I see right through you
When growing up, I remember listening to people in rural areas talk about ghosts. They would say something along the lines of, “Do you remember so and so who was buried last week? Well, on my way home last night I saw him!”
They would go on for hours explaining the details of what this person was wearing and what he or she said. As a child, this obviously freaked me out. I became afraid of the dark because I kept thinking I was going to see dead people. That fear stayed with me for a long time.
I mean, I was aware of some people dabbling in witchcraft and I’m not talking about ‘soccer muthi’ to make your favourite soccer team win a game. This was deeper and darker but I won’t get into that now.
As I became older, I started questioning these colourful ghost stories. What I noticed was a strange but consistent pattern:
1. The older the storyteller, the better the story. I’m not saying old people are crazy. All I’m saying is these freaky stories were better told by senior members of the community.
2.The more “juiced up” they were, the more vivid and animated their stories. Again, I’m not saying that drunk, old people lie. I just think they carefully choose their words for dramatic effect.
3.If someone died violently or unexpectedly, close family members would claim to have seen him or her a few days and sometimes weeks, after the funeral. What I believe? They’re struggling to let go.
When driving home at night one day I remembered a scary story someone told had me. I reached a famous spot, well it was notorious actually for ghost sightings. According to the story, if you’re driving by this location a ghost would appear in your back seat and ask you for a cigarette or lighter. Being the curious young chap I am, I was really looking forward to meeting this supernatural being. I even went out and bought a cartoon of ciggies. So, did I see a ghost? Did I get a cold chill down my spine? Did my hair stand on end? A big, fat no! Nothing happened! Absolutely nothing! Nada! I was very disappointed.
To date, I have never seen a ghost. Personally, I think it’s all in the imagination.