In my early years, my family lived in back of a laundry mat. When the laundry was closed, my father would iron the shirts from 7 PM till midnight. From where he stood, he can see to his left the passage way from the storefront to the back living area. There were two open doorways to the left of the passage way, and the first one was where my brother, my two younger sisters and I slept in (two bunk beds). The second one was my parent's bedroom. When my youngest sister was four years old, I remember her waking up several times crying and shaking in fear. My parents would find out from my sister that she was woken up by an old woman gently stroking her face. My brother, my other sister and I sleeping in the same room, did not see or hear anything. One night my father heard my sister cry and he turned to his left at his ironing station, and there in the passage way stood an old woman. She had just came out of our bedroom. She looked at my father, smiled, turned and walked thru the wall of the passage way. My father was from the old country and he had heard of stories involving spirits. According to what he was told, young children are very sensitive to them. He simply walked over to the spot where the old woman disappeared into the wall, and spoke out in English as clearly as possible, "You are not welcomed here, please do not come back." Ever since he did that, my young sister never had any problems sleeping. Today my young sister who is in her early 40's still remembers the episode.
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