I Want You To Remember My Name

by Jan Maree
(Ballarat, Vic. Aust)

After selling our country home my husband rented and shifted into a shabby rental in the closest regional city, a historic Victorian goldfield town. We, wife and three young sons, shifted in shortly after. All was well until a few months later.

One night we were playing music, children tucked in bed. My husband left the room to smoke or go to the toilet, I was leaning on the mantlepiece and turned around to see someone, I thought, standing by the door in the lounge. I was strangely unafraid and and thought we had neglectfully left the front door open and someone had wandered in from the street.

After chastising myself I prepared for confrontation. "Who are you?" I asked. He loomed from the shadowy corner and I thought, you look wet and strangely dressed, he had on a cap an huge heavy coat. He approached me menacingly, although I still didn't feel scared for some strange reason. He told me his name and and then said, "I'm Gunner No 5 and I want you to remember my name."

He disappeared and I was in disbelief as was my husband when he re-entered the room and I told my story. Feeling like a fool I put the incident out of my mind until a few weeks later when I was walking to the back door late at night. Suddenly I felt a touch on my shoulder, a voice spoke in my ear, "What's my name?" he asked. I froze, I couldn't remember and without warning I was shoved down the step.

Then I was afraid, I wanted out of that house. Consequently we soon shifted and it so happened we purchased a new home further down the street. After happily moving in to our new home, and having quite forgotten my ghostly experience, one random night I went to bed and out of the blue I remembered his name.

For five nights it went on, at the brink of sleep it popped in my head. Finally I was sick of it and decided to Google him... Charlie Fox Gunner No 5, and then, there he was hunched and standing with his squadron in front of his plane, it was called 'The timely reminder'.

I haven't researched him I don't want to know, he leaves me alone. I get a distinct warm feeling when I tell this story, although everyone thinks I'm a nut, he's pleased with me. I swear it's true and I have no idea why this happened to me.

Thank you for listening. There is a part two to this if anyone is interested...