Short Ghost Stories

#48 Repeating History

Growing up I was never one to really get into genealogy and history. I never thought about its significance in my life's journey. I was a brat and being the oldest had its advantages. But this would all come to pass as my other siblings were born and I eventually started to carve my own niches and explore my talents.

It's not until something happens to you that you realize there are things you "could" have done differently but you chose not to. Now you are stuck in a situation you knew was coming and you could have avoided it all together. Which now brings me to the point to explain this all to you.

I was about 19 when this happened. My younger brother and I had grown apart due to many "small" things but it never changed my love for him. I had been warned about an upcoming doom by premonitions I just never knew who it would affect. It started out as a vision first, then it blew into full nightmares. Now that I think about it; my visions didn't start to get bad until it got closer to the day it all happened. The nightmare starts out like this:

I just got off of work and was heading home. I work about 45 minutes to an hour away from home. On my drive, I see an owl perched on a branch of a tree about 50 feet from my house. This was no ordinary owl if I could see it from the road clearly. Snow white in color and big eyes that looked to reflect light but the light coming from its eyes were different from the lights around the bird. They came off like a spectrum; as if light were penetrating a prism or crystal. It scared me as I passed it and parked my car in the garage. I step out, grab my things and head into the house. I head straight form my room which I share with my brother. He is there as well as some of my friends and cousins. They were all playing NBA Live on the Sega Genesis and were making quite a ruckus. I head to the restroom to change my clothes when my brother comes in and asks to borrow my truck. I am irritated because the room is a mess and am very tired but I let him use it with the notion that he is to be home early because I have an early morning. He asks if I would like to join and I said no. He then mentions that they were going to hang out with some girls they ran into earlier and one of the girls asked if I were coming. He told them that he can't promise anything but they would just have to wait. I tell him its ok. If I weren't tired I would but have fun and be safe. I found out my best friend was going to tag along. So I asked him to watch over my brother and I'll be waiting for them to get home.

So they all leave and I am basking in my relaxation. I drift off to sleep. I am suddenly taken over by the feeling of terror. My eyes start to tear up and the overwhelming feeling like I had lost something or someone dear to me. I stand up and start pacing back and forth thinking about one million things. I stop when I hear the hoot of the owl. The same owl I had seen earlier only this time it was right outside my room perched on the patio railing. It was speaking to me but my thoughts were racing that I couldn't focus. Words like drowning, fell, brother, friend, help kept flooding into my mind. I just couldn't place them in the correct sequence. Then the hand grabs me and I jump. This is when I really wake up and am drenched in sweat. I kept asking what it would mean. I went to my grandma and she said that it was just my anger and emotions trying to work themselves out while you rest. My parents would say I had an overactive imagination. My friends would just freak out.

About a month had passed and my nightmare had eventually calmed down. Life had been good except for the tiffs my brother and I had been getting into. I would just get so angry and wish the worst sometimes. Until the day it started to feel all too familiar. I had gone to work and get off. Then just like my nightmare, the pieces starting falling into place. I didn't come across the owl this time though. But I got home to find my brother and best friend watching a movie. He asked for the key and I threw them to him. He asked if I would accompany him to see his girlfriend. I told no thanks. He told me her friend had been asking about me and if I were interested. I told him no and that he be home before I have to go in the morning. They leave and I settle in. Then the dread hit.

I opened up my notebook and started to write. I wrote about everything that I could have to try and ease the feeling inside of me. I did not notice that dawn had broken and it was day. I got on my cell and called in sick because I hadn't slept a wink yet and then began making calls to everyone I knew to see if anyone had seen my brother. About half an hour of calls came and went when my mother called for me to come downstairs because she and my father had to go the police had just called them. I rush downstairs as they are leaving the house. Now I am crying because I know what had happened. I start to blame myself for not being there for my brother, now I lost him. Then the phone rang again. I pick up and its my best friend. He explained to me what had happened. He, my brother, his girlfriend and her friend were at one of the local make-out spots we call the cliffs. They were all just having fun joking and drinking when my brother and his girlfriend had gotten up to go for a walk on the cliffs. My friend said that from where he was sitting he could see them walking out to the edge. About 15 minutes out there they are making their way back and he says he could only see my brothers shoes in the air as if he was picked up and plunged headfirst into the cliff. The only thing is his whole body disappeared too. My best friend then started to cry because he knew something bad just happened. He ran to where he had seen my brother fall and found it to be blow hole the size of a full size truck. He then jumped into my truck and flew to the closest police substation to report what had just happened. He then made his back and drove the cliff and drove the truck on the cliffs as close to edge as he could. He turned on the high beams to see if he could see my brother. Other people that were there started to help out by doing the same. One threw in a log. They all started calling out for him and heard no response. About 20 minutes later they could hear a yell for help. They all told him to look for the log and hold on help is on the way. About an hour later the emergency rescue services arrived and two of their crew jumped into the soup to rescue my brother. Only problem, the cliff was a straight drop and repelling or rope rescue could not be done. So they waited for the sea search and rescue team to arrive. This was a little after 2 a.m... My brother did not make it out of the water until 7 a.m... He was treated for hypothermia and released later that day.

When I saw him walk in my heart stopped. That is when I ran over and hugged my brother and told how sorry I was. He said it was alright and told me what had happened. Yes, he and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument. He was actually trying to stop her when next thing he knew he was looking up from a hole and was getting wet. He said as he heard the waves crash he noticed he was being brought up close to the lip of the hole. So he started timing the waves. Every time he tried to grasp onto something but couldn't because it was too slippery. He was feeling fatigued and felt himself start to black out. He said he asked God if this was his time to tell his family he loved them with all of his heart. But if it isn't, to please give him the strength to fight. All he could remember was a feeling of warmth and darkness. Then next he knew he was looking at the night sky and the cliffs were above him. He could see and hear everyone that was there. He ended up losing most of his clothes but he was humbled to live.

After he told me I couldn't hold back my tear and just hugged him again. Then I went to see my grandpa and told him what happened. He then told me the story of what happened to a friend of his growing up. His friend said his son was going to fight in Vietnam and so my gramps told him that he had one there too. They started exchanging stories when his friend who just happy and proud of his son just stop in his tracks and tears form around his eyes. My gramps asked are you ok. He replied no, something just happened to my son. My gramps tried to take his mind off of what his friend was feeling. They started to drink and it seemed to help. Then his friend told him about a dream he had been having about an owl and his son. The dream was dreadful and in it, his son is badly injured. My gramps tried to help him brush it off and brought up a different subject. They drank until his friend passed out drunk. About a week passed before three Army officers came to his friend's house to inform him of his son being injured in a bombing. He is recovering in Germany but has lost his left leg. He will be home in about 6 months. Then they left. My gramps hugged his friend and walked the officers out the door. As he saluted, he noticed something perched on the house next door. An owl. As soon as he saw it, his friend called to him. He turned his head and when he looked back it was gone.