An excerpt from the Diary of Professor Matthias Jeremiah Braithwaite; a Victorian investigator of the paranormal, on his travels around York, a city most haunted.
Dear Diary,
"A further sighting of “Horace” has been recorded and I have journeyed to meet with a young gentleman, who with his friends was petrified by an occurrence - so much so, that they immediately packed their belongings and departed for home on the next available train.
"I arrived in Doncaster on a bright but chilly Monday morn - it is a place that weighs heavily on my spirit and I can only conclude that the young gentlemen must have been scared beyond reason to leave York so quickly for this town.
"The gentleman, who did not want to be named, had a very pale pallor. As he recounted his experience his right hand, which held a drink to steady his nerves began to tremor ever so slightly.
"He and his friends had been discussing sporting events in the street outside Young’s Hotel, when out of the corner of his eye he spied a strange glow coming from the window. In the window behind a brace of candles sat two shrouded figures, their eyes as black as coals, their shrouds aglow. He described the glow as a white fire brighter than the candles on the sill. The figures were almost identical except the figure to the left had a torn, patched shroud and that the right had delicate embroidery of a blue flower, similar to a daisy. They appeared to be looking into each other’s jet black eyes as lovers would.
"The friends looked at each other to confirm what they had just witnessed; returning their gaze again to the window they discovered the scene had changed and was replaced by a couple of drunken men playing cribbage. This happened within a blink of an eye and the young men could not explain what they had seen. They made such a commotion in Young’s Hotel, searching for the shrouded figures that they were forcibly ejected and asked not to return.
"This was how they came to my attention.
"The experience left them so confused and ill at ease that they decided to leave for the provinces post haste.
"I showed my sketch of “Horace” to the young man and he confirmed that was indeed what he had seen, except for describing my drawing as child like.
"The new figure with daisy type embroidery I shall refer to as “Molly” in the future.
"I believe this interaction between the spirits showed a connection to each other beyond death. This perhaps is what love should be, together forever in the afterlife."
M.J. Braithwaite
The original has been created as an illustration in ink on cotton paper, with a watercolour wash plus highlights in mixed media.
Also available in as a print in colour, in black & white and a special 'enchanted' edition.
© The Artist
