Thank You from Beyond the Grave

West Yorkshire, 1995

When my best friend's father died suddenly in 1995, I found myself helping the family out by runnning errands, answering the door to visitors, making cups of tea, preparing snacks and generally being a shoulder to cry on. For three days I made myself available to help them come to terms with their loss. It was the least I could do for a family that meant so much to me. Resembling Norman Wisdom in both looks and personality, Dennis was a warm, hardworking family man; the life and soul of family gatherings. His death came as a great shock to everyone.

After three days it was time for me to say my goodbyes. But no sooner had I shut the car door and put the key in the ignition than I broke down. After three days of being strong, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably into the steering wheel.

A few minutes later, I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder and squeeze. Sobbing away I assumed my best friend had seen me crying from the living room window and slipped into the passenger side of the car to console me. After a few more moments, I lifted my head to acknowledge whoever it was who'd gotten into my car ... only to discover that the car was empty apart from me.

To this day I believe it was Dennis saying thank you and letting me know that he was okay and that I would be too.

Friendly WW1 Nurse

East Finchley - circa 2004

I was sharing a house with two guys and a girl in East Finchley. The house was an old Victorian terrace although it wasn't particularly spooky. In fact the huge spiders that appeared out of nowhere frightened me more than the house itself.

One evening after finishing in the bathroom on the first floor I was walking down the stairs and, for a fleeting moment, saw a young woman wearing a WW1 nurses uniform identical to the one shown in the picture. She remained at the bottom of the stairs long enough for me to do a double take, then she was gone. She didn't say or do anything. She was simply looking up at me with a friendly expression on her face.

Not the most exciting encounter with a ghost but definitely one of my favourites.