“We came to a bridge, and once again I saw the same figure. He wasn’t moving, and I asked my dad, ‘Do you see that?'”

When I was nine years old, my dad and I were on our way home from a very important horse show that I hoped would qualify me for the State Fair.

Instead, I had lost my one point. Two years of work down the drain in seconds!

On the way home as we drove down a hill I saw a figure kneeling by a house, dressed in a white robe. Right after seeing him, I said to myself, “If there is a super human being out there, make him give me another chance to qualify.”

A few minutes later, we came to a bridge, and once again I saw the same figure. He wasn’t moving, and I asked my dad, “Do you see that?” He didn’t answer, so I grabbed the wheel and slammed on the brakes.

We skidded across the bridge and almost ran off the road. My dad asked, “What the hell is wrong?” All I could say was, “You almost hit the man! He was on the bridge!” I jumped out and ran back to the bridge. I looked and looked, but he was nowhere in sight.

As I stood there, I felt a rush from my feet out through my fingertips. At that moment, I knew I had qualified for the horse show.

When we walked in the door, my grandma told us that there had been a mistake and I, in fact, had qualified.

J. Eckhoff
Orlando, FL

“I had a strange feeling that someone or something was watching.”

I have always believed that sometimes spirits of the dead kind of “hang around” until they finish some sort of unfinished business.  And I always hoped that I would experience it for myself because it seemed so exciting.

But my experience in a cabin my folks rented on a northern Wisconsin lake last summer exceeded my wildest expectations.

I had just graduated high school and was getting ready to go off to Boston College, so the trip was kind of a graduation present.  Nothing was unusual when we brought our bags in from the car, and my sister and I playfully fought for who got the cushier bed.

We rented a small motorboat in the afternoon and found the lake to be reasonably quiet and quite beautiful.  After a very nice dinner at a local restaurant, my sister and I climbed into our separate beds in the same room.  Our folks were in the second bedroom, and we were all tired from our first day’s adventures.

When I turned off the lights, I had a strange feeling that someone or something was watching.  I mentioned this to my sister who immediately freaked out and started peeking out the window to see if someone was there.

I explained that I wasn’t afraid of someone stalking us from the outside, but rather from the very room we were in.  My sister, Marlene, just looked at me, turned over and said something derogatory about my intelligence and wondered why a fine school like Boston College would admit me.

Then the “fun” started.

I awoke when I felt a tug on my blanket.  I was half asleep and mumbled to my sister that she should stop messing around.  When Marlene didn’t answer, I realized she was asleep and I let out a small scream.

Marlene sat up and asked what was wrong.  When I told her, she said that she also had felt something tug on her nightgown  but thought it had merely been part of a dream.

Well, we didn’t get much sleep the rest of the night.  In the morning, when we told our folks what happened, my mother turned white.  She said she had experienced the same thing but was too embarrassed to tell our father.

We mentioned this to the manager of the cabin, and he said it had happened to him numerous times ever since he bought the cabin.  He referred to the intruder as “The Playful Ghost.”

Christi Mikan
Milwaukee, WI

“Without warning the man lashed out with his fist toward my face.”

I’m from a small town in central Illinois, and when my folks dropped me off at school at Northwestern University, which is located in a suburb of Chicago, I was filled with excitement and anxiety.

The dormitory was bustling with activity and everyone was getting acquainted with each other.  I felt like a fish out of water and sat in my tiny dorm room alone wondering if I had made the right choice.

Then in walked Edmond and somehow I knew my life would never be the same.  Edmond was tall and gangly and he had this strange little smile on his face.  I liked him instantly and within minutes it seemed like we had known each other forever.

If this was college, I was going to love it.  I could write an entire book about our experiences during the ensuing four years, but none was more bizarre than the one I’m about to tell.

We were walking to the library one evening, and because it was drizzling outside and cold, not too many people were out on the street.  As we were turning the corner, we were approached by three guys that didn’t look like they lived on campus.  We knew instantly they were trouble.

Only one of them spoke, and he gruffly told us to give him our money or we’d be in for it. I started to reach in my pocket, but Edmond stopped me and just shook his head.  Without warning the man lashed out with his fist toward my face, but Edmond, in a move so fast it seemed like lightning, intercepted the man’s arm with a chopping motion that struck the man’s arm down before it reached my face.  I could hear the awful sound of bone breaking and the man screamed out in pain.

