Present – Derek and Kathleen

Weather Conditions – Warm and sunny

Penkiln Farm Road-End

We decided to re-visit Garlieston for a look around during daylight hours.  With the advent of summer, the whole area was very green, quite a contrast from the last time, and the hedgerows were thick with blossom and foliage.

One of our main objectives was to try and learn more about the unknown presence Derek had picked up on during previous investigations.  We parked up at the usual spot where the new house was being built and set off for a walk on this pleasant summer’s evening.

As we drew closer to the spirit’s territory, Derek began to feel a few familiar sensations along with the hairs standing up.  Kathleen felt goosebumps but wondered if that was due to prior knowledge of what may lie ahead.  Derek wandered into the woodland for a look around.  Although he initially felt what he believed to be the spirit’s presence, he stated it was no longer there.  Kathleen wondered whether we had got too close and alerted ‘it’ to our being there. We decided to come back out on to the road and walk further along.  On previous visits we’d been restricted by adverse weather conditions and were keen to see if this spiritually ‘active’ road had any other surprises in store for us.  Derek has felt in the past that the aforementioned spirit is only able to move around within certain boundaries and as we moved away from that area, Derek asked me a very interesting question – had there ever been a battle there?  He had received impressions of screaming and shouting, possibly relating to hand-to-hand combat.  The shouting continued but Kathleen could not hear any of this.  The picture seemed to develop further and Derek felt that a group of people were panicking, possibly being chased or running away from something.  This was accompanied by a tingling sensation which stopped as quickly as it had started.

Derek picks up a familiar presence in this sunny woodland glade

We walked on a short distance then turned to head back to our car.  Around the same spot, Derek began to experience the shouting again – Kathleen suggested it may be a ‘recording’ of some event that Derek had unwittingly tapped into.  Derek said that his body was now throbbing.  He sensed panic and fear from the people who were running and that women and possibly children were involved in the ensuing chaos.  Next, he sensed a man trying to help someone up who had fallen so they could continue running.  Derek asked Kathleen if she heard church bells but she only mentioned the sound of an oncoming car, and then noted goosebumps on her arms.  Derek seemed sure he had heard bells in the distance, but we recognise this may have been physically happening somewhere.  The longer we stayed, the more information seemed to transmit – Derek said it was people on horseback doing the chasing.  Kathleen suggested Covenanting links, but we don’t currently know enough to be sure.  Derek likened what he was seeing to turning on the television.

He returned to the man helping someone up from the ground, this time feeling it was the man’s wife and there was at least one family caught up in this terrible situation.  Derek’s head started aching at this point.

The entrance to a magnificent tunnel of trees near Penkiln Farm

We became aware of our proximity to the initial spirit’s territory and Derek said he heard voices.  He then remarked that as he was walking between the area of the people being chased and the home of the other spirit that an intense feeling occurred.  It was like too much was happening at once, information overload.  Derek was unaware of any connection between the two events despite both locations being so close.  He described a numbness in his head, saying that he could hardly remember what he’d said was happening.  Kathleen started feeling tingly but she felt it was due to the cooler temperature in the woodland shade.  Suddenly, Derek stated that the presence had come back and was now watching us walk away, this feeling ceased quite quickly. Having returned to the car, we drove slowly along the road, keeping our eyes and ears open for anything out of the ordinary.  Derek thought he detected something slight, but it came to nothing.  We continued along to the Kilsture road-end, only stopping briefly to photograph the impressive tunnel of trees.  Derek observed that he felt a sense of detachment about the last half hour or so and described it in a question – did it actually happen?

Kilsture Forest Road-End

We parked up and walked a short way into the woods before returning to the car for a vigil.  Kathleen started to ask for the wee girl, firstly outlining her story before inviting her to come forward and show us a sign.  All was peaceful.  Kathleen went on to speak, asking if the child could see or hear us to give a signal of some description.  She then elaborated (with Albert in mind) and asked if any other spirit people were around, could they please do the same.  Derek got a feeling that Albert was ignoring us, almost as if he were around, but did not want to let on.  Kathleen said ‘Hello’ to Albert and introduced ourselves, stating that John and Mary were unable to make it this time, when out of the blue, Derek said ‘She can’t’.  Kathleen enquired if Albert remembered us and Derek seemed pretty sure that he did.  Kathleen quickly reassured Albert of our integrity, when ‘he’ came out with a strange thing – ‘They’ve got more/worse things to worry about than you.’  Stranger still, after further questioning he said that there wasn’t any trouble for ‘them’ and that they resided in a happier place than where we were.  Perhaps we had misinterpreted what he said the first time, as this did not seem to make much sense.

