Saved From Being Hit by a Train

* Sent in by Ken Milne

I was our shopping with my girlfriends in town and had seriously overspent of some homewares and clothes and was lamenting my impulsive urges over lunch.  It was a common occurrence with me so my friends just laughed off my whinging and whining.

We went our separate ways after our catch-up and I made my way to the train station, stopping briefly at my favourite bakery before heading home.  I plugged in my earphones to call my boyfriend to tell him I’d be a little and late and not to worry.  I was busy chatting away when I approached the pedestrian boom-gate next to the tracks.  I’ll admit that I wasn’t really paying much attention, so I casually glanced to my right after the first train passed, oblivious to the other train coming the other way on the other track.  I just blindly went to step out.  But something held me back.  I couldn't move my arms or legs and I felt totally rooted to the spot.  I couldn’t move a muscle.  It was like something or someone had me in a full body hold.  In a flash the trained rushed passed me and I felt the wind gushing harshly against my face and body.  It scared the life out of me and my heart was beating in my throat when I realized how close I’d come to being hit, and possibly killed, by that speeding train.

My body then totally relaxed and felt back to normal and I tentatively made my way across the tracks to the platform.

I can’t really explain who or what stopped me from stepping in front of that train, but I’m certainly grateful that it did.

*

* Sent in by Ken Milne

My Guardian Angel Saved Me From Drowning

* Sent in by Rachel

When I was about 13 my family and some relatives visiting from Holland, travelled from Melbourne in Victoria to Hervey Bay in Queensland, on a two week road trip.

Somewhere halfway through New South Wales we’d stopped for a break and some lunch.  We’d pulled off the highway near an irrigation channel and a few of us decided to take a dip.  The fast-flowing current was pretty strong so the others quickly got out.  I was an over-confident swimmer and was sure I could easily swim against the current.

I ducked under the water and felt my body being swept quickly along with the current.  As I tried to surface I hit the top of my head against something hard and everything was dark above me.  I realized that I’d been swept under the concrete bridge that ran over the channel and there was no gap between the rushing water and the bottom of the bridge.

I bobbed back down and swam frantically against the current, trying to swim beyond the bridge.  I tried to surface again only to hit the top of my head on the bridge.  I was quickly running out of air and energy and I began to panic.  I kicked out frantically and in a last-ditch effort tried to swim free of the bridge again. 

Then I felt someone grab my hand firmly and focused my eyes on a figure in the water in front of me.  I was totally bewildering because I could clearly see the figure of a woman in a floating gown and she was lit up somehow, but she didn’t seem to actually be in the water ... she just seemed to be floating with the strong current not affecting her in anyway.  She just looked vibrant, calm and serene under the rushing water ... but I could feel myself starting to fade to darkness the longer I was stuck under the water.

I woke up on the bank of the channel downstream with no recollection of exactly how I got out from under the bridge and/or out of the water and up onto the bank.

Sitting up and looking upstream I could see my family frantically scrambling around the bridge and my mother being consoled by her sister, my aunt.  I yelled out and my Dad spun around then ran towards me.  I was still disoriented and couldn’t cohesively explain what had happened, but everyone agreed that I was safe, and that was the main thing. 

I still don’t know how I ended up on the bank some way downstream, but I do believe that what I saw under the water that day was my guardian angel and I can’t thank her enough for saving me from drowning that day.

*
* Sent in by Rachel 

Forced Out Of Our Own Home

 * Sent in by Samantha Bouncer

In hindsight, I should have been a little suspicious when our neighbour Jacob told me that all the previous tenants of the house we’d just rented never stayed for very long.  But at the time I was so happy that we’d managed to find a decent place to rent that I didn’t give it a second thought.

I was pregnant with my first child and my priority was a safe and secure home for our little family.  The first four months were quite uneventful for me and my partner Mark, but after our son Jayden was born strange things started happening.

Our near-new television set started flickering when we watched it at night, then it stopped working altogether.  I sent it off to be repaired only to have the repairman ring me a few days later to tell me that my TV was in perfect working order and not a problem could be found.  So I got it back and it worked again for a couple of nights until it went blank and shut down.  I took it to a different repair shop, and exactly the same thing happened.  Nothing wrong with it.  Within a fortnight our washing machine, dryer and stereo all broke down unexpectedly.  

