I don’t believe in ghosts. Neither does my brother, but he does claim he once saw a phantom couple on a bench near a church in Stafford. He was a student at the time and was probably drunk or had one of those ‘magic’ mushroom risottos for tea, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
As with every rule, there is an exception. When I was a kid I had a book of Sea Mysteries. It dealt with all the usual suspects; Marie Celeste, the Bermuda Triangle, mermaids, the Titanic etc. All fairly interesting and provable tales but intriguing none the less, but one always fascinated me, principally because I could prove or disprove it.
It told of the ghostly schooner the Lady Lovibond which had struck the notorious Goodwin Sands and sank on February, 13, 1748 and supposedly appeared again on the same day every fifty years.
The book claimed it had been regularly spotted on schedule every half century since. It was due again in 1998. Jackpot! I thought, I’ll go and have a look at it next time.
So I made a solemn promise to myself that I would be there on Goodwin Sands all day long on 13th February waiting for it to appear. Okay, I was seven at the time and my belief in the supernatural was a bit less sceptical than it is now. Over the ensuing years I came to firmly believe that all tales of ghost and ghouls were nonsense, generally made up.
Near where I grew up there was an old ruined 17th century hunting lodge, known locally as ‘the castle’. It has since been renovated, but everyone and their uncle back then claimed to have seen the ‘white lady’. I was occasionally in the company of friends when they swore they saw her. Vivid imaginations running wild combined with the desire to tell a good tall tale rather than visitations from the other realm.
Nevertheless anytime I came across the book, [I still have it somewhere] I would re-affirm my pledge to be there and see this so-called ghost ship. I was now resigned to not seeing it, but I suppose a little of the young boy reading it for the first time still remained and secretly hoped it might show up. By 1998 I was working but still had it in my mind to make the pilgrimage to Goodwin Sands and my date with destiny.
Unfortunately I forgot all about it.
Infact I had completely forgotten about the whole thing. I recall whilst living in Kent in the mid 1990’s I had remembered, but quickly got distracted by hum-drum everyday life. I do recall vividly coming across the book again three or four years ago and the horror that struck me when I remembered I had broken my vow to my younger self. I didn’t have one of those schmaltzy rites of passage moments so common in American films but I was annoyed for a few minutes before remembering that it was all a load of cobblers. However remembering that young lad and his dream, I have to find out so…
Did anyone see her?
Does anyone know if the Lady Lovibond turned up?
lyndlj
No not heard of that one but the film Ghost Ship was good wasn`t it?