Guest Post: Ghosts - Fact or Fiction?

I recently had a dream about my grandfather, who passed away this past February. When I woke up, I knew that his ghost had visited me.

I am a believer in ghosts. There has to be something left after the body dies. I suppose it's a comfort, thinking that. But I have proof.

Erin Zarro is a writer and poet. She is a member of a writer's alliance called Turtleduck Press which endeavors to bring quality but less commercial works to the public. You can find her on her website and blog

Quite a few years ago, when I was married to my first husband, we'd had a fight. I went into my office and cried. I started praying, and since I was alone, I actually spoke it aloud. I can't even remember what this prayer was. But what I do remember is a prayer to my grandmother, who had passed away when I was 11.

At that time, I used to talk to her as if she were right in front of me. I don't really know why, except that it made me feel closer to her.

So I'm sitting there at my desk, babbling away, tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt completely, utterly alone and that just upset me more. So I said, “Grandma, if you're here, give me – “

I was about to say “a sign.” But something extraordinary happened. My computer rebooted itself for no apparent reason. I've read that ghosts can affect electrical equipment and electricity, something about the vibrations being in tune with them. What clinched it for me was that I hadn't evenfinished my plea, and she'd already answered.

I'm sure some people would believe that it was all coincidence. That I'm reading into it more than I should. And perhaps maybe that's true. But how come I felt her presence after this happened? It wasn't just shiver or a tingle. She was there. I felt her surround me with her love.

She was there. I know it down to my bones.

The other experience I had with her ghost was in a dream. In it, I was flying above my bed. Weird, I know, but dreams are sometimes. And she was on the ground with her face tipped up, saying something I couldn't hear. And then she raised her arms as if to grab me. Or catch me, I suppose. So why do I think it was her ghost instead of just a dream about her?

It was the same presence I'd felt in my office when the computer rebooted itself. It was vivid, so real. I have no doubt in my mind that it was her.

So you probably think I'm crazy. And perhaps I am. But thinking of my grandmother somewhere, still existing, is a gift. Since we didn't have much time when she was alive, I almost feel like I'm getting to know her now.

She was a writer and poet just like me. And when I write, she's there with me in the words I put on paper. Or on the screen.

And my grandfather...he is with me, too. Sometimes I feel his presence as well. In the dream, he looked how remember him. I can still hear his voice in my head.

I wasn't able to see him before he passed, and that haunts me sometimes. However, I believe that he's forgiven me for that. And as long as I remember him, he'll live on. I wear his wedding ring in remembrance of him, of his life, of his honor.

So maybe ghosts are real or maybe it's just my mind wanting them to be. Whichever the case, it helps me to know that my grandparents are somewhere out there, watching over me.

Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Leave a comment answering Erin's question and your email address, and you'll be entered to win an ebook copy of the new anthology from Turtleduck Press called "Winter's Night"!

EDIT: Giveaway closed! Thanks for commenting!

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