Since this used to be a personal blog, I thought it only fitting that I share one very personal story. The people who are closest to me know, but I haven’t told many–not even my family, for two reasons.
I don’t want people to think I’m crazy, for one, and two, I never wished to offend the family of the person this story is about. I swear this post is one-hundred percent true.
Growing up, I had a very close friend. Let’s call her Morgan. We definitely had our run-ins, as we were both willful, opinionated girls, but we also had a special connection. She was one of my dearest friends from the age of seven, when we met, to the age of seventeen, when she died in a horrible car accident.
I don’t think you’re ever prepared to lose your best friend, and certainly not at that age. To say I was devastated would be a massive understatement. I couldn’t talk about her or think about her without crying for at least two years. Even now, I remember her every single day.
Soon after her death, there were plenty of signs that my friend’s spirit was still around, but they could all be dismissed as a coincidence or accident. Her portrait fell over during her funeral, right on her casket. The area around her grave was mysteriously warm, even in the dead of winter, with a wind howling and no shelter in the entire cemetery. Sometimes I’d be walking down the hall at school and hear someone call my name, but when I turned, no one was there. And that’s when I’d recognize the voice.
When I moved away, Morgan really made her presence known.
It was my first year away from home. I was living hundreds of miles away from my family and friends in a shitty little apartment in yet another isolated northern community. For some reason, even though Morgan had never been to this place, I felt her around me all the time.
One day I found a mixed tape that she’d started making but had never gotten the chance to finish. I was alone in the apartment, cleaning up the kitchen, so I put the tape into my boyfriend’s stereo.
The tape played just fine until it got to my friend’s favourite song. When it got to the end of the song–which was in the middle of the tape–the stereo suddenly autoreversed, and played a song on the opposite side. It then autoreversed again.
It was at the beginning of her favourite song once more.
I froze.
I said her name, very tentatively, my heart beating a million miles a minute. “Morgan?”
My kitchen cupboards went nuts. My apartment had one of those narrow galley kitchens, with one wall lined with cupboards. It sounded like someone was knocking on each one very hard with a fist. The knocks went down the row of cupboards and then started coming toward me again.
I ran to my bedroom, threw myself facedown on the bed, and yelled something along the lines of:
“No, Morgan, go away! I’m not ready for this!”
The knocking stopped.
I’ve never felt my friend’s presence again.
Years later, I was interviewing a medium for a magazine story on what happens to us when we die. (Unlike a psychic, who can foretell the future, a medium communicates with the dead.)
This particular medium said, “Teenagers like to communicate with electronics, like radios and stereos.”
She told me a story that made my blood run cold. A few years back, a teenage boy had committed suicide.
Whenever his mother tried to listen to a CD of his, it would only play his favourite song.
Have you ever experienced something you couldn’t explain? I’d love it if you’d share your story.
Wow J.H. That is an extraordinary story – thank you for sharing it with us. May her soul rest in peace. And the boy who committed suicide, maybe this was his way of letting his mother know that he was around – still. May he also rest in peace.
I’ve had a few synchronistic happenings which I regard as a gift. Nothing scary that I can remember for the moment.
Hi Susan,
These moments don’t have to be scary. Mine was terrifying, but I think that was only because what happened was beyond the realm of natural experience. Many times I’ve regretted my reaction and wondered if there would have been the chance for more communication if I’d handled it better.
I’d like to think this was their way of letting us know they were okay. Thanks for the kind words.
Hi JH, I’m so sorry about your best friend–it is devastating when it happens at any age, but especially that young. *hugs* Your experience sounds like it was very overwhelming–wow. The story about the teenage boy and the CD playing only his favourite song is also chilling. I’ve not had any similar experiences, but thanks for sharing this personal one as it’s not always easy to discuss things like this.
Hi Anita,
Thanks for the kind words. It definitely isn’t easy to discuss, because so many people (especially people in my circle, who tend to be scientists or at least have analytical minds) are skeptics. It even seems like a dream to me now, it was so incredibly unreal, but I know it wasn’t.
