Ghost ship inland
It was twilight at Croft Pasco Pool, inky swathes of dusk rolled along the grasses. A wind buffed the stunted willows and the sun was long departed. The water was quiet as an evening sigh, even the birds were silent. James and Grace parked up in a layby and climbed out of their van, stretching. They walked to the edge of the water and stood in silence side by side. Having recently suffered a loss, they wanted to stand beside the pool and soak in its serenity. For a moment they stood together holding hands, watching the movement of the dark water. Grace squeezed James’ hand, not wanting to make a sound. For this was no ordinary evening beside the pool.
Standing very quietly, her long mane flickering in the breeze, a beautiful grey horse bent to drink from the shallow water. There was something ethereal about the mare, she glowed, her eyes dark and fathomless. As the couple watched, they saw the water the horse drank slip through her ghostly mouth back into the pool. James and Grace stood mesmerized. They had visited this spot many times for bird watching, or to think and breathe quietly. What could this apparition mean? The ghostly white mare lifted her head and stared right at them, and they didn’t feel the shiver of the dead. They breathed in a warm closeness and love. As the young couple watched, shadows grew and across the pool, the white mare faded into seeping darkness.
James put his arm protectively about Grace’s shoulders. He began to speak hesitantly, ‘A few years ago, I did see something ghostly here but I haven’t told anyone about it before now.’
‘You did?’ says Grace in surprise.
‘Well, it wasn’t a white horse exactly but it did have a few similarities.’
‘Tell me!’ Grace looks at him with a glint in her sad eyes.
‘There was a time when few people were caught out this way after dark. If you did you might regret it and this happened to me one night when I was a youth. It was a bit like this evening by the pool, there were shadows and a dark shallow water moving in the wind. I was deep in thought when I felt something appear in the water, something big and ominous. I didn’t want to raise my head but I knew I must. Reluctantly, I looked up and let my eyes wander across Croft Pasco Pool and there, like a mirage from the past, a ghostly lugger floated on the pool. Her sails spread resplendent in the twilight. The lugger was translucent and seemingly weightless as it moved across the shallow water and faded as it reached the trees.’
‘That sounds incredible, James,’ said Grace in wonder.
‘I had never seen a ghost before, hadn’t really thought about whether I believed in them or no, but the lugger had a strong presence like a handshake from the past. I stood absolutely still and transfixed, mesmerized. It was like I felt just now while we watched the white mare. This pool is a truly spiritual place. You can come here to watch the birds for hours or follow the shimmering shallow water moving on the wind or when you are least expecting it, a ghost.'
James and Grace walked arm in arm back to their van and slept the night in the layby, knowing they were being gently watched over by the ghosts of Croft Pasco Pool.