When Ghosts Speak - Mary Ann Winkowski [94]
I remember once when Ted and I stopped at a diner-style restaurant on the way home from an afternoon of attending viewings at several funeral homes close to our home. Ted was intently studying the menu when I noticed the ghost. He was a huge guy, maybe in his forties, wearing the white T-shirt and work pants that you might see on a line cook or counter help. His arms were covered with tattoos, and he had a crew cut and a mean glint in his eye. I saw him stare at one of the waitresses, and then he went to work: Slipping behind the counter, he turned off the coffeemaker, then slid open the door of the cooler before heading through the swinging doors back to the kitchen.
The waitress he’d been staring at stopped at our booth to take our order. She was about halfway back to get our cups of coffee when an older woman, dressed in the same skirt-and-blouse uniform as our waitress, came charging out from behind the counter. “You turned the damned coffeepots off again,” she barked. “How many times do I have to tell you to leave the machine on after you make coffee?” Our waitress tried to protest, but the other woman just cut her off and stomped back to the coffeepots, mumbling about how she was going to have to make fresh coffee.
Our waitress was clearly flustered when she went back to the kitchen to place our order. I quickly filled Ted in on what was going on. Maybe ten minutes later, I looked toward the swinging doors of the kitchen just in time to see our waitress coming through them carrying the tray with our food. Right behind her was the guy, and I watched as he tipped the back end of her tray up until our dishes and dinner crashed to the floor.
The poor girl burst into tears, and the sour older waitress came over to us to apologize. She waited on us for the rest of our meal. I didn’t have a chance to ask the first waitress if she had perhaps once known a big guy with a crew cut who might have been holding a grudge against her.
I have seen ghosts with enough energy to change information in computers. They might rebook appointments or substitute or delete patient information, especially in dentists’ offices. Ghosts are also able to cause malfunctions in X-ray and other medical machines.
Children
Children are extremely sensitive to the presence of earthbound spirits. Imaginary playmates, guardian angels, or “scary people” may sound like figments of young imaginations, but most times they are very real. There are a few typical behaviors you may notice from children living in a house with a ghost.
Physical Ailments
Children under the age of ten may suffer from frequent colds or respiratory infections. Sore throats, ear infections, and asthma may all be common.
Broken Toys
“But I didn’t do it!” is the most common cry of a child who lives in a house with a ghost. Child ghosts, in particular, will break toys or turn on battery-operated games. They hide pieces of board games, drain batteries, and stash away beloved stuffed animals.
“Imaginary” Friends
If your child insists that the other little girl who comes every day for tea parties is real, you may want to consider whether or not you are experiencing any other signs of earthbound spirits in your home. A lot of people will discount a child’s claims, noting that almost all children outgrow these imaginary playmates. What I point out to such skeptics is that the earthbound spirits most attracted to children are children themselves. And because earthbound spirits do not age chronologically, they are soon left behind as their living playmates grow and develop new interests. Child ghosts will usually move on