Page 13 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper March/April 2018 Edition

Contacting the Non-Existent Dead 13

I Asked Psychics to

Connect with My Non-
Existent Dead Sister

The four psychics I talked with

had very interesting thoughts
about someone who never
existed.

by Jackie Hong

I was 13 when my mom dragged my brother and
me to a "psychic." We were visiting family in
Malaysia and somewhere amongst a few palm
oil plantations was the house of an old woman
who claimed to be able to channel Buddha. My
mother was enthralled during the hour-long
ordeal, during which the woman basically rolled
her eyes often so the whites were showing,
be happy too, but my happiness only seems to person—who knows, maybe getting readings
dropped her voice a few octaves, and made
last temporarily (note: aren't all emotions via email didn't provide a strong enough
astonishingly mundane statements that could've
temporary though?). spiritual connection or clues to see I was lying. I
applied to anyone (examples: our house had ants
Could she tell me how I can be happy? also looked for people who charged for readings
out front; my grandma was old and having some
Or at least what's holding me back from true (maybe you get what you pay for?) and settled
health problems). Combined with my love of
happiness? on one for $20 and another for $40. Both told me
Harry Houdini (who spent the last few years of
No, but she could see a happiness- to bring a photo so I pulled one off a (very much
his life debunking psychics and mediums) and
ripping darkness surrounding me. alive) friend's Facebook and, armed with
teen angst that made me hate everything my
But how's Emily doing? Emily's backstory and a few years of high school
parents liked, the experience left me convinced
She's doing good, she doesn't want me to acting/improv experience, headed out for my
that psychics were con artists who separated
worry about her, but there's something going on third reading of the day. At the point, I was
vulnerable and desperate people from their cash
here, what's going on in my love life? almost hoping to be called out soon—it was too
in exchange for poor acting.
"Not much," I answered truthfully. easy.
My stance on psychics hasn't really
Could I be doing better in love, Psychic Three's studio was nestled in a
changed since then, but I also consider myself a
happiness and success? suburban strip mall and plastered with the
fairly open-minded person and love having my
"Well, yeah, I guess?" classic psychic decor that makes graphic
views changed when enough solid evidence is
Apparently I'm meant to have a lot of designers consider seppuku—deep purple signs
presented to me. What if there really was
money and success, but no matter what I do, with all-caps yellow text and neon crystal balls.
something to psychics, but my mom had just
something's leading me in the wrong direction. I scampered up a bright red stairwell and into a
chosen a bad one? What if she had just been
For $250 plus the cost of two candles and a purple room (same purple as the signs) where a
asking the wrong questions? What if Malaysian
crystal, I could've had a circle of protection put smiling woman wearing a tank top and sweat
psychics were just sketchy? So many people
around me—and would see improvements in pants was sitting at a small table. I sat down
have turned to psychics for so long that there
three to seven days. opposite her and took in the weird mix of art—a
must be something to it all, right?
The call ended soon after. small tapestry of what I'm quite sure was Jesus
The questions floated around in my head
and his disciples on the table, but also a fair
for awhile, but it wasn't until last Sunday that I
The second reading, also free, was done over share of Buddha statues, too.
decided to act on them. Inspired by Houdini, I
email, which I didn't know was a thing. I had a She asked for Emily's photo. I handed
made up a basic pass/fail test that I could apply
response in my inbox within 10 minutes of her my phone. She stared at the screen and told
a few times to see if someone was actually in
sending out the enquiry message with my name, me to say Emily's full name and birthday, then
tune with all the truths in the universe: If I made
Emily's and Emily's cause of death. Even with looked up at me. My heart dropped—would my
up a dead sister and asked a bunch of psychics to
the shift in technology, my sister was still doing face betray something?—and immediately
connect with her, how many wouldn't be able to
fine—more than fine, in fact: jumped back into my chest when she told me she
tell I was full of shit?
"It's a little different than what she could feel Emily's presence and that she was
I don't have a sister and am the oldest
expected on the other side, but she is quite happy happy. In a new development, Emily had
child in the family, so I figured inventing a big
and sees things very differently. I get she had a "passed on" and become my guardian angel.
sister would keep any interfering energies or
little of a 'wild' streak in her," Psychic Two It took an incredible amount of effort to
whatever it is psychics pick up on out of the
wrote. She said Emily was mentioning not burst out laughing. Using all my willpower
picture. And so, I created "Emily"—her birthday
something about clothing and I said she and I to keep a straight face and sombre-sounding
was Jan. 31, 1990, she died in a car crash on
had exchanged necklaces. voice, I asked if Emily was mad about dying.
June 2, 2014, and her boyfriend, who was
"She's saying not to worry about her, she No, the psychic said, because it had been
driving the car, died with her.
is OK. She says not to worry as she is fine and her time. Throughout the eight-minute reading,
A quick Kijiji search came up with
with you. [S]he wants you to live your life, a she repeatedly told me Emily's death was meant
dozens of psychic/medium listings in Toronto
happy one," she wrote back. to be. Emily was sad that she left me behind, but
and four immediately responded to my texts and
Even though the answers were still pretty she's in a positive place now and is the reason
emails. I was set.
vague, this was the most detailed description I why I feel a presence around my house (it's her
My first reading was via phone call—the
would get of Emily all day. The Houdini in me watching over me and I should try talking to
ad said the psychic was offering free mini-
was doing backflips. Two for two. her). I also learned that after death, souls hang
readings. She asked for my full name and
To up the difficulty for me and to make it around Earth for six weeks which is why I
birthday and Emily's. I gave her the details and
easier for the psychics (it's one thing to lie over dreamt of Emily a lot right after she died.
almost instantly, she told me Emily wanted me
an email or call, but another to lie to someone's
to know that she's in a good place and that she's
face), I decided to see my next psychics in (Continued on Page 14)
watching over the family. She also wanted me to