For years, the kids have joked about our house being haunted.  Any weird noise, sound, movement, or otherwise unexplainable thing (to them) has been attributed to a spirit of some sort.

They’ve gone so far as to give the sounds a name.

First it was Casper.

Then it morphed into Fred.

Why?

I have no idea why – they’re kids.  They come up with all sorts of odd explanations and names for things.

I’ve always gone along with them and agreed that it was Casper or Fred.  I regaled them with my own haunted stories from the old Victorian house I grew up in.  The fact that some past resident died in my parents’ bedroom helped fuel my own imagination as a child.

I joked and played along with all of their fanciful imagined tales until the “truth” of the unexplained finally had a rational explanation.  I tried to allow the “truth” to be found out by the kids on their own whenever possible – but I’ve banished ghosts from closets and made a game out of making friends with monsters in the past.

Until tonight.

Tonight, the kids found out the truth about Fred.

It has caused an uproar that won’t soon die down I’m sure.

Tonight the kids found out that Fred is real.

For years, the kids played that Fred was a joke.  To find out that Fred is real has them freaked out.  To realize they picked his correct name freaks them out even more.  To know he’s been really, really with us this whole time has them ooked out beyond belief and I think it’s hilarious!

I commented to them – “Why do you think I’ve never disagreed with you that it was Fred making those noises?”

That spiraled the kids into a massive fit of disbelief and mild hysteria.

Fred currently lives in our house, tucked away until the time is right.  When will the time be right?  Whenever Hun finally decrees it to be so and gets his brothers to agree as well.

You see…..tonight they found out that Fred is Dad to Hun, Father-In-Law to me, and Grandfather to the kids – and he’s currently ashes inside a box, tucked away at the back of our bedroom closet.  He’s been in this state for at least 17 years, and in our closet for the past 12 years.  And his name really, really was Fred.

Hun has faithfully carted him from location to location until the time is right to “let go” once and for all.

Something tells me that time is going to come quicker than Hun expected based on tonight’s conversation!