Niccolai & Family, Thurmond, WV

A few months ago, I visited Thurmond, WV. During my visit, I detected a group of people inside the Train Depot. For whatever reason, they wouldn't leave the building. It was off season, which meant the visitor center was closed. I asked repeatedly if the group would leave the building in order for me to help them, but they refused and it ended in a stalemate. I'm back in the area again, so I kept my promise to return to the Train Depot. In the interim, I had asked my guides what the deal was with the group of people there, and why they couldn't or wouldn't leave the confines of the building. This is the story of those people and their journey to spirit world. 

 

As is typical, I set my intentions in meditation to learn more about what I was going to walk into when I returned to the Train Depot. I had known from previous trips to the gorge that many people were conscripted to work for the coal mines in the area. That's a nice way of saying that they were human trafficked. The five people in this family were no exception. I don't know the last name of the family, and in fact only got one of the names of the people - Niccolai (he was called 'Nicco') - so henceforth I'll just refer to them all as Nicco's family. Often when I'm given information about a ghost or ghosts, it comes in short fragments or feelings. This was no exception. I learned that Nicco's family came from Eastern Europe. I got that the year 1822 was important for some reason. They were escaping oppression in their home country. Once they arrived in the US, they somehow got tangled up in the coal mining industry's human trafficking ring, and were brought to the gorge area on a train. They disembarked at the Thurmond Train Depot. 

    Nicco's family unit had 5 people: Nicco, his brother, his sister in law, nephew, and his mother. Unfortunately for the family, shortly after their arrival tragedy struck. Nicco's 14 year old nephew decided to go for a swim in the New River. Not being a strong swimmer, he was quickly swept up in a current. The sister in law, the boy's mother, saw this happen and jumped into the river without a second thought to save her son. She had already lost so much and wasn't willing to lose her only child. Sadly, the sister in law was also taken by the current and found herself in trouble rather quickly. That's where the brother came in to try to save his family. All three lives were taken by the New, leaving Nicco and his mother (also known as babushka) the sole surviving family members of this unit. 

    Nicco and his mother lived in the gorge for the rest of their relatively short lives. Life in the gorge was hard. Babushka found herself spending days alone while Nicco worked in the mines. A few months after they arrived, Babushka passed away. Nicco spent his remaining days working in the mines, bereft and isolated. The entire family unit did not speak English when they arrived in Thurmond. Nicco learned a little - enough to understand what was expected of him at work - but not much else. The last person Nicco could speak to in his native tongue left him too soon. It was a lonely life for Nicco. He eventually passed away from contracting coal lung. The entire family's story is tragic, but I fear it isn't an isolated case of what happened to miners in the gorge. 

    When I asked my spirit team why the family felt like they couldn't leave the Train Depot, I was told that it was the last place they felt safe and whole. Once Nicco passed away, he found himself at the Depot with the rest of his family. In this morning's meditation, I was told that Nicco had been alerted that I was headed in his direction to help him out, and that he was expecting me. "Well good," I thought, "at least it will be a bit smoother." I learned my lesson about making sure I had a spokesperson when helping a group of Earth-bounds cross into the spirit world. This one was already going to be a bit harder because of the language barrier. 

    As I had before, I sensed their presence as soon as I pulled up to the station. This time the visitor center was open, and I set about finding Nicco and his family. Upon opening the door to the first floor, I could feel a heavy presence, though something kept telling me to go upstairs. I walked through the visitor center and found the elevator to the second floor (after trying unsuccessfully to access the 2nd floor via the stairs). I always prefer to find a quiet spot to help spirits cross. Having a bunch of living people walking around as I do my spirit work can get quite distracting. Not to mention the Earth-bounds generally don't like to mingle with the living so they tend to stay away unless they can sense you can talk to them. I found a relatively quiet room with a chair on the second floor, and sat down to talk to Nicco. "They're all downstairs," he told me. I had known this having sensed them down stairs and not sensing anyone else but Nicco on the second floor. Perhaps I needed that quiet space to meet Nicco before I attempted to help the family cross. "Ok, then let's go back down there so I can help," I told Nicco. We both took the elevator. I sensed it was novel for him. He normally just floats between the floors as ghosts are wont to do. Thankfully there were places to sit on the first floor that were sort of out of the way of the exhibits and assorted souvenirs. I sat down and set about asking AA Michael for help to get this family home. 

One can never tell where a portal is going to show up. I had sat down next to a hallway that led to the restrooms, and I fully expected the portal to open up in that space since it was sort of isolated. But as I was meditating and talking to the family, a visitor walked by and into that space. Well there you go. The portal wasn't in that space because a living would have walked through it as they were walking around. (yet another reason why I prefer quiet, private spaces to do this work). Thankfully, the universe saw to it that there were minimal visitors in the space whilst this work was going on. AA Michael arrived and opened a portal behind me and to my left, in a corner of the space where people weren't likely to walk. At first the family was hesitant. I did my best to express in concepts that I was there to help, and I whispered under my breath that it was safe for them to go. As I was having this conversation, a train had pulled up just outside the station and was sitting idling. I could hear and feel the energy from the train, and I encouraged the family to draw on it for their journey. 

    I'm finding that it's common for people who have been stuck for a century or more (in living time) to be hesitant about crossing into spirit world. It's a confusing place to be. After some coaxing and reassurance, and after seeing other family members on the other side of the portal, all five family members walked through the portal together. The atmosphere in the Depot immediately felt lighter. I'm humbled and grateful that it has been my calling to help people in their spiritual journeys. The fewer people who are left Earth-bound, the better off we all, living and passed, are. 

    When I finished my work, I picked up a sheet of stickers that had illustrations of various scenes from the gorge. Two young women were staffing the visitor center. I told them what I was there to do, and about Nicco and his family. I also said that they may or may not have other people here in the station, but the 5 people who had been here for about a hundred and fifty years were no longer among them. The woman working the register seemed skeptical, but the other young woman told me she always said good morning and good night to whomever was present when she opened and closed the visitor center. My parting words were for them to stay the heck away from the Erskine Pugh house. I warned there was a malevolent spirit there, and it's no bueno. 

    Many times when I tell people about this kind of work, I feel like I'm a crazy person. Especially when I meet skeptics. But I know the universal truth about what I do, and the ability to conduct it overwrites any sense of self-doubt I might have when met with skepticism. As I walked to my car, I asked my spirit team if there was anywhere else in the town I was meant to go to or anyone else I was meant to help. I was met with a resounding "no." Thankfully I had been given Nicco's story in advance, so I didn't have to tease out who he was or why he was there while I was physically present. The whole thing took about 25 minutes from the time I arrived at the Depot to the time I was driving away. I'm not ruling out the need to return to Thurmond in the future, but for now I feel like I've completed my responsibilities there.