It’s funny, though–as soon as you experience something like this, your mind starts trying to reject it somehow. That’s why I believe most of the people who have stories like this. It’s human nature to reject the unnatural–not try to create it.
I’ve never had immediate experience like yours, but my ghost is quite real and sporadic. It’s a woman because the things she leaves are feminine. Scarves and hair ornaments. She also likes pearls. One day I’ll have to tell you the story of the 3 pearl earrings. Very interesting and frustrating. She hasn’t been around for a while, but I expect she’ll show up when I least expect it.
That’s incredible! I’d love to hear the story of the three pearl earrings. How did you ever figure out it wasn’t a home invader? That must have been quite eerie and creepy.
Thanks for sharing your story, C. It’s alway isolating to be the only one.
what amazes me – why do we always have to have and explanation for everything? 🙂 Apparently – some things are not to be answered for now 😉
I think it’s human nature to WANT an explanation for everything. I don’t think we’ll ever get it, though.
Thanks for commenting, Emilia, and welcome to my blog! Hope to see you back here again.
hi JH
What a great story…I’ve always been fascinated with the paranormal and love hearing stories of people’s personal experiences.
Hi Tracy,
Welcome to my blog, and thanks for the kind comment. I’m glad you enjoyed my story.
Please come back again sometime. You’ll find lots of personal stories on here.
Wow, that was chilling! I have never had a supernatural experience so close to home but I definitely keep an open mind for these things. Thank you for sharing!
You’re very welcome, Laura. Thanks for reading and commenting! I hope you come back sometime.
Open minds are always welcome here.
Sorry for the loss of your friend. Both of you have unfinished business in that relationship. How terrifying to have that happen, and yet, it was her way of communicating, which is fascinating. I’ve never had anything like that happen, only felt the presence of someone.
Play off the Page
Thanks, Mary. You’re right–we definitely have unfinished business. I couldn’t remember, for example, if I’d ever told her I loved her. So I’ll never make that mistake again.
Now all of my friends know exactly how I feel about them.
That’s really spooky, but also kind of comforting, knowing she was there watching over you. I definitely believe in ghosts. I’m not sure I’d want to really have a run-in with one, though…
It’s really terrifying, Megan, even when you know it’s a friend. Nothing in life prepares you to deal with something like that.
Thanks for commenting, and welcome to my blog! Hope to see you back here again.
My brother, Gene, was 17 when he took his own life, leaving us all devastated, including his girlfriend, Lisa.
Not long after, the song I’ll Be There by Escape Club came out. I was listening to the love song station, because that’s who I am, when they announced a dedication, from Gene to Lisa, and then the song started playing. If you don’t know the song, it’s sung from the perspective of someone who has died to a loved one. Even typing this, I’m getting goose bumps remembering that night.
That’s really eerie, Frank. But also lovely, in its way.
I read your post about your brother and what his death did your family, and I’m so, so terribly sorry you had to go through that. I understand your anger–I’d be angry too.
xo
Amazing story. I don’t have any to share, but I’m okay with that. I’m fine just watching the shows were other people face ghosts.
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee’s Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Thanks, Patricia. Some of those shows can be very entertaining, I agree.
I am sorry for your loss. And I find this story amazing. It is chilling, too, but your friend must have loved you very much to follow you through the move…
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary – Epics from A to Z
MopDog – 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
Hi again, Tarkabarka!
I hope she did. I love her very much…always will.
Thanks for the kind words.
My husband’s dad died when my husband was just a kid. He’s always experienced weird things but one of the biggest is that he swears sometimes when he’s in bed asleep, he’ll feel the mattress move like someone’s there. It happens no matter where he lives. He went to a renowned psychic once (the guy was Dolly Parton’s psychic) and he told my husband that there was a man standing just over his shoulder. That man was watching over him all the time, like a guardian. I think we’ll never truly understand ghosts but it’s an energy. When someone leaves, especially unexpectedly, that energy remains. I’ve never felt anything like that. I even took a ghost-hunting class… The teacher said most people just don’t have the ability to see the paranormal. It’s there, but it requires a certain mental state (or a personal attachment to the ghost) to be able to really experience it.