The other two men started to move forward, but Edmond, in what appeared to be an almost nonchalant move, grabbed one of them by the neck and started squeezing until I thought the unfortunate guy’s eyes were going to pop out of his head.

Edmond released him, gave him a wry smile, and said run along now before I get angry.

After they left, I couldn’t believe what I had just happened.  It was as if I was part of an action adventure movie.

To this day I believe Edmond possessed strength that was not normal and that it came from within, perhaps drummed up by his psychic energy.  Somehow when Edmond needed extraordinary abilities he was able to summon them.

I have more stories to tell about this one-of-a-kind extraordinary individual and will write you again.

Mark Summers
Danville, IL

“People simply shouldn’t mess with me.”

I believe with all my heart that I have a guardian spirit that has been with me since childhood.

It first began when I was in the first grade.  A bratty little kid was sitting behind me, pestering me, touching my hair, splattering crumbs on my desk, and I was afraid and intimidated.

I remember covering my eyes and praying.  I would hope that something bad would happen to him so he would leave me alone.  And I recall turning around and telling him that.  But he would give me that sly grin and just shake his head.  I remember being furious with him and telling him that he would be sorry.

About a week later, he was absent from school.  At first I didn’t think much of it, but after he was gone for several days, I learned that his appendix almost burst and he was rushed to the hospital.  After that, I noticed his attitude had changed and he would look at me with a leery eye.  He never bothered me again.

In high school a similar incident occurred when Eric, an old boyfriend, kept calling me at all hours and just wouldn’t let me alone.  Once again, I warned him that something bad would happen if he didn’t cut it out.  Maybe two or three weeks later, Eric’s father took a job in a different city, and the family would be forced to leave in mid semester.  Eric was devastated and told me I was the cause of it, that I had cursed him.

Well, he may have been correct.

It doesn’t happen every time, but I can tell you that if I care enough and concentrate hard enough, something will happen sooner than later, and people simply shouldn’t mess with me.

Fortunately, my guardian spirit works in a positive way as well.  I am happily married with a beautiful baby girl, and I have another one on the way.  I’m not saying my life has been a bed of roses because I’ve certainly suffered my share of setbacks.  But my prayers have been answered so many times, in so many unique ways that I am totally convinced there are spirits that guide and affect our lives.

And one last thing, and the reason I’m writing this:  Yesterday, I woke up with the thought that Erin, an old friend, would call.  Within seconds the phone rang and it was she.  And there was absolutely no way that could have been a coincidence because we hadn’t spoken in two or three years.

V. Rettersford
Providence, RI

“I believe greater forces were at work”

This is a story about how I got even with a person who really had it in for me.

Let’s call her Jane so I won’t get sued if she reads this.  Jane is in her early thirties, a bitter woman if ever there was one, and she had a tone in her voice from the first day I met her.

We work for the same insurance company, although we don’t work in the same office.  But we’re often in meetings together because of the nature of our work, and she always tries to undermine me no matter what I say or do.

Now I’m an easygoing person and not one to have confrontations, but a week ago, Jane went too far.  While I was making a presentation, she virtually yelled at me and said I didn’t know what I was talking about.

At first there was stunned silence.  Even our manager didn’t know what to say.  I looked at him and realized he wasn’t going to step in and defend me despite the fact that he has reassured me that I’m doing an excellent job.  He has told me numerous times to ignore her.  So I felt abandoned and knew I had to take matters into my own hands.

I turned my attention from him to Jane.  I gave her the most severe stare I could drum up, and we locked eyes for what seemed to be an eternity.  Neither she nor I said a word; we just stared and stared and stared.

And then – as if God himself reached down and did it – her wig fell down over half her face.  She let out a muffled scream, and for a moment everyone was stunned.  But then one person let out a giggle, then another, then the room burst into laughter.

Jane looked around in horror as she tried to adjust her wig back on her head.  Then she leaped from her seat and ran out of the room.

Now normally I don’t relish the misfortune of others.  And I certainly don’t laugh when someone is embarrassed.  But when Jane got her just desert, I believe greater forces were at work.  But most important, since Jane’s humbling experience, her “tone” has disappeared and we are no longer enemies.

Marlene Streeter
Houston, TX