A Cold Night in October.

And now for the silly story of the week.

A cold night in October.

It was late at night on an autumn evening when Séan was driving down the West Road. He had left Westport and was on his way home to Louisburgh when he was surprised to see a young girl thumbing a lift; She stood outside the walls of Aughavale cemetery, normally Séan wouldn’t stop for anyone this late at night but as there was no one else on the road and it was a particularly cold night he took pity on her. He stopped his car and asked her where she was going,

“Louisburgh” she said.

“No problem, jump in”.  After driving for a couple of minutes Séan said “You must be freezing, how long were you waiting for a lift”

“I’ve no idea” she replied.

As they approached Louisburgh the girl told Séan that her father didn’t like her taking a lift from strangers so could he drop her off at the bridge just outside town.

“Fair enough but let me give you my jacket to wear or you’ll catch your death”

“If you wish” she said, and for some reason she gave a little smile.

“If you give me your mobile number I’ll arrange to collect my jacket over the next day or two” said Séan.

She told him that she did not have a mobile but she told him the number of her parent’s house and he would find all he needed to know there. Séan thought it very unusual that a young girl wouldn’t have a mobile but may be her father was very strict and so he left it at that.

Three days later Séan had finished work early and so he decided to call for his jacket.  It took him a while to locate the house as it was down one of the many side roads around Louisburg.  He knocked at the door and it was answered by an oldish man.

Séan introduced himself and asked if he could see the young girl.

The man told Séan she was his daughter and asked if he had been a friend of hers.

“Not really, it’s just that I gave her a lift the other night and I lent her my jacket” replied Séan.

“I think there is some mistake” said the father, “Our daughter died two years ago”

Séan was confused, “How can she be dead, didn’t I give her a lift and she told me that she lived here”

“There must be some mistake” said the father, “My daughter is buried in Aughavale cemetery”

Séan apologised and agreed that there must have been a mistake

“I must have written down the wrong road, I’m so sorry for your loss. Tell me what was her name?”

Séan got back into his car and drove away. However, he felt he needed to know the truth; he needed to check the graveyard.

He searched among the tombstones eventually finding the grave with her name on it but the most shocking thing for Séan to discover was that the jacket he had lent to the girl was folded neatly and lay on top of the grave.

From that day onward Séan was never the same again, he was to suffer from bad dreams and his mental health deteriorated.  He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and may still be there for all I know.

So this Halloween be careful who or what you offer a lift to, and keep hold of your jacket.