My cat Chloe also started behaving strangely.  She had always been a very loving and relaxed cat, but I noticed that she seemed spooked most of the time and didn’t like to spend time inside the house.  Chloe would sit staring at nothing and would occasionally hiss and spit and lash out at something (or someone) that we just couldn’t see.  She seemed tormented and unsettled all the time so I ended up giving my beloved Chloe to my sister Sarah, where she settled in straight away and quickly went back to her old happy, loving ways.

Not long after Chloe’s departure we started hearing all sorts of noises, banging, footsteps and metallic-sounding scratching and tinging.  At times I would notice random unexplainable cold spots around the house. We also developed problems with the door and window locks.  I’d o out during the day only to come home to find the front door with open, knowing I’d securely locked it.  At other times I would go to get the mail or hang out the washing only to find I’d been locked out of the house.  Even when I’d chocked the door open, somehow it would close and lock.  I started having to carry a set of keys around with me when I was home.

The windows seemed to have a mind of their own and I’d find them open or closed at any time, knowing that I hadn’t touched them. We’d often hear banging on our bedroom walls and ceiling and doors opening and closing throughout the house.  Night times were eerie and creepy and I dreaded Jayden’s night time feeds.

I often felt very uncomfortable during the day when I was home alone with little Jayden.  I’d get the sensation that someone was watching me, and I’d feel the tiny hairs on the back of my neck rise every time.  I particularly felt self-conscious when I was showering and changing my clothes. It really gave me the creeps.

I got up early one morning and checked on Jayden before making my way into the kitchen.  Once there I was confronted with my pots and pans on the floor and all the draws left open. I set about picking up the pots and putting them back in the cupboard, but as I’d put one in, another would fall off the shelf as though an unseen hand was pushing them off.  This was happening right in front of me and as much as I tried to hold onto my resolve I ended up fleeing the kitchen and hiding in my bedroom.  I rang Mark at his work and told him I’d had enough and wanted out of the house. Now.  I’d begun to feel more and more uncomfortable and safe and feared for all of us.

I also rang my friend Gina later that day and gave her an update on our creepy happenings.  She told me to leave it with her and she would get back to me later.  The following day she called me back with the name and number of a local medium and ghostbuster.  I rang and arranged for her to visit as soon as possible.

Within a couple of minutes of the medium entering my home, she commented that a young man in his late teens or early twenties was loitering but did not wish to communicate with her.  The medium persisted and walked from room to room.  She stopped in Jayden’s room and from the kitchen I could hear her quietly speaking out loud.

Some time later the medium came back into the kitchen and told me that she had tried to reason with our not-so-friendly ghost and convince him to go towards the light, but he had adamantly refused and had told her that he had no intention of leaving.  This was ‘his’ house and he’d be staying whether we liked it or not.  So, if he refused to leave, then we certainly would.  I made arrangements to move into my parent’s spare room right then and there.

Over the following two days we packed up our belongings and left, never looking back.

*
* Sent in by Samantha Bouncer

The Campfire Ghost

* Sent in by Ricky Compton

I still don’t know if it was a real ghost or not but it scared the crap out of me anyway.

Me and two of my mates went on a camping trip to Woods Point in Victoria about two years ago and it was a trip I’ll never forget.

I finally got my drivers’ license so decided to take a bit of a road trip one weekend.  I had never been there before, but my mate Geoff reckoned it was a great place to camp.

The first day we had a look at the old gold mines and shafts and did a bit of a tour of the area.  I didn’t like going into the old mines because they were unsafe and creepy.  I was happy to wait out the front while Geoff and Dave went in for a look.  Dave was sure he was going to find a rogue gold nugget and Geoff was always the first one to give anything a go.

Later that afternoon we pitched our tents, set up the swags and lit a campfire.  It was going to be a really cold night so we wanted to cook our food before dark and rug up in front of the fire.

It was about 11pm and I was ready to head into my swag for the night.  Geoff and Dave were doing the same.  Once settled we called out to one another, laughing and joking around.  I could see the silhouette of someone standing by the campfire.  I thought it must have been Dave, but then I heard his voice coming from the tent beside me.  So it must have been Geoff, so I yelled out and asked him what he was doing.  “Lying in bed” he told me, his voice coming from the tent to the right to me.  So with all three of us in our tents who was out there standing by the fire??

I didn’t want to get out of my swag, but my curiosity got the better of me.  I was scared but just couldn’t help myself.  

Peeking out through the zip on my tent, I saw an old bloke with a long, stringy grey beard, wearing a tattered flannel shirt.  But I couldn’t see below his knees or his feet.  All I could see was his head, torso and thighs.  I screamed in shock and fright.  The figure turned and looked at me then faded away to nothing.  I couldn’t believe my own eyes.  One moment the old man was there and the next he was gone.

