The family gathered in a small circle on the evening of the funeral. We talked about the day and about our deceased grandmother; in addition, we looked at photos from times past. The mood was very casual, relaxed. My sister told about her experience of carrying the urn to the grave and we reviewed everything together. It was also about the clearing up of grandma's apartment and inheriting certain belongings.

We had been sitting together for two and a half hours when my sister wanted to know how we were planning Christmas, the favorite time of year for grandma. I said that a good friend of mine would cook for us (he owns a restaurant) and that we would celebrate one last time in Grandma's apartment.

At the same time, I turned to my mother and said out loud, "I don't even know if I can afford the food. After all, my car bill was quite high, maybe we have to make a compromise or something". My mother replied: "Don't worry about it" - whereupon my nephew interrupted us cheekily: "Martin can just choose something from Grandma's apartment, or not?"

Then suddenly the chandelier-ish lamp went out above our heads and it became noticeably cooler, despite the warmth of the oven.

We were startled, jumped up and ran to the light switches, but the switches did not work. My father was already on his way to the fuse box, which he didn't reach, when my nephew apologized in the direction of the ceiling: "Grandma, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way" - and at the same moment the light came back on as if nothing happened. No light bulb was crushed, either.

The funny thing was not only the collective feeling that grandma was present... except above our heads (and in the middle of our family so to speak) there was no power failure anywhere else in the entire house.

When I recounted the experience to our aunt, she confirmed that Grandma didn't want her things to fall into stranger's hands and that she would make her presence known if something didn't happen in her favor.

Was this experience difficult to express in words? No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?      Yes

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?         No

Did you see the deceased?       No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased? No

How long did the experience last?      About 1-2 minutes maybe

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?       the experience was unexpected

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          Yes

It was like grandma was reprimanding us or tapping our fingers. She was always a very loving person, but also very direct. This directness is totally reflected in the ADC.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  It was very clear that we should be careful with her things.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          Experience was definitely real

          Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:   It would be a very strange coincidence in terms of timing, especially for a power outage. Moreover, in the event of a power failure, the entire circuit in the lower house would have been affected. So it only affected the lamp above our heads. Also, the fact that the light came on as soon as my nephew excused himself was eerily precise timing. All the bulbs were intact, ruling out a problem with the bulbs. A similar phenomenon was not observed before or since. Also: the light switches simply did not respond, as if the lamp was dead! And suddenly, the light came back on as if nothing had happened....

It can also be ruled out that someone accidentally got to the switch: firstly, the lamp would then have been easy to switch on again. And secondly, the fuse box would then have made a whirring noise. None of this was the case.  

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  We were all scared, we were nervous, and we were actually afraid. In retrospect, I am grateful for this experience.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          The worst part was that we got scared. The beautiful part was that we simply received a sign.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? No     

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?      Yes    Phenomena of this kind are indeed real; so far I have only perceived smell or a presence... or heard my deceased cat walking across the parquet.

Did the experience give you any spiritual understandings such as life, death, afterlife, God, etc.?         Yes    It makes me believe that there is indeed a form of dimension after life in which we can exist

Death Compacts are when two or more living people promise among themselves that whoever dies first will try to contact the other(s).  Have you ever made such a compact?    Uncertain

Not directly. My grandmother told my aunt that she would make herself known if she didn't like something.

What emotions did you feel during the experience?          We were all scared, we were nervous, and we were actually afraid. In retrospect, I am grateful for this experience.

Was the experience witnessed or experienced by others?          Yes  The ADC occurred in the presence of all the family members already mentioned, on a statement from my nephew.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?  No

Did you have a sense of knowing, special knowledge, universal order and/or purpose?         No

Did you become aware of future events?      No

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?      No

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?   No

Did you meet or see any other beings other than the deceased?   No

Did you see a light?        No

Did any part of your experience seem to occur in a place other than the location described above?     No

Have you shared this experience with others?       Yes    People were very surprised and are naturally looking for a comprehensible answer.

Have you shared this experience formally or informally with any other researcher or web site?         No

Were there any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?          No

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?       No 

Did you ever in your life have a near-death experience, out of body experience or other spiritual event? No 

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?           Yes

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.       No, it's fine. Thank you!