The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

I RETURNED HOME FROM A BRIDGE TOURNAMENT AT 3:00 A.M.
TO FIND ALL THE LIGHTS ON AT MY HOUSE. MY WIFE WAS UP
HAVING A CUP OF COFFEE. SHE LOOKED VERY UPSET. SHE
TOLD ME THAT SHE HAD BEEN UNABLE TO SLEEP FOR THE LAST
FEW HOURS BECAUSE OF SOME STRANGE OCCURRANCES.
ABOUT ONE O'CLOCK, SHE WAS AWAKENED WHEN THE BED
SEEMED TO VIBRATE. SHE THEN HEARD A NOISE AT THE BEDROOM
WINDOW AS THOUGH SOMEONE WERE SCRAPING THE SCREEN. SHE
BECAME SO FRIGHTENED THAT SHE TURNED ON ALL THE LIGHTS
AND WAITED FOR MY RETURN. SOOTHING HER NERVES AS BEST
I COULD, I PERSUADED HER TO RETURN TO BED. SHORTLY
WE WERE BOTH ASLEEP.
AT SIX O'CLOCK THE NEXT MORNING WE WERE AWAKENED BY THE
PHONE. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW INFORMED ME THAT MY FATHER-
IN-LAW HAD JUST DIED OF A HEART ATTACK.
THE DECEASED HAD BEEN TO OUR HOME THE PREVIOUS DAY AND
HAD GIVEN MY WIFE SOME CUTTINGS FROM HIS GARDEN. THE
TWIGS WERE PLACED IN A JAR, WHICH MY WIFE LEFT ON THE
WINDOW SILL OUTSIDE OF OUR BEDROOM WINDOW. IN THE
MORNING WE FOUND THE JAR HAD FALLEN AND BROKEN.
MY FATHER-IN-LAW HAD BEEN IN GOOD HEALTH SO MY WIFE
HAD NO INDICATION THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED HER TO WORRY
SO MUCH.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; ROSEVILLE