Karina Machado is a
journalist, host of the
Spirit Sisters podcast
and the author of Spirit
Sisters, Where Spirits
Dwell and Love Never
Dies, a non-fiction
series exploring the
extraordinary
experiences of
ordinary people. Now,
on the upcoming The
Ghost Files podcast,
each week, Karina
will introduce a guest
who’ll share their
personal encounter
with the spirit world.W
hen my two children
were preschoolers,
my husband started
seeing ghosts in our little 1920s
cottage in Sydney. These were
no corner-of-the-eye shadows,
but full apparitions.
There was a cheeky boy who
peered at him from around
a doorway, a lady in a red
nightgown who glided down the
hall and, finally, a blonde girl who
was so lifelike, he mistook her for
our daughter. I never saw them
(phew!) but I did sense a strange
charge in the air, as light bulbs
exploded and toys crashed over
in the dead of night.
Though this was the most
extreme spooky encounter I’d ever
experienced, it wasn’t the first. I’d
been aware of a world beyond
our senses since I was very
young, listening wide-eyed to my
mother’s stories about uncanny
events in Uruguay, where I was
born. I was enchanted by the idea
that there was more to life than
what our five senses dictated, and
alongside C.S. Lewis and Enid
Blyton, I was always readingtrue ghost
stories, too.
I loved
stories about
the afterlife
because they
gave me hope, not fear. They
made me wonder about
possibilities, and filled me with
awe about life and its mysteries.
I’m not alone in taking solace
in the unexplained, as I
discovered when I wrote Spirit
Sisters and met women including
Kath, who lost her two daughters
in a horrific accident, and only
found the strength to go on when
she saw their spirits fluttering
toward her one night ...
I met Amy, who saw a family
materialise in front of her at
a sleepover when she was in
primary school. She’s never
forgotten how the curious little
boy reached out with his finger
to prod her leg ...
These things weren’t possible,
but they happened, and in
sharing these encounters,
experiencers find solace,
comfort and a sense of belonging.DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE ON THE
GHOST FILES PODCAST? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR
ABOUT IT. EMAIL KARINAMACHADO@
OPTUSNET.COM.AU WITH A SUMMARY OF YOUR
EXPERIENCE AND YOUR CONTACT DETAILS.GET THE BUZZ
The other day my grandson, 4,
was playing in the sandpit.
A mosquito was buzzing
around his head, distressing him
quite a bit.
So I came over and clapped
my hand, squashing the mozzie
and showed him I got it.
“Good Girl Nan!” he said,
with a huge grin, impressed. Then
he took me by the hand and led
me around the corner.
His big eyes looked at me with
faith as he pointed up at a wasps’
nest and said “GET ’EM NAN!!”
MARIJANA RANSLEY,
PELHAM, TAS.PET
OF THE
WEEKFILES
THE
MACHADO
KARINA
My daughter Clara,
1, loves going to
grandad and
grandma’s farm
to help feed the
baby calves.
FIONA SIMPSON,
KINGAROY, QLD.
75