My departed questor/healer uncle once told me that everybody has an extrasensory perception (ESP) or third eye. But others simply have more powerful ESP — those who are truly gifted. He believed I was one of those. He could sense it, he said, and the mole in my eye was a magnificent window to seeing the great beyond.

I remember when I was 7 years old, he would ask me to come with him, read and explain to me verses of the bible, and show me tricks — such as bending the spoon just by looking at it, making the glass walk across the table, levitate, and what have you — probably to lure me into opening my third eye.

It made my mom very furious! She told my uncle to leave me alone and let me live a normal life.

As I grew up, he would, from time to time, ask me if I was ready to open my gift. But I was never ready, never will be.

But he said, “You can’t turn away from it completely. Though you refuse to open it fully and refuse to acknowledge it, you will see strange things once in a while.”

He was darn right.

I’ve seen several in my lifetime. One of them a boy, probably a 5-year-old, in white T-shirt. This boy lives in our home. Yes, he lives with us and doesn’t go away. I’ve seen him opening the faucet, running at the garage, and even blowing off the light from the candle that I lit for All Souls’ Day 2 years ago.

When I first saw him running, I thought he was one of my son Kid Schumacher’s friends. Except that he suddenly disappeared into thin air.

He causes no harm though. And I’m the only one who sees him.

I think it’s just a matter of getting used to him being around — and being a nice housemate to him, lest he scares me out of my mind.

How about you… who’s that housemate standing right beside you?