My Friend Laurie Souza
From: Meghan () Story type: Ghost Location: Chevy Chase, Maryland Source: Form Submission
I was 12 when it happened. Laurie was 14. We were best friends in school. It was over summer vacation in the Foster/Gloucester area of Rhode Island. Laurie lived with her family around a lake in Gloucester where every summer it seemed like strange things happened. A fire blazed through a woman's house one summer, leaving her trapped inside. A boating accident left one boy decapitated another summer and it took 3 weeks for the authorities to find his head. This summer, my friend called me and said, "I am so sorry about your friend, Laurie. I know you two were really close." I asked her to elaborate. Laurie's father had gone to the basement the night before, lit a match to the gas burner, and blown up the family. Laurie, her mother, and her 2 year old half brother were inside as well. I was her only close friend at her funeral. I remember hearing her talk to me and laughing out loud. My mother gave me several disapproving looks until I told her whom I was hearing. Laurie showed me who her two older brothers were (I had never seen them before). She also said that she was much happier where she was now and couldn't understand why everyone at her funeral looked so glum.
Years later, after moving to the Washington area, my friend from Rhode Island, Cyndy, came to visit.
She brought an unexpected guest. My sister, Cait, and I were sleeping on twin beds, and Cyndy was sleeping on the floor between us. My mother, who normally wakes at the drop of a pin, was in the next bedroom. I woke up feeling that one of the pranksters was about to do something to me. I could feel that someone was standing at the foot of my bed. I woke up and looked into Laurie's eyes. I saw through her - you know the story - she was transparent and white. Laurie was looking down at me and smiling. She wore what, most likely, she wore the night she died - a plaid nightgown. She looked so content and peaceful. It was more than I was ready for. I screamed, waking only my sister, who saw Laurie and gasped. We turned the lights on, and Laurie disappeared. It was only then that Cyndy and my mother woke up. I asked Laurie not to come back - that I was just too frightened. I regret having told her that today because I now wish that she would. I know she is my guardian angel.
As an after note: My sister had never met Laurie before. We went to different schools. When we discussed it, I asked her to describe exactly who she saw. She did, in detail. Cyndy then interjected, "It was Laurie, wasn't it?" Cyndy, my attorney-friend will not discuss this incident to this day. We all agreed that it happened, but sometimes it is just too much.