11 May 2012
From the age of seven until I reached ten, every summer I used to go and stay with my aunt and uncle for two weeks in a little seaside village called Thorpeness on the south coast. I remember I used to look forward to it so much as they always used to spoil me rotten when I was there. My aunt and uncle never had children of their own, so I suppose in a way I was the child they never had. Now I don't know if I'm looking back through rose tinted glasses here but whenever I stayed the weather always seamed to be picture perfect, I have memory's of playing with water sprinklers in the garden and the smell of melted Tarmac on the roads, I would always make new friends every time I visited and would often be sad when it was time to go back home. My aunt had a beautiful white cottage complete with thatched roof and white picket fence. I remember the colour's of the many varieties of flowers in her garden, it looked like the Chelsea flower show there were so many, sprawled out over her huge front and back lawn. At night sometimes she would turn on the lights in the front and back garden and it would look like something out of Alice in wonderland. All in all it was perfect.
Now this all sounds very nice and cosy don't it, well I never went back or heard from them ever again after my last visit there back in 1987. I was ten years old. I remember the day started perfect just like every other day, we went to the seaside for the day and had a great time, I spent my time building sand castles and playing on the arcade machines with my aunt and uncle supplying me with endless coins to keep me happy. We finished the day with a fish and chips lunch on the pier. Before driving back just before the sun set into the horizon on another perfect day for a cheeky ten year old, that I used to be. I went to bed exhausted that night, ready for a good nights sleep, that I certainly did not get.
I awoke about an hour after I drifted off. Dead silence greeted me at first but that was soon interrupted by what sounded like footsteps on leaves outside, starting off far away they seemed to be getting louder until they stopped not far from my window. I lay there petrified as any ten year old would be, pulling the covers over my head and with my ears now attuned to any noise I listened attentively. I was nearly back to sleep when I heard what sounded like a branch cracking followed by more footsteps outside. I called out for my aunt in fear, who came running into my room "What's up Glen what's happened? Have you had a nightmare?" she asked me as she stroked my sweated brow. I told her about the footsteps outside and that I didn't want to wake her up but I was scared. "Don't worry sweetheart its only foxes" and with that she turned the garden lights on which illuminated the back garden like an evening football match under floodlights. "You see, there's nothing there sweetheart go back to sleep".
I think I did drift off for maybe half an hour before I was awoken again by strange noises. The footsteps had got much louder, they seemed closer now and I could hear a horrible scratching noise, like metal being scrapped across a pane of glass. I lay there preying for morning with the covers firmly over my head, it's funny how everything feels better in the morning, so much better in light than dark. I suffered this noise for about ten minutes although it seemed like hours, but when I saw a shadow pass my window my nerve failed me and I called out for my aunt. Again she came running into my room and I could tell she was concerned for me and not angry for waking her up again. I told her about the footsteps and that strange scratching sound I heard. She turned the lights on again outside to reassure me "It was probably Badgers fighting don't worry sweetheart, there's nothing there what I can see, the lights probably scared them off". I know "Badgers fighting" it still sound ridiculas as I'm writing it now but it's what she told me at the time.
I tossed and turned after she left trying to get to sleep, in the end I gave up trying as sleep wasn't coming and stared at the stars out the window. It was not long before the strange noises started again, footsteps, I'm sure it was footsteps I heard that night, followed by that scratching noise again, only slightly louder this time. Now if this happened today I'd be up with a torch and in my dressing gown and go and investigate but when your ten years old you still believe in Santa and the bogeyman and I wasn't about to act the hero and go wandering around the garden. I was absolutely terrified and I really did not want to wake my aunt again for fear that this time, she might tell me off for being scared. So I lay there pretending to be asleep in the hope that whatever it was would just go away. I heard a couple of branches snap right outside my window, then silence and I mean absolute silence for about five minutes before I heard it. It was a long, deep, drawn out growl that lasted for about ten seconds. Now it could have been a fox or a badger that made that noise that night but I've never heard anything like it since.
That was the final straw, I didn't care if she was angry I was absolutely shitting myself, I screamed out for my aunt in desperation, who came running even quicker than before, she could tell I was stressed as she turned the lights on outside straight away and stood staring out the window for about a minute, before she sat on the end of my bed "There really is nothing there sweetheart I'm sure it's just a fox go to sleep its alright I'll stay here". True to her word she stayed there until I fell asleep.
I woke to the sound of my uncle doing his morning routine of coughing himself awake in the next room. I was so relived to see the Sun beaming through my window and showering the room with light and warming my face. I instantly felt embarrassed about getting scared in the night and calling to my aunt. That's why when I heard her coming to check on me I shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. That was when I heard the conversation that I can remember to this day, word for word as it absolutely chilled me to the bone. My aunt called my uncle into the hall and thinking I was fast asleep, she said "Last night Fred, that last time I went to check on him, when I turned the back lights on, she was there, just standing there. The witch was in the garden, I think she wanted me to see her". That's all I heard of the conversation and as a ten year old you can imagine it put the wind right up me. Nothing was said at breakfast about it and my mum turned up out of the blue three days early at lunch time the same day to take me home with no excuse given or asked, I was glad not to spend another night there.
I only write this now because two months ago I got the news that my aunt and uncle had now both died and that the cottage has been left to me in their will. Me and the family move in to our new 'home' next week.....
Please leave a comment good or bad I can take it
The Witch In The Garden • Opuss № I