Was my subconscious making me do things to remind me of my wife? I’d heard of some pretty interesting things that grieving people did and I thought maybe I was doing that too. Didn’t seem like it to me though; I was old but not senile. I flicked off the TV and headed to bed. Wouldn’t you know it? That damn picture was turned around facing me again! Now I really began to get spooked. This time I turned it around and laid it down so the picture was facing the dresser.
My sleep was restless and I didn’t sleep well, almost jumping at every little sound the house made. Sounds I’d heard for years but now I couldn’t help but wonder if someone was in the house trying to drive me crazy. I must have finally dozed off and when I woke up, the first thing I did was look at that picture. It was standing up facing me—now I began to panic.
What the hell was going on? I thought that I must be dreaming all this; this kind of stuff isn’t real. I tried to ignore what was going on because I didn’t believe in these types of things which I refer to as goofy crap. I decided to just ignore it all and pretend I didn’t see any of this. That didn’t work.
I’d spent the last week not responding to anything; I didn’t turn the picture back around or even try to figure out any of the other odd things, like the box of pasta, going on during that week. Then something happened that set me to trembling. I headed to bed that night and the picture was turned so it faced the door, almost like she was looking at me. That was it; I’d had enough. I left the house and got a hotel room just to get away for a night and try to figure this stuff out. I have to admit, I was scared.
I realized I couldn’t ignore this anymore; whatever it was that was happening was real and I had to accept that. What I hadn’t counted on was being afraid to go back to my house. I didn’t understand any of this but I did realize that something was happening that I couldn’t put words to. When I woke up the next morning I just sat on the bed trying to get the courage up to go home. I couldn’t and paid for another night. This was just scaring the hell out of me and I didn’t know what I should do. I thought of calling my son but we weren’t real close and I’m sure he would have thought I was losing my mind so I didn’t. That night I had nightmares involving Betty and I woke up terrified.
They were not real, of course, but all I could remember was her calling out for me and I couldn’t reach her and then she disappeared with a look of sadness on her face. I decided to go back home no matter what I felt and if it got real bad, I’d seek professional help. Maybe they had an answer for what I was going through, although I didn’t think that they would. I pulled up in my driveway and couldn’t get out of the car; I was actually trembling at the thought of what I’d see in the house. I felt foolish for being so afraid and before I could talk myself out of it and head back to the hotel, I grabbed my bag and headed in.
When I opened the front door and looked in, I dropped my bag and just stared. I could feel that someone was in there and I felt that weird electrical charge again. I began to shiver and I looked around. There were fresh-cut flowers on the mantle. Soft music, music my wife loved, played softly in the background and when I went in, I could smell the perfume I always liked her to wear. I was either going crazy or something else was going on—my wife was here in spirit. I found my heart racing and I started sweating in fear when I moved further into the house. The presence felt even stronger.
I walked slowly into my bedroom and not only found the picture of her on my dresser, but another of the both of us after we’d been married for about fifteen years. While I stared at the pictures, a voice right next to my ear said my name, “Ezra.” I jumped and spun around but there was nothing there. The voice had sounded hauntingly like my wife’s and I got goosebumps when I heard it. I sat down on my bed and gave up. I gave in to the feeling of her being all around me and actually spoke to her.
“Betty, is that you?”
My words fell on quiet and I wondered what was going on with me when I heard her voice saying my name in my ear again. I looked around and asked, “Honey, where are you?” I was trembling and didn’t know if it was in anticipation or I was just scared to death.
Again I waited and nothing happened for about three minutes. Then, I saw a shimmering form start to materialize in front of me by the door. It was her! I’ll be damned, it was my lovely wife! I felt at peace as I watched her glide closer to me and my heart raced, thumping loudly in my chest.
She smiled at me and leaned over to speak in my ear. “I will always love you. Be well, my love, and we
