Almost a year after we first moved in, and about eight months after meeting the J Crew, our son graduated from high school. Since we live in South Florida, most of our family and friends are several hours away. My dad said he would make the 2+ hour drive to be there, and my wife’s sister Maria said she and her family would also come down.
The ghosts, naturally, were thrilled. They’d spent months listening and watching as Annie and Maria texted and FaceTimed, and couldn’t wait to finally meet some kids. (Maria, at the time, had 5 boys and was pregnant with her sixth and final child, also a boy.)
Because three of her boys were young, Maria’s husband Allen stayed at the hotel with them while she brought their two high school age sons to the graduation ceremony. The three of them came to the condo first to take some pictures, giving the J Crew the opportunity to spend a few minutes around them. They were a little upset when we had to leave, but I assured them that the whole family would be at our place the next day to hang out after we did a trampoline park in celebration.
The next day, the entire family showed up in the morning, and the J Crew were ecstatic. Maria and Allen knew about the ghosts, although the kids didn’t, and I took a quick moment to pull each of them back into the storage area to introduce them. Maria even got to see them do their trick of moving the hanging laundry when there was no air current present.
She wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that.
After lunch, we went to the trampoline park for a couple of hours, then came back home. The kids spent more time playing and hanging out, and the J Crew were right there next to them, basking in the happy energy of our loving family.
The next day, after our relatives had left, I got the image of the kids in my head, along with a question mark. It took a few seconds to puzzle that out.
“You’re wondering when you can see them again?” I asked. Confirmation received. “Well…I don’t know if you will. They live 5 hours away, so they don’t make it down here often. This was their second visit in the eight years we’ve been here. And, right now, you’re still tethered, so it’s not like you can go visit them. If we could break you free, then we could take you to their house.”
The energy in the room suddenly felt different. I couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but didn’t think too much about it. As I started to do our goodnight fist bumps, I got the image of hugging Maria and Allen in my head.
“Oh…you want to try hugs now?”
They did.
“Ok, no problem. We can do hugs. How about we do hugs every night before bed?”
I know what you’re wondering…”How do you hug a GHOST?” It’s really very easy for me. I can sense when they touch me, so I just open my arms wide and when I feel the sensation that indicates they’re touching, I wrap my arms like I’m hugging somebody. Lather, rinse, repeat.
A few weeks later, after doing hugs every single night, I got ready to go the gym. I stepped out the door, and when I did, there was a rush of energy that flowed right past me in a hurry. I’ve felt spirits do this before, so I wasn’t too surprised, and locked the door behind me.
As I left the parking lot, I started feeling nervous and excited. This was not a sensation I feel going to the gym, because I hate going to the gym, so I knew it was from someone else and not me.
“So, which friendly spirit do I have in the car with me?” I asked, turning onto the road.
I felt a pressure on each leg and my stomach, almost as if somebody was sitting or standing right between my legs, and felt the sensation of somebody gripping my hands on the steering wheel. My body felt cold.
It hit me a moment later. “J Crew?” I asked, stunned. “Is this one of you?”
The confirmation was one of the strongest sensations I have ever felt. I asked who was there, and learned it was M.
Of course it was. Kid’s a genius. I should have known he’d be the one to figure out how to break the tether of darkness.
So, I kept up a running commentary as I made the ten-minute drive to the gym, explaining what everything was. That might sound weird to you, but you have to remember that the J Crew had been ghosts since the 1830s, stuck in the same 1300 square feet for almost 200 years. That whole area had been nothing but trees, fields, and water.
When I parked, I grabbed my phone and texted my wife. “M is with me. He figured out how to break free. Tell J he’s fine and I’ll keep a close eye on him.”
She texted back with a series of emojis expressing her surprise, but promised to tell his mother.
I went through my workout with my trainer, keeping my eyes moving at all times. Since I can tell where the ghosts and spirits are by looking, I wanted to make sure that M didn’t wander off. I needn’t have worried, though. While he was happily checking out all the technology driving the machines, he stayed within a few feet of me.
When I got back in the car, he again settled into my lap, and we drove him. As we neared the condo, he started to feel really worried. It didn’t a lot to ascertain his issue.
M, you see, had figured out how to break the tether and was determined to try it. Naturally, his mother was terrified that something would go wrong and he’d be lost to them. Valid concern, I admit. M, however, was determined to hang out with our nephews again, and he broke the tether and ran out the door before J could stop him. That’s why I’d felt a rush of energy; he was trying to get out of his mom’s reach.
“Ah,” I said. “You’re worried that your mom is going to be furious with you, huh?” He agreed.
When we got back home, I went inside and immediately started talking to J, telling her everything that had happened and that she should be proud of M for figuring out how to break the darkness that was holding them all prisoner.
I didn’t get any sense of anger from J; just relief. I left the J Crew alone to talk and headed for the shower. I was thrilled that M had figured things out, and wondered how long it would take the others to decide to follow his lead.
I had no idea it would be less than 48 hours.