| When I first heard the stories circulating about two | | | | though initially he did not think much of this. |
| blocks of flats in my home town of Aberdeen, I was | | | | The first incident of note occurred when his three |
| intrigued. Though no more than 50 years old, the flats | | | | children were staying over for the weekend. |
| were built on a site rich with bloody historic incident. | | | | Christopher and Fay, being the youngest, were fast |
| Records show they stand on the location of | | | | asleep downstairs while Dave and his eldest, David, |
| Aberdeen's castle, an English stronghold completely | | | | watched a film. Dave went through to the kitchen and |
| destroyed around the time of William Wallace. | | | | began doing the dishes, while his son chatted to him. |
| The adjacent 'Heading Hill' only adds to its grim | | | | They heard the sound of footsteps coming along the |
| reputation, for this is where the infamous decapitating | | | | corridor towards the kitchen door. Dave swung round, |
| machine, 'The Maiden', claimed its victims. Not only that, | | | | dishcloth in hand and said, 'Will you get back to bed!' |
| but in 1597, two-dozen 'witches' were burned alive | | | | He then described how his 'jaw dropped' as he saw |
| directly behind the tower blocks. In more recent years | | | | what was standing in the corridor - a small figure in a |
| this has been the scene of some particularly horrific | | | | long white gown. David, standing behind the open glass |
| murders - all in all, a formula for at the very least a | | | | door, could see the silhouette of the figure and was |
| grim residual energy to be present here. | | | | equally transfixed. After what seemed like an age, the |
| In the 1960's the then decaying Castlehill barracks, | | | | figure tuned noiselessly and walked down the corridor. |
| former home to the Gordon Highlanders situated on | | | | Dave put down the dishcloth and, grabbing his son, ran |
| the site, was deemed a slum despite being used as | | | | downstairs to his children, thinking initially they had |
| temporary family accommodation, and was | | | | manufactured some kind of prank. Both were sound |
| demolished. In its place now stands Marischal and | | | | asleep. He described the figure as that of a small child |
| Virginia Court, scene of the following events. | | | | with short blond hair who looked ill. It was not till years |
| I first met Lynn Fallon through my work. While | | | | later that he discovered the now demolished 'Sick Kids |
| undertaking a tour of the area, Lynn described how as | | | | Hospital' stood nearby. |
| a child she had stayed with her parents in Virginia | | | | Months passed and all seemed quiet. It was again late |
| Court, the smaller of the two buildings. It transpired that | | | | in the evening and Dave was in the bathroom while his |
| despite the modernity of the building, the family had | | | | son was making tea. Both were startled by the sound |
| been subjected to a prolonged series of unexplainable | | | | of loud thumping coming from the stairs. They |
| incidents, which started in Lynn's early adulthood and | | | | immediately went to investigate and saw a book flying |
| continued after she had left home. | | | | off a nearby case. |
| She explained: 'My bedroom was the back one. I | | | | Dave recalled: 'The bookcase was around four foot |
| painted it and moved in. At some point I started waking | | | | from the banister of the staircase and the books were |
| in the middle of the night: the room used to feel icy and | | | | shooting over the top of this rapidly one by one and |
| I had the distinct feeling I was not wanted there. I took | | | | falling down the stairs. We stood in terror and I |
| my quilt and moved downstairs. This happened on | | | | remember thinking, what is going on with this house? |
| several occasions over a period of weeks. | | | | 'We crept downstairs to the pile of books, which |
| Sometimes when I woke it felt as if there was a | | | | included books on philosophy, mythology and the |
| heavy weight pressing on my chest and a couple of | | | | occult. We started to pick them up and I noticed that |
| times I felt as if I was being pulled from the bed by my | | | | the one I had used at University had indentations in it: |
| feet. | | | | marks made by human adult teeth. That really freaked |
| 'After two weeks of disturbed sleep I rearranged the | | | | us out.' |
