Hey, Readers. Welcome to another Mystery Monday post. This month’s topics are personal experiences or family stories.
I’ve always maintained the sixties and seventies were the best decades to grow up. Every generation feels this way, but life was simpler in those days. We didn’t have cable TV, cell phones, or video games. In summer, we played outside all day and never had a problem entertaining ourselves.
For me, forty acres of woods and fields was an ideal place. I climbed trees, waded in our creek, and rode a bicycle (on the road). Even though our house was only four miles from the nearest small town, with no nearby neighbors, I sometimes only saw friends when we went to church on Sundays. That was okay because I had an active imagination.
But on this particular summer afternoon, I heard something that wasn’t my imagination. It was late in the day, probably after dinner, when I went outside to play at the barn. It stood about thirty feet behind the house. Mom and Dad were inside. My brother wasn’t home. In those days, we didn’t have air conditioning, so we kept the windows open.
I was behind the barn when I heard someone call out my name. “Joan, Joan!” Thinking it was my dad, I hurried back to the house.
“Did you call me?” I asked.
“No.”
“But someone called my name. I was at the barn, and I heard it.”
Both Mom and Dad could see I was sincere and not making up a story. I can’t recall if Dad went to check, but I stayed inside the rest of the evening. We never knew who called my name.
A path in the woods between my brother’s cabin and my house. (My own photo)
This wasn’t the only time we heard unexplained voices on our property. Years later, my brother built a small cabin near our creek. One day, he was outside when he heard someone plainly say, “What are you doing?” No one was around.
Sound travels, and by this time we had closer neighbors. It could have been an echo. Then again, maybe not.
In the late 1970s, during an ice storm, Dad fell and broke his hip. Mom, my brother, and I were in the house. When Dad was unable to get up, he called out for help. Not to Mom and not to my brother. His words? “Joan, Joan!”
It was much like that summer afternoon when I was a child. I’ve often thought the voice I heard that day was a premonition of things to come.
I still live on the family property, but I haven’t heard any more unexplained voices.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the personal stories this month. Next week is Memorial Day, so I won’t be posting then. June is a busy time for me as I’m editing not one, but two pieces of fiction – a novel and a novella, so I’m taking a break from writing Mystery Monday posts then. They take a lot of time and research, so with my busy publishing schedule this year, I need to focus on that. I’m also going back to a twice-monthly schedule for Mystery Monday and Legends and Lore.
The next Mystery Monday will be in July. I may have a random post or two during the month of June, otherwise, I’ll see you at the end of the month with my book reviews.
Joan Hall 
Isn’t that cool? A fold in time there, Joan. And I like how you still live there, though it would be fun to still hear voices. Perhaps it was your father who had the paranormal ability. 🙂
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I did seem like a fold in time. Mysterious for sure. Thanks for stopping by, Diana.
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I agree with those who say you must have experienced a premonition. (Still spooky, though . . . )
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It was certainly spooky at the time, Liz.
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Great story, Joan. I thin it was a premonition.
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I tend to think so too, John.
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😁
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Kind of like an echo from the future. Some sci-fi books say time isn’t necessarily linear, so you never know. Have a nice break, Joan!
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Time is a mysterious concept if one starts to think about it. Thanks, Teri.
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Another fascinating and intriguing story, Joan. I love this stuff!
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Thanks so much, Nancy.
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Whoa, it was like a wrinkle in time, and then time straightened back out for the next 15 years.
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Now there is an interesting concept, Vera!
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What an intriguing story, Joan. I have heard unexplained voices before, but the one that stands out the most was in the middle of the night in the early eighties when I woke up to someone calling my name. I found out the next day a dear friend had passed away during the night. I always thought it was his voice I heard, but who knows. Thank you for sharing these personal stories. They’ve all been fantastic. Enjoy your break!
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That gives me goosebumps, Jan. Maybe it was a way of letting you know he had passed.
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I was convinced that was the case.
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So intriguing, Joan. Makes me wonder if guardian angels speak. 😊
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I wonder about that, Gwen.
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Such an entertaining post and strange happenings! Good luck with your busy June. Thanks for sharing, Joan 💕🙂
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Thanks, Harmony. I won’t get many new words written, but editing is necessary!
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That’s bizarre stuff. I could almost imagine a mocking bird or something, but the idea of it coming around again when your father was injured is freaky. I don’t think a bird could pull off the one with your brother, either. Fun post.
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I’ve heard lots of mockingbirds. They mimick the sound of other birds but not humans. The incident with my brother was probably an echo from our neighbor’s house. No idea about my event. The closest neighbor at that time was a half mile away.
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It’s too weird, for sure.
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Interesting story. I remember my mom telling me one time about a time when she was younger and she was sitting a stop light. She was alone in the car. The light turned green and as she was starting to pull out into the intersection she heard a voice calling out to her urgently beside her to stop. She did just so as a car ran a red light. She looked around for the source of the voice but there was no one.
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I believe those things happen, Jeanne. Much like last week’s post about my mom. That gives me chills. (The good kind.)
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Premonition? Or time anomaly? I kind of like the implications of the second. In any case, that’s unsettling. Glad there were no tragic endings to these anomalies.
Good luck with your busy June!
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I’ve heard that sound never dies. I’d like to think it was a premonition. Just took about 15 years to happen.
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Did you watch the movie or TV series Frequency? This loosely reminds me of that.
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I haven’t. Sounds interesting.
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I think you said you like Dennis Quaid. He was in the movie. I think you’d like it. Or at least find the premise interesting.
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I do like him. Thanks.
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I agree, those were great times, especially in the country. There are always some things that are unexplainable. THis is a great story. Good luck with your busy June.
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They were good times, Darlene. Thanks for the good wishes.
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Eerie and unexplainable. I find stuff like this fascinating, Joan.
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Me too, Pete. Probably one of the reasons I write mysteries.
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