FOR MONTHS, AS I've visited Evan as his hospice social worker, he's been praying to die. He's in his 90s, and he's been fighting cancer for more than four years. As he sees it, his life has turned into a tedious, meaningless dirge with nothing to look forward to other than its end.
On this visit, though, he's engaged and upbeat. This sudden about-face arouses my suspicions.
"You seem to feel differently today," I say casually. "What's going on?"
He looks at me cryptically.
"Do you believe in ghosts?" he asks.
It's not the first time a patient has asked me this. People can have unusual experiences when they reach the end of life: visitations from spiritual beings, messages delivered in dreams, synchronicities, or strange behaviors by animals, birds, even insects.
"There are all kinds of ghosts," I respond seriously. "What kind are you talking about?"
"You remember me telling you about the war?" he asks.
How could I forget? He'd traced his long-standing depression to his time as a supply officer for a World War II combat hospital.
"I remember."
"There's something I left out," he says. "Something I can't explain." He goes on to describe one horrific, ice-cold autumn day: Casualties were coming in nonstop. He and others scrambled to transport blood-soaked men on stretchers to triage.
"I'd been hustling all day. My back felt broken, and my hands were numb from the cold."
He grimaces and swallows hard.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2022 edition of Reader's Digest US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Why Water Workouts Work
Swimming and other aquatic exercises have special benefits
A Week Under My Son's Roof
When roles reverse, it’s payback time
Cue the BBQ
A bowl of bulgogi is a treat for your taste buds
Surf's Up... Again
A Hawaiian helps victims of a devastating fire in the most Hawaiian way possible
IS EVERYONE ON OZEMPIC?
Everything you need to know about the new diabetes drugs shaping the weight-loss revolution
Hey Dad, Can You Help Me Return the Picasso I Stole?
A painting went missing in 1969, then turned up at a museums doorstep. No one knew how or why—until now.
WHEN A SNAKE FELL FROM THE SKY
THE WOMAN ON THE LAWN MOWER THOUGHT THAT WAS BADESPECIALLY WHEN IT HIT HER. THEN THE HAWK SWOOPED IN.
Popping the Question
Engagement stories from both sides of the bend
HOA HORROR STORIES
The good, the bad and the utterly bizarre!
Doing Dad's Bucket List
Laura Carney's father died suddenly, with unfinished business. So she started checking off the items for him.