The Big Book of Canadian Hauntings. John Robert Colombo

I did and said the same thing, as I moved forward from it and directly back from it. I could not do so to the right of me, as that was where the wall ran.

      It was the smell that was so defined, as was the area in which it occurred. I probably looked up at the ceiling a couple of times. I found it incredibly hard to imagine that it was just coming from nowhere.

      Shortly after this step-dance of mine, I pulled myself together, and the two of us scooted on down the hallway to join the others in the room on the right. Inside Mom and Lynda were cheerfully chatting innocently away with the new super. Lynda was showing and describing the fitness area, et cetera.

      What hit me in this room was how beautiful it was for a superintendent’s office. It was none like I had encountered over the fifteen years or so that I had lived in the Mississauga and Brampton areas. I was thinking they must pay the supers a lot better in Richmond Hill than they do elsewhere!

      I continued to swivel around in place, looking at the dark wall unit and the wall pictures — the personal homey kind of touches to this office area! It was at that point that I stated how surprisingly nice it was. It was at this juncture that Judy, I believe her name was, softly explained, “Well, you see, years ago we used to have a lot of seniors living here with us. Many of them just like family, so we sometimes ended up using this room to hold wakes.”

      As these words made contact with my ears, I quickly reached to my right and grabbed a hold of Ruth’s arm in an attempt to prevent her from blurting anything out.

      She and I made instant eye contact, but no words were exchanged between us. I quickly ended my conversation with the super and headed towards the exit.

      A sense of anticipation was building even stronger in me now, and I am sure Ruth as well, to spill out our experience to Lynda at the earliest point possible. Lynda, thank goodness, was also ready to make her way back up to the apartment, so we all thanked Judy for her kindness and hastily made our way back down the long corridor. I remember wondering how Lynda was going to take this news, considering that she had just nicely gotten herself moved into her new surroundings.

      What I would like to reiterate is the part about the mysterious perimeter. There didn’t seem to be any harmful, bad, or hurtful vibes, if you will. It seemed to be a gentle source. Quite possibly, but unfortunately unknowingly, I was unable to confirm female or feminine energy that I was drawing on! For some reason it did seem to fit in line with adult energy and not child-like power. However, I’m not exactly sure what, if any, difference this makes to anyone reading this — except that it rounds off the experience the only honest way I know how.

      Perhaps, it may mean something to someone who reads this, if they happen to know of anyone who passed over in an apartment building on Cedar Street in Richmond Hill. Or, perhaps, this encounter was of someone who visited or worked there. How would one ever know the real answer? I learned a long time ago that this world was never intended or designed for us to hold all the answers, only to guess the possibilities of all the “what ifs”!

      At the time of writing about this occurrence, I can tell you this detail. My sister is still happily living in this building. To the best of my knowledge, she has never heard or encountered any such stories as the one that I just shared with you!

       Raining Intuition

      Every once in a while, we seem to notice how life has changed us. I don’t just mean how it has changed our body. It does that, but I mean how it has changed our thinking as well. Every experience we have slowly adds up to our own unique process!

      I’m not at all sure when my very first unusual encounter was, but for the sake of argument, I will tell you about the first one that sticks out most in my mind!

      I was sitting at my mother’s kitchen table in Meaford, Ontario. At the time, I was visiting with her from the city of Mississauga. You see, just previous to this visit, I had received a phone call to say that my dad had taken ill and was in the Owen Sound Hospital. Upon sharing the news with my sons, my oldest son decided that he would take my car in for a car wash. In case you hadn’t guessed, he had just recently acquired his driver’s licence and would be happy to drive at the time for nearly any mundane reason!

      On the return from his good deed, I was to learn that the automatic car wash had eaten the driver’s-side windshield wiper completely off! There was no time to waste! I explained that I would have to be the one now to drive up North. The reason was it might start to rain and I was supposedly a more experienced driver! My son was disappointed with this news, to say the least, but he also understood it was for the best.

      So we loaded up and headed off. Not a raindrop in sight! We had bare roads and clear sailing all the way. We all settled safely two hours later at our destination. The next morning, before heading over to the next town to make our hospital visit, my son Damon asked if he and my youngest son Ryan (Rye as I call him) could borrow the car for a quick road trip to visit briefly with their uncle who lived nearby. This particular uncle is three months “younger” in age than Damon! In other words, his grandmother and I were pregnant at the same time. (This is known as a M.A.C. situation — Middle Age Carelessness!) It seemed to be a fairly clear day. So I told him there was no problem so long as they were back by 1:00 p.m.

      Approximately a half-hour later I shared my gnawing concern with my mother. I explained that every time my sons get together with this particular uncle, a twist of fate soon follows, or so it always seemed to me. This day was to be no exception.

      Minutes following this comment — intuition rains down on me — and I shot straight up off my chair, causing it to crash against the kitchen wall behind me! I remember spouting out, “Something just happened to the kids! Something’s wrong, I can feel it!”

      My practical, logical-minded mother began to tell me that I shouldn’t be thinking like this! She asked me why I would say such a thing.

      The words had no sooner left her mouth than her telephone rang. It was for me. It was the Meaford town police. A lady officer began explaining that my two sons and a third party had rolled and totalled the car! She quickly went on to add that they had been admitted to the Meaford Hospital. She also asked if I had any other transportation. I said no. So she immediately offered to come and pick me up and take me up to see them.

      Long story short! Apparently, they picked up their uncle and went out for a short drive on some nearby gravel roads. During this back-road tour, it immediately started to pour down rain! Damon was driving and he did what any other driver instinctively would do. He reached up and hit the windshield wipers, only to be sadly reminded he didn’t have one on his side of the car. With no vision, they ended up going around a bend in the road and rolling the car a couple of times down over an embankment.

      The police officer did add that they had “not” been speeding. She said they had only been doing about fifty miles per hour. She explained that, with a passenger in the front seat and a passenger on the same side in the back, when they went around the corner, the weight displacement added to the car flipping over so easily!

      I remember getting out of the officer’s vehicle. I remember thanking her, but I don’t remember seeing her after that. I remember walking into the hospital and asking at the desk to see my sons. I also remember nervously asking, “Who was hurt the worst?” but not really wanting to really hear or know the answer.

      In through the doorway I went. First, I spotted my youngest, Rye. I knew in his eyes he was happy to see me, but also at the same time pleading in his brother’s defence that he was so worried about the car. I quickly hugged him and said I’d be back after I checked on his brother.

      The hospital was keeping him on the opposite side of the room. I could see a doctor with him. He was going over him closely, checking for signs of whiplash and whatever else they look for. I guess, as the driver, Damon had got it the worst.

      Upon spotting me, he immediately started apologizing for rolling the car. I told him not to worry about the car, it was insured. I asked the doctor how he thought they medically looked. He told me that both of them were bounced around pretty good, but luckily both had been wearing their seat belts.

      I