A Ghostly Tale

It was about this time of year, maybe a little later. I was driving with a friend from the horse races at Chepstow in the Welsh Borders, back to our house in Cardiff. We decided to take a detour to look at White Castle which dates to the13th century, although there is evidence of a fortification there before that time.WhiteCastle4It was just before sunset, so we were the only people there. We parked and walked through the outer ward, through a 13th century gate and headed toward the bridge over the wet moat. From there, we would enter the inner ring of the fortifications through the inner gatehouse.  WhiteCastle2As I broke the plane of the gatehouse, it felt like I was walking through a curtain. I felt a bite of chilly air and had a flash of the scene before me: lots of people milling around, cooking fires, activity and light and some noise. Then it was gone. WhiteCastle3We walked around the inner ward until it got too dark, and then we headed home. I didn’t say anything about what had happened to my friend, thinking that he’d say I was nuts.

A few weeks later, I was back in the States and sending my Christmas letter to friends around the world. I mentioned what had happened at White Castle in one sentence. white castleSeveral days later, I got a call from my friend back in Wales. He was shocked! He had had the exact same experience as I had but didn’t mention it to me for the same reason I gave.

Do you believe in ghosts and other-worldly experiences like this?