About two weeks ago, I was sitting on the sofa in front of our television set with my eyes closed. Somehow, I felt a presence, and opened my eyes.

I saw four elderly women standing in front of the television set. They were wearing the traditional dress of the Ifugao woven in the Mountain Province. They were looking at me without smiling or saying a word. Then, I realized, they must be ghosts!

When I realized they must be ghosts, I expected them to disappear, but they did not. They just stood there looking at me.

When they did not disappear and dissolve into thin air, I shouted for our household help to come out from the kitchen. I wanted them to see the ghosts. But before they could come out of the kitchen, the four ghosts disappeared into thin air like clouds.

That was not the first time I had seen a ghost that appeared very much like they were physically alive. In the 1990s, I was inside a tall building in Makati in front of the elevator as I was about to go down. My host, named Ed, pressed the down button of the elevator. When it stopped at the ninth floor where we were, and the doors opened, I saw three construction workers inside. The one in the middle, who was taller than the other two, nodded to me.

When the elevator moved, it went up instead of down, which puzzled me, but I did not pay too much attention to it. The elevator doors opened at the 11th floor, and the three construction workers went out. Then, the elevator stopped again on the ninth floor before proceeding down.

I was somehow puzzled at the appearance of the three construction workers inside the elevator. So I asked Ed, “Did you see those three construction workers inside the elevator?” And Ed asked, “What three men? You were all alone inside that elevator.”

So I asked Ed if he could inquire about the history of that building. He found out that when it was under construction, one of the floors collapsed, killing several construction workers!

One can seldom encounter a ghost that appears as solid as a living person. Most ghosts seen by people appear like a cloud that simply dissolves into thin air in a split second. Why do ghosts appear to the living? There are many reasons. One is because the spirit of the dead needs to convey an important message to the living they were not able to impart when alive. Another is to seek their help by prayers.

Another reason is to assure the living close relatives that they are all right, and should not worry about them.

We should not be afraid if we encounter a ghost because they mean us no harm. Often, ghosts appear to the living because they do not know they are already dead. That is why praying for the dead helps them to rest in peace. It makes them realize they are already dead, and should not bother the living.

Ghosts appear to the living for a reason. So, when you encounter a ghost, ask it what it wants from you. If you do not, the ghost may continue to haunt you, until you listen to what it wants to say.

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