THE ghost KARINA FILES FILES MACHADO
Karina Machado is a journalist, host of the
Spirit Sisters podcast and the author of Spirit Sisters, Where Spirits Dwell and Love Never Dies, a non-fiction series exploring the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people. Now, on The Ghost Files podcast each week, Karina will introduce a guest who’ll share their personal encounter with the spirit world.
THE GIFT
Chris works in the security industry in Queensland. A friendly guy with an infectious laugh, he seems like the epitome of a typical young dad who works hard and tries to squeeze in more time with his young family. And he is, in all respects but one: Chris’ earliest memory is of seeing ghosts, and he’s been peering into other worlds ever since.
I heard about Chris from someone who’ll be familiar to listeners of The Ghost Files podcast: his mum, Faye, whose story featured on episode seven. “Chris has the family gift,” Faye told me, and I wasn’t surprised, as it tends to be passed down. Faye, who inherited ‘the gift’ from her mother, told me the extraordinary story of ‘the Grinning Ghost’, an apparition of a teenage boy with curly hair that appeared to Faye, her mother and Chris inside their home. One detail Faye left out was that Chris encountered the mischievous ghost another time, when he saw the apparition making himself comfy on the lounge with the rest of the family when they were watching TV.
Now 34, Chris was only 5 when he had his first brush with the paranormal, and yet, he’s never been as terrified as he was recently, when a dark and oppressive presence invaded his bedroom. “It began when I bought a piece of second-hand furniture and put it in the room – I don’t know if that has something to do with it,” Chris tells me on the podcast. This is a conversation you’ll really enjoy, as Chris candidly shares insights learned over a lifetime, including this, which really struck me: “Beware what negative energy you send out to the world around you,” he said. “Because, misery loves company. You never know what could be lurking around the corner waiting for you while your defences are down.”