Danse Macabre

Preface

A Note From the Author:

I was raised in a highly spiritual family. When I say spiritual, I don't mean religiously, even if I was raised a Christian. No, I mean in a supernatural way. Believing in things outside of the natural world. I have experienced many things firsthand and have heard many stories from the previous generations. It is a part of who I am.

My family is rich with paranormal stories, and I was raised believing in ghosts. My maternal grandmother - my Nan - is mainly at the center of that belief. She was born with a caul or veil covering her face. (A caul is an extra piece of skin that covers the baby's face at birth.) It is said that those born with a caul have "the sight." And from what I heard, she definitely had the sight. She predicted every death in the family. She knew things before they happened. She was visited by spirits. She was a big part of what I knew to be true.

My maternal great-grandmother on Mom's Dad's side was a pow-wow doctor. What is that? Pow-wowing is a Pennsylvania Dutch practice of healing by spiritual practices. Have you seen the movie The Green Mile? Remember how John Coffey "took" illnesses from people and then had to cough them up? That is precisely pow-wowing. The pow-wow doctor heals the sick person by touch, removing the illness from the patient and taking it into themselves. The doctor then must cough up the illness or succumb to it themselves. It is said that my great-grandmother died because she refused to cough up the last illness she took on. She had healed many over the years of her life, and she was just done with it all.

Needless to say, I was raised believing in all of this. I have always been fascinated by ghost stories and have quite a collection of books of them. Why? Because I have realized that I am what they call a sensitive. In other words, I am sensitive to the spirit world. I think if my Nan had lived longer (she died when I was seven), she would have helped me hone my spiritual skills.

I know there are plenty of skeptics out there who don't believe in this kind of thing. There are also the religious folks who say it's not of God. Honestly, if I hadn't experienced what I have, I'm not sure I would believe it either.

When I was younger, my skills were more powerful. I could feel a presence as soon as I walked into a house. I honestly was afraid of them though, afraid a spirit would harm me or my loved ones. Because of that, I never worked to develop these skills, and they atrophied. Yet, I still had moments of knowing of a spirit's presence if they were strong.

Until my Mom died. She came through super strong. So strong I had to shake her power from my body and ask her to dial it down. She did, and she has come through me many times. I have had emotions come out of me that were not mine. She has told me many things. She's quieter now, mostly because she's at peace, but there are times when I know she's there.

Crazy, some would say. Maybe I am. But maybe there's much to be learned from the spiritual realms. Maybe there is another plane after this one. Or maybe it's all just an illusion.

But how does that bring me to write this story? I have always wanted to write a story about ghosts or spirits. I have had many ideas but just couldn't pick up the thread. I think - hope - I finally found the storyline to follow. It also comes at a time when I'm trying to push away from my previous romantic storylines. I think I might be written out in that genre. So, here I am. Enjoy the ride as I partake in a new journey. I hope it works out. I think it will.

Xoxo

April 10, 2024