Do ghosts smell? Can you actually smell a ghost? Where do you think the Halloween saying comes from, “Trick or treat, smell my feet”? The Halloween ghost smells?
Serena’s grandmother had died about three days before Christmas. The elderly lady was in her eighties. She passed away in the early hours of the morning. Madam Flint died at the bewitching hour of the Catholics. The faithful would know that on The Hour, the portal stood open for souls. Souls could experience the most mercy from Jesus at The Hour.
The season was inexplicably sad, what with the gloomy winter weather and a death. The doctor was notified and she dropped in to check on the death. The deceased was dead on arrival for her record. The medical examiner was informed early in the morning but he took his time coming as he had prior commitments to fulfill.
The ME arrived at around noon. Madame Flint had not eaten or drunk for several days before her death. Her body had begun to slowly shut down and she lost her appetite. After death, her body went into rigor mortis and the muscles of her anus relaxed but there was no waste in her colon to be released. When the ME arrived, he was not assailed with a soiled deathbed.
Madame Flint’s death bed was relatively unsoiled. She had suffered from incontinence and was bedridden so she had been wearing adult diapers for several years.
She was wearing one on the day she died. Her diaper remained worn after her death and it served to shield the bed from soiling. There used to be a smell of human waste whenever Madame Flint dirtied her diaper. Serena and the care giver were familiar with this odor.
After the ME signed the death certificate to certify that he checked the disease, Serena’s father rang up the mortuary. The mortician’s undertakers came to remove Madame Flint to prepare her for her casket.
The undertakers’ procedure took several hours as the body had to be drained off the remaining fluids to slow down decomposition. A preservative was injected. The final touches were the dressing of the corpse, then the facial and hand makeup.
The mortician and undertakers used the wardrobe provided by Madame Flint’s family as the elderly lady had left instructions on her preferred attire and accessories, right down to her costume jewelry.
It was evening when Madame Flint was returned to her home for her funeral wake. The florist called Madame Flint’s home to ensure that her body was resting at home before he delivered the flowers, and condolence wreaths.
Serena visited her family home for her grandmother’s wake on the first night. She paid her respects. The closed casket had a small window for mourners to look into the coffin. Madame Flint looked peaceful as she was laid to eternal rest.
Madame Flint’s church pastor sent some senior leaders to assist in the funeral wake memorial services. The church informed some members who came to share the bereavement of the family. It was poignant and beautiful.
After some time, Serena had to use the bathroom. Not wishing to disrupt the service in the living room, Serena went to use the toilet at the back of the house. It was the external toilet for the hired help to use.
Serena had almost finished her business when she was assailed by a funny smell. That smell! Serena recognized the familiar, pungent odor. It was her grandmother’s odor! Grandmother came back to look at her own funeral proceedings.
Serena felt scared. She had heard how the dead sometimes visited their own funeral wakes and made their presence known by smells. She was sure Grandmother Flint had returned and was making her presence known to her. She hurriedly left the external restroom and re-entered the house. The odor didn’t follow her there.
Friends, have you heard or experienced something similar about familiar smells of a deceased person returning to greet their loved ones?