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, synchroni- cities or strange behaviours 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, icecold autumn day: Casualties were coming in non-stop. 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.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2023-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2023-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Next Stop: Who Knows?
We wanted to do a once-in-a-lifetime trek in northern Laos. Just getting there became the adventure
ME & MY SHELF
Former director-general of the Delhi Policy Group, Radha Kumar is an academic, author and policy analyst. Her most recent book, The Republic Relearnt: Renewing Indian Democracy (1947-2024), explores the triumphs and the democratic decay of the Indian Republic.
The Journey Of The Kon-Tiki
Is it possible to cross the Pacific on a wooden raft? Natural scientist Thor Heyerdahl risks everything to prove it
Hot and (Un)bothered
Not that anyone in India needs to be reminded, but summer is here, and the collective energy dissipated by people complaining about the heat is making climate change even worse.
GOTCHA!
We asked for it: What’s the best prank you ever pulled?
Do More With Your Tech
You're undoubtedly missing out on cool features that can help make life easier, safer and even more fun
Why Water Workouts Work
Swimming and other aquatic exercises have special benefits
Surf's Up... Again
A Hawaiian helps victims of a devastating fire in the most Hawaiian way possible
HUMOUR in UNIFORM
I got sloppy with my shaving one morning and nicked my skin.
Leave the WILD Things Be
Wild animals have been made to serve a variety of human needs, including recreational ones. It’s up to everyday folk to decry the use of animals for entertainment