The Gift Once Silent

(Story 7) Visitors From Beyond A couple of years later, my son and I were returning home, by way of a lonely, dirt road that we were forced to take. Our regular route had been detoured, since the old, railroad bridge was out, so we’d made the best of an inconvenient situation. Little did we know what lay around the corner for us, but I can say that it was the most shocking and unforgettable detour we could have ever taken! Once again, this story is true and genuine, but I have no answers or explanations, for what we encountered! I must stress that I am giving an accurate account, as I share this. It was a scorching, hot day, and our area had been experiencing extreme drought. The road we’d been traveling on was parched, and the red dirt swirled into powdery clouds, as we drove over it. As we turned the corner, right at a stop sign, I noticed three people walking along the cemetery fence, to our left. I can remember how I thought of my parents’ teaching, where if we saw someone walking on a dirt road, we were to pull over and let them pass on by, so the dust wouldn’t blow all over them. It was a simple rule of courtesy, just practicing good and polite manners. Instantly, I pulled my Jeep over to the right, directly in front of a tiny, abandoned church. It sat inside a fenced area, surrounded by a closed gate, and the other part of the cemetery lay around one side of it. I came to a complete stop and waved to acknowledge the people, as they passed. It was odd, because they never even looked at us…they never saw us! In fact, they seemed to be totally preoccupied and in deep thought. They walked with great purpose and determination, but they never even looked in our direction! I believe that we watched these three individuals, for about a minute, when they just vanished! I mean, they were there, and then, they weren’t! We were out in the raw country, what we call being out in the “sticks!” There had been nowhere else for them to go! They had been right there, within five or six feet of my son and me, and they had disappeared! How? I sat there in total silence, my brain screaming inside my head, asking myself if I was crazy! Immediately, I calmed down and decided not to mention it to my eight year old. No matter what, I didn’t want to frighten him. Had Caleb seen those people, too, or maybe it was…. another supernatural occurrence? I slowly pulled back into the road and headed for home. For the next minute or so, neither of us said a word, until the silence was broken, with this question, “Mama, where did those three people go?” My heart felt such relief, and the joy I felt was tremendous! “Mama? Where did they go?” I was still numb, when Caleb had asked me the question, once again. “ Baby, I don’t know where they went, but we’ll sit down and talk, as soon as we get home.” I answered. What would I say? I had no idea, but I knew that I had a witness to this experience, and that thrilled me! My main concern was that Caleb had not been frightened. We arrived home, a few minutes later, and we sat down to compare what’d we’d seen. I decided to let him talk first, so I asked Caleb to describe the three people to me. All the details were the same…identical. Of course, I was honest with my son and told him that I didn’t have an answer, but that I wished I did! For the remainder of the day, we were in deep though, just hoping and searching for answers. That same evening, I remember that I sat down and wrote up a very detailed description of the three individuals that we’d come upon. I didn’t dare wait, as I needed to document everything, while it was still fresh in my mind! This is exactly what we saw… The first individual, that seemed to be leading the way, was a stocky man. I’d guessed his age to be somewhere in his middle thirties. He wore a short-sleeved, red shirt, under a pair of new, dark, blue overhauls. He was white, and his hair was a medium brown, and it was short, in a “crewcut” style. He was close to six feet tall, and he walked solidly, in deep concentration. His clothing looked fairly modern, like a farmer’s would today. About three feet behind him, followed a petite, older lady. She was about five feet in height, maybe a little taller, and I’d guessed her age to be around her late fifties. She was white, very pale, and her hair was dyed jet black. She wore a red, quarter-length sleeved blouse and a black skirt that was a little above her knees. I well recall that she wore regular, nylon hose and black shoes that were platformed style. What really caught my eye was how black her hair was colored! It was far too dark for her age. Her hair style was rather ordinary, a little puffed out and about jaw length. She looked as if she’d just stepped out of the early 1970’s or late 60’s. This woman walked with the same determination, as the man she was following. It had been clearly obvious that they were headed somewhere. Last, about three feet behind her, was a young girl, about the age of fourteen. She was the most memorable, because her clothing was from a much earlier time. In fact, the best way for me to describe her apparel was to say it had to have dated back from the very early 1900’s. Her dress was quite faded, a very pale green, and it had two, narrow ties, which swung along beside her, as she walked with much deliberation. She was quite lanky, and somewhat pale, very unkept in appearance. Her stringy, blondish-brown hair hung about three inches below her shoulders, and it appeared dirty. I remember that her legs were bare, except for some short, ankle socks that matched her faded green dress. The shoes she wore were dark brown, a kind of oxford, and they were scuffed and worn. To this day, I still think of the scene that unfolded before us, in broad open daylight, on the isolated, country road. I’ve tried over and over to piece it together, to make some sort of rhyme or reason out of it, but to no avail. Nothing ever fits! It’s like a mystery that may forever remain unsolved. Why did we see these people? Who were they? Where were they going? Were they from the old cemetery? It wasn’t as if we were out searching for this! We have never sought out any kind of supernatural phenomenon! They just seem to appear when we least expect it! It had not been a frightening experience, nor had we sensed evil or any emotions of danger. Not once, did we feel threatened or in harm’s way, but it was unexpected, to say the least! Caleb and I often discuss what we witnessed, those many years ago, and we still have no concrete answers, but we have some ideas. We feel that maybe we were just at the “right place, at the right time.” Maybe we were given a glimpse of something “behind the veil.” As humans, we don’t know everything. Sure, we may have immense technology in this world, but that doesn’t mean that we know every answer to mysterious happenings that touch our lives. I have come to the conclusion that we may never understand such events, in this earthly life, but it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. It was real! Yes, I would be thrilled if I was able to give some sensible and highly intelligent answer, but I can’t. I am certain, that one day, the Lord will reveal it to me and if not in this life, when I arrive in Heaven! Nevertheless, I have told this entire story in complete truth. It was what it was, and we must leave it there, for now. Luke 12:2