where my grandmother lives. We are all three woken up and we head up the stairs at a run. My grandmother is on her knees on the kitchen floor (I know this is really bad) on the phone, shrieking and crying. My mother, ashen, moves toward my grandmother and gently takes the phone from her. She speaks into the phone. My uncle is on the line. He tells my mother that my cousin Kenny has been killed in an accident, by a drunk driver. He was 17 years old.

This instance begins the inward collapse of a portion of my family. The house is in chaos that night. My mother tells me and my brother what has happened. My brother, who is just 7 at the time, is distraught. Once it begins to dawn on me what has happened, I immediately curse God and fall to the floor, blacking out. My cousin was the source of much joy and love in our family and my brother and I fiercely loved him.

The wake, funeral and burial are held over the next few days... My brother and I are not allowed to attend any of it. I tell my mother I want to be a part of saying goodbye, but she tells me I am too young.

Here begins, I suppose, the ghost story portion of this tale. In the basement apartment, my brother and I shared a room. His bed was near the door. My bed was against the far wall, opposite the door. At the foot of my bed was a tall children's wardrobe, one side was a tall set of drawers, the other side was a vertical closet with a door. Since it stands at the foot of my bed, you know that I make certain every night that the closet door is shut tight... otherwise, how is a young child to sleep? With a dark and creepy closet door ajar? I think not!

So, yes, I would close the door every night before I climbed beneath the covers. Then, one night, a few days after my cousin was laid to rest, I woke in the middle of the night with the closet door ajar, open. I looked and saw a figure in the closet. It moved forward toward me in the bed and stopped a few feet away from where I lay. I was not afraid... It was my cousin who had been killed. So his appearance just made me feel sad. I cried out of sadness and he gave me a tender look. Then he began to speak to me. He told me that I should not have cursed God, that God had nothing to do with his dying. He said it was just an accident. Then he told me that he loved me very much and that he had come to say goodbye. I think that I told him I loved him too and then cried some more, but told him goodbye also. We talked a bit more, but it is difficult to remember. After a while, he seems to go, I seem to fall back to sleep, and the next I recall, it is morning.

This same scenario plays out every few nights, almost the same every time, for the next month. Until finally it does not happen anymore.

I think this happened because my cousin was torn so quickly from his family that he needed to linger, but also because I blamed God and my cousin wanted to make sure I did not curse God for his accident. Then I think it was just because we had a special bond, he and I. I am not sure. And no one else in my family has spoke of having similar experiences with him after he was killed. Then again, if they did, they might be just as reluctant as I am to talk about it. Kenny's death was one of the major traumas to happen to my family, so it would have been difficult to discuss real thoughts, much less talk about seeing his ghost.

What do folks think? It would be nice to hear some thoughts on this experience. This is the first time I am telling this story to anyone. :)

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The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, jjjjjjj005, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

kokumi (13 posts)
+2
16 years ago (2008-02-08)
Hello jjjj005,

Very touching! I'm terribly sorry about your cousin's passing and I do hope and pray that he is at peace with out Lord God. It might be true that trauma can cause manifestations, but based on what you said, I think it's very believable. Strong bonds keep people together even after death I guess. I'm glad he found the chance to talk to you knowing that you wanted to see him. Just wondering, did he know at some point that you closed your closet door every night? I find it interesting that he appeared which great accuracy (in regards to where you would look first). God bless and have a nice day. 😊
whitebuffalo (guest)
 
16 years ago (2008-01-06)
Hello Jeanne,
It is a beautiful thing when our loved ones reach across the Great Unknown to comfort us in a time of need. It is an added bonus when they do this when we were prevented from saying goodbye on our own terms and time.
What a sad time for your family. I am sorry that you lost your cousin at such a young age. Those kinds of situations are difficult to deal with in themselves, and add not being able to go to the funeral, that can cause a bit of emotional distress.
What a wonderful cousin you have to be able to assess the situation and come to you to check on your well being. You two must have had a special relationship.
As for being angry with God for "letting this happen", that is just one of the steps in the grieving process. Unfortunately, it seems that many of us curse the Powers that Be when we lose someone, not realising that without ALL of the experiences of life, we can not become what we are meant to become.
I have often had struggles with this, myself. I have a hard time understanding why a celebrity wife murderer can get away Scott free (with the exception of a slap on the back of the hand and a hefty fine) and a homeless man who lives under the bridge has to be incarcerated "for his own good". In the scheme of things, though, all will be made clear to us in their own time. We are where we are for a reason and the wait is sometimes difficult to bear.
Higher Powers forgive. That is the blessing of their grace.
I got a bit off the crust of this story, sorry. Thank you for this story.
Bellissima (12 stories) (792 posts)
+2
16 years ago (2007-10-18)
Hi jj, thanks for the great story. It was very touching and also very sad. I'm sorry for the loss of your cousin. I think that because you weren't allowed to attend his wake and funeral, he decided to say his good-byes in this way. I'm glad you had this opportunity. I enjoyed your story.
jjjjjjj005 (2 stories) (11 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-17)
Thanks Derek15, Shane and KimSouth0 for the kind thoughts. Yes, I do feel very blessed and the experience of saying goodbye probably saved me from a long childhood depression. I know he was there out of love and concern for me just as he had been in life. It was bittersweet though. I remember he spoke a bit quickly as if he were rushed, being tugged away as he spoke to me. I'm so thankful we got a chance to say goodbye. Derek, your friends story sounds interesting, especially the part about not being able to ask what the beyond is like. Maybe it's because what's there when we pass over is different for everyone.
KimSouthO (27 stories) (1960 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-17)
That was a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

How blessed you are to be able to have your good-byes to your cousin. I am certain you are right on many accounts. There was a special bond between you, he probably also knew you had not been able to attend the ceremonies celebrating his life and providing closure for you. This was his way of helping with that. Also, curing God. He wanted you at that tender age to realize some unplanned events happen, regardless of our plans or prayers and he would be at peace and happy.

I am sorry for your loss and with you and your family all of the best!

God Bless!
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-16)
I am sure you are already well aware of my take on it. Loved ones do return to comfort those they have left behind and to let us know how much we are loved. Your cousin's returning to you was just his way of saying good bye and helping you to cope with his sudden lose. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.
Derek15 (3 stories) (16 posts)
 
16 years ago (2007-10-16)
Wow what a story! I got a little choked up! This does seem to happen to certain people who have a special bond with a loved one that suddenly dies. Another aspect is that you never got to say goodbye, so maybe his spirit realized that you were sad about that, and wanted to comfort you. The hauntings of loved ones can be the worst ones, or the best ones. It just depends on your feelings following the experience. Wether you felt releived, sad, depressed, etc. I was just recently told a story about one of my friends whose grandma died on her mission, and she saw her the night she found out. Another weird thing is that my friend cannot ask her what the after life is like, because her body won't physically or mentally let her.

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