I was so busy this weekend I totally forgot to post Saturday's entry, so today we have both L and M. Enjoy!
L is for Lodge Oak Lane
The ghost story for L is inspired by the Cardinals Error pub on Lodge Oak Lane, Tonbridge, and I will say no more, because the story should speak for itself ;) This one is not scary.Looking
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Lee came out of his dream and blearily opened one eye. It was still dark. He was a seasoned traveller, being a travelling sales rep. Usually nothing woke him once he had dropped off. Not so in this pub it seemed.
It only took him a couple of seconds to realise what had pulled him from sleep: it was really cold.
"Bloody weather," he muttered to himself.
When he'd gone to bed the room had been almost too warm, but he'd opened the window rather than put up with the noisy air-conditioning unit. Now it was freezing.
Mournfully, he glanced over at the chair where he had dumped the quilt that has been over the duvet on the bed when he'd arrived. Getting it would mean releasing what heat he did have under his current cover, which seemed like a bad idea.
Turning over he went to snuggle down under the duvet.
That's when he saw her.
She was sitting on the corner of the bed opposite to where he was sleeping, and she was staring at him. Her expression was blank, but what was more disconcerting, was the fact he could see through her.
"Oh."
The apparition almost looked put out by that reaction. Or perhaps he was imagining it.
"Hello," he said, "sorry to have disturbed you."
The woman frowned, but faded to nothing anyway.
"Good night then," Lee said to the empty air, which was already warmer.
He turned back over the other way, pulled the duvet up to his chin and closed his eyes. That was the thing about staying in hotels and pubs all over the country—sometimes the previous occupants had never left. Lee went with a live and let not-live kind of policy, it only seemed fair. He'd have to add this one to his blog.
Dramatic Reading on Patreon
For this month I am also recording dramatic readings of all the ghost stories. These are available on my Patreon. Some are public, some are patrons only.
M is for The Old Metropole Hotel
For M I have a ghost story for you that is inspired by the Old Metropole Hotel in Dover. This is now a pub and apartments, but when it was a hotel it was said to be frequented by a young lady named Adele, who used to meet her lover there. This story is a little scary, but not too much.
Mood
by Natasha Duncan-Drake
The moment Saskia walked into the flat it set her teeth on edge. What was really annoying though, was she had no idea why.
The décor and the colour were pleasant enough for a short-term lease rental. Everything looked clean. Even the fittings and fixtures looked new and in perfect condition. The ad had said the flats had been refurbished recently, but sometimes real estate seemed to think recently meant after the last ice age.
It was a good price too, which was why she had jumped at it as soon as she had seen the listing. Contracting wasn't what she wanted to do long term, but it was good for now and she needed a place to stay. The flat should have been perfect.
The letting agent was talking, but Saskia wasn't really listening.
She followed the man from room to room and tried to work out what was bothering her.
The thing was, Saskia had learned a long time ago not to ignore her instincts. Her mum called it the Deacon women's gift, what she said was just a little edge over the rest of the world. Nothing grand like premonitions or psychic visions, but all the women and girls in her family knew not to push aside the little voice at the back of their heads, or the feelings in the pits of their stomachs.
It was when she walked into the bathroom that she heard the singing.
The voice was sweet and light, it was an old song.
Goosebumps rose all over Saskia's skin.
"Everything alright?" the letting agent asked.
"Um, yes," Saskia said even as she listened to the singing. "Can I have a minute?"
"In the bathroom?" the letting agent sounded dubious.
"Very important room, the bathroom," Saskia said and ushered him out.
She was almost positive there was something he hadn't told her, another one of her feelings. He'd been too eager to show the property when she had called.
The singing was changing slowly, the sound becoming more mournful as the song went on. Saskia walked over to the sink and looked in the mirror.
"Who's here?" she asked, looking past her reflection.
A cold draft ghosted over the back of her neck like icy fingers.
As she stared at the backwards room, a figure began to form behind her right shoulder. As a woman faded in, the singing faded out.
She was young, not more than mid-twenties, but the look in her eyes was old. Her uniform was not quite military, something along the lines of a nurse maybe, and it looked to be from around the time of the second world war. Not that Saskia was very knowledgeable about such things, but the victory rolls in the woman's hair gave her a clue. However, it was how sad the woman looked that caught most of her attention.
"Hello," she said.
The woman's gaze moved to meet her own. As their eyes met the sadness evaporated from the ghost's expression, hardening into something else entirely.
"She took him from me," the woman hissed, face contorting.
Her chin dropped to an impossible length and her eyes darkened into deep, black holes.
Saskia closed her eyes, turned and ran, only opening them again as she bumped into the door frame.
"Miss Deacon," the letting agent called as she made for the front door.
"You need a male tenant for this flat," she called over her shoulder and didn't stop until she hit the street.
Dramatic Reading on Patreon
For this month I am also recording dramatic readings of all the ghost stories. These are available on my Patreon. Some are public, some are patrons only.
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Please do let me know what you think of the story and leave me links to your AtoZ entries so I can visit you back. I love to chat.
Have you ever walked into a place and known it was just not for you?
Have you ever walked into a place and known it was just not for you?
creepy!
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