A Link With The Past

As it's coming up to Halloween tomorrow evening, I thought I would write this short story and at the same time ask you if you have ever felt whilst sitting alone that you had company... yet you couldn't explain it?  This story say's exactly that..

The two girls arrived home, it was later than they expected. They were both exhausted and very cold, due to the car breaking down.. they ended up walking home. On arrival, Sheila removed the soiled dishes, from the early morning breakfast table and took them into the kitchen. As Sheila entered the kitchen a wee mouse scuttled across the bench heading for a safe haven...
       Meanwhile Sue cleaned out the ashes from the fire, re-set it, then put a match to the paper. The fire went out immediately. Sue decided a little paraffin or petrol might do the trick and went to look in the shed. She wasn't away long before returning with a can which she poured over the kindling sticks. Then striking a match she quickly threw it into the centre of the fire, at that same moment she leaped backwards followed by a belching cloud of grey-black smoke. "Veroomff'' came the sound as the flames shot up the chimney. Soon the fire was blazing. Sue built it up and brushed the hearth clean.  She stood up feeling proud with herself, when suddenly she heard an almighty scream from the kitchen, next came a banging and clattering sound and moments later ..  Sheila appeared with a large meat knife in one hand and a bright-red disgruntled face screaming, "If that mouse eats another piece of my bread I'll personally chop it's head off.. if I catch it.. she shouted.'
Sue was horrified as she loved all animals, and the thought of harming them made her want to cringe. She immediately dismissed the thought..

The cottage felt cold as they came through the front door but they were both chatting about the car and Sue said, she would contact the garage first thing in the morning. They re-heated the chips they had bought on their way home and sat huddled round the hot fire as they listened to the news on the television. Sheila, kept changing the channels looking for something of interest. They both decided to put the heaters on in their bedrooms and fill their hot water bottles. Sue put the kettle on and once boiled filled both bottles and placed them in each bed. They watched a film which Sheila had been given for her birthday. When it finished Sue decided it was time to get showered and ready for bed.  Sheila said, she would see if there was anything else on television. Sue came out of the bathroom in her pyjamas ready for bed and as she walked past the living room, she popped her head around the door, Sheila was switching off the television. Sue called out, "Goodnight!" and she made her way into her bedroom and closed the door behind her...
                        The air seemed chilly which she thought was strange after all the heater had been on a good few hours or more.  She decided she would leave the heater on but would turn it down a little. Sue climbed into bed and pulled the covers up over her shoulders and cuddled the bottle which was still quite hot. A short while later she heard the living door open and her friend's feet creaking on the floor boards as she made her way to her bedroom, calling "Goodnight, see you in the morning, Sue", Then silence fell upon the little cottage.

Sue lay on her side hugging the water-bottle, enjoying the heat and thinking over her day as she wondered, why her car had just stopped for no apparent reason. At that moment the temperature in the room seemed to drop quite rapidly. Her first reaction was, the heater had gone off. She lifted her head out from under the bed covers and was surprised to see the red bars from the heater burning brightly. Then she felt the air go very cold in fact she could see her breath in the air. Sue decided the temperature must have dropped drastically outside and that was the reason it had become so so cold.  She closed her eyes to try and sleep...  Then as if from nowhere she heard voices, first of all it sounded like two voices one was a high pitched voice while the other was deeper tone as though a man was speaking. She held her breath so that she could listen...  She just couldn't make out what they were saying. Moments later, Sue heard soft music and then as if a crowd of people had walked into a room a sound like gabbling geese filled the air  drowning out the soft background music... Sue was wide awake by this time, she wondered what the hell was going on and at that moment she heard the living room door being pushed open and footsteps in the hall way.. Her heart was pounding as she shivered with fear... what if they... what if it came into the room..  her room...' she heard her house-mate's bedroom door handle turn and the door open...
Aha she gave a gasp of relief it's only Sheila. Obviously, Sheila couldn't sleep and she has been listening to some music in the living room and has now gone back to her bed. She gives a nervous chuckle trying to convince herself that she had been letting her mind play tricks on her and the gabbling geese must have been "Wind up the lum". Eventually she began to relax and sleep finally found her..  She awoke early, dressed herself, put some toast in the toaster and the kettle on. By the time Sheila came through Sue was already sitting eating her toast and marmalade. Sheila walked over to the breakfast table and sat down opposite her. Sue, glanced at her and after swallowing a mouthful of tea said " Couldn't you sleep last night? You made plenty noise, did you have to put the television on so loud, it sounded as if you were having a party'. Sheila looked up from her bowl of cereal in surprise and said "Me, I said goodnight when I went to bed, I read my book for a short while, then I must have fallen asleep.' Sue couldn't believe her ears but she didn't want to sound foolish so she put it down to a strange dream.

It was about a month later that the girls arrived home from work both tired. They had lit the fire before they left and banked it up with dross to keep it alight until they arrived home.. They had their tea as usual and around 10 o'clock the said their Good night's and went to bed. The following morning Sheila was up early and when Sue came through to the living-room she noticed Sheila looking a little pale in the face. Sue jokingly said 'You look as though you have seen a ghost". Sheila replied, "What th' hell were you up to last night?  Couldn't you sleep? What was so important that you had to put the television on so loud in the middle of the night.. You must have left all the windows open too as it was freezing."...

Well what do you think happened that night??

Through The Cellar Door!..

What do you think? Was it just a simple case of sleep walking or could there have been some unforeseen forces at work?  Could something  sinister be lurking in those stone walls of the house or down in the cellar?  I'd be interested to know if you have an explanation on these events?  Or perhaps you have had a similar experience? 


