Fright Night

Well, it's here, bringing to an end our big discussions about fears and scares and ghosts and goblins.

So, since we've avoided the big question, or saved it for last, tell me - do you believe in ghosts? Have you seen one?

I do believe in ghosts. Maybe not in quite the standard sense, of ectoplasm and shaking chains and all that. But I know that a certain amount of us is made up of energy - electrical energy - and that doesn't die. It might convert to another form or dissipate into the atmosphere but it doesn't simply stop. Did you know electrical current is always running through those magical plugs in your wall? It doesn't turn on because you've inserted the plug - that just completes the circuit. So just because we become unplugged, that magical electricity must be running somewhere, right? Maybe that's what we call a soul. That's for wiser people to figure out. But in my own little mind with the limited understanding I have of it all, I believe that there are ghosts. Like a reflection of a life, lingering with us for a little while, before they're ready to move on.

Have I seen a ghost. I don't think I've actually seen one. A couple of times, I've seen something out of the corner of my eye - but I have never felt enough emotion or presence to really think it was anything more than floaters.

But I have been touched by a ghost. The one time that I'll never forget is when I was laying in bed, in my mid twenties, and worried about something, when a gentle hand pulled the covers up and tucked me in. It was a loving and gentle thing. I wasn't scare, startled, very startled even, but it felt safe and reassuring. Like someone wanted to let me know I wasn't alone.

There's been other times where, again, I didn't exactly see a ghost but I definitely got a message. Like the time grandma died and I answered the phone on the first ring. Something had awoken me a few minutes earlier, and somehow I knew, so the ringing phone wasn't a surprise. Even more interesting because they weren't supposed to call our house, mom was staying with relatives near the hospital, but they messed up and called us instead. So someone woke me up and warned me, so I wouldn't be so shocked.

We've all had lots of moments like that. Some people call it intuition. Some say it's coincidence. Some say divine intervention.

Maybe it's my imagination, but I like to think that those we love are watching over us and sometimes they like to give us a little nudge or maybe a pat on the shoulder. Call me a romantic, if you like, but it makes me feel good. And that is what faith and our beliefs are meant to do, right?