This is the single strongest event in my life that propelled me into believing in the paranormal. I have always been interested in the paranormal since grew up in Gettysburg, PA, next to the
Gettysburg Battlefield, but notting like after I had this most earth-shattering experience, and experiences that followed like
The African Violets only strengthened my belief in the paranormal, I will also give my thanks to James for helping me fix the english in my entry.
Several years ago, I had a friend who I was very close to. We ran around together and we did almost everything together. Usually when you saw one of us you saw both of us. My friend had a key to my house that I shared with my family, as my family considered him to be part of our family and he could come and go as he pleased. The point is we were always together.
One night in early December, I was asleep and all of a sudden woke up at 2:12 am. I had a very strange feeling inside of me. I didn't know what was wrong with my friend, but I knew something was indeed wrong. I got dressed and went to my car and because our town had a few all night places that were open I started looking for him not really knowing why. After about two hours of driving around and looking for him with no luck of finding him, I returned to my home and got ready to get back in bed.
I got up and went to work the next morning, and I just had a very strange feeling inside of me all day at work. He knew when my break was and almost always called me while I was on break, but today there was no phone call from him. I was working a split shift that day meaning that I worked my regular eight hour shift then I had a three hour break and then went back to work to finish the next shift. I live only 10 minutes away from my job so I went home during my break and tried calling his house. His father answered the phone and told me he had not seen him all day but that was not unusual at all, so I hung up the phone and walked into my room and in my room I thought I heard him say “I'm sorry but I had to go. I didn't want to go but I had no choice”. I shrugged that off and just thought it was me being stupid. However, to be honest, we had just gone 16 hours without talking to one and other and for him and I, that was almost unheard of. I went back to work and finished the next shift, and it seemed like the shift lasted forever and the entire time I just could not help feeling so upset because I just knew something was wrong and very wrong at that.
After my shift was over I went straight home and ran upstairs and called my friend's house again. Once again his Father answered the phone and once again I aske if my friend was at home. His father replied by telling me “no he was not home yet”, and even he was getting concerned because by this time it was 11 pm. My friend's mother took the phone and told me she was going to start calling around to see if she could find him because even though most times he would stay at my house, it was not like him to not at least call home and let her know where he was and that he was ok. His mother told me that she had just assumed when he didn't come home the night before that he was at my place.
At that point, my friend’s mother said to me, “Hey, hang on a minute. The doorbell just rang and maybe it is him because he is always misplacing his key.” I said, “ok, sure”, and I heard her put the phone receiver down . About 30 seconds later, I heard my friend's mother scream so shrill that I could have sworn she was standing right beside me. My heart began to race as I now was sure, very sure that something was very wrong. I tried to hear what was being said but all I could hear was my friend's mother crying and she kept saying “NO ... there must be some mistake. Not my son.” Finally, my friend's father came to the phone and explained to me that the doorbell ring was the state police and my friend had been found dead about 2AM that morning and that he died in a car accident. For some reason it took the police almost twenty-four hours to notify the family.
Well, I was devastated to say the least, and the next few days seemed like a year for me, and I didn't even know what I was doing half the time. I remember my friend’s father asking me to help carry my friend to his final resting place and I did that. After the funeral was over, I collapsed and was admitted to the hospital for several days.
Eventually, life started to return to at least somewhat normal. About two years after my best friend’s death, I was at a convenience store in town about 11 pm. I paid for my stuff, and I was talking to the clerk in the store when I happened to look out the store window. In the store parking lot was my friend's car.
I started to walk away, and I heard my friend call my name. How could this be? I mean, he has been dead for two years. I turned around and there he was walking toward me. Starting to shake, I said, “Who are you? You are not suppose to be here.” He said, “Oh really? Well I though you of all people would be happy to see me dude.” I was the only person he ever called dude but he use to call me that all the time.
He told me that yes, it was really him and that he had come back to tell me something. He informed me that even though it was him, he was still dead sorta. but that he couldn't finish his journey without letting me know that he was ok and that he knew it was really rough on me and his family when he died but that we all had to go on and we would all be ok, that is was just his time. Through my tears I ask him if he was an angel. He said no not yet because I haven't been able to cross over because you and my Mom just will not let me go.
I put a photo of him and me in his casket at his funeral. He actually took it out of his shirt pocket and wrote something on the back of it and gave it to me. It said... remember me this way dude. I am sure no one was as close as friends as you and I were. I miss you but I have to go now. You do not need to worry because I will always watch over you) He then hugged me and then it was like I woke up or something. However, I was not asleep, the clerk at the store confimed that she saw me talking to a young man when I let the store Now even I thought I had a very real dream, I was not asleep, i was not even home at the time. However, when I came to myself I was sitting at the kitchen table, with the grocery bags next to me, in my hand was holding the photo I put in his casket two years ago, and I never even remember even leaving my car.
I told a very good friend of ours about this experience. She told me that I most likely really did see him and talk to him even though he was dead. She stated it happens all the time to people. She looked at me and said “I was at the funeral with you. I was with you by your side when you put the photo in his casket. So, how else do you explain him writing on the back of the photo and you having it after you placed it in the casket two years ago?” She stated, “of course you saw him and spoke to him.” She also reminded me that the photo I was holding was the the original and that no copy was ever made.
Now, that was about 11 years ago and even now from time to time, I will see or at least think I see his car go down my street. or, I think I will hear him say nope don't do that or there ya go dude. they were two of his favorite sayings.
Think I am crazy? Well, think as you may but, I know my friend is still with me. Also I am not the only one to experience something similar,
The Phantom Cross by Otterbeme comes to mind.
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