Domino, Part 4: Dances with Spirits

They say that children and animals are especially aware of the spirit world. Of course, you know who “they” are. Someday I will have to write an article about those “they” people that we hear so much about. After all, “they” spend an awful lot of time discussing issues and ideas somewhere behind our backs.

In any case, there seems to be something to that idea. The old house I wrote about earlier, which burned down, was a spooky place for a young boy. In fact, there was more to the basement in that house than just a scary dark nook off a creepy dim passageway.

Perhaps it had something to do with the extra-sensitive nature of children, and perhaps it was just the nature of children to be easily frightened. The logical mind will want to jump on the second of those two choices, but having been “that child”; I am not convinced either way.

Often, while playing with my little cars and trucks on the floor of the basement, I could be just peachy-keen, happy as could be, deeply immersed within an imaginary town or construction site. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, I would become “aware” of a disturbing change in the room.

Usually, I would fight this feeling for a while, wanting to continue my play. Unfortunately, the feeling would only get worse, and the episode always ends with me running to the stairs, trying to climb them, but always making it only half way. I would then hang onto these painted wooden slats, which ran vertically along the open side of the stairway, and I would look wide-eyed down to the room where I was playing, searching for the monster that was surely there.

Fast forward now, beyond the day of the house fire. I am older, and we are living in a new house; built on the site of the burned one. I am not having those exact, helpless “feelings” anymore, perhaps because of the change in scenery, but I certainly was not immune to getting a little freaked-out.

Once in a while, my good friend Domino, the Siamese cat, would get that feeling too, or so it seemed. Domino, and perhaps this is characteristic of all Siamese, would stand the hair up on his back, his tail would puff out like it was some kind of giant, living pipe-cleaner, and he would focus on “something”.

One of these episodes nearly killed me. I was alone one night, watching television in our basement. It was unfinished, but we had a couch and a TV, on the other side of the long cement room from the stairway. The back of the couch faced the open space.

I really don’t remember if there was a scary movie or show on the television, but these sixty seconds are etched in my memory as if it happened yesterday. Domino was laying half on and half off my lap as he often did.

All of a sudden, he got to his feet, moving very slowly, his eyes fixed on the darkness behind me. He put his front paws on my leg and stretched up to see over my shoulder and the back of the couch. As I watched him, I could see the individual hairs on his back and tail moving with that same slow creeping motion he used to stand up, until he was bristled like some kind of soft and fuzzy porcupine.

His eyes were open wider than I had ever seen them, and he began that low, moaning growl that usually was reserved for some dog he saw half a block away. Then the part that completely dissolved my glue… he showed his teeth and hissed.

Yikes… I jumped up and ran over by the television, and spun around to see what it was that was going to kill me in the next few moments. Domino came unglued because of my jumping up and yelling… WHAAAT THE HECK IIIS IIIITTTTT!!!!!

There was nothing there… only a half -darkened cement block room. The light-switch was way over there by the stairs, of course, but I could see it.

I crept around and carefully looked behind the couch to make sure nothing was hiding there. Then I made my way slowly…. tiny steps, until I reached the stairs. I reached for the light switch, and on the count of three, I flipped it on and jumped forward to catch a prankster who might be hiding there (I was praying like mad, to find a prankster there and not some hellish demon).

Finding nothing, I began to relax a bit. Then, I nearly lost my bodily functions again as Domino ran past me, up the stairs, bumping my leg as he passed.

Well, I looked the house over like some kind of police detective. I shined the flashlight in every closet, under every bed, and I even searched the kitchen cupboards. Never found any cause for Domino’s behavior.

I subscribe to the promise in the Bible, that when we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he defeated the devil and his minions. At least as far as our eternal souls are concerned. The devil wants us to believe that we can achieve God’s good and eternal graces, due to our own feeble efforts. In reality, we are powerless in that regard, and it is only when we are willing to admit that, and put our trust and faith entirely in Jesus, and on the sacrifice that He made, that we are made worthy to stand before God Almighty.

There really does not seem to be any suggestion that ghosts of people are left to roam the Earth after dying. Nevertheless, I do believe that there is a vast, unseen (by us at least) spirit world, inhabited by Demons and Angels. Perhaps if we could actually see what was swirling around us, we would be utterly astonished. Those who are modest about sitting on the toilet, or changing their underwear might be especially distressed knowing just how exposed we really are… all of the time.

Was that just a little too preachy for you? Maybe it was, but I could not discuss my fear of the “dark side” without discussing why I have found those fears to be unnecessary.

After all, this was put in there for us to read:

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.  (1 John 4:4)

So then… did Domino see “something”, or was this just another one of his clever tricks that he used to entertain himself?  I guess that we will never know. In any case, if you could not tell by now, Domino meant a lot to me. I was glad that my big sister moved home, but I hope she knows just how much fun I had with the furry little brother she brought with her.

(End of the Domino Series)

Copyright ©2007 by Phil Harris

Comments

[Leigh]

Domino saw something. I'm sure of it. My dogs see or sense things around us all the time. Sometimes, as you described, it's very freaky. I have a picture of two of my dogs playing on the livingroom floor, and there's something else there with them, which I can only describe as an "orb". I took other pics immediately before and after that one, and there is nothing there, so I've discounted dust on the lens. It was shortly after my mother passed on, so I guess I kind of assumed it was her.

[Emmeline]

Cool. I also have a Siamese cat named Domino. But yours sounds more interesting!

Emmy

[Phil]

Leigh:

It would be interesting to know what dogs & cats can see, that we cannot.

[Phil]

Emmy:

That is cool... same name/breed.

I've never run across a cat that is quite like Domino was either. There was something extra in that cat, I think.

[the_sphinx]

I am a Catholic but I believe that there exist unseen things around us that only very sensitive beings, like our pets, can see and feel.