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first Keesie experience. For me it was window I could clearly make out the
love at first sight, although I suspect ghoul-like face of Graham, with
he was cautious of me for the deeply sunken eyes, his head
intrusion on his privacy. partially covered in a white shroud,
motionless as he gazed out of the
The head gardener, Graham, lived in window onto his prized gardens.
the other part of our cottage. Sadly, I could not believe what I was seeing
this lovely man developed leukaemia but seeing it I did. I was frightened,
and passed away several years later and hurried in total confusion and
following a short stay in hospital panic to let the petrified Hairy out
during which we had become through the park gate to get us
custodians of his house keys for both back into our own garden
security while the property was and home. Accordingly, we both
empty. One privilege of living on the appeared shocked witless when we
Estate was that it afforded us the met Kit coming down the path to see
right to walk Hairy in the magnificent,
why Hairy was barking so. I was
manicured private gardens of the completely grey and dazed when she
Conference Centre. The stone led me in and sat me down in front
mullioned windows of both cottages of the Rayburn. It was several
overlooked these beautiful gardens minutes before I could collect my
and a very large Victorian green- thoughts sufficiently to tell her what
house. Each evening Hairy was had happened.
walked there unless of course there
was a high-level conference taking I am rarely stuck for words, but this
place and a risk of descending was exceptional. Kit immediately
helicopters landing VIP guests. It was wanted to enter the cottage with our
on one of these evening walks in late set of keys as she said she’d never
January that Hairy and I experienced actually seen a ghost and really
a spiritual happening as vivid 20 wanted to! Somehow, against all
years later as it was then. odds, she managed to convince me
to at least accompany her to
I had been playing my torch beam Graham’s front door. God alone
across my path, flicking it from side knows how and, struggling to
to side, when the light bounced maintain my composure wanting
off of one of the greenhouse roof desperately to avoid adding to my
panes and reflected the beam back acute distress disorder symptoms, I
directly into Graham’s bedroom reluctantly agreed to accompany her
window. I saw in perfect clarity on the condition that she went first!
Graham, standing there and I raised
my hand to wave a greeting before She said later that the cottage had
suddenly remembering that he had felt unusually cold and she thought
passed away some six months she may have felt a movement of air
earlier. Hairy also looked up at as she ascended the staircase but
Graham’s window and took off at a nothing had been disturbed and she
wild, almost uncoordinated, gallop to saw nothing.
the gate as fast as he could, barking
in a highly alarmed state which I While I'm aware that Shakespeare
had never heard him do before. was certainly not famous for clarity
Glancing up again to the closed
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