It’s Halloween…time for spooks, ghosts, and ghouls to come out!!
Let’s see if I have any paranormal stories for ya.
About 15 years ago, my wonderful dog (Jack) back in my hometown was getting old. I think he was about 15 years old when he passed, going blind, deaf, and getting wobbly on his legs. One evening when mom let him out to go potty, and found him five minutes later outside laying down unable to get up. She scooped him up and brought him inside. Much comfort and hugs were given, but it was his time to go. Through heartache and tears, Jack was brought to the vets and euthanatized with mom and sister cuddling him as he departed the world. Even though I was 4000 miles away, I too was heartbroken and I called in sick to work blaming a stomach bug on my absence. I spent the day crying while looking at photos of Jack (he was a mutt that looked like a fox), and smiling to his mischievous ways, keeping forever the fond memories. By evening, I was a little better. Not much, but I managed to eat something.
Around 8pm, my apartment landline phone rings.
“Hello?”, I answer.
“Is Jack there?”, a male voice asks.
“Jack? No. No one is called Jack here”, I reply, not recognizing the voice.
Click.
The phone call ends, and I think nothing of it.
I head to bed around 10pm knowing tomorrow I really had to go into work and not use a second days’ excuse of having a stomach bug. I smiled, knowing it was worth taking the day off of work to honor Jack. At around 3am I wake up. There’s something on my bed moving around. To my delight and bewilderment, its Jack. I wasn’t dreaming. I wasn’t hallucinating. Right there on my bed was my boy. He was real. I didn’t switch on any lights as I could somehow ‘see’ him. He was younger and vibrant. His face had no grey fur and his ginger coat shimmered brightly. I immediately hugged him, feeling his soft fur coat and body warmth against my skin. We started playing on the bed. I remember him distinctly playfully biting my hand, as I hugged and squeezed with joy that I had him back. There were no barks, yelps, sighs, or sounds. I couldn’t say any words, and I wasn’t afraid. All I could think of was how healthy and young he looked (about when he was four or five years old). Then I knew he had to go. I didn’t say goodbye. I just knew he came to me to say his goodbyes to me. Then, he was gone. I don’t remember falling back to sleep content that I had a visit from my deceased dog, I just remember waking up the next morning for work and instinctively smelling my hand. It smelt of puppy breath. It honestly did. I smiled. I knew I hadn’t dreamt it. It was all real. I knew I had Jack come visit me to say goodbye. It was awesome.
It was only days later I realized the phone call I received where someone was asking for “Jack”. My God, how did I miss that? But I did.
And the story continues…
Mom calls me a few days after Jack had passed and tells me an incredible story. She starts by explaining that my niece Kayleigh (about 12 years old), and nephew Paul (about 5 years old), (her grandkids) are over her house playing when Paul stops and starts telling mom that he can see Jack in her bedroom mirror. Mom playfully plays along, but Paul’s demeanor changes and he gets serious.
“You have to listen to me, Gran”, Paul starts, demanding my mother’s attention.
“What is it, sweetheart?”.
“I can see Jack in the mirror, and he’s all better”.
“Really?”.
“Yes, and you’re not to joke around as he wants me to give you a message”.
“You can talk to dogs?”, Kayleigh laughs.
“Yes I can”, Paul confirms, deadly seriously. “In my head I can hear what Jack is saying”.
Mom tells me Paul starts to shake at this time and gets even more serious.
“He wants me to tell you you’re not to worry about him. He’s all better and happy”.
“Can you see him?”, Mom gently asks.
“Yes. I can see him in the mirror”, Paul urges (mom has a full length 5’ mirror in her bedroom and he’s staring intensely at it). “He’s all better and keeps telling me to tell you not to worry about him. He’s telling me. I can hear him”.
“You have the gift!”, Kayleigh suddenly announces.
Then it was over. Paul came back to his playful self. Mom tried to ask him more questions, but he was rather nonchalant about the whole thing, and the subject was never brought up again.