The Weekly Club.
“The Weekly Club” is a corner intended to be devoted to the discussion of all matters bearing on the social life, manners, and customs of the people.
Ghosts or Witches.
Although I cannot say that I have much belief in such stories myself, I have heard a number of them, and will herewith repeat one which a man told me some time ago. His story is as follows:-
I was coming from Lerwick one night, about twenty years ago, and there being no roads in the place then, I had just to take the hills for it. When I was passing a certain house, I began to feel a sort of queer sensation go over me. Every white stone I would see, I would think was a “trow,” or if a bird fled, or a rabbit ran out before me, I would give a jump; all the “trowie” stories I had heard came up before me.
I had not gone any great distance past the house above referred to, and knowing the people, I turned back again for the house, with the intention of staying till daylight. I came to the door and rapped, but got no answer, only the dog got up with a “gulder,” as is for most part the case in country houses. I rapped again, but got the same answer. As the light was burning bright, I opened the door and walked right in, and what did I find, but all the folk sitting around the fire in a terrified condition. There were two married folk, their five children, all of them between three and twelve years old.
I enquired what was the matter, but they told me they did not know what was wrong, themselves. They said they all felt shaky, as if something was going to happen, – just the same as I felt myself. After I came in they did not appear to be so bad; but I could notice that when a “flan” struck the house, they would give a jump.
About eleven o’clock we all went to bed, but before doing so, the man of the house took all the chairs, tables, &c., and barricated the outside door. He said whatever was going to happen he would do his best to keep it out. We could just as well have sat at the fire, as nobody fell asleep after going to bed, and the strange feeling still kept hold of us.
About twelve o’clock the outside door goes to the back with a “clank,” after all that had been put to the back of it, and we heard a sort of rumbling sound going around the house. Then we hear a sound going across the house, as if chains had been drawn backwards and forwards over the roof. This lasted for about fifteen minutes, and then finally died away. Nobody spoke during the whole time this was going on, as a spell appeared to come over us, so that we could not get a word uttered.
We lay till it was broad daylight, and when we got up, found everything as it had been left the night before, all the chairs and table at the back of the door, as they were left. On looking at the roof there was not a straw touched (it was a thatched roof).
Before leaving in the morning, the people told me that an old woman (who was in the habit of staying a night in one house, and a couple of nights in the next) had come along them wanting to stay all night, and they refused her. She went away muttering to herself. Since that day, at intervals, the people always heard the above related. This same old woman read cups, “cut da kerts,” and was supposed to know a little about “blackairt,” so the people came to see that she was the cause of the disturbances. One day the old woman was passing by, and the wife of the house (who had been told what to do) asked her to come in, and when she (the old woman) got inside the door, a “taings o’ fire,” was thrown over her. Since that day they were never troubled with any noises whatever.
Notanda.
Shetland News, 4th September 1897.