A Near Fatal Encounter

This experience was similar to the entry of my experienced that I've posted, "The Frightening Unknown". When I was still going to graveyards at random times just because I felt like I needed to.

All throughout work, I had been thinking about going back to these graveyards I had recently and accidentally passed by on the way to a friends house on the other side of town. I found out later on that these graveyards were near a pre-school. The very same one that I had attended as a student when I was a mere toddler. They're called The Municipal Cemetery. Two rather large graveyards across the street from each other. One graveyard had a bunch of trees and the other was treeless. Since I had experienced the most terrifying and traumatizing experience of my life late at night in the cemetery that was treeless, I thought I'd go and visit the one full of trees after work. I figured it would be a good opportunity to capture some nice pictures during sunset, around the time I was scheduled to get off of work.

I had a feeling that I was meant to be shown something beautiful there. I remember how great the feeling felt. The anxiousness and excitement for wanting to be done with my shift so that I could go straight there.

Little did I know, it was all a part of the strange urges that I had been getting...

I parked my car in an empty lot next to the cemetery full of trees. I bundled up with the biggest jacket that I owned because it was such a cold day. I'm talking 15c cold weather. It was the coldest day for the city for that entire year... And I wanted to go and venture through a graveyard. It sounds strange always talking about it. You would think it would be common sense to stay as warm as possible. To limit yourself in freezing weather like that right? Well... This is how I knew it was another one of those weird urges. The feeling of "I have to go there as soon as possible." I didn't know it while I was in the situation. I didn't even think about it. I just went.

I walked inside of the gate and started venturing around the grave site, as if I were looking for someone. I remember just - Feeling like I had to look for someone there. Like I was looking for someone I knew that had passed away. No one that I knew, was buried in that cemetery. I knew for a fact. Yet, I continued searching aimlessly throughout this large cemetery. I had originally came for pictures but, the sun had already set. There was no more inkling of sunlight. Just a darkening sky. Granted I still COULD have taken pictures but, I like taking pictures of the suns rays. It's what I'm best at and it's what I love about nature pictures.

There was one grave in particular that for some reason, caught my attention. The only problem is, this one grave was on the OTHER side of the graveyard. It looked like all the others but, I had caught myself taking a glance at that very same one as I walked throughout the site, looking at other graves. Of course I wander on over to it. At this time, I had been there for a total of 2 hours guys. In 15c weather. I still never took this into consideration like a NORMAL human being would have.

Once I got to this mysterious grave, I thoroughly went through every detail about it. The persons name was Michael. For respect of the deceased, I do not wish to give out his last name. He was born in May of 1982 and he died January 7th of 2006. He was 24 years old when he passed. I also realized that he passed on his birthday...

There was a picture of him on his stone that looked like it was taken only a few years before his death. A caucasian male who was wearing the nicest black sweater I had ever seen. I didn't know what he was wearing below his torso for the picture ended just below his chest. He had nice slicked back dark brown hair with gentle black eyes and a kind smile. From the way he was, you could tell he was sitting down with his hands placed on his lap. His body was facing slightly to the side but, his head was turned towards the camera. My guess was that it was some sort of professional photo shoot. He had the right looks for one anyway. I remember feeling a sense sorrow because I had wished to have had the chance to have met him. Thinking if only fate had us cross paths just once. I felt like we would have gotten along well. Almost as if I actually SHOULD have met him but, I was too late.

It was a very odd feeling...

I stood there for a good 30 minutes in deep thought about this one man. About how I might have met him by chance only if this and only if that. Life works in such mysterious ways. Eventually shaking the feeling, I continued my cold walk through the site. This is where it gets kind of strange but, bare with me.

There was this shed-sized concrete building. It had pictures of Jesus Christ on all sides. It stood a few feet higher than me. I was thinking that it was a rather large mausoleum that had an above ground casket sealed on the inside of it. I decided to lay myself against this structure because I grew suddenly tired. Exhausted. Plus I wanted some cover from the freezing wind that made it feel like it was below 0. I sat down and brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them and stayed in this position for almost an hour... An HOUR. I never knew why I did it. Part of me thinks that it wasn't only to get away from the wind...

I was so cold that I could hardly feel my hands, legs, face, and feet. I wasn't even sure if my lips were still there anymore. I never took into consideration that I could possibly die there. I wasn't aware that I was in danger. Why? I couldn't tell. I wasn't scared or anything. I was just...cold. I was cold and yet didn't find a reason to move from that same spot. I eventually just wanted to sleep for some reason. I remember getting so tired. I didn't care about the cold. I just wanted to sleep...

As soon as I started drifting in and out, I noticed a faint figure out of the corner of my eye. I spotted movement but, didn't feel the need to move my head but, I eventually forced myself to move a bit. It was a man. He was about two rows ahead of me, walking his orange mongoose brand bike. He was focused on looking straight ahead. I don't think he even knew I was there.