By then Geoff and Dave were out of their tents demanding to know what the hell I was squealing about.

I stuttered and stammered and tried to describe what I’d seen.  The guys just looked at me like I was an idiot.  ‘Bullshit’ was the general consensus.

But I knew what I’d seen and no one could convince me otherwise.

We went back into our tents, but I didn’t sleep too well that night.

The entire following day the guys ribbed me about my ‘old man ghost’.  At every possible opportunity they stuck the boots in.  

I was so buggered that night that I went to bed not long after dinner, leaving Geoff and Dave by the fire.  I bombed out pretty quickly, but was woken up some time later by the sound of Dave yelling.  I sat up in my swag a bit disorientated.  Then I heard Geoff shuffling around in his tent.  Next thing I knew my tent zip opened and both Dave and Geoff bundled in.

“I saw him,” Dave blurted out.  “So did I” replied Geoff.  It took me a moment to register who they were talking about.  Then they described exactly what I’d seen the night before  -  an old bloke with a stringy grey beard and a flannelette shirt.  And just like the night before, the man’s feet and lower legs couldn’t be seen.

Both Dave and Geoff kept apologizing for taking the piss out of me.  We stayed awake for most of that night, way too spooked to sleep peacefully, and we were glad to see the Sun come up.

We left the campsite after breakfast and headed for home, glad to be leaving the ghost of the old man behind us.

*
* Sent in by Ricky Compton

Andrew’s Ghostly Playmate

* Sent in by Jen H.

I was home alone with my young son Andrew, doing chores and catching up on some cleaning around the house while Andrew went down for a nap.

Sometime later I could hear Andrew chattering from his bedroom so I knew that nap-time was over it was time for my two year old tornado to be let loose.

Walking up the hallway to Andrew’s room I stopped just outside his door.  Andrew continued talking to who I considered to be his imaginary friend.  What I found odd though, listening to his conversation, was that he was speaking and asking questions, then leaving a gap before speaking again as though it was a two-way conversation.  Then he laughed and said ‘you’re so funny Adam ...”     Adam??   I walked in at that point and Andrew abruptly stopped talking then looked over and smiled at me.  “This is my mummy,” he said to thin air.

A day or so later I was in the kitchen doing dishes while Andrew played on the floor in front of the bench where I could see him.  He was chatting away again and I watched as he sorted out his toys.  “One for you, one for me ... one for you, one for me,” he said as he put one toy in front of himself and another on a pile on the other side of the mat he sat on.  And so it went on until every toy was out of Andrew’s toy box.  Two distinct piles sat on the carpet in front of Andrew.  One for him and one for ... Adam?

I turned away to dry a cup and out the corner of my eye I thought I saw a flash of blue.  I looked quickly but only saw Andrew and his toys.  Nothing unusual there ...

Andrew chatted away and giggled to himself as he played, and I quickly made a phone call to my best girlfriend Donna.  She was due to come over for a play-date with her son Jordan and I wanted to ask her to stop by the shops to pick me up some milk.

Just as I was hanging up the phone I looked over to see Andrew holding up a toy as though presenting it to someone.  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  I watched as the toy seemed to drift in the air of its own accord.  It only lasted a second, but in that brief moment I was sure I saw it hang in mid-air, then be placed amongst the other toys on the pile.  I knew what I saw  -  but I couldn’t believe it.

Donna arrived, milk in hand.  She saw the look on my face and asked me what on Earth was wrong with me.  I said I was just feeling a little flustered as I didn’t want to tell her what I’d just witnessed.  She’d think I was nuts!

We settled in for a coffee at the kitchen bench and I tried my hardest to forget what I was sure I’d seen.  I kept thinking about it and looking at Andrew and Jordan playing on the floor.  Jordan was a little younger than Andrew but they played together nicely and got along well.  Soon enough there was three piles of toys on the mat  -  one for Andrew, one for Jordan and one for .... Adam?

Donna noticed that I was distracted and asked me what was on my mind.  I didn’t know what to say, so just made the excuse that I’d been feeling a little rundown and tired.  She nodded in empathy.  

I took myself off to the loo and left Donna to mind the boys.  Upon my return Donna asked me who ‘Adam’ was.  I asked her where she’d heard the name Adam, and she replied that both Andrew and Jordan had both referred to Adam, as though they were talking to someone that she couldn’t see.

