The Things Locked in the Wardrobe

 My grandmother was terminally ill, lying in a hospital bed, her body weak but her words heavy with meaning. The day before, she had spoken about being disturbed by things that would not let her rest. But it was the next day that truly shocked us.

She asked the nurses to call my mother and tell her to come immediately. When my mom arrived, my grandmother said something that left everyone silent. She told her to release the things locked in the wardrobe. Not clothes. Not personal belongings. The things she spoke of were dark, frightening, and unsettling.

When my mother later explained what my grandmother meant, we were shaken. She spoke of  thokoloshis and other scary things,things no one expected, things no one wanted to believe. It felt as if my grandmother was seeing beyond what we could see, as if the boundary between this world and the next had become thin for her.

Whether it was illness, medication, fear, or something spiritual, we may never fully understand. But what was clear is that my grandmother was troubled. She wasn’t speaking lightly. She was pleading. She wanted release. She wanted whatever was holding her spirit restless to be let go.

That moment taught me how heavy the unseen can be. How people carry secrets, fears, beliefs, and burdens locked away for years,sometimes for a lifetime. And when the end draws near, those locked things demand attention. They refuse to stay hidden.

My grandmother’s words still echo in our family. Not because of the fear they caused, but because of the lesson they left behind: do not lock away what troubles your soul. Release it while you still can. Because when the body grows tired, it is the spirit that speaks the loudest.