This is my true ghost story

It was back in winter 1962, it was Friday night, almost 11 pm; my father was in an Iraqi political prison. 

The nationalist pensioned him after they killed so many people in Baghdad. 

We used to live in a poor basement house with a separate entrance without electricity. We used to use a lamp and gasoline lantern at night. We had one washroom and small kitchen, one bedroom for all of us and a long haul corridor. My mother and my other siblings just went to bed after a long day of work and schooling. 

I came back from my work; as I used to go to school until 2 pm then go to work in a nearby store until 10 pm to help my mother. By the time I washed my face and just before I was going to bed I heard a knocking of our iron front door, then again. Who was that? I asked myself 

Who is knocking at this time, what they want? I kept asking myself

My mom told us not to open the door at night to anyone……..But I didn’t want them to wake up and I thought I would go and ask who that was at the door.

Who is it? I shout it from behind the iron door……..

This is Salma, the sad little girl voice behind the door answered.

I opened the door and asked her how I could help her and what you wanted at this time?

If you come to ask for food we have bread only we don’t have much, I told her. 

As in that time there were so many poor people we were among them who lost their parents 

and they have nothing to eat.

NO, I am not hungry, she said

My old sister Layla is very sick and she needs help, she said

Her house was very close to ours, that lady lost her parents and her little sister 

in Baghdad city by bomb explosion; she managed to survive along with her baby brother, 

I got this information later from my mother.

Let me call my mother she is asleep, I told that little girl

Hurry up please, she asked.

Then I thought to go with her and I took some bread with me.

I was walking with this little girl, She show me where and asked me to enter 

I entered the house , the door wasn’t locked and I asked in a loud voice – Layla …Layla, are you there this is SAAD your neighbor, my mom is Fatima, your little sister Salma asked me to come and see what you want , she asked for help.

 I turned back to ask Selma to go and wake up her sister to see what’s wrong and what she wants , but I didn’t see her, I turned left and right and I didn’t see Selma anywhere. I thought she went to the other room!

A voice came from the room, SAAD please call your mother or anybody to help me to go to the hospital. I am very sick and cannot move. I broke my leg. 

I asked her permission to enter the room and I did, and Saw her under the blanket shivering and looking very sick.

Covering her leg with a towel.

OK, I said I will wake up my mother and ask her, I ran to my house then woke up my mother and told her what was happening , then my mom went with me she took some herbs with her as she was very good and skillful with herbs. And we went to Layla house.

After a few minutes my mom told me to see if I could find help as Layla slipped and fell, breaking one of her legs. 

I ran as much as I could to the police station, which was about 15 minutes away, and told them the story.

The police had a ground phone line and managed to call the nearby hospital to send an ambulance, I told them where she lived, after a while the ambulance arrived and they managed to help Layla and took her to the hospital.

Layla asked my mother if she could take care of the little boy as they didn’t have any relatives nearby.

While she was going to the ambulance Layla thanked me for coming by to help and asked me how I knew? I said Selma, your little sister told me and came to our home and asked for help…….

Layla eyes grew bigger, and she was surprise and stunned, then she said with very sad voice

But… but Salma, my baby sister died with my parents in the explosion! She told me

Are you sure? She asked

Yes, I am very sure, I replied

She was about 6 years old , 3 years younger than me, she had curly brown hair, and a red ribbon, we called them Qordela, and I explained how she looked .

Saad (my Arabic name ), my baby sister Salma died , it couldn’t be….Layla said and she was crying all the way to the ambulance, I told my mother about the incident and what happened

My mother was a strong believer and woman of faith; she smiled and told me that God sometimes allowed the spirit of children to help their family in distress situations; they are like guardian angels but all done by God’s mercy.

I am Happy that you opened the door despite the fact that I told you not to do so. Mother said.

Later on Layla returned home after 2 days with her leg in a cast, she managed to write a letter to her relative in another province, and the hospital helped her to use the phone to call her relatives for help, and they did come to help her, they took Layla the little brother with them and moved to the province.

I wish God will send Selma the little ghost to heaven as she lost her life and parents in a tragic and traumatic injury in Baghdad explosion, many children were killed by USA and Iran bombs In Iraq more than 250,000 of them some died from hunger and starvation, some from lack of medicine and some with so called smart bombs.

Steve Ramsey, PhD- Author, paranormal researcher and investigator