The Locking Dead

This last weekend, we were driving Gia and her cousin to a book reading at The Bookery Nook. I guess some lady writes children's books, and wanted to read some of them out loud to kids. Anyway, on our way there, I drove passed a cemetery (1).  As I was driving by, I pointed and said, "See all those things over there? They are called head stones, and that is called a cemetery. That is where they bury dead people, and each of those stones has a person's name on it, and the date that they were born and when they died."

The girls looked over and made "oohs" and "aahhs." After driving for another mile or so, Gia asks, in a very small voice, from the back seat, "Daddy? Do the dead bodies get up at night time and walk around?" We've been watching a lot of zombie shows/movies over the last year. I answered, "No hunny, they stay in the ground the whole time. That is just something you see on TV. No dead bodies get up." She said, "No, I think they do get up." I told her that I was sure that they wouldn't get up, and I'd even take her to a cemetery at night and prove it to her.

After the Princess book reading, I pulled over at the same cemetery to let her get a closer look at all the head stones. I did make a small parenting mistake when I explained, "See all those words? Each grave has your name and your birthday on it so people know who you are and when you lived." Gloria quickly corrected me by saying, "It's not your name that is on there sweety (and glaring at me), it's other people's names."

Gia started at the cemetery for a while, then woke her cousin up so she could look too. Then, right as I'm about to start driving again, Gia lets out a startled gasp and says, "Dad! Look! I just saw someone get up and start walking around!"

"You did not!"

"Yes I did Dad! They're right there!" (pointing)

At this point I leaned into the back seat so I could see what she was seeing. I scanned as far away as I could to see if there happened to be a person actually walking around the cemetery at the time. I couldn't see anything but a flag waving in the distance. "Gia, there is no one there. I see a flag and that's it. Maybe you just saw your reflection in the window."

Her cousin piped in, "Where?! I don't see nobody!"

We asked Gia if she saw a boy or girl, but that tripped her up and Gloria determined that she was making it up. We had to check though, because we were afraid that she really could see dead people, and didn't want to torment her. Just in case.