will tell you a story from MY childhood ..it isnt a hoax and is my exact recollection of what happened..I couldnt care less if you beleive me or not ..it is what happened.
I was born and grew up in a typical terraced street...we lived at the end of the terraced and backed onto the common..opposite was a house occupied by a family of 1 mother, 3 girls and 1 boy..there were plenty of other children who all played out toghether in the street and on the common ...the three girls were called paula, jane and anne..the boy was called michael ( names changed for obviuos reasons)
we lived there from when I was born until I was 8..so we had many summers of playing outside..the girls we typical girls playing with their dollies and cursing the boys in the street for being too rough...michael was a sickly child and never played out ..when it was winter we played in each others houses..hide and seek, etc...I rememebr the kids had the attic as a play room and we spent many cold wet afternoons playing .. I liked michael as we would chastise his sisters and his mam ( his dad had died )....as kids and especially ones growing up in the early 70s ..we never took any notice of fashion ... I liked slade/t rex ... and I would take my records around to their house and we would all listen...then spring would come and we spend all day outside..michael would look on from the window as he was always sickly...his sisters would mock him for being naughty and upsetting thier mum..
anyway when I was 8 we moved away.. and lost touch with all the kids...moved on and made new friends...
11 yrs later when I was 19.. I had been out on the beer and was awaiting a taxi to go home...in the que was a face I recognised..it was paula and a few friends...she had grown up and as we caught up..and being a randy lad ..I admit I tried it on with her..but to no avail..however, we did agree to meet up and catch up..so off we went our seperate ways..with a promise to meet up mid week...
so up comes wednesday and I put on my best pulling clothes and a fair spalsh of Kuros and waddle off to meet paula at a quiet country pub...
she arrived about 30mins after me and didnt look as good as she did the prevoius friday ( beer goggles)..but hey ho she was good company .. she told me she and her her sisters were all at college and since I had moved away the family had moved 3 times themsleves...we caught up and filled in the 11yr gaps..after a while when she felt more comfortable ..and she had had a few more drinks she began to tell me about her mam... unfortunatly she wasnt well, I always knew she had nervous issues , my mam was always comforting her and she cried alot ...she was obviuosley very sad a losing her husband and 4 kids to bring up, and as I said Michael was a little rascal forever jumping out , breaking things, playing jokes, typical lad etc.....but in the 11 yrs she had gone down hill and was in hostpital a lot.
I said I was sorry as she had always been kind to me ... I aksed her what Michael was up to ..and she began to cry herself..last thing I needed..I was about to make my excuses and say I had work in the morning ..but I can still see her face now ..she turned to me and said something I still have trouble beleiving and makes me shiver...Michael was dead.. and he had always been dead... He died before the girls were born ...suddenly everything was swirling and I began to remember things from when we were kids...
never leaving the house
always having the same clothes
his mum being a nervous wreck as he played jokes and we all laughed
but it was soo real, we all saw him ,me , his sisters, the other kids in the street...
its wierd , I can still see us all sat in their house playing records and dancing to telegram sam...
and I felt such sorrow for their mum.. she was driven almost mad ..all she could work out was her own daughter and the kids on the street could see things she couldnt and she was going bonkers..
I calmed paula down and we shared a taxi , I dropped her off and never saw her again..
I aint asking you to beleive in ghosts ..I am just tlling you about some events that happened in my life and I cant work it out .. I have kids myself now and know that they can be very imaginative...but it wasnt just me ..we all experienced this over several yrs
good luck!!