At first I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I had to say something so I told her what had happened the other day as well as the toy episode from earlier that day.  I was expecting her to look at me as though I’d gone totally bonkers, but instead she listened intently, nodding here and there as I spoke.  She didn’t seem at all surprised ... in fact, she then went on to tell me of a similar experience that one of her workmates had had.  She told me that it was more common than what I would ever have thought.

I started to pay more attention after that and noticed that Adam seemed to be around most of the time.  It was like having an invisible tenant around the house.  

I never actually saw Adam myself although Andrew continued chatting to him for well over three years or so.  I got used to having Adam around even though he was never really all that present for me.  He made Andrew happy and content and that was the main thing from my perspective.

Over time though, Adam seemed to be around less and less as the years passed.
Today, Andrew has grown up to be a healthy and happy young man of 33 and nowadays has no memory of his childhood friend Adam.  But I remember him.

*
* Sent in by Jen H.

My Guardian Angel Alf

* Sent in by Andrew Jillson

Alf, my Guardian Angel, has always had my back and has always been a source of support, protection and encouragement for me.

I don’t really know the name of my Guardian Angel, but I fondly call him ‘Alf’.  I’ve called him that for as long as I can remember.

I don’t tell anyone of course because they’d think I was totally insane, but to me it is a comfort and I am happy with ‘Alf’.

I first became aware of having Alf around me when I was a teenager.  My mother says that I was an incessant chatterer since birth, and I was always talking to something or someone as a toddler.

I remember walking home from school one afternoon with my friend Denise and feeling a hand on my shoulder pushing me up all of a sudden.  I stopped instantly and grabbed Denise by the arm just as she was about to step onto the pedestrian crossing.  We’d been so preoccupied that we hadn’t seen the icon change and would have stepped out into oncoming traffic.

Another time I was at a party with a group of my girlfriends when I was about 17, and I could feel someone tapping on my shoulder to get my attention.  I turned to see who it was but then quickly realized that my back was to the wall with on one behind me, so I knew that it had been Alf.  I tuned in to his energy and felt compelled to leave the party right then and there.
I suddenly felt quite a foreboding feeling and felt compelled to get home as soon as possible.  I left the party much to the chagrin of my friends and caught a taxi home.  Once there I took a few deep breaths and asked for Alf’s help with whatever was to confront me on the other side of the door.  I felt a wave of energy wash over me from head to foot and just knew that all would be okay.  

Opening the door with confidence I was relieved to find all was in order.  Mum and Dad were sitting comfortably on the couch watching TV and my younger brother Cameron was asleep in bed.  I took a short shower and took myself off to bed, wondering about Alf’s warning at the party.

I was to find out the next day that just after I’d left, a group of gatecrashers had arrived causing trouble for some of the party-goers.  Fights broke out, the hall was trashed and eventually the police were called.  I was glad I hadn’t been there for that.

As an adult, Alf has guided and assisted me more times than I can count.  Sometimes it would be subtle, like when choosing one thing over another, which direction to go in when travelling in unfamiliar territory and alerting me to any impending dangers or obstacles.  Alf lets me know when something is a good thing or a bad thing, and whenever I feel confused or upset Alf cloaks me in his love.  I would not feel complete without Alf in my life and I feel blessed and loved every day.

*
* Sent in by Andrew Jillson

Angels Angels Everywhere

* Sent in by Angela Wilkinson

My mum had always talked about angels for as long as I could remember.  Everyone thought it was cute, but to my mum, angels were serious business.

Mum wasn’t religious at all but she certainly believed in angels and always encouraged my brother, sister and I to talk to the angels and trust them.  She always said that if you listened hard enough you would hear them.  I always went along with her even though I really wasn’t as into them as she was.  

I say ‘was’ because my mother passed away about four years ago now.  Since then i know when mum is around because she shows me signs by moving my little angel figurines around in the crystal cabinet.  Mum had bought me that set of angels about six months before she died, and they always remind me of her.  Some mornings I would find all of my angels grouped to one side or the other, or would be lined u along the front of the shelf.  No one ever touched them during the night and I never knew when she would strike, but I always know that its Mum paying me a visit.

As I’ve gotten older and have had children of my own (and a new grandchild on the way), I too have had more and more contact with angels.  I can feel their presence and I aks for their help and guidance whenever I feel the need and they are always there for me.  Open yourself up to the angels, and you may pleasantly surprised.

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* Sent in by Angela Wilkinson