Today is my late Grandfather’s birthday, and as such, I wanted to celebrate it by sharing one haunting moment from his life. Of which, are filled with many such moments, stemming from his ancestry that is heavily connected to the world beyond, or as my family had described it.
To give a little background, my Grandfather, whom I shall refer to as “El” going forward, lived his life in the Philippines. This country is no stranger to Supernatural and Paranormal occurrences. Tales of Spirit Mediums, Healers or “Manggagamot” as the people refer to them, and various entities that may or may not be from this world, run rampant across the many islands it holds. Even in modern times, such sense of spiritualism is held, with full respect and belief. Albeit with a sense of practicality all the same.
My Grandfather El had been afraid of Ghosts, at least in a sense that those of the departed are back and in the same presence of him. The reason is hard to pin down from what I’ve gathered. But it may have been due to certain moments relating to his own Grandfather.
El’s Grandfather was a Spirit Medium. He could see spirits and the like, at least better than your average Filipino. Conversing with them when they are near. And because of that, otherworldly events had gone down during his childhood. Leading to his fears of spirits, with this story being one of the earlier moments of his life that stood out more.
Sadly, it was not El himself who had told me of this story, but rather his daughter, my Mother. So pardon if I get any inconsistencies in details, pacing, and dates should I ever bring them up.
El and his family lived in the countryside of the Philippines. Picture a tropical forest with settlements here and there, houses made of wood being raised a few levels up due to constant floods. Their house was a little cramped, but it was enough for him and his family.
It was a regular morning, as El and his sibling had just gotten out of bed. Waking up, it already felt like something was different about the air around them. Feeling as though there had been a visitor somewhere in the house.
As they got out of their room, they could hear their Grandfather, speaking. Conversing even. Yet…they never heard a second voice. It seemed as though he was talking to himself. But from his reputation as a Spirit Medium, both El and his sibling knew this was not the case.
They went to where their Grandfather had been, the living room of the house. At the turn of the corner, they spotted him. As well as a second figure, hunched over in the far most corner.
Immediately, fear gripped him like a vice. It had been facing away from the wall, fully exposed, with the slight dimness of the room barely keeping its form shrouded in darkness. Sadly, the details of the “guest” weren’t very clear. Just that it looked human at least, but it had a lanky and skinny physique. Along with incredibly pale skin that could never be seen on a living and breathing person.
El’s Grandfather noticed both him and his sibling, and strangely, he did not even bat an eye. Instead, he invited them to draw closer. “Come, let’s talk” he said or something along those lines.
El did not want to get closer, he wanted to stay as far away as possible, and his sibling seemed to have the same consensus. His Grandfather persisted, and I am unsure of what made him do so, but he did eventually follow up on this. Him and his sibling, each taking small and slow steps forward. Drawing closer to the figure in the corner.
At some point, they stopped, and their Grandfather gave them a quick nod before turning back to the figure.
“What’s your name?” El’s Grandfather asked.
The figure did not respond.
“What is your name?” He repeated.
The figure stood still. Not saying a word.
All the while, anxiety and fear ate away at El’s psyche. Staring at a guest that did not look nor feel human in any sense of the word, whilst his Grandfather tried to get it to talk.
This went on for half an hour (I think at least, the details of time were not clear), El’s Grandfather kept asking for the figure’s name, yet it never answered back. He would eventually go through different questions; “Where did you come from?” And “Why are you here?” I remember being the more repeated variety of questions.
El felt a strange sense of calm while his Grandfather talked to the entity. I suppose calm is not a good word for it, but rather a sense of Idleness. Standing while looking at this figure, his fear still there and growing with every question that was passed along.
Once or twice, his Grandfather encouraged him and his sibling to talk to the Guest. They both refused. Keeping quiet and absolutely still, fearing that any action that they make, any unknown mistake that they could do, it would lead to…unsavory things.
Eventually, however, this interview with a ghost would come to an end.
As the light of the sun would reach further into the living room.
And once it reached into the corner, the Figure vanished.
El’s Grandfather clapped both hands to himself, looking as though he had caught something. In his hands was a hollow egg, one that seemed to radiate a strange aura around it. Had he been holding it this whole time? Preparing for something? I can only guess.
His Grandfather would soon explain why he had this egg with him. He told the two kids that with spirits like that, they favored dark places. Where shadows were present, light is very dim, should there ever be any. And once this dark shade of a place is invaded with light, these spirits would immediately go to the nearest dark corner or shade.
Which meant the Egg now housed the Ghost, at least according to El’s Grandfather.
This particular moment seemed to have instilled fear into Grandpa El, according to my Mother. So much so, that whenever he would have a distant or close relative pass on, he would always leave every light in the house on. Possibly fearing that another visitor would arrive right then and there.
My Grandfather El would’ve been 91 years old today. He loved his family very much, and we love him with all our hearts as well. I sadly could not spend much time with him, being too young to truly enjoy his presence whilst he was still active. Nevertheless, wherever he is now, I wish him nothing but the absolute best.
I am grateful that my Mother has shared this tale with me; along with many more about El and of her own experiences. I will keep these stories to heart, for they are quite interesting.
To whoever is reading this, I hope you had enjoyed this story from my Grandfather’s life. Thank you so much for your time, and I wish you all a great day.