A GENTLE GHOST
a true story - by Elizabeth Bradley
Many
years ago when I was just starting out on my own journey into the
‘unknown’ realms of all things esoteric, I met a young woman who came
by way of a friend to my home one evening for a healing session. I was
very new to the world of spirit at that time but eager and keen to
learn as much as I could, and so I would embrace every opportunity to
work with people in whatever way deemed appropriate.
On
entering my home that evening, it was very easy to see that this young
woman was very stressed indeed. Consequently, I decided to just sit her
down with a cup of tea and to give her time to talk. She seemed very
nervous but also anxious and I remember asking her quite directly:
“What is the real problem?” Without even a second thought, she gazed
up from her tea and stared straight at me. “I live with a ghost.” she
said. Well as you can imagine, her answer was not what I had expected,
but nonetheless, I proceeded to find out more.
“Will
you come to my home and meet him?” she said. “He has asked if you will
come and meet him.” Well I don’t mind admitting that a shiver or two
ran through me when she said that, and then, as you do, I started to
wonder whether she just had a very vivid imagination or perhaps might
need some different kind of help, if you know what I mean! By the end
of her visit however, I had agreed that I would go over and see her the
following week. Her home was about 30 minutes from mine, heading into
London from the west.
I
can still remember, even though it must be some 19 years or more since
that trip, how nervous I felt as I neared her home. On arrival
outside, looking for a place to park, in what was pretty much a normal
suburban street, I broke into the most awful sweat. I had one of those
feelings when your heart is racing and you are not sure whether you are
actually still breathing. I could not control my fear for what seemed
like hours, but in fact, it was really only a few minutes. Eventually I
allowed myself time to calm down and convinced myself that this was
really bonkers and I was probably going to leave here laughing my head
off, having found it to all be some big practical joke.
I locked the car door behind me and headed towards her home. A
small gate and an even smaller path led to the front door of a very
ordinary looking semi-detached house. I started to breathe slowly and
felt better – totally convinced this was going to be over very quickly
and yes, I could take a joke.
The
young woman opened the door and invited me into her very comfortable
home. It was one of those places that you feel warm in. You know the
kind of home, with big comfy chairs and warm apricot hues and colours.
Hardly the place you would expect to find a ghost. No clanking or
dungeons here. And so I sat down and very happily accepted tea and cake.
As
she brought in the goodies and placed them on a dining table at the far
end of the room, she looked back towards the window at the front of the
house and then back at me. “He’s here.” she said. “Can you see him?”
I can remember feeling very strange and looking ahead at the window.
“No I can’t.” I said. “Where is he?” I wasn’t thinking by now, I was
just in the moment until she said: “He is coming towards us and will
join us at the table.”
My heart was racing and every hair on my body stood up. I couldn’t see
a thing but I could feel what can only be described as electricity
building and surging around me. I convinced myself in those short
moments that this was a major fear or panic attack and it wasn’t real
and this woman was crazy, but that lasted for about a minute. The
feeling got stronger and stronger and I thought my heart was going to
burst out of my chest. My inclination was to run but then in the next
moment it all suddenly stopped and I found I couldn’t move my legs.
”Where
is he now?” I muttered in a slow quiet breath. “Oh, he’s just about to
sit down opposite you, is that OK?” she replied. My heart was racing
again as I took my seat. Then before I could say anything else, a huge
sense of power and electricity jolted through my body until all that
was left was an ice-cold breeze. It really took my breath away and I
felt totally frozen to the spot.
“What
is happening?” I asked. “He wanted you to feel him.” she said. “He says
he’s sorry for walking through you but thought you wouldn’t believe in
him otherwise.”
“Who
is he?” I asked her. “I don’t know for sure because he won’t tell me,
that’s why I wanted you to come.” she replied. “Can you get him to
tell you who he is, I would be so grateful.” she asked.
Well,
they do say that when you take up this path you get tested. I was very
new to these subjects at the time and in all honesty quite out of my
depth, or so I thought. Yet I then found myself very quietly and calmly
drinking a cup of tea whilst nodding reassuringly in the direction of
our gentle ghostly friend.
My
mind however, was analysing and re-evaluating every movement and breath
I took. In fact, as the penny dropped, I could not believe how amazing
this experience had been. I looked towards what effectively was an
empty chair and nibbling at my chocolate biscuit asked out loud: “Who
are you and why are you here?” There was, to my relief, no auditory
reply but all of a sudden I found myself looking towards a dresser near
the other end of the room. I immediately put down my tea and got up and
walked over to it. There appeared to be a lot of mess and paperwork
above the small drawer section, but then just as I was about to walk
away, I saw very neatly placed beside a mirror on a higher shelf, a
small envelope, which had obviously been opened. Without even asking I
picked it up and pulled out the enclosure. The young woman stared at me
and did not speak. I unfolded the piece of paper and on it was written
the following: “A memorial service in honour of a very well respected
and loved young man – who passed before his time. A musician of great
merit and outstanding achievement in our community – he will be sadly
missed.”
I
looked over to the young woman whose eyes were filled with tears. “Is
it him that comes to me?” she asked. And without evening thinking I
nodded: “Yes.”
I
returned to my seat at the table and she went and sat in the big
armchair by the window. At that moment, the sun began to set and it
sent a glimmer of light through the gap in the curtains that bounced
off the mirror and produced a kind of narrow silhouette that rested
beside her. “Is he with you now I asked.” “Yes.“ she replied. “He is
sitting on the floor beside me.” “How did you know him?” I asked. She
then told me about a young man whom she had taught to play the piano,
but who was also suffering from depression, and who had sadly taken his
own life.
“What will happen now?” she said. “Will he leave?” My
reply was that I did not know, but that I would try to find out more
from friends who were much more skilled in these matters. I suggested
that we both pray for him to find peace and rest and she agreed that
this was indeed a very good thing to do.
We
sat and talked for about an hour about her life and her work and
eventually I said goodbye to both of them. It was one of the strangest
and spookiest experiences of my life and yet something I have never
shared before.
I
did as I had said I would, and passed all the information to a very
good friend of mine at the time, a spiritualist medium of some 35
years. She said all would be well.
I
never heard from the young woman again, perhaps that was all she needed
from me and if I am honest, I was too scared really to go back and find
out if he was still there. In hindsight, I believe it was a great gift
that I received that day to be able to experience a soul or ghost in
that manner and yet it was also one of the most frightening experiences
I have ever had. He was indeed a gentle ghost who I believe had lost
his way and found solace in a gentle earthly spirit that was the piano
teacher.
I
do hope that they both found peace in whatever life and death put
before them and would sincerely thank them for what was albeit scary,
one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
It only goes to show that sometimes you really don’t know with whom you are sharing your armchair!!!
Wishing you all a thoroughly scary Halloween !! Elizabeth xxxx