Welcome, Stephanie. I didn’t know Dolly Parton had a psychic! Sounds like the guy has some mediumistic abilities as well.
Mediums have told me there’s a man who follows me around as well. They described him to a T, so I know my maternal grandfather is still watching out for me.
I agree; it’s an energy, and people who had very loud and strong personalities on earth are more likely to have communicative spirits, I think. I hope your husband is at peace with his ghost.
I’m so sorry you lost your best friend in such a tragic way.
Was she communicating with you? If you felt it was her, then it was. Although I don’t blame you for being frightened when she banged the cupboards.
Thank you, Alex. I’ll always miss her.
I felt it was her when that song started playing again. That’s totally something she would do for a joke. You’d know why if I mentioned the name of the song. 🙂
When the cupboards started going, I just freaked out.
We think that Grandpa Fred comes and visits us sometimes, especially the youngest–his only blood grandchild. When she was very little, she would laugh in the middle of the night and when asked would say that Grandpa was tickling her.
Aw, that’s kind of cute…and sort of creepy at the same time! Kids always seem to be able to see things we can’t, especially when they’re small.
I believe you about being visited by your friend.
My mother and watched an oval picture frame swing back and forth for five minutes on a wall. It was like a pendulum. There were 6 other frames on that wall and about twenty on the adjacent one. None of them were moving.
When it finally stopped, I went and tried to see how long it would swing and it only swung back and forth three times before stopping.
And that is the honest truth.
Any idea who it was, Djinnia? Was the picture of a loved one, or had you lost someone recently?
Thanks for believing me. 🙂
The picture was of me. It was a silhouette done when we went to the queen Mary and spruce goose.
Nope, we hadn’t lost anyone for a while. But strange things happened frequently. With multiple witnesses.
We just call him Fred. No idea who he was/is.
Bizarre! That’s really creepy.
I can relate to this because sometimes I feel like my Grampy is still with me. I used to buy him this Brut aftershave that has a really distinctive smell and sometimes I catch a whiff of it in unlikely places; like walking the dog alone in the middle of the countryside.
It’s comforting to feel like he’s still around, especially as there were a lot of things I wish I’d said to him but never did.
We have something in common, Cait. It’s the same with my grandfather. He used to smoke a pipe, and every now and then, I can smell it. I’ve had two mediums tell me he’s something of a guardian angel who follows me everywhere.
Perhaps grandfathers feel the need to protect us, even after death. You can still tell him what you need to say. I think you’ll feel better.
Not to that degree, but I’ve always been sensitive. My youngest experience was a glowing light in my room late at night. When I was at the breakfast table, I was told a neighbor passed away. I told my mom that I knew about it. He had come by to say good-bye.
I don’t talk about this stuff much either, being judged is no fun. 🙂
I’m so sorry about your friend, I can’t imagine what that must have been like. And for the record, I believe you.
I’ve had a few experiences – weird stuff tends to happen around me – but I generally don’t talk about it. People either assume you’re making it up or they get freaked out.
I always used to blame messing about with the occult when I was younger (nothing too serious, just seances, Ouija boards etc) but my mum has a bit of psychic ability so maybe it’s just been passed down.
Debbie
I wonder what she was trying to communicate. Was she trying to offer comfort, since you were away from family? To tell you something about her death? To tell you something she never got a chance to? Whatever it was, I do hope she’s since found peace.
Fascinating. I’ve never had anything like this happen to me. The closest was my grandfather sincerely believed he had ESP and even wrote a book about his experiences.
Such a neat experience J.H.! I just shared my own tale as well as my wife’s tale over on twitter!
I don’t know if I believe in ghosts full on, but I can’t explain what happened to me!
https://inkheist.com/2018/08/22/signals-from-the-abyss-2/
That is one unsettling experience you had after the loss of your best friend. Sometimes we hold onto the dead so hard without realizing that it is preventing them from moving on.
