A deacon from Bath, St. Thomas, Jamaica, claims he has come face to face with duppies more than once.
He recalls one of his earliest encounters, standing outside his father’s house, gazing down the road, when he noticed a man leaning on a tree. At first, he felt a strange sense of excitement, he didn’t recognize the figure and couldn’t understand what he was seeing. Curious and unsettled, he ran inside and called for his father.
His father came out, took one look, and immediately realized it wasn’t a natural person. He turned to the boy and firmly told him, “Get inside.”
At the time, the Deacon was just 12 years old.
He admits he was concerned, but not afraid. And it wouldn’t be his last encounter.
One night, many years later, he and his wife were walking home from church. A young man from their community had recently been buried, and as they passed a certain point on the road, the Deacon claimed to see the young man’s spirit approaching, walking straight toward his wife. Without hesitation, he pulled her out of the way.
When they got home, he explained why he had suddenly pulled her closer. He believed she was about to walk right through a ghost.
But the Deacon didn’t just see duppies. He could feel them.
He described a spiritual gift, an ability to discern when evil was nearby.
“Anywhere I go, if something not right, I feel it right away,” he said. “Even if someone’s sick and I visit their home… if evil forces are present, the moment I step through the door I know. But sometimes, you don’t trouble these things. Because not every spirit concerns you.”
He spoke next about what he called fallen angels.
“Yes, man. Dem things have wings, two wings. And if you ask me if I’ve seen them? Of course. At night. You hear their wings whistle like a dove in the darkness.”
These beings, he said, don’t confine themselves to the shadows.
“They can meet you face to face in the middle of the road… or walk straight into your house. They’ll look you in the eye clothes and all. They’re not hiding.”
He described one chilling encounter involving a female duppy.
“A friend of mine was sleeping, snoring and I saw this woman walk right up to him. I wasn’t dreaming. I was wide awake. She came up and rested her hand on one of the columns and just stared at him while he slept.”
“Immediately, I shook him awake and rebuked her in the name of the Lord. I commanded her to leave and she did. She just vanished.”