I was 13 years old and on a fabulous, long awaited for dream riding holiday. Mum and Dad had generously agreed to let me go and it really was my dream come true that year. My best friend had come with me and we were having such a great time. The farm was a lovely huge, rustic, old building with several rooms upstairs and downstairs and nooks and cranny's for games of hide and seek!
There were about 20 girls (yes all girls) of slightly differing ages - ranging from 12 - 16years but we all seemed to get on, as our common love was the horses.
The days were filled with mucking out, grooming, riding, learning new skills and preparing for a gymkhana at the end of the week. We were all pretty shattered most nights, a combination of fresh air and hard work! Bedtimes were fun too - we were separated into groups of 6-8 and in 3 "dormitories" with bunk beds and a lot of girlie giggles, pillow fights and running in and out of the rooms playing tricks on each other.
One night I woke up at about 3am. At this point I was not really sure what woke me - I did not usually wake at this time of night - but I decided I needed the toilet, so got up out of the bed and set off to the tiny room right at the end of a long .... dark corridor.
I had gone a few paces when I felt suddenly really cold - goosebumps raised on my arms - I just decided to move a little quicker, dismissing the coldness as the damp of an old house and nothing else ... plus ... I was still half asleep and getting a little desperate for the loo!
I got to the tiny room, switched on the light .......... and carried out my business.
I then noticed that the room, which had been warm as I entered also seemed to get very cold, very quickly. I hurried up ..... and turned off the light.
As I came out of the room and entered the corridor ............... I heard a blood curdling scream ............ and then crying .............. and then ............
" Jane, Jane get back here NOW"
I ambled back with no real concept of a need to run ...... I saw the girls from the other Dorm in a bit of a state at the other end of the corridor - they asked if I was OK and ..... because I was still half asleep ..... I said yes and .......... just ambled back to my bed !
There was a lot of commotion in the other Dorm but my Dormitory was peaceful and quiet ... so I just drifted right back off to sleep!
When I got up in the morning we went down to the breakfast room. all the girls were in there and the farm owner was dishing up breakfast whilst comforting 2 girls in particular. It seemed as though she was also trying to keep them calm and to not talk too much about why they were upset. BUT girls will be girls and gossip is our favourite pastime. Neither of them however would actually look at me and I began to feel a little paranoid ....in fact .... I noticed no-one from that Dorm was actually talking to me ...... had I upset someone?
So when we all settled and the owner had gone out of the room I intended to ask what I had done but one of them quickly rounded on me and asked if I was OK and "didn't I feel anything ?"
Anything about what ?
Then she told me what she had seen ................
One of them woke up in the night thinking she saw a figure run through their Dorm. She was so convinced she cried out (which I think is what woke me initially) and all the girls from her Dorm woke up trying to suss what it was. By the time they had worked up the courage to check outside the corridor .... I was coming back from the toilet ..........
They SAW in front of me - what appeared to be a wolf and a shadowy figure behind me that turned and then seemed to RUSH through me and out of the window, with the wolf following.
THEY ALL SWEAR THEY SAW IT.
And then ......... from the corner of the room ....... the grandma spoke ...........
"That was Old Mac ..... our wolfhound ........ 50 years ago he chased a burglar onto the balcony ...... it's not there any-more ....... it was riddled with woodworm ...... it collapsed under their weight ...... they just both fell to the ground and died"
There was absolute silence from 20 girls.
None of us slept the next night. Thankfully it was the last night and although I never actually saw it - I know I felt the icy coldness !!!!!!
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