The Play Room At Gramma's House

I have been debating for quite some time about posting this. But in reading other similar stories, I thought I would go ahead.

This happened not only to me, but also my older sister at the same time. Way too freaky to be coincidence or childhood imagination.

My sister and I spent the night at our grandparent's house usually a weekend or so a month when we were little. They had a small bungalow type house with living room in the front and a bedroom off of that, dining room next (again, with a bedroom) and you went through a doorway to the kitchen towards the back of the house and there was a small room off of that which we used as a play room.

One morning, when we were probably 4 and 6 years old, we woke up and went to the kitchen for breakfast. After breakfast, we went to our room (off the dining room) to change clothes. Gramma had said that we could play with toys after we got dressed. We came running out of our room headed for the play room and both of us stopped dead in our tracks upon entering. There was a man standing there dressed in what we called old farmer type clothes wearing a baseball cap and suspenders. My sister and I looked at each other then looked at him and he smiled.

Why we decided to play and not be scared still baffles me.

We would see signs of him off and on for years. A small indentation in the daybed or a toy moved from where it had been left. Every once in a while he would be standing there with his arms folded smiling at us as we played.

Fast forward 40 years (yes, I'm showing my age here) and our mother shows us old photos we'd never seen. She hands me one and my jaw dropped. I showed it to my sister saying, "Hey Mouse! Remember Mr. W from Gramma's?" She looks at the photo and her reaction was the same as mine.

Turns out he was an uncle, I believe related to my grandfather, who had stayed in that room at the house until he could be moved to a more permanent nursing care facility. We had never met him as he had passed well before we were born, but he was wearing the same type clothes in the photo as in the playroom.

Anyway, I hope you like the story. I feel it just goes to show kids can be very receptive and we naturally know whether or not to be scared.

Thanks for reading.