True Philippine Ghost Stories Collection

The Undertakers

     This story happened Easter last year. I spent the long break in Puerto Galera with my cousins Jim and Karl and friends Denise and Pia.Since we frequent the place, we already have a regular landlady who reserves a room for us in her apartelle. We always request that second floor room with a veranda fronting the beach.

     Jim knew that I have a sixth sense. He used to get scared every time I point out to some tgings he could not see. I don't want to be referred as a freak so only few knew about thisgift.

     On our second night in Puerto Galera, Karl, Denise and Pia went out to check some bars. Jim and I stayed inside our room since both of us don't drink and we were tired from swimming the whole day. it was 2 am when Denise and Pia came back together. I asked them where Karl was but they said they lost him to his officemates in one of the bars they went to. An hour passed and still no Karl turned up. We were becoming worried. We couldn't call him up since he left his cell in the room. At 3 am, the whole of Puerto Galera was already silent. As the oldest of the group, I was the one who asked permission from their parents for this trip. Karl was my responsibility.

     At around 4:30 am, someone poundedon the door. It was Karl and he was very drunk. He was already crawling on the floor and we were surprised how he managed to go back in our room. He was so drunk he couldn't speak and all he could do was moan. We tried to give him coffee, but he started to throw up. We carried him to his bed. After about 20 minutes, he began to hyperventilate. His chest was heaving as he has difficulty in breathing. We panicked especially when we saw him turn blue. Denise went out to call our landlady for help. Even before the landlady reached our room, Karl stopped breathing. We were all crying, we couldn't believe what was happening. We tried to revive him through CPR but he still wouldn't breathe. Our landlady and her husband came. The landlady's husband said Karl was already dead. He told her wife to call an ambulance. We were all shocked and crying, Then I saw them. They were standing behind Denise who was then crying by the door. I first thought that they were relatives of our landlady but thought otherwise because they were wearing black suits and black ties. They had dark circles around their eyes and was staring at Karl's body.

     Our landlady's husband said he would be back and proceed to the door. To my surprise, he walked through the body of the two men is suit. I asked Jim if he could see anyone by the door. He said no. I asked Denise to come inside and shut the door. She did. I told them what I saw and they got scared. Trying to keep a clear head, I remembered what I've read in a Wiccan book on how to ward on malevolent spirits. I tried visualizing that I've casted a bright blur circle in the room. After making sure that we were somewhat inside it, I uttered a prayer asking the two beings leave us alone. In my head, I can see the two men running up and down the stairs, their feet not touching the ground. They were trying to get inside but they couldn't. We've heard soft thumps at the door which only got us more scared.

     It was almost daybreak. As I finished visualizing the surrender of the two men, I got up and placed my ear on the door. I hear men's voices they were whispering but I could clearly hear what they were talking about.

     I heard one of them say that they coudn't get through the door and claim the life of someone inside. Someone saw them and that somehow, he got the room protected. I knew they were talking about Karl and I. After several minutes of indecision, they agreed to leave the place and find someone else's soul to take.

     Shaken by what I have heard, I went straight to Karl's bed. Karl then swiftly sat up and coughed. He was gasping for air. We were astounded. Karl asked for a glass of water after the bouts of cough had ceased. He was so parched that he had drank about a liter of water. He started to breathe normally. The landlady and her husband were shocked. They knew Karl was dead when they left him. He was dead for almost 20 minutes. He slept the whole day saying he was very tired. he couldn't remember what happened but he did recall someone gave him a small tablet. He took it  not knowing that mixed with alcohol, the drug could had been the end of him.

     Karl celebrated his birthday a week after the incident. He swears he will live his life to the fullest. I, on the other hand, still get scared remembering those men in suit. Do they really take souls? No one could really tell. One day, you might even see them yourselves.

- Aya Paredes (Edited by Bing Ramos)

"The Undertakers"

True Philippine Ghost Stories Book 18

Copyright 2006 PSICOM Publishing Inc.

No part of this story was claimed by me. Property of PSICOM Publishing Inc.

No Copyright Infringment intended.