Location: Fareham, Hampshire, England
Summary: A deeply personal memory from the day my dad passed away, when his spirit appeared before me with a final message of guidance and responsibility.
The Story
My dad, Brian Llewelyn Morris, died in Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Hampshire, in February 2005. He had been admitted on my birthday the previous month. I won’t go into the details of his passing, because that isn’t what this story is about, but he was on life support, and as a family we eventually had to make the decision to turn the machines off.
When the time came, my mum and sister went to the hospital to be with him. I wasn’t allowed to go because I had an open wound on my leg infected with MRSA, which meant I couldn’t enter the ward. Instead, I stayed at home, answering calls from family and friends and letting them know when the moment finally came.
I was sitting alone in my dad’s armchair in the front room of our home when it happened. In the quiet of the house, he appeared before me, not physically, but as a clear, unmistakable presence. A ghostly image of him stood in front of me and spoke softly. He told me he had died, that I was now the head of the family, and that Mum would need me more than ever.
I hadn’t been able to cry properly for years because of damage to my tear ducts, but as he spoke, I broke down completely. My dry eyes wept, my shoulders shook, and I sobbed uncontrollably. Yet I wasn’t frightened, and strangely, I wasn’t even surprised. I’ve seen spirits before and had a few near‑death experiences of my own, but nothing had ever hit me like this.
After giving me his message, he faded away. I waited for the hospital to call, but instead, a short while later, my sister brought my mum home. She came through the kitchen door in tears, trying to tell me that Dad had passed. I held her and told her I already knew, because he had visited me.
She didn’t doubt a word of it. She had been with me twice when I was a young boy and the spirit of my grandma, my dad’s mother, had visited me after her death. This was not new territory for either of us.
Of all the strange experiences I’ve had in my life, this one has stayed with me the most. Whenever I think back to that moment, I feel my dad with me again, and I know he’s still by my side wherever I go.
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