Your True Tales
April 2008 - Page 5

Papa's Ghost
by Lariysa

My story takes place in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was early January, 1996. I was 17 and did a lot of babysitting to earn some extra money. Most of my babysitting was for my uncle who had three kids at the time. I liked to sit for him, but I didn't exactly like where his house was located. It was kind of in the country, I suppose, right at the top of a hill on a long road. There weren't really any neighbours close by, which made me uncomfortable, especially at night.

I was on the telephone talking to a friend while the kids were in the living room watching a movie. Sam, my cousin of about four, came into the kitchen and said, "Papa is here." (Papa is what they called their grandfather.) I thought this was weird because it was around 9 p.m. I hung up the phone and went into the living room to look out the window. Nothing. Total darkness. I said to Sam, "Where did you see Papa?" He came over to the window and pointed to the middle of the front lawn. Then he said, "He was wearing his good suit and red tie." Again, I thought this was an incredibly odd thing to say. I closed the curtains, turned off the TV and put the kids to bed.

At about 11 p.m. that night, I received a phone call from my mother. She told me that my grandfather had passed away in his sleep a few hours earlier. Two days later, we had the funeral. The whole family was there, including my little cousin, Sam. He grabbed my hand and walked over to the casket and said, "See, Papa's got his good suit on and red tie."

I can't explain what happened exactly that night my grandfather died. But I think maybe it was just him coming to say goodbye.

< Previous story | Next story >

< main menu