| furniture to kind of claim the bedroom, told the room | | | | Although nothing else happened that night, they were |
| that I lived there now and it or they were not | | | | left with a horrible feeling of anticipation which would |
| supposed to be there anymore. For a time that was | | | | not easily go away. Dave began to talk to his |
| the end of it. However, when I moved out my parents | | | | neighbours and was in a sense relieved to find out that |
| began to use the room and it started again. | | | | his flat was not the only one that appeared to be |
| Lynn said that on a number of occasions, when | | | | haunted, though their experiences were less dramatic. |
| passing the open door of the darkened bedroom, a | | | | The third and least easily explained incident occurred a |
| strange bluish glow appeared to emanate from her | | | | number of years later. 'It was early evening and I was |
| parents' bed. This was witnessed by a number of | | | | lying on my three-seater settee. I was resting with my |
| people. Her father seemed to be particularly plagued | | | | eyes shut but was not asleep. I was clear of mind and |
| by vivid nightmares in the room and would awake | | | | not stressed but I began to feel the atmosphere |
| abruptly with a feeling of dread. | | | | change and felt there was something coming into the |
| I was given permission to contact Mr. Fallon to clarify | | | | room. I thought at first I was being stupid but became |
| this and although they had moved away many years | | | | wary of opening my eyes. After a while, I slowly |
| ago, he remembered the following incidents with great | | | | opened my eyes and let them glance to the wall |
| clarity. | | | | behind me. |
| He explained: 'I woke up in the middle of the night and | | | | 'Lying along the back of the settee was a female |
| on the left side of the bed I clearly saw a three-legged | | | | form. She was right next to me. She had large black |
| stool on the floor, I suppose much like a milking stool. It | | | | eyes like a fish and was staring down to me. I felt |
| began to rise slowly through the air vertically and | | | | there was malevolence there. I was frozen with fear |
| disappeared through the ceiling. | | | | but let my eyes travel down her body slowly. The top |
| A minute later a woman wearing an old fashioned | | | | half was that of a normal woman but the lower half |
| crinoline bonnet came through the wall next to the | | | | was like the archetypal mermaid with what appeared |
| headboard. She was like a silhouette and moved | | | | to be fish scales. |
| straight past me to the opposite side of the room, | | | | 'I willed myself to close my eyes and the atmosphere |
| where she disappeared through the wall. It was the | | | | again slowly changed and returned to normal. I knew |
| kind of thing you never forget.' | | | | then whatever it was had gone. I sprang up and felt |
| Mr. Fallon said there were other incidents which made | | | | the sofa, which was both cold and damp. I still can't |
| their stay uncomfortable: disembodied voices and the | | | | explain this nearly 20 years later though I thought about |
| feeling of being watched were fairly common. He | | | | it over and over again. I thankfully never saw it again, I |
| concluded by saying that when his wife was in the | | | | felt it could have been some kind of elemental, but I |
| house alone, 'she became convinced that the living | | | | honestly don't know.' |
| room was full of people, though she was at a loss to | | | | We finished the interview and I left with just as many |
| explain this, she just felt it to be'. | | | | questions. Was it an elemental Dave had seen, a |
| I was given a possible lead in the shape of a former | | | | discarnate spirit wandering the earth? Dave suggested |
| caretaker but despite making enquiries, the trail had | | | | it may have been something connected to his past |
| gone cold - that is until I bumped into an old family | | | | involvement in the occult, though again that is just a |
| friend, Dave Hardy. As it transpired Dave had lived in | | | | theory. |
| the adjoining Marischal Court during the early X990's. | | | | The answer remains elusive but the wide range of |
| The house, a maisonette, had an unusual layout, with | | | | activity, from poltergeist to residual, could well make |
| the bedrooms situated on the bottom floor. Again icy | | | | this building one of the most haunted in Aberdeen. |
| temperatures were noted as well as whispering, | | | | |