Compliments From A Ghost
People have told me I have not portrayed my parents in the best light in my writing. What people often do not realize is that my parents acted one way in public but were quite different in private. They were not very nice about their opinions of the people they had day-to-day contact with. To be blunt, I am being honest about how they have treated me. What many people did not realize was the amount of favoritism in their house, and when it came to my parents, I was the odd girl out. From an early age, my mother called me her mistake and curse. Since I was a child, I would mention spirits and the paranormal to my family. They would act as if I were crazy and would send me to my room or outside. This treatment was one of the early reasons I was so open to the paranormal world.
My parents' behavior towards me was what led to this story. Before you judge me, please read the story and understand that my parents were the perfect actors. When they were in public, they would act like strangers, and some family members thought they should be around people. But behind closed doors, they were spiteful, talking about anyone and everyone they knew or used. No one was safe from their scrutiny. In their mind, everyone was wrong, and they knew everything about everyone and anything. I was made a babysitter at an early age because my parents would go out. It was left up to us kids, or more so, it was left to me to clean and do the weekend chores. My brother and sister had permission to do anything they wanted and go wherever they wanted, leaving me to pick up the mess when we were younger. The only time my parents would include me was when they knew it would make them look bad if I were missing from a party or family event, and even then, I would be unable to go unless I finished the chore list they gave me.
This story shows how I had to live with a double standard. One of our long-time family friends and neighbors decided to host a summer pool party. I was excited to hang out with my friends and thought I would be attending the party with my family. I was wrong because that morning, my parents told me I would not be attending unless I finished the chores they gave me. The list of chores included doing all the laundry, cleaning out the fridge, and doing all the dishes. The dish mess included the mess from breakfast and the food they prepared for the party. Then there was a list for cleaning the house, mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming. If this list was not complete, I had to do at least six loads of laundry. Basically, I had to clean everything in the house because they wanted to go to the party and come home to a clean house.
Of course, I argued and questioned why my siblings could have fun with their friends, and I had to stay home and do all the chores. When I asked why they couldn't help? I started crying. I hated that my siblings got away with everything, and my Dad told me that if I wanted to argue, he would give me something to cry about. After breakfast that morning, my parents and siblings went to help set up for the party, spending the day with everyone and sharing a bunch of potluck items they had made. I was so mad that they made and left a huge mess from all the cooking they did for the party. As they were leaving, I was almost thankful they were gone, because of fighting with my parents, I had a migraine start to set in from being upset.
I started to feel uneasy being in the house alone, and my head was starting to pound. So I put the TV on in the living room for some background noise and started washing the dishes, as there was no dishwasher. After I had cleaned the first batch of pots and pans, I directed a fan to dry them. Then I went to clean my parents' room. While I was cleaning, it felt as if someone was following behind me. I snuck some soda out of my parents' secret stash and continued cleaning the house. By lunchtime, I had almost finished all the dishes, and the laundry was drying or put away. Even though I was starting to feel a bit better, I felt like I wasn't alone. I made myself a quick lunch and sat on the porch to eat it.
While sitting outside, I thought Cinderella had nothing on me. Even though I was mad that my parents left me with this chore list, I would rather be home than go to the party. That was because my parents were actors, my Mom would pretend to care, and my Dad lied about everything. Their behavior would make me sick. I never existed unless they wanted to brag about something I did to make someone else feel bad about something in their life.
While sitting outside, I thought Cinderella had nothing on me. Even though I was mad that my parents left me with this chore list, I would rather be home than go to the party. That was because my parents were amazing actors of top caliber, my Mom would pretend to care, and my Dad told stories and lied about everything. Their behavior would make me sick. I never existed unless they wanted to brag about something I did to make someone else feel bad about something in their life.
I was not surprised that after lunch, my Grandma showed up at my house to see how I was feeling. She walked in and said, "Your Mom tried me. When I got to the party, you weren't there. I pulled her aside, asking where you were."
I said, "What did she say?"
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Grandma sat down and said, "She said you were feeling sick with a migraine."
