Our haunted bedroom...

illustration - Yelena Bryksenkova

Ok mad as this sounds I think our bedroom might be haunted. It's either that or I really am unable to distinguish between being asleep and being awake. But after three weird things happening so far this year, I don't think it's that, and no, I hadn't been watching horror films or eating cheese before going to bed!

I brought the subject up one evening with friends and had two reactions, either 'you were dreaming just waking up' or real interest and sensible questions. I have to say mr. man was a lot quieter and less dismissive than he'd normally be, maybe it was because he'd been there the night I screamed.

"The Haunted and The Haunters" lithograph - Odilon Redon 1896

The first 'happening' was sometime in the early morning when I woke for no apparent reason. I was lying on my side facing the wardrobes and opened my eyes, in front of me were two figures one behind the other, I say figures because they were human shaped; head, shoulders, body, but there were no features and I could see through them. It was just like the after image you get when you look at a light bulb then turn off the light. (This bit takes longer to read than the actual experience it happened very quickly) - I screamed and pulled myself up onto my elbow, mr man woke turned and asked 'what's wrong?' we were now both fully awake... 'a ghost' I shouted looking at them, at this point the nearer of the two figures moved towards me and I screamed again, then they both disappeared, 'it's only a dream' he said, if so it was a dream with my eyes open.

The second occurrence happened early one morning, mr man had gone downstairs as he usually wakes up about 6.30. I'd just turned over in bed to face the windows and standing there, (thankfully on the other side of the bed) was a man quite solid looking, holding a box camera, just as I was wondering what was going on he disappeared.

The third one was a bit more unsettling as I was alone in the house, mr man was away working and my son was away at university. This time I knew someone was there even before I woke and opened my eyes. Over dramatic as this sounds, there's no other way to describe her than as an old crone, those were the words that came into my head, but I suppose really she probably just looked like my old paternal Granny who was into her late 90's when she died. I didn't get the feeling she was very friendly and it was a bit frightening, so I basically said out loud b****r this, closed my eyes, pulled the duvet over my head and went back to sleep.

photo - Jan Banning

If I don't sound too impressed with these three occurrences,  it's because over about the last twenty five years or so I've seen the same man at least once in each of the four houses we've lived in. I say man because that's what my brain tells me, but it's a solid dark figure that gives the impression of wearing a suit and what appears to be a bowler hat. I sit up with a start and cry out because I know some ones standing by the bed watching me, he's not really frightening, more unnerving. This same figure appeared so often I wondered if he was a precursor of something and worked out it was either illness or moving house but couldn't decide which, now I think I know! Our house went on the market Monday, (Thursday morning we received an offer for the asking price - fast or what?) and I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in this house, therefore I think he might be a warning of illness. The last time I saw him was just before I ended up in hospital for three weeks, (but as we also put our house up for sale that year I wasn't sure) the time before that he had appeared just before a bad bout of bronchitis and we didn't move house for a couple of years after. So... not a scientific study but enough to make me think.

apologies to Magritte

   And it seems I'm not the only mad woman in the family...

In the 30's my mother lived in the middle of nowhere in the countryside in a place called Pilning, she was about 14 and was delivering a paper to an old lady in Awkley nearby. It was a bright sunny day and she was talking with the lady by the gate of her cottage, the only sounds were birds, there was no one around and no other nearby houses. All of a sudden  she heard the thundering of horses hooves and the sound of wooden wheels. She turned and saw an empty funeral carriage with no driver hurtling down the hill towards her pulled by two black horses with plumes of black feathers on their heads. They were so close she saw the sweat on their bodies and heard their heavy breathing as they galloped passed and turned the corner at the end of the road. My mother says she just stood there open mouthed. The old lady asked "whatever's the matter you've gone as white as a sheet? you've seen the horses haven't you, oh, you're one of the lucky ones" The old lady hadn't seen or heard anything herself but knew all the local legends and it was something to do with a suicide.

I'd started writing this post some time ago but was unsure how it would go down so held it back, but was encouraged to finish after having recently read a post by hettie brown which among other things contained her experiences with a much more exotic ghost, read here A Little Siesta  thank you hettie.