In this story, I witnessed my grandmother's matterss being elevated in mid air by an unseen force.
When I was growing up in the 1960’s, my place of residence was Bronx, New York. Freezing winters, broiling summers, tall buildings, sirens, cement, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and over crowded sidewalks was common for the boroughs - Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island. However, relief came for me each summer after June 30th because when school closed my mom sent me to Piney Woods, North Carolina. In Piney Woods, I spent my entire three, month, long summer vacation with my maternal grandparents Joe and Caroline Boston Jefferson and I had the time of my life because I loved my grandmother with my whole heart. The proper name for Piney Woods is Freeunion. “Freeunion“ means ‘free people united!’ Piney Woods is Freeunion’s nickname complements of the tall, lavish, fragrant pine trees that surround the community.

Once my feet touched Piney Woods soil, thank God, I was free! Free! Free! To me, the name Freeunion had a brand new meaning far more eloquent than free people united. Extensively, I had liberty to play in huge yards and wide-open fields, which were free of the cement that skinned my knees and free of noise. Free, to play in mud holes and walk down dirt roads without getting hit by cars because everyone was friendly and waved as they passed with caution. Free, to play outside until dark without being abducted or assaulted. Free, to hear morning doves greet each new day. Free, to see the sunrise, sunset, and the beautiful stars at night, which resembled billions of sparkling diamonds in the raw. Free, to hear the crickets chirp. Free, to hear the frogs sing for rain. Free, to hear the June bugs buzz in the grass. Unfortunately, my only fear was grandma’s big, red, rooster who once attached me, needless to say, for that reason; he was soon served with pastry and baked sweet potatoes. Pay back is awesome!

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my grandmother although she was paralyzed and bed ridden because grandma was extremely insightful and she taught me the meaning of tokens, plus, moon phases and she shared various stories on subjects beginning with the constellations, while concluding with the Boogieman. Grandma was well versed on the subject of nature; she definitely practiced personification. In other words, she believed that each entity on earth has a living spirit. Look around and discover for yourself that grandma was right because the earth is indeed a living, breathing, and reproductive creature! Everything on earth is composed of atoms including water. The formula for water is H2O, which equals two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen; therefore, this vital aspect is an example of how we are all connected and why I use the term Mother Earth. Sit down on the ground in a quiet, remote, location and place both of your hands with the palms down on the ground, while concentrating. Doing so, you will feel the heartbeat of Mother Earth. Try it for yourself and see that I’m correct!

Furthermore, grandma taught me that the moon’s gravitational energy is what enforces nature’s growth. She said, “If you go outside at night and watch carefully, you will see the moon beams make baby seedlings sprout and grow.” She also said, “If for some reason the moon stops working, the entire earth will become covered with water.” This statement is true because in the beginning the earth was in darkness, void, and covered with water, needless to say, all of her statements are true. God is so marvelous and I am strictly a nature person, therefore, I get excited “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.” (Psalm 8:3)

Along with grandma’s other God given talents, she was an excellent medicine person. One summer, while running through the yard barefoot with my sister, I stepped on a broken mason jar and the glass went deep inside my foot almost cutting my toe off. In between my screams, grandma cleaned the wound with soap and water; then she liberally applied

It happened one summer when mommy, my sister, and I were outside working in grandma’s yard. Suddenly, without warning, we heard grandma screaming. Out of instinct, all three of us dropped whatever we were doing and ran inside the house to her rescue. What we saw was unreal and unforgettable! By total surprise, we witnessed grandma’s mattress being elevated by an unseen force. For several minutes, the mattress remained motionless in mid air with nothing underneath because we could look right through the springs at the bare floor. During that time, no one owned box springs; in fact, everyone had plain metal springs underneath their mattress. Meanwhile, grandma’s head was pressed up against her headboard. Ineffectively, all three of us pulled on her mattress as hard as we could. Stubbornly, it would not move! For that reason, we climbed on top of her mattress and repeatedly pressed down with all of our strength. Still, it would not budge! Suddenly, without warning, the mattress dropped with dynamic pressure, which made all three of us fall to the floor. Luckily, grandma did not fall off the bed. Later on that same day, I can remember seeing a white horse run around and around grandma’s house and everyone got really quiet, grandma said that it was the token of someone’s death. However, I can’t remember the person who passed away.

Honestly, I can testify that the paranormal activity in Piney Woods is well known by many folks. In fact, I have a very close and dear friend that I call Gypsy who lives over one hundred miles away. Recently, during a telephone conversation Gypsy said, “Piney Woods is filled with the spirits of your Indian ancestors and some of them are not very friendly because they were murdered by white settlers; for the land…” Additionally, one of my cousins visited me a few nights ago and we engaged in conversation. She said, “Let me tell you, whenever I visit Piney Woods, I don’t let dark catch me outside.” She also said, “Whenever, I’m at mama’s and daddy’s alone, I make sure all the curtains are tightly closed in the front and back of the house because the spirits in Piney Woods are angry.”

I have visited many homes that do not have blinds to the windows plus the owners usually leave the curtains open at night but when I was growing up it was customary to tightly close the curtains at night. When I spent my summers in Piney Woods everyone tried to be inside before dark with the curtains tightly closed. Often, I wondered why but I soon discovered the answer to my own question. Paranormal activity is alive and well whether it is believed or not! Additionally, Piney Woods is not the only place active with the supernatural. Many of the old buildings in New York are inhabited by the supernatural as well. While the sirens are blaring outside and the traffic is backed up for a block or two, you never know who or what is observing from a window far across the avenue. Look closely at the windows of an abandon building and you just might see a pair of glowing eyes looking back at you!

About the Author

Ruby is a promising writer who lives along the Roanoke River in North Carolina. She loves nature and animals as well as exciting stories that include paranormal activity. Ruby also loves poetry, children, and indigenous history. Ruby's unique writing ability entails "writing like people talk."