Circles
by Nicky Galliers
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| © https://pixabay.com/users/theotherkev-9436196/ |
I saw him three times before I decided to talk to him.
I got on the train at Tower Hill, my habitual stop, that first Tuesday in early autumn and he was in the same carriage on the yellow line. It was busy, but it could have been busier, and I saw him standing, holding on to a pole as the train jogged along the tunnel.
Nut brown hair curled around his nape. The eyes that were so heavily fringed with darker lashes were green, whether naturally or reflected in the wool of his sweater, I would find out, I swore. His skin was perfect and unblemished, and he wore a little beard and moustache. I could understand why; without it, he would have been too pretty. As it was, he was definitely young and beautiful, just how I liked my men.
And he was a man. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows revealing softly tanned skin covered in downy fair hair, and the hands that gripped the pole were strong and sinewy.
It was so long since I had seen a man to make me shimmer, but I was too shy to approach and satisfied myself with watching him. Two stops further on, at Cannon Street, he alighted, stepping onto the platform without looking back.
He didn’t see me, but I thought of him long after he was out of my sight, and I was returning to Tower Hill.
That was the first time. The second was a few days later and, similarly, I stayed hidden, watched him from further up the carriage, shifting the angle of my head so I could still see him as the other passengers wove between us.
And this third time. He wore brown today, a leather jacket affair, deep and rich, over neat dark woollen formal trousers. His curls bounced as he moved to the rhythm of the train. But it was busy, and I was separated from him by so many people. Get closer. I had to get closer, and I twisted my head awkwardly as I moved through the crowd between us, always to keep him in sight.
The train slowed and we approached Cannon Street again and I prayed to God he would not get off. Please, don’t get off!
The train stopped; the doors opened, but he didn’t move towards them. His grip on the pole loosened, and he stretched his hand. Then, joy of joys, he wrapped his fingers around the metal once more and held on.
Other passengers got off; the carriage cleared and he was there, in front of me, as beautiful as I had hoped. I moved closer, willing him to see me. Just five steps, no more, and I made sure he saw me this time.
He turned, and I smiled up at him. Were my eyes not lovely, and had my face not enraptured a king?
The boy pointed, his mouth open, his eyes so wide they near popped. The scream was loud and visceral, from the heart, from the depths of his soul.
The other passengers whipped their heads around and stared, shocked and gasping, not understanding. They couldn’t see me, couldn’t see my tears, the tears that had made me a queen and, aye, were there when I was unmade.
They always screamed now. All those lovely boys, their soft skin and their dreamy eyes, and their piercing shouts and white hot terror.
I had tried to balance my head back on my shoulders, but it fell off and I decided it was probably better to be honest and merely hold it. The result was rarely any better.
While he sat on the floor of the train, I slid back through the pressing crowd and out of the train, into the tunnels near Mansion House and made my way back to Tower Hill, alone.
© Nicky Galliers
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| © https://pixabay.com/users/theotherkev-9436196/ |
sometimes the unexplainable just can't be explained...
but they make fine stories!
go to our #VIPReader suggestions
OR
meet some REAL ghosts!
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| THE COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB GOLD AWARD for NON-FICTION 2025 |
"What distinguishes this collection is its tone. There is no urgency to convince, no reliance on spectacle. Instead, [the authors] approach each presence with measured curiosity... these are not apparitions to be feared, but lives interrupted, emotions unfinished. Even the more unsettling encounters are shaped by empathy rather than alarm. And history is never absent. Each account is gently contextualised, drawing the reader into the rhythms of rural life, the echoes of national upheaval, the quiet tragedies that ripple outward through time. The result is a narrative that feels intimate, where the boundary between past and present is not forcefully broken but naturally thinned." author Patricia Furstenberg
Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.
You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that all ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.
In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared, while including snippets of interesting history about North Devon and some of the people of the past...
(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)
"...an utterly captivating blend of travel guide & personal memoir not just for those intrigued by the paranormal - also a beautifully written tribute to the magic of North Devon, its past, and its present. Whether planning a visit or simply looking for a delightfully eerie escape, Ghost Encounters is an absolute must-read. Hollick has crafted a truly special book—one that lingers in the mind like the very spirits she so wonderfully brings to life." Amazon reader
"If you enjoy your history, then you will love this book. I have a long held interest in both History and the Paranormal. The history in this book is very well researched and the descriptions of the paranormal engaging. Kathy Hollick's accounts of the spirits she encounters were fascinating, believable and struck a chord with me. I have a long association with Mediums, most parlour tricksters, one outright fraud and a few where the jury is out. One lady, however, was genuine and Ms Hollick's accounts and experiences sound very similar. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to those who enjoy history and/or the paranormal." Kevin R Agg Founder and former Secretary Supernatural Research Special Interest Group, former investigator Society for Psychical Research
Amazon Buy link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters
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