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B J Laubscher – Where Mystery dwells

Mrs. Strydom wrote :

"Well doctor I am one of those unfortunate people who came into the world with a faculty that sees the things which are invisible to others. Perhaps it is something natural. I really do not know.

My mind cannot grasp the wherefores and whyfores of these purposes of a Higher Hand.

"I must have been very small when I saw a parade of people and ovely [sic] things appeared like the sun sometimes suddenly does on a grey and cloudy day. I have a clear memory of a definite vision.

I was five years old and woke in the night, and there right in front of my bed sat my granddad. I was so surprised to see 'Oupa' (granddad) there that I called to my mother 'Look Mum here is Oupa.'She lit the lamp but 'Oupa' was gone. Was I surprised!

So I said :'Oupa must have crawled under the bed. He was sitting right here on this chair.' I would not rest and insisted that mother should look under the bed. But we could not find him. Then a few days later 'Oupa' died. Sometime later one night while lying awake, I could not sleep and someone came and said farewell to me. I did not know who it was but a few days later I learned that a well-known neighbour had died.

"At the age of fourteen my mother was sick and I had to help her and as I looked towards her bedroom window I saw a light floating, as it were, and it passed the window. This so fascinated me I wondered who it could be, so I peered out and would you believe it, the light came back but the motion was slow; it passed the window quietly and then vanished. My mother died two weeks later.

You can imagine doctor I began to worry about these visions, for always there was some ominous significance. One midday my eldest sister and I stood in the dining room and as I looked at the front door an old 'Tannie' (Aunt) whom I knew well went past.

I told my sister that I had seen the old 'Tannie'. She had gone round to the back of the house. My sister went to look for her and came back to tell me I was crazy there was no one there. Well would you believe it, half-an-hour later a friend came to tell us the 'ou Tannie' had just passed away suddenly. Now tell me doctor how would you explain this?

"There are no queer people in my family. Not one has been insane, then why do people ridicule and jeer at one when you talk about these visions? I can't help this. It is from beyond any power of my will.

But there is one experience that lives in my mind. That is the one about 'Oom' (Uncle) Moggee. I was feeling terribly restless the whole Sunday. I had a strange intuition that something would happen. I did not know what I was afraid of, but it was not the fear for a person, it was a vague anxiety. I was already seventeen years old but try as I would I could not control this peculiar inner anxiety; this impulse which made it impossible to sit still. I tried to read; I liked reading, but there was my mind running away from the book, seeking something, heaven knew what. At last I became so worked up that I got up and walked about outside in the garden-backwards and forwards-just moving my legs which my feelings would not leave in peace.

"Well while I was in that state of mind Oom Moggee came past the garden. He knew all about my visions and premonitions and used to tease me about them. But when he saw me in the garden he stopped and said : 'Pop, are you afraid of a vision again? Why do you roam about so restlessly in the garden? 'I answered : 'Yes, I am afraid.' Well would you believe me doctor that same night I woke-l was wide awake-and there before me stood Oom Moggee. Those eyes were so wide open, staring at me and there was his body, and it had a streaming faint glow around it. I knew then that Oom Moggee would die soon.

"Somehow, being young I fell asleep but woke early and dressed as quickly as I could and ran to the house of an 'ou Tannie' near-by. We understood each other, but as I ran into her house she first scolded me for running in the rain without an overcoat. I did not reply to her scolding but burst out in excitement and said 'Tannie, Oom Moggee is going to die. I saw him life-like last night but he was in a spirit body."

"The Tannie was so taken aback that she said :'Our heavenly Father my child, you must not say such a thing. Did you not know that Oom Moggee had a haemorrhage from his lung late last night and the doctor was called?' I told her that I knew nothing about any illness of Oom Moggee's. I only saw him in my room in a beautiful body. Well doctor, Oom Moggee died three weeks later.