The Family Ghost Story

I originally posted this in 2008, but I'll present this as something of a Halloween tradition as long as I keep the IMW going.




Happy Halloween everybody!

To help get you into the spirit of things, I offer our family's ghost story. If it sounds sort of familiar, I apologize, but I've never claimed we were a unique bunch.

The following is purported to have actually happened.

The year was 1990. My aunt and one of her sons were driving from the Detroit area to my grandmother's house, which was located in Missouri about an hour or so outside of St. Louis. After a long day's driving they were nearing Missouri as the sun was beginning to set.

They crossed the Mississippi river via the Jefferson Barracks bridge south of St. Louis proper. Jefferson Barracks was the name of the first permanent U.S. military post in the Louisiana Territory, and it is also the site of a national military cemetery. This is where my grandfather was buried after his death in 1980.

As my aunt was crossing the bridge she was thinking about her father. She had actually lived with her elderly parents for a time in the 1970's and her dad had acted as a surrogate father for her own young sons. She felt the need to stop and visit the graveside, but it had been a long day and she was expected.

"Sorry Dad," she said to herself, "I know I haven't visited lately, but I will come soon."

At this point they had crossed the bridge and were nearing the first exit at Koch Road. My aunt noticed there was a man standing on the side of the road near the EXIT sign. The man was looking down at first, but he lifted his head and with a sorrowful gaze looked directly at my aunt.

"Oh my God. Is that dad?" my Aunt said, again to herself. The man had looked exactly like her late father.

As she blew past the exit at 55 MPH, she looked back via her rear view mirror, but she saw nothing. The man was no longer there.

At that point she began to talk to herself again, "You know, I was just thinking about dad, so this must be a case of my mind playing tricks on me. I was feeling a little guilty about not visiting, so my brain invented a vision of him that I could 'see'. That's all it was."

At least that was what my aunt was beginning to say to herself... except right after she began her inner dialogue, her son, who she thought was asleep in the passenger seat, spoke in an excited voice.

"Mom, did you see that guy on the side of the road? He looked exactly like grandpa!"