First Paranormal Experience: The Shaman Bells

Reading these New Orleans books lately, I guess I'm in a "paranormal" place - and after my post below, I was thinking more about my own 2 unexplained experiences.   

I can't tell the second one publicly (because it involves my daughter and freaked her out), but I can tell you about the first paranormal experience I ever had (which also involves my daughter, but more indirectly - she was literally 3 weeks old lol).

Well, let me amend that to say it was the first of 2 paranormal/unexplained experiences I had as an adult that I was absolutely certain really happened and was witnessed.

So my friend, we'll call Sandy, came over to visit.  She handed me a box and said, "Oh, this is a New Momma gift from Sarah (her sister, not her real name)." 

I opened it, and it appeared to be a beautiful intricate silver-charm necklace, like these in the photo below, but the "charms" were smaller and more intricate, and the chain was much, much longer. I had to double it to wear it.  

There was no card or explanation with it, just a necklace. Her sister was really into alternative stuff and knew I like that kind of jewelry, so I dug it. 

The end, right?  

Just a charm necklace, which I kept it in the original box (because I thought the box was pretty, too) on my dresser. 

Oh not so, as I soon find out. 

So one night, while my daughter's father was working late (he managed a restaurant), my little sister was staying with me to help me with my new baby.  She was up watching TV and I went to bed, waiting for the 2 a.m. cry and feeding.  I turned the baby monitor on and went to bed. 

Right at the stage where you're in between wake and sleep, just drifting off, I heard "RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE" - super loud, like it was right next to my ear. 

I sat straight up - WTF? 

I flipped on the light and looked around my bed, seeing if perhaps I kicked a stray baby rattle or something. Nothing. 

I ran into my daughter's room - sound asleep.  No toys or rattles in the bed to hear on the monitor, just stuffed animals. 

I check on my sister, who has fallen asleep with her mouth open, while watching TV, so it wasn't her messing with me.

I check to make sure all the windows and doors are locked and if anyone is running around outside - nothing. 

I say to myself, "You're sleep deprived and dreaming, you idiot, go back to sleep."

I climb back in the bed and a few minutes later, same stage of sleep, "RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE."  

I sit up and flip on the light, my heart racing.  

I did NOT imagine that, what was it? 

I'm flipping over this and that, tearing the room up, shaking things, trying to make that noise again, but I couldn't find it. 

I go out to my sister and tap her to see if she's really asleep or pretending to be and just played a prank on me.  Considering there's drool coming out of her mouth - no, she wasn't pretending lol.

I wake her up and say, "R, are you messing with me?  Please tell me you are, because if not, I'm scared to death  that somebody's trying to break in" - and explained what happened. 

She comes in the bedroom and we both start flipping things over, shaking them.  

She picks up the box on the dresser with the necklace in it and shakes it.

Me: "THAT'S IT! R, that's the sound! Only it sounded like it was right in my ear."

 

R:  "But it's all the way over here! And why would it rattle? Okay, maybe it's when the AC comes on, it pushes the box or something?  Let's put it in the laundry basket full of clothes, with a towel over it, then if you hear it again, it's not that." 

 

Me:  "Okay. Or maybe there's a screw loose in the vent or something and that's what's actually rattling.  But it was SO loud, R.  Like right in my ear, loud.  I thought somebody was trying to break in or something. My heart is racing.  Will you please sleep in here with me until Z gets home? lol"

 

R: "Oh my God, you big baby, fine. I think you're just a zombie at this point from lack of sleep from the baby and your mind is playing tricks on you, but I will. " 

 

Me: "Wait, one of us has to stay awake while the other falls asleep.  Since it happened to me, can you stay awake until I fall asleep?"

 

R: "Oh my God, whatever. I'll try."

Then she sits up leaning against the wall to keep herself from falling asleep. 

A few minutes later - RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE. 

R (jumping straight up and screaming): "What the F*CK!  How did you do that? I tried to stay awake, but nothing happened and you seemed asleep.  Right when I was drifting off ... That's not effing funny!  It's scary and annoying as hell.  How did you do that, you were asleep?!?"

 

Me:  "I swear to God and on M's life that was NOT me.  I thought it was YOU messing with me. See?  I'm not making this up, it's not me, it's not you, and it's not the baby - what IS that?"

 

R: "I don't know, but that was real. It was so loud, like it was right in my ear. Holy shit, that was scary. Right as you're drifting off, not really asleep but not really awake."

We ran into the baby's room to check again - nothing.  Sound asleep. 

So I grabbed her anyway, and my sister and I held her, and each other, on the couch with golf clubs in hand, in case somebody was actually trying to break in lol. 

We called Z, crying and frantic.  He doesn't believe in anything, really, but he could tell we were genuinely terrified, so he thought it was somebody trying to break in, so he came right home, grabbed the golf club,  and opened every closet door, checked the patio door - nothing. 

My sister says already what I'm thinking:  "Okay, this may sound weird, but I have a bad feeling about that necklace, now, because  that was definitely  the same rattle, just louder. I mean, we don't  know, it's tribal looking. It could be bad juju or something lol.  Let's throw it out.  It's kinda weird anyway."

So we put it out in the courtyard and left it there forever lol 

And guess what? I never heard the rattle again.

A few weeks later, we go visit Sarah in Cincinnati and meet Sarah for breakfast.  

Sarah: "What did you think about your gift?" 

Now, I had told Sandy about the experience, but I told her not to tell Sarah, because I didn't want to hurt her feelings, just to thank her for me.

 

Me: "Oh, did Sandy not tell you thank you, for me? 

I looked at Sandy, who shook her head "No" - I guess she didn't even want to get into it what happened.  

 

It's a beautiful necklace, thank you. looks like handmade tribal jewelry, where did it come from?"  

Sarah: "What?  Were you wearing that around like a necklace? LOL. Sandy, did you not give her the card that went with it? There was a card! 

 

Oh Honey - that's not a silver-charm necklace, they're shaman bells, blessed by a Tibetan monk - they're supposed to rattle when there are evil spirits around you and your baby."

I literally dropped my fork - then nearly soiled myself lol.

They said I turned white as a sheet and they gave me some water  - then told her what happened.

And I could tell that this wasn't something Sarah and Sandy cooked up - Sarah was genuinely frustrated with Sandy for not giving me the card that came with it, but Sandy said she never saw a card, and was nearly as white as me when Sarah said that and felt horrible about the whole thing.

Sarah just smiled.

 

Sarah:  "Well ... at least we know it works? lol" 

 

Me: "Greeaat.  Evil spirits suddenly showed up around me, my baby, and my little sister.  Oh, thanks, Tibetan monk! Thanks for letting me know evil spirits are around us -  NOW what the hell are you supposed to do if there are, other than sit up all night clutching your baby and your little sister for dear life with a golf club in your hand, praying?lol" 

And I don't know anything about this shit - do you? I mean, how do we know what we're dealing with.  Assuming that any of this stuff is even true, how can we be sure they were blessed instead of cursed, considering we ignorant Americans tourists buy them, they could be cursing them for all we know lol - how do we know it doesn't draw evil spirits instead of warn you of them? lol"

 

Sarah: "Wow, I guess never thought of that.  I guess we don't." 

Grrrreat. I think I'd rather not know anything "evil" was nearby, than know but not know what to do but pray.

I'd never really had a paranormal experience before that - or at least once that I was absolutely sure of - until that day - and I swear to you, on my life, it's 100% true.

(I just feel bad for whomever found those shaman bells.  Because what good is it if they ring but you have no idea of what to do about it? lol)