A Ghost Story: The Gold Watch

A Hudson Valley Ghost Story: The Gold Watch

I met the hottest boy that I had ever seen. I was 18 and working my first full-time job here in the Hudson Valley. John was different from any boy I had ever met, he was kind and considerate.  He was tall, blond, tan and had the best personality I have ever encountered in a boy that age.   He had a car and he wore a fancy gold watch that he would always fidget with.  I was smitten with him.

John would come in the store where I worked almost daily, while we had the benefit of a great friendship, we never really took that leap into a relationship. After a period of time, I married, but John and I remained friends.

The Christmas season was upon us. I worked in retail and it was just crazy in the store that night. John came in and was clearly frustrated. I wouldn’t know why until later when it was too late. I asked what the problem was and he just couldn’t talk about it. He gestured that he would talk to me later. Little did I know, later would never come.

The next day a co-worker came rushing in to find me. He was young and oblivious to how I felt about my friend. Jim just blurted out, “DID YOU HEAR ABOUT MR. DELI MAN?!” That is how he referred to my friend. John worked in a deli. “HE’S DEAD!” I could not believe what I was hearing. John was murdered. Manslaughter as it would be judged later. John lost his life fighting over a girl. He was stuck in the larynx and left in the cold to die. I then understood what his frustration was and realized that I never would talk to him later or ever again for that matter.

This story is not over. I did see John again.

They say that spirits or ghosts are struck between this existence and the next due to some tragic event or some unrest. Maybe they just are not aware that they have expired.

I was asleep. I awoke to a bright light in the living room. I was immediately miffed at my now ex-husband for not turning out the light. Just then I realized that the light was not on. I woke myself out of my fog. I blinked and I blinked again. The glow was still there on my couch. Just then I saw the bright image very slowly move toward the door. There was one thing I could clearly make out. It was the shine of a gold watch.

UPDATE 8/17/2009:

If  you read my story about the The Gold Watch on Haunted Hudson Valley, you know that I never had closure after the death of my friend.

A colleague was asking me about my site today and I started to tell him about my story and he said “John Doe?” (don’t want to use his real name). I said, “Yes”! Did you know him? He said, “Yes!, I knew him well.”

I told him my ghost story and then we connected later online via Facebook.

We chatted a little about how John died and I now know where he is buried. I will be visiting his grave soon to say goodbye.  Something I was never able to do.

How ironic is that?

In October 2009,  I finally located the grave of my friend.  It was a very emotional time for me. Even after all this time, old feelings came to the surface.  I visited his grave again on his birthday and at Christmas. I was happy to see that someone had put little red bows on the shrubs surrounding his grave stone. It let me know that he was watched over by someone other than me.  Even if Haunted Hudson Valley™ ceased to exist tomorrow, it was all worth it. Who knew that creating this site would bring me back to my friend?

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