death: people

When I was 4 years old my grandfather died--we did not go to the funeral but someone took a photo at the calling hours of the casket. My mother showed it to me after several months when it was developed and told me "See how Grandpa looks like he's sleeping?" I had just been to the gravesite, and thought everyone who was dead in the cemetary was buried in big rooms with pink curtains, candlebulb chandeliers, and plenty of flowers.

My grandmother died when I was too young to go to the funeral my older sister went and reported back to me that "Grandmother died of the goat disease". I believed this for many years. Years later we relized that my sister had over heard someone say that "the old goat" had died.

I used to believe that Jason Donovan was an evil murderer who crept around at midnight murdering little girls who foolishly wore red pyjamas ( it was a cunning ploy to trick their parents, the blood wouldn't show up). I was more scared of Jason Donovan than anything before or since.

My mother had a friend who always chewed gum. Mom once said to me "Oh yes Mrs. O'Brien would die without her gum". I was about 6 at the time and believed Mrs. O'Brein had to chew gum to keep herself alive. I used to tell all my friends that she had a special disease and only chewinbg gum could keep her alive. I am embarassed to say how old I was before I realized my mother was only using an expression. (maybe 13)

I used to believe that the people that lived across from the cemetary in Canarsie would wake at 3am to party with all the dead people that rose from their graves every night.

When I would watch a movie and someone got killed I thought they got killed in real life and couldn't understand why they wanted to participate in that movie

My grandmother told us that when someone died, they went into the big hole. So, I figured that if grown-ups went into the big hole, kids must go into a little hole. I was petrified of getting too close to any hole, in fear of being sucked into it. This included nail holes in the wall where pictures used to hang, knotty pine wall panelling, all kinds of wierd stuff like that.
She also used to tell us that when you died, you went up the old wooden hill to heaven. For a long time, we were afraid to go to bed because we had to walk up the "wooden" stairs to get there. We either ran up as fast as we could, or walked up real slow.

I used to believe that every one that
passed away would come and visit me.
No matter if I knew them or not!

A couple of teenagers that babysat me when I was abou 4 told me that if you had cracks in your tongue you were going to die, and all I remember thinking is...my dad has cracks all over his tongue. To this day I still look at the cracks in my tongue and wonder....

I used to believe that if you jumped over somebody lying on the ground, your mom would die unless you jumped them again the opposite way.

When my favorite Uncle died, I thought if I stared at him in his coffin he would open his eyes and be alive.

my parents told my brother and i that my grandpa died because he didn't eat peas, so we were told to eat our peas or else!!!

From about 1974, as a 4th grader I thought at any time next week...armageddon would be here and that all the "meek" would keep living forever...but first we had to clean up all the bones from all the dead people in the world. Mom said after the birds picked the meat off, that would be our job....But if you are bad..and not a Jehovah's Witness, you would "certainly perish"...and soon!
As any 4th grader, I hated missing all the fun of holidays, birthdays, etc...so I was bad in my mind...and lived till I was 25, wondering what day it would be....
I used to believe I had no future...

When I was younger I thought that the cementaries where filled with gravestones that were reserved for when people die. I remember runnning around a cementary with my friend trying to find ours. Needless to say when I found out they were actually all dead I was pretty overwelmed!

I remember telling a friend that when I died and went to Heaven, I'd go visit famous people like Elvis Presley.

WHEN I WAS FIVE I THOUGHT DEAD PEOPLE
JUST GOT THRONE IN THE BIN AT THERE HOUSE.