One day in the middle of summer, my best friend and I decided to go for a long drive in Southern Ontario's countryside. After a long day of driving, we decided to stop for the night at the only lodging we could find, a quaint bed and breakfast tucked off side if the road next to the highway. Exhausted, we trudged into bed right away and settled in to get a good night's sleep.
Or so we thought. For the next two hours, my friend tossed and turned, which was odd enough, for my friend sleeps like a rock (and snores like a banshee!) at the worst of times. And I was kept awake all night by the presence of a spirit at the end of my bed, a rather prim and proper older woman in a Victorian costume and hat who insisted since I was the first to really see her that I must pay attention and relate her story and wishes to the owner in the morning!
Finally, desperate to get some sleep and with only a few hours left until daylight, I agreed to speak with him in the morning. Besides, I was curious to find out if this charming home had the colorful past she insisted had followed after her death. She'd told an interesting tale of all kinds of unsavory characters who'd used the place for "rum-running" as she'd called it, during the 20's and 30's. She insisted that these naughty characters had made a real mess of her beloved home, and it had passed through several hands before falling into the current owner's care, a "Fine gentleman, with a lovely family!" whom she clearly adored.
The next morning, I made my way down for breakfast and sat, bleary eyed, at the table nearest the back wall. When the owner came in, he gave me a kind smile and some orange juice and didn't even skip a beat when I asked him if he knew his inn was haunted. "If it wasn't, we'd have to make it up! Ghosts are good for business!"
Yet he did seem bemused and surprised when I told him the story. It was true that the place had a shady past, just as the old woman had described it. And he pointed behind me to a picture on the wall that I had not seen before. It was a picture of the woman who had stood at the end of my bed!
I told him not to worry about this particular spirit. It was clear her intentions were loving and protective after all. And it was indeed a well-run place. Though I did not get much sleep there, it was a very interesting stay.
Brandi
Letter from a reader ...
Dear Brandi,
First, thank you for your time. I am writing because something occurred a few months ago that I just can't seem to get out of mind. I was riding in the country with my boyfriend. We had been drinking, but too much. All of a sudden it seemed like I was thrust into a movie or another place. It was very dark then there were these red streaks on both sides of me. As I watched I felt like I was watching something taking place from above. There was a car with a young girl in it lights were out, then there was another car with a boy, the boy hit the girl's car from behind, then the girl crashed. I felt like the two were close and this was a serious mistake in judgment. All of this was happening while I watched from above. I heard everything and felt very strong overwhelming feelings of sadness. Let me just say this is the first time anything like that has happened and I am not taking drugs or anti-depressants. I am really trying to stay open minded. There is another facet.
There was a young girl in our town that was killed early in the spring from a car crash and I always have felt bad for the parents. I just really feel I need your opinion about this, so I can let it go, or learn more. Thank you again and take care.....
DW
Dear DW,
When I first got your letter, I did not know how to respond exactly ... then something awful happened. Just last week, my friend and former boss Bill Campbell lost his son Chris last week to a terrible car accident (I still don't know all the details, only that his family is suffering an unbearable loss). So I can understand your feelings, and the feelings of the family in your town.
It sounds to me like you had an intuitive or psychic experience during a partial out of body (OOBE) experience. You don't say if the accident took place before or after your experience, but tragic events have this way of imprinting themselves in a place ... and they can reach backwards or forwards in time.
The experience you had is not really all that unusual, believe it or not. In most surveys I have seen more people have had them than haven't. We just think they are odd because people don't talk about these things too much.
Alcohol does have a way of opening you up to psychic experiences, and of course mixing drinking and driving can lead to disaster. I think your heart was telling you that you were taking an awful risk, and it is possible that the spirit of one of the young girl from the crash was reaching out to warn you of the danger.
The Campbell family has put up a memorial site for Chris. Please feel free to visit it. And remember to listen to your heart ... this experience did happen for a reason.
Brandi
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