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| Gather round for my Ghost Story, Dear Reader |
Have you ever experienced a haunting, Dear Reader? As it's almost the time for Hallowe'en, I thought it was time to trot out the (short) tale of my only brush with the Otherworld.
In the way of such madcap adventures, our setting was Merrie Olde England. Mr. P & I were living there for a while around the year 2000, and would take ourselves off from time to time to explore the countryside. So it was that we spent a night at a Grade II listed Georgian country house in Sussex.
Alas, there were no spooky signs to put one on alert when it came time to toddle off to bed; there was no driving wind nor lashing rain without, no mysterious blackouts or eerie hotel staff within. Just warm hospitality and a chintzy and comfortable bed in a huge but friendly sort of room. So when my ghostly visitors accidentally woke me up during the night, I had quite the shock.
It was a man and a woman who were whispering to one another about us, and right in my ear. Of course, I just knew there couldn't be anybody physically there, there was no breath on my face, no smell or warmth of bodies, just the two voices, so in the instant I awoke, and with a pounding heart, I kept my eyes tight shut. I could hear Mr. P's breathing behind my back, evidently sound asleep or not able to hear them. No help! It was frightening to know we were being watched and talked about, but the couple were just curious. After a while I gathered they had enough for the whispering stopped, and when it had been quiet for a bit, I tried a little peek. Nothing there.
And that was that. My ghosts had gone and there seemed no point in waking Mr. P to tell him what he missed, so I went back to sleep.
Image credit: Via Pinterest
