Great Nan Visit

By SmokenMirrors
(6 stories) (78 posts) (the author is a middle age adult)
Date: 2013-04-03
Country: United Kingdom
Paranormal Category: Family / Friends Visits

This happened to me when I was much younger and has been recounted back to me by family members who were present at the time.

For some general background my Grandparents lived in a prewar two story house in Birmingham. My mom and I would stop at my grandparents house for the weekend, with my mom and I sharing a room.

The story goes that on the night, I was put to bed as usual and left to sleep whilst everyone continued watching telly downstairs. At some point I was heard having a one sided conversation. Everyone who should have been in the house at the time was fully accounted for, so my mom ventured upstairs to find out what I was up to.

My conversation, still one sided to my moms ears, continued until she opened the bedroom door and turned the light on finding me stood in my bed looking across the room facing towards the window with my back towards the door.

I should say at this point the bedroom was at the back of the house and the window over looked my grand parents' back garden. The garden ran up to the bottom of an embankment which had a train line running across it.

Slightly annoyed that I wasn't going to sleep my mom asked what I was doing. To which I replied.

"I'm only talking to the old lady."

I was asked "what old lady?"

I have been told that after giving my mom a confused look I described in detail the person whom I'd been having a conversation with.

It would be later after my mom had returned to the living room where she would repeat my description that my Nan would reply. "That sounds like my mom." My Great-Nan had died before I was born and I had never seen a photo of her. Come to think of it I don't think any photos of her exist.

A few years after my sister was born we stayed at my grandparents' again, with my mom and sister sharing said room. The next day my mom explained that during the night she was woken up by my sister saying, "Mom, what are you doing other there?" She looked up to see my sister sat up in bed looking over towards the same window I had been looking at. The next morning my sister would go on to describe the exact same person I had years earlier.

We believe that what my sister and I both saw was our Great-Nan paying us a visit.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, SmokenMirrors, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

SmokenMirrors (6 stories) (78 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-22)

From what I know neither me or my sister were scared of the experience. I believe my mom initially put it down to imagination until the next morning when I described what I saw, and yeah I think my sister having the same experience some years later helped to validate it.

geetha50 (15 stories) (986 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-19)

It must have been a validation for your mom and grandparents to have both you and your sister experience the same thing. I'm going to agree with you and the others that as children we are more open to the paranormal because our minds are still innocent from all the corrupt this world could offer. But as adults, we can open our external and internal blocks to see the other side again but are to scared too because of their fear.

The way you wrote your story, I take it that you and your sister weren't scared that you saw your great - nan. Did your mom feel that you or your sister were scared in any way? What was your mother's reaction to all this?

SmokenMirrors (6 stories) (78 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-12)

Hi Vasway4210,
I look forward to reading your story when you post it up. Unfortunately I can't remember this encounter myself all I have been able to put up is what has been told back to me. This is the same case with another experience I had as a child around the same age which I will put up soon.

vasway4210 (16 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-11)

SmokenMirrors- thank you for sharing your story. I had a similar experience when I was little that I am going to post soon. I don't actually remember my encounter unfortunately, but my mom told me about it not too long ago. I know some parents would think their kid is just playing make believe but somehow by my demeanour my mom knew I was just reporting what I saw. That's amazing that you and your sister both had the same experience 😁!

SmokenMirrors (6 stories) (78 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-10)

I think myself and my sister were lucky that past experiences in the house. Unrelated to this one. Had opened my families minds, so they were ready to listen rather then shush me and sweep it under the carpet as an over active imagination.

valkricry (49 stories) (3286 posts) mod

12 years ago (2013-04-10)

I believe that the 'old lady' you and your sister experianced could be your great-Nan. I think children are much more open to such experiances because of their innocense. They simply do not know that they 'shouldn't', or that 'they don't exist'. As you said in your comment, we learn to block it out. I can recall my mom warning me not to speak of certain things I 'saw' or 'just knew' to those outside the family as they wouldn't understand and might be afraid of me or think I'm crazy. I do know some of my family thought me quite 'strange' and I made them nervous.
At Andrea22: I believe you can regain it, it's just a question of opening yourself up again. Of course there are believers who have never experianced anything first hand. I'm not sure why that is. Blocking on a sub-concious level maybe.

Fergie (40 stories) (1159 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-09)

Hi SmokenMirrors,
An interesting account! I believe that it is totally possible for your Great-Nan to have come back to have a peek at the new additions to the family. I have read many accounts where this has happened - in fact, I believe it happened to our youngest daughter too.

I must have been a 'late bloomer' as I never saw a spirit/ghost or whatever, until I was 25. Or not that I can recall.

Thank you for sharing.

SmokenMirrors (6 stories) (78 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-09)

Hi Andrea22 thank you for reading.
I think I read somewhere (Possibly in reply to another story on here.) that the reason we don't see things like this as adults is because we become conditioned to believe ghosts and ghouls don't exist, so learn to block it out. If that's the case it must be possible to get some part of it back.

Andrea22 (5 stories) (65 posts)

12 years ago (2013-04-08)

Wow that's a really interesting story. I sometimes wish I could be a little child again so I could see things like that. Wonder if you can regain that as an adult... (who isn't a medium)

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