Perhaps you speaking to Morgan that way gave her permission to move on?
Life is more than we realize, more than what we call science can grasp. Quantum Physics is showing us that if we look closely enough, the rules reverse themselves.
Excellent post.
How horrible to lose your best friend so early in your life…and hers. She must have been scared and yet, felt frustrated to try to connect which might be why she banged the kitchen cupboards. I have had a few weird things happen. When I lived in the apartment with my ex, I cleaned the place thoroughly, placing my slippers in front of the bed. Later, my slippers were gone. I searched everywhere but to no avail…they were gone for days but when I came home one day, there they were, in front of the bed. One morning, I left for work and my ex heard something in the kitchen and thought it was me, when he came to the kitchen every drawer and cupboard was open! I have heard footsteps, bangs, etc… but one that totally freaked me out involves pills. I was taking aleve or something like that and I looked in the bottle & noticed that I only had about 20 left. Later that morning, I went into my bag to get 2 pills and the bottle was empty. I figured the bottle must have opened although the top was still on. I looked through my bag, my purse and all around and inside my desk but no pills. Later that day, I went to the bathroom and noticed I was bleeding and there’s was no reason for this! I figured the pills might have been causing grief with my stomach. The pill bottle was left empty on my couch and I bought another bottle but it was tablet not caplets. I had told both my ex and my mom about the weirdness of the pills disappearing but just thought I misjudged. They were talking in the kitchen and I was cleaning and picked up the empty pill bottle from the couch. It was upside down so when I righted it, I heard a couple of pills suddenly jiggle and all of a sudden I felt a weight in the bottle. I opened it up and there were the 20 pills!!! It was not the new bottle I bought but the one that was empty. I showed my ex and my mom who tried to make sense of it but they really couldn’t. I thought it was my dad trying to make sure I would not take these pills any more. Since then I have not. Sorry for the lengthy comment but wanted to share this and I hope your friend is near you and let’s you know I never a calmer way
When it happens to you, when it impacts your real-life, you have to wonder. Spooky, and not impossible.
I’ve had some odd moments, but nothing like this.
Well first, people already think I’m crazy, so that ship has sailed. Sadly, I’ve dealt with several deaths of young people close to me. Too much of that going around. As far as ghostly encounters, I’ve definitely encountered a spirit of some kind more than once, but will never pretend to understand the genesis. It’s never been evil, though.
I’ve got a really good story, but it’s too long to share in the comment section. I’ll have to remember and tell you in person.
Eep…I don’t think you ever told me.
Interesting story H. very believeable and not scary at at all.
Whoa! That’s freaky!
JH Moncrief, thank you so much for presenting at the Quills Conference in SLC sponsored by the League of Utah Writers. I was your time keeper. I haven’t touched my blog in months, but you gave me the inspiration and the courage to begin again. Thank for your generous presentation. Thank you for your patience with our questions.
You’re very welcome, Pat. I’m so glad anything I said helped inspire you!
Like you, I tell my story to some, expecting that “look.” Are you a nut case? No. But I’ve had a ghost in my house for years. She (I know it’s female) comes several times all at once, and then years pass before she shows again. I’ll have to tell the stories during Halloween.
Ooh, looking forward to it, Lee! I promise not to give you The Look, virtually or otherwise.
About three weeks before my mother died of lung cancer I had a dream that my father came to me and hugged me before he turned and walked into my mothers room …My mother said a few times that she felt my father near her in her room …I always thought that it was his way of comforting me because my mother was dying …Some years later , I almost had a auto accident after someone pulled out in front of me and stopped ….As I swerved to miss the car I could hear my father’s voice loudly yelling me , “don’t overcorrect , don’t over correct “…..It unnerved me so badly I had to pull off the road not because I had nearly wrecked but because I heard my fathers voice …
Wow, thanks for sharing your story. Vivian. That sounds really intense. Your dad is definitely looking out for you.