Ghost Story (Or, I cannot explain this)
So, my son has a small car these days and sometimes he travels 30 odd miles across country to visiti his girlfriend. I worry, of course I do, but he's a reasonable driver so he keeps in touch and I put those fears to the back of my mind.
Sunday night, he comes into the house, shaking, in tears and has actual goosebumps. I brace myself, hug him and say "What happened?"
He says, "I don't know, I really don't know." Okay, I think, he's in shock.
"Are you hurt?" "How much damage to the car?" I ask, expecting a tale involving dents and broken glass.
"None," he says, sounding like that is the worst thing ever.
"Start at the beginning," I say.
"I ran someone over," he says, and I really panic and look around him for police, "Except I didn't, I went straight through."
Yikes, I think, should we be ringing the police?
"Were they okay?"
"She just appeared in the middle of the road, like one moment not there, next minute, there. And I was doing 60, about to brake for the corner so I did an emergency stop and there was no way they could have got out of the way."
(He was absolutely shaking at this point.)
"So, what happened, is she okay?"
"I don't know what happened, like I said, I went through her, no sound, no bump, no impact, nothing. Just *through* and the interior of the car got so cold but I thought it was me, because I'd run someone over." He shook his head, "But I didn't. I knew I didn't but I still got out and looked. I looked everywhere in case they'd got up and walked away or ended up in a field but there was nowhere for them to have gone because I was between the stone walls at Horncliffe. But it felt like I was being watched and nothing made sense so I kept looking."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and I've gone over every inch of my car and there isn't a mark but there wouldn't be because she didn't move or get flung under or off the car, I went THROUGH her." (he won't forgive me for saying this but there a some panic in his voice here)
"Have you taken anything, drunk anything in the last few days - ANYTHING which could alter your senses."
"No, I was at (X's) parents house anyway and I knew I'd be driving." His pupils were normal enough for someone in a panic, no smell of alcohol or weed (I have 3 kids, I have a nose for that shit and he didn't seem to be lying)
"Was there any other car, tractor or bike or anything around?"
"No. I wanted something to come past it was so creepy and cold and didn't feel real."
"Okay. Can I take a look at your car?"
The car is pristine but road-dusty, this is a car which would dent with the impact of a shopping trolley in a car park. The dust on it is even and built up where expected on the bumper and bonnet. It is clear nothing has impacted it or caught under either bumper. It hasn't been wiped or washed either. Ookay.
I get him a coffee. "It was dark, are you sure it wasn't localised fog or mist, it can be deceptive."
"It wasn't mist or fog."
Well, okay then, "Describe her,"
"She had her hands in front of her like this," he mimicked hand wringing. "Anyway I think it was a she, they were, like wearing a hood, the face wasn't clear, just the hands."
"They had a hoodie on?" I ask.
"No! Like a full length coat-thing without arms. Like it was over a long dress or something."
"Cloak?"
"Yes,"
Well this is weird, I think, there is nothing but farmland around those parts so if anyone was going to be hanging around on the road, it was unlikely to be someone dressed for a ball.
"What colour?"
"Just grey, all over, but the hands were less grey, more white, but really pale, not skin color."
"Are you sure you it wasn't mist."
"No, I saw her hands clearly as I went through her."
"So she put them up to protect herself?"
"No, she didn't move, at all."
"And you're sure it wasn't mist and you have nothing in your bloodstream."
Cue, a few more tears. "I am certain, but I am going to get a drink now."
"I'll check the news shall I?"
He nods, "Please, but I know I didn't hit anything, I would have felt it or heard it. They would have moved. They would have been there. I still feel so cold all over."
I hug him and let him move on, terrified that just maybe someone had been there (but looking at the car an accident had not occurred).
Anyhow, it's two days later, he hasn't changed his story, nobody was hurt on that piece of road and there's no sign of anything on return in daylight.
BUT this did turn up on my f/b feed for a historical society today.
Umm, that is piece of Victorian railway bridge. And, yes, that is precisely the location it all happened at. The planning application went public this week as far as I can tell.
And now I have goosebumps and I want to find a rational explanation, but I'm relating so hard to those kids in the 300th episode right now.
It was mist, I whisper to myself. Definitely mist and over-concentration on the dark road ahead.
*Edit* Because when I googled, it got creepier.
I went looking for ghost sighting stories in the area and predictably, there were none. What I did find was this event , which, y'know is all fiction, right? But it just happens that the signal box in question would have been the one controlling movement of trains over that bridge, of which the remains are due to be demolished if the council gets its way - and where it all happened. And no, my son has no clue of the history of the area/railway, so it can't have been an elaborate wind up.
