It was 1978 and I lived abroad with my wife and young daughter. We were in our early twenties and had been living in Holland since 1975, I was on contract with a major company in The Netherlands. My mother lived in the UK, she lived alone but had two sisters and my brother who all lived nearby, so that eased some of the worry that I had about her being alone. In 1977 my mother became terminally ill, she had cancer and spent her final days in bed, looked after by her sisters. I had made a couple of short visits to see her, but I couldn’t stay very long due to my work. On one visit she told me her condition was improving after having treatment, and I believed that, perhaps hoping that it was true.  My aunt however told me otherwise - she hasn’t got long you know.

I returned to Holland and continued working and being a parent although the nagging thought of my mother and her condition was always there.  We now had a toddler and a new baby, so we were kept busy. One evening after settling the kids down we went to bed and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.   It was the strangest sound and nothing like I had heard before,  I can only describe it as a kind of electronic noise, a pulsating buzzing or vibrating sound that grew louder and louder until I was suddenly wide awake, then silence, and as clear as could be I heard my mothers voice soft and serene saying.... ‘ I am alright now Michael don’t worry ’   I sat up shocked at what I had heard. It was 01:30 on the clock.  Ann was asleep and the baby too, and I didn't want to disturb them. Still feeling shocked  I decided it must have been a bad dream, and I fell back asleep.

At 8:00AM the phone rang. I picked it up and it was my aunt Mary, she said hello Michael then hesitated,   she then said  I'm afraid I have some bad news Michael, I cut in and said,  I know 1:30 last night.  After a pause she said - how could you possibly know that - I then told her exactly what had happened.  She then said-  Winnie and I knew that your mum was failing, so we decided to stay at her side last night.  It was a little after 1:00AM when your mum became restless, almost troubled about something, and she  said - I must tell Michael.  Of course we didn’t realise what she meant,  but shortly after that her face changed to a look of surprise, as if she had seen someone she knew.  Moments later she had passed away.

Did my mother look surprised after she established contact with me ?  And by contact I mean telepathic contact,  because there was certainly no noise or sound in our bedroom for me to hear through my ears. The sound actually came through my head or via my brain, and I have no idea how that works, I just know it did. A sound so demanding and increasing in volume that it woke me from a deep sleep.

There is one more thing I must tell you.  Every evening when aunt Mary left my mother's house for the short walk home,  she would call my mom as soon as she arrived home and let it ring twice, then hang up. And my mother would then do the same, that way they both knew the other was safe, and it didn’t cost them a penny for the call.  Aunt Mary told me, the night after your mom died,  my phone rang at the usual time of 11PM but when I picked it up there was silence.  Nobody else knew about their secret code.

I know that telepathy is real,  and that my mother just before, or during her passage from this world sent me that message. A message that will remain with me till I die.