Psychic wife means ghosts in my life

By Lew Cohn

Managing Editor

Highland Lakes Newspapers

I love a good ghost story, but I am not sure if I truly believed in ghosts before I met my wife. Since that time, a number of things have happened that have made me into a true believer.

My wife told me not long after we began to date that she had been given a gift (or curse, sometimes) of being able to not only see the departed, but to commune with them. Stephen King referred to it as “the shining” in his book of the same name, while others refer to it as psychic ability.

I admit I was skeptical at first, even though my wife is a very direct, honest person. My skepticism didn't last for long. While in the hospital, Betty hesitantly told me there were three spirits with us. (She still wasn't comfortable with talking about her ability because she was afraid of ridicule from disbelievers).

The three entities not only appeared to be concerned about her health, but also mine. Her father, who had died unexpectedly at age 59 in 1997, was one of those. The second was my own father, who died in 1998. Obviously, Betty had never met my dad, but had seen photos of him. She relayed messages from him and it very much sounded like my father as he was when he was alive.

The third spirit, however, was the one that removed any lingering doubts. Betty identified her as my Aunt Mildred, who had only been deceased for around a year at the time of this incident. My aunt wanted to communicate with me and did so through my wife. It is important to note Betty had never met Aunt Mildred or seen a photo of her, nor had I, at this point in our relationship, discussed my aunt or anything about her with my wife.

As she was assisting my aunt to communicate with me, Betty reached over and took my hand after I asked her to demonstrate something so I knew for sure it really was Aunt Mildred. Upon that request, my wife began to hold, pat and rub my hand in a matter my aunt always did while she was alive and I would visit her. There is no explanation for Betty knowing this. Having never seen a photo or known any information, Betty described my aunt perfectly, noting her short stature and her physical likeness as well as her speech patterns and verbiage.

My wife's sensitivity to things beyond the physical plane of existence is how we know that we share our home in Marble Falls with strangers who are no longer on this plane of existence. Over a relatively short period of time, Betty became aware of all six spirits as they either introduced themselves or made their presence known. Because of Betty's sensitivity, receptiveness and awareness, the entities are often eager to communicate with and through my wife. The majority of our “houseguests” are cordial and friendly, however there are some that are not only confrontational and disrespectful, but they also attempt and at times succeed in physically interacting with us.

Four of the spirits do not come inside our home out of a sense of respect and they appear to be benevolent. The first to introduce himself was an elderly Asian man who came to Burnet County in the late 1800s to work as a physical laborer. “Ling” is very humble and modest and shows respect through his custom of bowing slightly when interacting with my wife as the mistress of the home or myself as the master of my home. He is a pious, kindhearted man who is protective of us, but unfortunately he was addicted to the opium dens while he was alive, which most likely contributed to his demise.

Then we have “Cole” and “Martell,” who worked as cattle drivers during the late 1800s. Of the two, Cole is shorter, while Martell is surprising tall at 6-foot-5, actually a full inch taller than me. Originally, they told Betty they were hung by a mob for being “horse thieves.” However, recently they disclosed they had a relationship that was “very friendly” (neither have heard the term homosexual or gay) during their short lives. They were indeed persecuted and put to death because they loved one another.

They prefer to stay close to the flowering tree near our pool, which, to them, represents new life and rebirth as well as new beginnings. They indicate they are much happier now in death than they were allowed to be in life because of their orientation.

Cole and Martell are extremely fond of animals and, likewise, our animals are fond of them, as we first noticed through our beloved Sydney, who used to hang around the tree, wagging her tail as if she was being petted or praised. Cole and Martell verbalized their fondness for Sydney while she was alive. As her life drew to a close, she spent more time by the tree, intently engaged with the friendly spectres. It was comforting when they promised to care for her when she transitioned to the spiritual plane.

The fourth ghost and final ghost who resides outside is that of a young woman named “Rebekka.” This lovely, petite waif was the victim of foul play sometime in the early 1940s. For this reason, she is quite afraid of men and will often hide in the shadows around the corner of the house. Only recently did she become comfortable around me to where Betty could introduce me to her and she would acknowledge my presence. I believe it is because she sees the love, respect and consideration I have for my wife, which she unfortunately did not get to experience in her brief lifetime.

Then we have our inside ghosts. One, the less malevolent of the two, is a young man, fairly recently deceased, who has attached himself to one of our family members. This boy was a gangster and punk in life and appears to remain one in death, causing mischief and mayhem. One of his favorite games is to take our medication and hide them. He throws things onto the floor. For lack of a better term, he is a real jerk and we want to be rid of him. Though I know his name and why he is here, I won't put that here because I refuse to give him the satisfaction and respect he has not earned.

While he is a pest and annoying, we have bigger concerns with the second inside entity, who is by and large the worst of the bunch. This is an old man who is attached to the house who apparently believes Betty to be his wife. Two other psychics have told us he is obsessed with her and does not want her in another relationship. Therefore, he believes I am forcing her to cheat with me, causing him to not only hate me, but loathe the two of us for what he believes to be her flagrant infidelity. He chooses many methods of attack. Just last night, both my wife and I were nauseous to the point of vomiting. One of his favorite activities is to leave scratches all over her body; last night, he left 12 scratches on her back. We believe him to be the culprit behind my scratched cornea in August.

One of our “living” roommates was shoved into the refrigerator by the old man. On another occasion, her boyfriend heard a voice against his ear, telling him to “Get out!” These both happened while my wife and I were either not home or away from the activity. Understandably, they were both visibly shaken up over these experiences.

The outside group of friendly ghosts tend to keep a close eye on the old man and do not allow him to leave the house; however, because they do not go in the house, he tends to prey on us while we are inside.

This is official public notice to this entity that his days are numbered. He is in the process of being evicted as we seek professional help to send him on his way, wherever that may be. I will let you know how our situation evolves in a future column.