Officially spooked out now.
Sunday night, he comes into the house, shaking, in tears and has actual goosebumps. I brace myself, hug him and say "What happened?"
He says, "I don't know, I really don't know." Okay, I think, he's in shock.
"Are you hurt?" "How much damage to the car?" I ask, expecting a tale involving dents and broken glass.
"None," he says, sounding like that is the worst thing ever.
"Start at the beginning," I say.
"I ran someone over," he says, and I really panic and look around him for police, "Except I didn't, I went straight through."
Yikes, I think, should we be ringing the police?
"Were they okay?"
"She just appeared in the middle of the road, like one moment not there, next minute, there. And I was doing 60, about to brake for the corner so I did an emergency stop and there was no way they could have got out of the way."
(He was absolutely shaking at this point.)
"So, what happened, is she okay?"
"I don't know what happened, like I said, I went through her, no sound, no bump, no impact, nothing. Just *through* and the interior of the car got so cold but I thought it was me, because I'd run someone over." He shook his head, "But I didn't. I knew I didn't but I still got out and looked. I looked everywhere in case they'd got up and walked away or ended up in a field but there was nowhere for them to have gone because I was between the stone walls at Horncliffe. But it felt like I was being watched and nothing made sense so I kept looking."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and I've gone over every inch of my car and there isn't a mark but there wouldn't be because she didn't move or get flung under or off the car, I went THROUGH her." (he won't forgive me for saying this but there a some panic in his voice here)
"Have you taken anything, drunk anything in the last few days - ANYTHING which could alter your senses."
"No, I was at (X's) parents house anyway and I knew I'd be driving." His pupils were normal enough for someone in a panic, no smell of alcohol or weed (I have 3 kids, I have a nose for that shit and he didn't seem to be lying)
"Was there any other car, tractor or bike or anything around?"
"No. I wanted something to come past it was so creepy and cold and didn't feel real."
"Okay. Can I take a look at your car?"
The car is pristine but road-dusty, this is a car which would dent with the impact of a shopping trolley in a car park. The dust on it is even and built up where expected on the bumper and bonnet. It is clear nothing has impacted it or caught under either bumper. It hasn't been wiped or washed either. Ookay.
I get him a coffee. "It was dark, are you sure it wasn't localised fog or mist, it can be deceptive."
"It wasn't mist or fog."
Well, okay then, "Describe her,"
"She had her hands in front of her like this," he mimicked hand wringing. "Anyway I think it was a she, they were, like wearing a hood, the face wasn't clear, just the hands."
"They had a hoodie on?" I ask.
"No! Like a full length coat-thing without arms. Like it was over a long dress or something."
"Cloak?"
"Yes,"
Well this is weird, I think, there is nothing but farmland around those parts so if anyone was going to be hanging around on the road, it was unlikely to be someone dressed for a ball.
"What colour?"
"Just grey, all over, but the hands were less grey, more white, but really pale, not skin color."
"Are you sure you it wasn't mist."
"No, I saw her hands clearly as I went through her."
"So she put them up to protect herself?"
"No, she didn't move, at all."
"And you're sure it wasn't mist and you have nothing in your bloodstream."
Cue, a few more tears. "I am certain, but I am going to get a drink now."
"I'll check the news shall I?"
He nods, "Please, but I know I didn't hit anything, I would have felt it or heard it. They would have moved. They would have been there. I still feel so cold all over."
I hug him and let him move on, terrified that just maybe someone had been there (but looking at the car an accident had not occurred).
Anyhow, it's two days later, he hasn't changed his story, nobody was hurt on that piece of road and there's no sign of anything on return in daylight.
BUT this did turn up on my f/b feed for a historical society today.
Umm, that is piece of Victorian railway bridge. And, yes, that is precisely the location it all happened at. The planning application went public this week as far as I can tell.
And now I have goosebumps and I want to find a rational explanation, but I'm relating so hard to those kids in the 300th episode right now.
It was mist, I whisper to myself. Definitely mist and over-concentration on the dark road ahead.
*Edit* Because when I googled, it got creepier.
I went looking for ghost sighting stories in the area and predictably, there were none. What I did find was this event , which, y'know is all fiction, right? But it just happens that the signal box in question would have been the one controlling movement of trains over that bridge, of which the remains are due to be demolished if the council gets its way - and where it all happened. And no, my son has no clue of the history of the area/railway, so it can't have been an elaborate wind up.
Officially spooked out now.