Katie Coutts - The Ghost Whisperer - A Real-Life Psychic’s Stories

Charlie had been killed in a road accident when Stephanie was a year old. But Stephanie’s mum had never forgotten him. In many ways, her marriage ended then, but she kept things going till Stephanie was 12.

There were so many things Stephanie wanted to say to her mum. But she knew at this stage that she couldn’t. She had no idea how she would get used to the idea of this other father, but somehow so many things from her childhood now made sense, including the fact that the man she thought of as her dad never had any real interest in her. ‘I just thought he didn’t love me. Now I see why,’ she wrote.

I never heard from Charlie again, but I know with absolute certainty that his spirit would have been with us that day, listening and feeling proud of his daughter, and smiling with such fondness.

Not One but Two!

As you know by now, my office often plays host to a spirit during readings, but there have been occasions when more than one has come along. In fact, I can think of several instances, but the one I rather liked was the story of Elma and Elaine, two sisters, both dead, who liked to keep an eye on their niece. Her name was Sophie and she had come to me for a reading.

Elma and Elaine had obviously liked to party, but as that was during the 1920s, their idea of a dance was quite different from ours. But they were unabashed about doing it. Elma even showed me some of the steps of the charleston! They were delightful ladies and had had sad lives, but that didn’t stop them looking out for their niece. What was more, she knew they did. When she came in for a consultation, she told me she’d probably brought visitors with her. And sure enough, within about five minutes, I was aware of the almost overwhelming presences of these ladies. ‘They’re supposed to be my old aunts,’ Sophie said. ‘But they don’t behave very much like it!’

The strange thing was that although it was Sophie who had come for the reading – and she was perfectly open in talking about her aunts – they were the ones who wanted to speak to me. Elma in particular. She’d had an unhappy love affair, just after the First World War, and been forced into marriage with a much older man she didn’t love, who was cruel to her. There had been a baby with her lover, whom she had also been forced to give up. It was something Sophie’s mum didn’t know because she had only been a small child at the time, and Elma had never spoken about it. She wanted Sophie to know this, however. She had never been able to be with her son or have other children, so that was why Sophie was so important to her and why she spent so much time hanging around her.

Sophie didn’t dispute this story. She had always felt there was a secret unhappiness about her aunt Elma. Sophie shed quite a few tears at her story because she had always been fond of her. When Sophie was a little girl, Aunt Elma had been a ‘great pal’. Her sense of fun was immense, and even as an old lady she had been young at heart.

Elaine, on the other hand, had never married, and she was honest about the fact that she was what at that time was known as ‘simple’. Her life had been one of drudgery and she had looked after her mum. But she had adored Elma, and that was why she wanted only to be where her sister was. The pride she had in Sophie was clear – if for no other reason than that Sophie had done the things in her life Elaine would have liked to do. She had married and had children, then gone on to train at college. If only Elaine could have had these chances, but she hadn’t.

But what she wanted Sophie to know was that, no matter how she had been viewed in life, she was entirely different now. In fact, she went as far as to say she had gone to college with Sophie and trained too!

‘I can believe it!’ said Sophie.

The ladies didn’t stay. They understood Sophie’s need to discuss some things that were private, and at that point they vanished. Sophie wasn’t worried. She knew that when she arrived home they’d probably be waiting for her and that they’d make their presence felt by switching the kettle on for her when she got in.

I could believe this too. These were fascinating ladies, with the right modicum of respect for their charge. It’s not always true of all spirits, but Elma and Elaine were certainly in a class of their own.

The Mum who Wanted to be Remembered

Let’s face it, isn’t that what most people want? To be remembered? To be known and appreciated by their loved ones? Well, spirits are no exception. Their longings are usually very much the same, only theirs have the added poignancy that they’re gone, often leaving loved ones behind in terrible situations.

When Yvonne came to see me, I thought that such a spirit had to be connected with her. I instantly had a sense of the most beautiful young woman with her – a really refined girl, with naturally curly auburn hair and sparkling green eyes that seemed to shine. She had such a calm, quiet aura about her and was determined to follow Yvonne in.

Before I began the reading, I felt I just had to know who this woman was. Her presence was so clear to me, I actually thought Yvonne herself must be aware of it. But she wasn’t. When I told her what I could see, she looked surprised. No, she hadn’t lost her mum, or an aunt, or sister, or anyone that close to her. But as I described the lady, and how exceptionally pretty she was, Yvonne did become thoughtful. She opened her handbag and fished in it for a moment or so. Then she produced a photograph. It was of a very handsome young man. The hair was dark but the eyes were entirely the same as the woman’s.

‘That’s Pete, my boyfriend,’ Yvonne said. ‘Does he look like the woman?’

It turned out that Pete’s mum had died when he was only two and he had never really known her, but he had been told about how stunning she was to look at. He had always longed to know her and regretted never having the chance. His dad had remarried and he was close to his stepmum. It was just that he wished he had known more about his real mum, so I was glad of this opportunity to tell Yvonne some things about her.

In particular, she had been very musical. She also suffered from a circulatory problem which meant her hands were always cold, no matter how many clothes she heaped on. As I relayed this to Yvonne, she smiled. This was one of the few things Pete knew about his mum.

‘You know,’ I said, ‘She’s come for another purpose. You’re going to have a baby before the year is out and she wants you to know everything will be fine.’ This was especially poignant because Pete’s mum had died following complications when she was giving birth to Pete’s sister.

Yvonne was surprised by this. I don’t think she believed me, or wanted to at that stage! But Pete’s mum was adamant. She went on to say that the baby would be a girl, and that she wanted Pete and Yvonne to get married, although she understood that Yvonne was waiting for a divorce.

As things turned out, Pete’s mum was surprisingly accurate about these things. I hadn’t even begun to read Yvonne’s cards and didn’t know that this was the situation. But Yvonne soon confessed that it was true.

After the reading, Yvonne got back in touch. It was to say that she had talked to Pete and, although at first he had been sceptical, the woman I had described was his mum. He was going to send me a copy of a photograph he had of her with her lovely auburn hair. And he did. In it she was exactly as she came over. And I still keep it to this day to remind me of that special session.

Yvonne did become pregnant and she and Pete had a little girl, who was later a bridesmaid at their wedding! So far as I know, they’re still happy. Pete’s mum certainly never said they wouldn’t be. And her predictions were absolutely a hundred per cent correct. In some ways, though, I’m glad she’s a spirit. She might put me out of business otherwise!