The Door Beyond: True Stories of the Paranormal

The Lady in White

          "A White Lady is a type of female ghost reportedly seen in rural areas and associated with some local legend of tragedy. White Lady legends are found around the world. Common to many of them is the theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband or fiancé. They are often associated with an individual family line or said to be a harbinger of death similar to a banshee." – Wikipedia

That about explains it. In fact, I’ve read, there have been lots of sightings of these ghostly entities around the world. I’ve seen pictures, read stories and even researched about their origins. Whether you believe it or not, here’s my story.

            I used to live in a small village in the Philippines. This village is where my mother grew up. Actually, it is where all of my relatives from my mother’s side grew up. Heck, even my great grandfather grew up in this barely peaceful little village. Almost three fourth of the population are my relatives. It is a very common phenomenon in this country.

My father was an engineer from England. He built our house with his own two hands.  Little did he know, the lot he built our house on had a history that mother had forgotten.

            If I remember correctly, I was six or seven years old when this happened. Forgive me if I do not remember the day.

I woke up unusually early that morning. It was unusual because, I normally wake up close to noon. And as I looked around the room, I knew directly that the sun had just recently risen in the sky. My baby brother was still sleeping soundly in his crib, undisturbed. I threw off my blanket and slid off the bed. The children’s room which was our room was directly connected to my parent’s bedroom. So if we wanted to exit or enter our room, we had to go through their room first. Adding to the peculiar occurrences that morning, I felt parched. That wasn’t natural for me.

I entered my parents room as silently and as stealthily as I could. Both of my parents are light sleepers so the slightest noise I might make will immediately wake them up. The moment I reached the door, I felt relieved. I quickly grabbed the handle and opened it.

I swear my mouth dropped the second I peered into the living room. There SHE was, standing right in front of me. She wore a white longsleeved dress that covered her hands. There was no need for her to cover her feet because I saw she had none. She was only floating in midair. Everything below what I estimated to be her knees faded into nothing. I could see right through her. The Lady in White had beautiful pitch black hair that looked like it came out of one of those shampoo commercials you see on television. She had no eyes and nose. The only thing she had of her face were stunning bright red lips that curled into a soft, sweet smile, the kind of smile a mother would give her child.

I was literally glued to the ground as I stared at the entity in front of me. Strangely, I felt no fear. I felt as if there was no reason for me to be afraid. However, I didn’t quite know what I was staring at back then. I’m sure you can relate if I say that the images in my head as a child about ghosts and monsters were floating white blankets and mutant looking animals with fangs and claws.

‘Who is that lady?’ I wondered to myself.

The Lady slowly moved backwards, gliding through the air gracefully like a cloud on a clear day. Still with the smile on her almost empty face, she lifted up her right arm and waved at me. I do not know whether it was to say hello or goodbye, all I know is that she was waving at me.

In my shock, I closed the door half way, covering my view of the Lady. My mind was still processing everything while my heart began to pound hard in my chest. It was then I felt needle like chills running up my spine and my hairs standing on end as an eerie cold breeze passed by me from the direction of the living room, caressing my skin like the lust filled touches of a lover. I decided to open the door again to take another look but the Lady wasn’t there anymore…she was gone. 

I closed the door again, locking it into place. I then tiptoed all the way back to my room. Taking advantage of the safety of my bedroom door, I ran towards my bed, grabbed the blanket and then covered myself with it, hiding myself in silence. No, I was not afraid. I was confused, I was in shock and I was in a mental argument with myself.

I did not come out from under the covers that day until I heard my parents wake up. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, I did not say a word about it to anyone. When I finally had an idea about I saw, I feared that if I opened my mouth and told them what happened that day, they would not believe me and would probably call me crazy. I wanted to tell my mother and my father so badly about what I saw but the fear was stronger than my determination. Soon, the months turned into years. I was able to tell my story confidently to some people who were rather open-minded and believers of the world beyond. Even they had their own stories to tell.

            April 2009. We were in Holland for a family vacation. I was 14 years old. It was me, my mother and a friend; an old Filipina woman who has lived most of her life in Holland for more than 40 years was a firm believer in the unknown. That was the night when I finally gained the confidence to tell my mother what I saw that day.

My mother was dumbfounded by the time I finish my story.

“I know her…” she stuttered. “When I was a little girl, there was a family who used to live on our lot. That was up until they’re house burned down. They had two daughters. The eldest daughter’s boyfriend fell in love with the younger sister. When the eldest sister learned about her little sister’s secret love affair with her boyfriend, she hung herself in their bathroom. Your grandmother and I were there when the police were investigating. I saw with my own two eyes her body hanging lifelessly from the ceiling of their bathroom” my mother narrated, rendering me and Mrs. Sai (not her real name) speechless.

The blood circulating through my veins froze from the chills I felt the moment I heard my mother’s story.

“She was wearing a white satin robe when she died.”

“Did she have long black hair?” I asked her..

“Yes. And she was very beautiful too”

My heart was whirling like a hurricane. What I saw was REAL. She was REAL. At some point my mother mentioned her name but I forgot due to the fact that I was scared witless. My mind was clouded with images of her waving at me with the same smile on her ghostly face, if you would even consider that a face.

“Her younger sister committed suicide too a few days after. She jumped off a bridge. Some say it was guilt, others say it was because the boy left her,” my mother continued.

“Why did she wave at me? Why was she smiling at me?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Those were the only things bugging me. I knew who she was now, I knew she was real; all I wanted to know now was why she was doing those things to me.

“She probably likes you, Charlene,” Mrs. Sai answered. “Spirits, when they grow fond of a person, they tend to act like guardian angels. It’s either that or she was only waving goodbye and was simply passing by.”

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