Coincidental Communication & an Otherworldly Sense of Touch
By Chris Pagano

Dr. Frank Nickell, Director of the Center for Regional History, spent some time at our office recently to share stories about strange happenings at local, familiar places. One particular story Dr. Nickell retold was a tragic tale from over half a century ago, about his then neighbors, the Williams’ family.

Frank was in the eighth grade when he was awakened during the night. He immediately sat up in bed to see his window was illuminated bright red, and still half asleep, he had trouble making sense of it. Jumping up to look out the window, he saw the neighbor's barn ablaze. "I'd never seen anything like it," he said. Filled with terror and anxiety, his body seemed to be insulated and slow after the first adrenaline rush.

"When I ran downstairs, everyone else was up and getting ready to go over and see if we could help. In the back of my mind I knew there was the possibility of it spreading to our barn too."  It didn’t – but, had the winds been just right or conditions a little drier; the potential of an adjoining disaster would have existed.

When at last he got into bed that night, getting settled was impossible. The burden of witnessing an uncontrollable fire weighed on him.
The next night, "I woke up terrified," he said. His eyes immediately swept to the window and he saw the repeat image of the night before. However, this was not the red of fire, but a deeper crimson color, like blood. And just like fire leaps and grows so did this image that took over his entire window. It kept his eyes engaged and riveted, almost as if he were losing control of his body. When he looked out the window he immediately became perplexed, realizing there was no fire at all—just a glowing moon upon the fields. Although confused, adrenaline had kicked in and, his senses focused on the sounds coming from downstairs.

"I leapt down the stairs—immediately knowing the sound was coming from my mom on the floor below," said Frank." She was awakened at pretty much the same time." Neither understood why. Few words passed between the two, but both looked out the back door. Nothing was there. Equipped with a flashlight, they ventured outside and turned over every potential nook and cranny—even opening the cellar door—to no avail.

"We went back inside," said Frank. Time passed without incident. His mom heated some milk, adding cocoa. The comfort of a hot and tasty drink took his mind off it all. "We both returned to our beds," he said.

"The next day began ordinarily, like any other in my home on a farm in rural Missouri." It was not until they got the call from his mom's sister that the information received became indelibly etched in Frank’s mind forever. "My Uncle Homer, the man who was the best uncle in the entire world, had died," he said. "We found out he'd had a massive coronary. Uncle Homer died at midnight the night before.”

"Funny. My mom and I had awakened at 1 a.m. the night before," said Frank. How do you explain that? It could just be coincidence for one, but for two to awaken at the same time? Going with that explanation would be possible, but it’s much more likely the family sensed another's passing from miles away.