Temporary Blindness

I remembered this incident after talking with my brother about our grandparents' house recently. Technically, they are my step-grandparents, but I'm sure some of you will agree that "blood isn't always thicker than water".

My grandmother is a wonderfully fierce, Italian firecracker crammed into a 4'-9" body. My grandfather passed away when I was 15 years old. He always had a joke to tell and a great sense of humor.

When I was about 10 - 11 years old, my grandmother and grandfather lived in a duplex they owned. For those that don't know, a duplex appears to be a single residence from the outside with the exception of two doors/entryways that access the two inner residences. There is one wall inside separating them. My grandparents' duplex was a two story with a shared basement. My uncle and aunt lived in the second half, so it always felt like one big home anyway.

My stepfather (although I rarely call him that, he is my dad 😊) has told me stories of growing up there and the strange experiences they had. I admit, at first, I thought he was just telling me "stories". But over the years I've asked my grandmother about the house (my aunt, uncle and grandmother moved to a single residence about 15 years ago) and she confirmed my dad's stories.

First, I want to share a few experiences my dad and grandmother have told me, then I will share my incident as there may be a connection. I'm not sure.

My father told me that he, his younger brother and parents all heard the typical "ghostly" footsteps going up the stairs at night and hearing disembodied voices. A few incidents that stood out to me...

As a young boy of about 5 - 6 years old, my uncle saw what he described as a "ball of fire" enter the house through the living room wall. In the center of the fireball was a man's face that he described as a "very scary man", the face distorted with intense eyes. It floated in the living room for a short time, then zoomed into the kitchen and went through the wall (the backyard was on the other side of the kitchen wall). I did ask my father, uncle and grandmother separately about this and they all recounted the same details. My uncle gave more details as he was the only one to see it and at the time, ran screaming to his mother.

This next incident occurred while my grandparents, uncle and my dad were sitting in the living room watching TV, relaxing after dinner. My father was 16 at the time, my uncle was 12. It's a doozy, but please remember I asked my grandmother about this and she is not the type to exaggerate or tell "stories". I am repeating her exact words.

While sitting in the living room, they heard what sounded like dishes clattering. My grandmother and father, who were seated closer to the kitchen doorway, glanced into the kitchen. As soon as they looked, a set of cupboard doors (above the counter) opened and the dishes/plates floated straight out, hovered in the air for about 2 or 3 seconds then dropped to the floor, smashing the majority of the dishes. My grandfather and uncle only heard the clattering, smashing and saw the subsequent mess. My grandmother and father saw the whole incident start to finish. My dad gave the same details as my grandmother. My uncle confirmed the details of hearing the clattering, smashing and seeing the mess immediately after. As I stated above, my grandfather passed away when I was 15, so I cannot offer his details.

Trust me, I know that sounds pretty crazy. When I asked my grandmother, I only said "Dad told me about a story involving floating dishes, do you remember anything about that?" She said "Oh yes!" and repeated the same story as my father. She is now 85, sharp as ever, still doing her housework, sewing, and loves to chat while chain smoking her cigarettes. No bologna from grandma.

Now, for my experience, which is far less dramatic, but has boggled my mind on and off for almost 30 years. As I mentioned, I was about 10 - 11 years old and my family (mom, dad, my two brothers and myself) were visiting with my grandparents. It wasn't a special holiday, just us visiting on the weekend as we lived a good 45 minutes away. My grandparents' house was small; a rectangular kitchen with a doorway that led into the living room (not open concept), the bathroom and two bedrooms were upstairs.

While there, I went upstairs to use the bathroom and afterwards decided to check out... Ok, snoop in my grandparents' bedroom. It was always meticulously clean and organized, as was the rest of the house. My grandmother never had a job outside of the house. She is from the era of mom staying at home, cooking, cleaning, raising kids, etc. She is still meticulous to this day. I liked to sneak in to their room and look at or sometimes carefully touch the various knick knacks or play with my grandmother's brush and combs on her dresser.

For some reason, I don't remember why, I decided to slide under their bed. Maybe because, unlike my own bed, theirs was completely clean, with no objects crammed underneath it. I also remember that there wasn't a dust ruffle, so while under the bed, my view was unobstructed. A few moments after I had slid underneath, I was facing the doorway on my belly and suddenly went completely blind. I remember flailing around at first, rapidly blinking my eyes, feeling surprised, trying to figure out what was going on. Then, I cried out for my mom who was downstairs (she didn't hear me). I started edging my way out, sliding my body towards the edge of the bedframe and poof... My vision returned. I panicked, ran out of the room and down the stairs. I never said anything to my parents or grandparents about this. First, I really didn't know what had happened and second, I HAD been snooping, so I just kept my mouth shut. I never went in their room again.

This incident left me baffled. It was the middle of the day, the sun shining in the two windows. The temporary blindness was instant - I could see out from under the bed, and the next instant - complete blackness. The blindness lasted maybe 10 - 15 seconds.

I don't know if this has anything to do with something paranormal, but because of the prior experiences of my father's family, they might be connected. I do remember feeling terrified and panicky. I've never experienced anything like that since.

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced something like this? Any insight is appreciated. Thank you!