As I reached my early teens but still at school, my one passion at that time was my beautiful   horses. Due to lack of finances to support my expensive hobby I decided to scan the paper for jobs.  Two weeks later I came across an advert in the local paper for weekend help working with hunt horses. The position would involve very early starts and staying overnight at weekends. An interview was arrange for the following day,and my father took me along. The interview went well and it was agreed for me to start the following Saturday but I would need to be there on Friday evening.  I was a little anxious when I first arrived  but the other girls were very encouraging and in no time at all I was in full swing.


The stables and coach house were part of a large country residence situated within it's own grounds to the west side of Newcastle. The flat where the girls stayed was above the coach house and stables. Access to the flat was by a side door from the yard with a dark narrow corridor leading to the bottom of the stairs. The staircase itself was old and every step I took creaked beneath my feet. As I climbed the staircase on that Friday evening I passed a large wooden door with a curved top approximately halfway up on my right. I felt shivers run down her spine as she moved past it.  Later when talking with the girls I  learnt - It led down into the cellar, or so they thought!  As the weeks progressed, I was asked to work from the Thursday through to the Sunday as one of the girls had left and they were short staffed. I  loved my work and being with the horses, so I wholeheartedly agreed.

There were four girls on this particular Thursday evening when I arrived. The head girl who's name was Carol and the other three girls ( Miriam, Sue, Bernice) were full-time grooms and myself in training. We had dinner and everyone  had a glass of wine, except me and I had juice. I was later shown to my sleeping quarters. On this particular evening I slept in the room with the other girls. The flat was one one level and was part of a loft conversion. On leaving  the living room you walked through a doorway into a bedroom, with a large double bed in the centre and a small table with a candle holder placed on top. As you looked straight across the room, there was another door. This led you into a sort of dressing room  with a dark and very solid wooden chaise-lounge which stood against the far wall. To the right of the chaise lounge was a small square sash window which looked out over the courtyard. A small Victorian dressing table with a tall mirror had been placed in front of the window obscuring the view.To the left of the chaise-longue was another door leading into the girls sleeping  quarters.  As the evening progressed the girls told ghost stories and of the Grey Lady who walked the grounds, we all  laughed then disappeared to our beds.. I was shattered and I think we all fell asleep quite quickly..


Now as evening moved slowly into the early hours of the morning, I had no idea what was going to happen next until,  "I noticed that everywhere I looked I saw a grey mist and I had a an unusual cold feeling all around me." I seemed to be in this mist for quite sometime for from a distance I could hear a faint whisper of voice's but couldn't make out what was being said.. Then I heard someone calling my name, "Ann!"  all was silent. Then again "Ann, where are you going?"  then the silences followed by whispering "Ann, can you hear me?" this time the voice seemed much closer and still calling me by name "Ann!"


As though coming out of a trance I turned and standing next to me was Miriam, one of the girls. I was very surprised when I realised  I was not in my bed. Nor was I in the flat at all but on a staircase - on the other side of the cellar door. Looking back towards the ascending staircase and out flat door,  I glanced down to find I was standing in my nightdress but the mist and the cold feeling had gone! 

The girls excuse for my midnight walk (Somnambulism)  was due to me never having been away from home. However, I cannot recall sleep walking before that night nor have I walked in my sleep since!

Four weeks later I was asked to stay over once again from the Saturday to the Monday.  I didn't mind at all as it was half-term so it fitted in well. Bernice was taking time away on holiday, she had stated she didn't want anyone sleeping in her bed. So it was decided that I would sleep on the chaise-longue instead.


It had been a good day both for horses and riders. They returned home tired and extremely dirty. The horses tack was removed and they were allowed to stale and roll in the straw. They were immediately given access to tepid water. Meanwhile  their rider's organised refreshments and change of clothing. We all worked hard checking that the horses legs for cuts and bruises, we cleaned down and removed, sweat marks from their girths, bellies and legs dressing any horses that were injured immediately. Once they were made comfortable they were rugged up  and given a feed of hot bran mash with Epsom salts.They were left to munch their hay whilst we cleaned their tack. Once the tack was clean we all returned to check the horses were content and to make sure non had broken out into a hot sweat again. Once convinced all was well we gave them fresh hay and locked up behind us. It had been a long hard day, we were tired but we all chatted happily about what we'd be having for tea..


It was in the early hours of Sunday morning that I awoke to the sight of the lights flashing off and on and the sound of motor engines with lots of voices and noises. I had the feeling of coldness around me but it was as though I was in limbo. I could hear the sound of furniture moving as though it was being pulled into position. Someone calling my name "Ann"  By the time I was compos-mentis I found myself being helped back through what looked like the bedroom window. I was stunned. I had no recollection of what had happened. Or for that matter - what was I doing out there, I was dumb struck!! 


The dressing table had disappeared to the other side of the dressing room and in it's place was the chaise-longue. I was told later that someone had caught site of me standing on the ledge when they came home earlier that morning with their car lights.. they had phoned the fire brigade. 


The night had turned into a fiasco not to mention sheer panic as Miriam explained later. One of the girls through in the flat had over heard a scraping noise, she said it was like furniture moving and had woken one of the other girls up.. Apparently the chaise-longue was made from solid wood and it had taken four big men to lift it into position against the wall. One of the other head girl's Carol remarked it was there before she first moved in more than eight years prior to the girls working there, that they knew of!!


No explanation was ever found for the happenings that night!  As far as the girls were aware it had never happened before.  I never returned to the country mansion again after my traumatic experience.


This is another true story and the characters names have been changed for their own privacy.  
Please feel free to leave a comment. Thanking you in advance!

Jenni