"The only reason I had a migraine was that I was upset," I said. "They gave me a chore list and said, I could not come unless I did the list."
Grandma said, "She said that if you're feeling better, you can do the chore list and come to the party. How many chores did your sister and brother do?
"Nothing," I said as I handed her the chore list.
She read the list and asked, "So did the headache start after they handed you this ridiculous list?"
Smiling, I said, "It started when the storm started coming in. But you know how I feel about the house. It's been a day."
My Mom and Dad thought they had fooled my Grandma and Grandpa. But the truth was, my grandparents knew what they would do and learned a long time ago not to trust what they said about anything. They would do everything they could to protect me, take care of me, and try to make my life easier. My Grandmother said, "I am angry that your Mom left you with a list of chores."
My Grandma laughed as she saw the soda and candy bars I snuck. She handed me a bag and said, "One plate is food, and one plate is dessert. I told your mom I would bring you the food. She thinks I did it as a favor for her; I did it to avoid you getting a larger headache."
"Thank you," I said.
Looking around the living room, she asked, "Why is it so cold in here?"
"Honestly, Grams," I said. "My head started hurting so much that I really did not notice."
Grandma looked around the room and said, "Be careful."
Looking at her, I said, "I will. It's okay, Grams, I am still standing."
She said, "Grandpa and I will get you later, and you can stay at our house for the night."
Smiling, I said, "Until you get here, I will relax in the quiet. Besides, if I do not finish my list, Mom and Dad will be awful. I do not mind that I missed the party."
She understood. I walked her out to her car, then went inside the house to put the remaining dishes away. As I went into the kitchen, I found the plates and cups stacked on the kitchen table. Looking around, I said, "What in the world..."
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As I put the plates and cups away, I heard a noise behind me, and it sounded like someone shuffling around. I stepped outside and sat on the porch for a moment to snack on the desserts Grandma gave me.
As I snacked on the dessert, Im looked up at the sky and noticed a storm forming. I heard the first rumble of thunder and headed inside to finish my cleaning. The remaining time I was cleaning, I kept feeling like someone was with me in the room, and it was watching me. When the first rain broke, I started to see shadows form along the walls and heard knocking in the rooms I had cleaned. You would think ghosts and the paranormal would scare me, but they don't.
"The only reason I had a migraine was that I was upset," I said. "They gave me a chore list and said, I could not come unless I did the list."
Grandma said, "She said that if you're feeling better, you can do the chore list and come to the party. How many chores did your sister and brother do?
"Nothing," I said as I handed her the chore list.
She read the list and asked, "So did the headache start after they handed you this ridiculous list?"
Smiling, I said, "It started when the storm started coming in. But you know how I feel about the house. It's been a day."
My Mom and Dad thought they had fooled my Grandma and Grandpa. But the truth was, my grandparents knew what they would do and learned a long time ago not to trust what they said about anything. They would do everything they could to protect me, take care of me, and try to make my life easier. My Grandmother said, "I am angry that your Mom left you with a list of chores."
My Grandma laughed as she saw the soda and candy bars I snuck. She handed me a bag and said, "One plate is food, and one plate is dessert. I told your mom I would bring you the food. She thinks I did it as a favor for her; I did it to avoid you getting a larger headache."
"Thank you," I said.
Looking around the living room, she asked, "Why is it so cold in here?"
"Honestly, Grams," I said. "My head started hurting so much that I really did not notice."
Grandma looked around the room and said, "Be careful."
Looking at her, I said, "I will. It's okay, Grams, I am still standing."
She said, "Grandpa and I will get you later, and you can stay at our house for the night."
Smiling, I said, "Until you get here, I will relax in the quiet. Besides, if I do not finish my list, Mom and Dad will be awful. I do not mind that I missed the party."
She understood. I walked her out to her car, then went inside the house to put the remaining dishes away. As I went into the kitchen, I found the plates and cups stacked on the kitchen table. Looking around, I said, "What in the world..."
