Tag Archives: dog

Paranormal Animal Encounter – Part 2

Wolf

Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My grandmother would often recount a story to the family of an experience she once had when she was a new transplant to Washington, D.C. She didn’t yet drive, relying on bus transportation to navigate the city.

Details as to where she was going are hazy in the family memory. Was she headed out to a job site, or was she headed home from one? Grandma was a talker, so unfortunately the tendency was to drift off into an almost-meditative state when she was in storytelling mode, which was pretty much anytime you were with her or on the phone. (This is why you should tune in to what older folks are saying, for those questions you’ll have later.)

The other details are clear. One evening, she said the bus she was on let her off at a stop. It continued on before she could catch it once she realized this was not the right location. The night was oppressively dark. She was in an area outside of D.C. that was still rural at that time, well before its later development into mega-suburbia.

She could see nothing around her, including any houses. It didn’t help that her eyesight was always poor. Now it was compounded by a pitch-dark night with no streetlights to aid her. A dog appeared by her side, startling her. Friendly, wagging its tail, she didn’t fear it. The dog began walking, looking back in the way an animal will do to indicate it wants you to follow.

With no other options, she followed. Soon she saw that the dog had brought her to a house. Relieved, she went up to the door and knocked. The homeowner opened the door, and Grandma explained how she had been let off at the wrong stop. She mentioned how thankful she was that their dog had rescued her and brought her to its house, since there was nothing and no one else around.

The homeowner said, “What dog? We don’t have a dog.” Grandma described the animal, of which there was now no sign.

“Never seen a dog like that around here. No one we know has a dog like that.”

Without the dog there as proof that she hadn’t been seeing things, she let it drop and accepted a ride back to civilization. But she remained convinced that the dog was a ghostly spirit that had assisted her in her time of need.

Have you ever had a paranormal pet/animal experience? Please share if you have or know someone who has!

 

Author Takes on Alzheimer’s Disease in Debut Novel

Ellen_picI introduce to you Ellen Smith, debut author of Reluctant Cassandra. I had the opportunity for an advance read, and it is an intriguing story (and includes a cute dog!) that I thoroughly enjoyed. Ellen takes on big issues, drilling down to what they mean on a very personal level. Here’s more:

What is Reluctant Cassandra about?

Unwilling clairvoyant Arden McCrae must learn to stop avoiding her visions of the future and tackle life head-on. As her family and her town begin to fall apart, Arden discovers the strength she never knew she had.

Would you say this is a book about change, then, and how we handle change?

I would say so- in fact, I’d take it one step further. I think the book explores the conflict of when to move forward versus when to fight for what you had. Each of the characters explores that dilemma to some degree, and Arden most of all.

Does Arden use her clairvoyance as a crutch?

In some ways she does! Arden has visions of the future, but she also has the ability to sense the truth about the past. She runs the local antique store, and we see her depending on her ability to hear the stories behind her antiques in order to make sales. Arden is much more uncomfortable with her visions of the future, though!

Julianne Moore just won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award and several others for her role in Still Alice. What do you think surprises people the most about Alzheimer’s disease?

I think the most surprising thing is how different the effects of Alzheimer’s can be from one person to another. A number of people have said they were surprised by how quickly (or how slowly) their loved ones progressed through each stage. Others were very surprised by the personality changes their loved one went through while dealing with the confusion and frustration of living with Alzheimer’s.

What intrigued you about this disease that made you want to write about it?

When I first thought of Arden’s character, I wanted to see how she would react to a situation where she was moving forward but someone she loved was sliding back into the past. When I started doing research on Alzheimer’s disease and how it affected the patient and the whole family, the characters really started to develop.

Reluctant Cassandra will be available June, 2015. Visit Ellen Smith at http://ellensmithwrites.com/.