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!!!