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As I put the plates and cups away, I heard a noise behind me, and it sounded like someone shuffling around. I stepped outside and sat on the porch for a moment to snack on the desserts Grandma gave me.
As I snacked on the dessert, Im looked up at the sky and noticed a storm forming. I heard the first rumble of thunder and headed inside to finish my cleaning. The remaining time I was cleaning, I kept feeling like someone was with me in the room, and it was watching me. When the first rain broke, I started to see shadows form along the walls and heard knocking in the rooms I had cleaned. You would think ghosts and the paranormal would scare me, but they don't.
*
I had folded three loads of laundry and put my parents' clothes in their room, and when I went to get more laundry to put away, everything I had left folded was off the couch on the floor, unfolded. As I refolded what was left, I felt like someone was standing beside me and watching me. I went to walk into the hallway and went through this cold patch that reminded me of winter. I let it go and finished my cleaning, and went back to read a book and eat the food Grams had bought for dinner when I heard a male voice call out to me saying, "You clean and do laundry wonderfully."
I ran outside and looked around as it sounded like a voice had called through the window. The storm had slowed down, and there was no one around. I went back in and decided to watch TV, and thought to myself that I knew that I lived in a haunted house, and hearing a voice should not bother me. But the ghost talked to me, and it freaked me out, and there had never been any communication. I decided to call my Grandma and spend the night at her house. When she came and got me, she asked me if I was okay. I told her what happened. From the feeling of being watched, going through cold spots, to the voice calling out to me. She asked me if my parents and siblings had anything paranormal happen to them. When I told her no, she said, "We will figure it out."
My parents and siblings never had paranormal experiences, but I knew people who stayed in our home, including my Grandparents, had experiences. A few years later, I visited my old neighbor, and the couple who lived in my old house asked to speak with me. The woman asked if I had ever had anything weird happen to me while I lived there. I admitted to the couple that I had, and many people who stayed with us also had paranormal experiences. I explained a few things that happened, and the woman said she had similar experiences. To this day, I still have weird dreams about that house and the land that it sits on. Sometimes when I am in town, I will find myself turning onto the road and stopping in front of the home. Like the home has called to me and wanted me there. Sometimes I will catch myself and turn on a road before the house and leave. Most of the time, though, it is like I am in a trance, going home and waking up when I get there.
I had folded three loads of laundry and put my parents' clothes in their room, and when I went to get more laundry to put away, everything I had left folded was off the couch on the floor, unfolded. As I refolded what was left, I felt like someone was standing beside me and watching me. I went to walk into the hallway and went through this cold patch that reminded me of winter. I let it go and finished my cleaning, and went back to read a book and eat the food Grams had bought for dinner when I heard a male voice call out to me saying, "You clean and do laundry wonderfully."
I ran outside and looked around as it sounded like a voice had called through the window. The storm had slowed down, and there was no one around. I went back in and decided to watch TV, and thought to myself that I knew that I lived in a haunted house, and hearing a voice should not bother me. But the ghost talked to me, and it freaked me out, and there had never been any communication. I decided to call my Grandma and spend the night at her house. When she came and got me, she asked me if I was okay. I told her what happened. From the feeling of being watched, going through cold spots, to the voice calling out to me. She asked me if my parents and siblings had anything paranormal happen to them. When I told her no, she said, "We will figure it out."
My parents and siblings never had paranormal experiences, but I knew people who stayed in our home, including my Grandparents, had experiences. A few years later, I visited my old neighbor, and the couple who lived in my old house asked to speak with me. The woman asked if I had ever had anything weird happen to me while I lived there. I admitted to the couple that I had, and many people who stayed with us also had paranormal experiences. I explained a few things that happened, and the woman said she had similar experiences. To this day, I still have weird dreams about that house and the land that it sits on. Sometimes when I am in town, I will find myself turning onto the road and stopping in front of the home. Like the home has called to me and wanted me there. Sometimes I will catch myself and turn on a road before the house and leave. Most of the time, though, it is like I am in a trance, going home and waking up when I get there.
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