Something puzzled me about him though. About his attire. He was wearing dark blue sneakers and... Tan shorts. I was utterly confused about why on earth someone would wear shorts in this weather. I remember feeling concerned for the man and wanting to call out to him to tell him that it was freezing outside if he truly didn't notice. I remember wanting to give him my own pants. I was so concerned for him...then, everything came back to me. Like my brain went into overdrive all at once. I felt a sudden fright course throughout my body as I studied the man walking his bike.

A caucasian male wearing the nicest black sweater I had ever seen. Dark brown hair that was slicked back. He was too far away for me to see the color of his eyes so that I could make the final confirmation but, it didn't take a rocket scientists to know that I was watching the very same man I had saw on the picture of that gravestone. It was Michael.

My mind was in shock. If it was a nice sunny day and I could move, I wouldn't have been able to because I was so afraid and in such disbelief. Just as when I was about to call his name if I could, I was stricken with even more fear when I noticed that he was actually...smiling. He was smiling that same kind smile I saw in the picture!

As soon as I felt like I was about to let out a scream, he vanished behind a tree and didn't come out the other side of it...

I stood up quickly, and it felt like I was struck by lightning throughout my entire body. I had to get out of there but, the lot where my car was was so far away from where I was. I still had to walk across the entire site to get to it. I almost felt as if I should have just given up but, I remembering starting to cry as I thought about everyone who loved me. Everyone I've ever came into contact with. All of the amazing memories of the people I care about would die with me had I given up then and there and succumbed to the cold (sorry for the cheese but, this is an important part) for me.

It was the longest walk of my life. I was terrified the entire way to the lot of course as well as freezing cold. At the beginning of my walk, I debated whether I wanted to make a quick trip over to that tree that Michael disappeared behind to see if maybe it was just part of my weird mind playing tricks on me but, I was too afraid so I didn't look back.

I never struggled so hard in my life to open a car door handle. My hand was cramped and frozen it felt like. Once I did stumble in my cold vehicle, it took me 10 minutes to start the ignition and turn on my heater.

I woke up around midnight. I was sweating in places that guys shouldn't sweat. I was no longer cold but, had a massive headache. I had laid my seat back while the heater was on and fell asleep like that. I was asleep for approximately 3 and a half hours. With my car running. With the heater on full blast. Thank goodness my door was locked.

I called Lorie, my psychic, as soon as I arrived at home. I told her everything and of course I got a pretty decent lecture and scolding out of it. I never argue with her on it once she starts. She reminds me of just a very concerned mother about her child. So, I just apologize as much as possible.

When I told her everything, she didn't hesitate to tell me that I did in fact see Michael. She threw in the possibility that I was going through hypothermia, which terrified me when I heard it. Was my body really losing so much heat faster than it was able to produce it? Could it be possible that I really could have died that day? Going in depth about it even now still scares me a bit.

Here was Lorie's honest thought on the whole situation:

She thinks the "urge" I had was one from an evil spirit who actually may have been trying to lead me to my death. I had asked her then why I thought I had the urge to also look for a specific gravestone when I got there.

This is about to get complicated but, bare with me.

She thinks that Michael had sensed that I was in possible danger and started to call on me. She beautifully described it as pulling on my soul strings because that was the best and only way to get my attention at the time. Which I guess kind of explained why I just suddenly kept wanting to go towards HIS grave out of all of the rest of them. Plus his was pretty far from where I was looking (happy chills).

I was still confused on HOW he planned on protecting me and Lorie said that he already had a plan as soon as he felt my presence in the graveyard. He made sure I went over to his grave. He knew I would analyze the picture. It was possible that he knew that this evil spirit originally planned on having me sit and eventually freeze myself to death. Yet, what would be the chances of someone showing up throughout the night and saving me? My honest guess is slim to none, which is why Michael decided to take the matter into his own hands.

When I sat down, waiting for hypothermia to set in, as planned, maybe my mind was slowly shutting down because of the cold and Michael used that opportunity to show himself? He wasn't wearing any pants, but only shorts, maybe to help me realize that he wasn't normal. He used that same picture to his advantage to make sure that I knew what I was looking at, which was indeed a dead person. I'm assuming, had I not looked at his picture, I would have still just sat there doing nothing at all. He made me realize that he was literally the walking dead, suddenly throwing my body into the "flight stage", forcing me to panic and get as far away from him as humanly possible. Which is exactly what I did.

So, to conclude what Lorie and I summed up, Michael was my savior that day. As weird as it sounds. Is it crazy to say that my life was honestly spared with the help of the paranormal? The good paranormal I mean.

Lorie's thoughts on Michael is that is energy was strong. He might have always had a strong willed soul. Maybe I wasn't wrong when I said that he was a good man. Maybe I was really destined to cross paths some day whether in be here or the afterlife? Who knows. I'll always wonder.

Anyway, that's the end of this story. I would like to hear from the readers! Any thoughts, comments, concerns, and questions are much appreciated. Thank you for reading!:)