Kathleen addressed Albert, almost making casual conversation at one stage.  He pointed out that he was in a different place to us, to which Kathleen responded by asking what his place was like.  Albert described the place as being nice and quiet.  Kathleen then announced that she’d like to ask him something – Albert interrupted and said that he wasn’t sure whether or not he would answer the question!  She persisted, reassuring him throughout and enquired after the spirit who appeared to reside in the woods near Penkiln Farm.  After a short pause, Derek felt Albert was trying to say that the spirit was lost, which he then reaffirmed.

Following on from Derek’s experience of the frightened people being chased, Kathleen asked Albert if he knew of any battles etc.  Due to the differences in our worlds, Albert was unable to tell us.  Albert told us again that he had worked in the area for a couple of years, was born in Girvan and had died in 1876 at the age of 52.  Kathleen began to ask about how Albert met the wee girl with Albert replying ‘she was there’.  We established (as suspected) that she is always with him, but apart from that, he didn’t seem to know much about her life before.  Kathleen decided to ask him if he could show his presence in a physical way.  The machine stopped, although it was only due to the tape running out.  Albert explained that he didn’t know how to move things in our world and could not really understand how he was able to communicate with us.

Kathleen changed tack and asked more about Albert’s job.  He appeared to have moved around, following the work.  Kathleen gave him the chance to ask us questions as she felt it was only polite.  He enlightened us further, saying that just as he can’t change anything in our world, we can’t change anything in his.  The information being volunteered by Albert was fascinating for many reasons, particularly the insight he gave us into the spirit world. 

Kathleen clarified with Albert that he understood we were not trying to change things and certainly could not change the past.  It seemed that Albert was again trying to make a distinction between his and our worlds.

Kathleen used this opportunity to ask what the child’s name was, reiterating to Albert that if we could not alter the past, we were of no threat to her.  Albert refused to answer this request, his reasoning being that the girl doesn’t know about us, so why should he help us to find out about her.  Kathleen continued to investigate, asking about any siblings the girl may have had - Albert simply said that he looked after her and a short time later, announced he was going to leave.  Kathleen thanked him for his co-operation and asked if he may speak with us again in the future.  Albert replied ‘Who knows’ and added he was always ‘there’.

When asked if the wee girl brought him to Garlieston now, Albert said he wasn’t in Garlieston, he was where ‘they’ all are.  Kathleen enquired if he knew many of the spirits in his world, but Albert said he kept himself to himself.  Through more questions, Kathleen attempted to find out if everybody who had ever died was now residing in this place.  Another thought-provoking response came from Albert – ‘Everybody from everywhere’.  More information followed and it would seem that although all the spirits are together, they are able to have private space as the world in which they live is a ‘big place’.

Returning to the subject of the lost spirit, Kathleen asked Albert if he thought the soul would ever communicate with us, but Albert said that it doesn’t communicate with anybody.  She also talked about Derek’s impressions of the family running away from horsemen, hoping Albert could help, however he knew nothing of their predicament.

Kathleen now asked about where Albert was in relation to our car e.g. could he view us from the front.  Albert experienced difficulty in describing this, but had the ability to perceive us to some extent.  Kathleen wondered if Albert saw everyone who passed by on foot or in vehicles and from what Albert said, this was one of those places, perhaps meaning where the divide was thinner between worlds.

Insert picture of car with the following caption please –

Albert informed us that he now had to go, so Kathleen quickly tried to clarify a few points: he was born in Girvan in 1824, his surname Johnstone did indeed have an ‘e’ at the end of it and he had no middle names.  She felt it pertinent to check as this information could help us in the future to find a trace of Albert through historical records.  Albert again said he had to go as the ‘little one’ was moving.  Kathleen asked finally about the wee girl’s age and Albert said ‘she’s young’.  Derek noted that Albert was now smirking/smiling and referred to this as novel and how Albert looked very different when he smiled. 

Derek felt that Albert knew more, but had revealed all he was going to on this occasion.  Derek also stated that he didn’t think this was the last time we would here from Albert and interestingly, that he may come into contact with us in a location other than Garlieston.  Derek really believed at this point, that it was Albert he saw by the side of the car earlier.  He suddenly became very dry of the throat and stopped to have a drink of juice.

The Dictaphone was then turned off for a short while, during which Kathleen became very emotional – she recognised that this was most likely brought on by the dramatic events of the night.  Albert also came back in as we were driving away and informed us that we might hear from him anytime!  As Kathleen was already a bit tearful, this information slightly exacerbated her emotional state, but a few minutes later, Derek said that Albert didn’t want to her to be upset, there was nothing to worry about.  He went on to say that this is new to him too, almost as if he were displaying empathy.

Albert said this communication would not happen 24 hours a day, however there would be times when he could talk to us.  Albert told us again that he had to go because of the wee girl.  We were now past Kirkinner, which was another big development, as the team had previously thought Albert and the girl were centred around the Kilsture area.   Kathleen said goodbye and that we would speak to him again sometime.  Derek got the impression of Albert giving another wee smile and agreeing, still somewhat bemused by what was happening to him.

The Dictaphone was finally turned off just before 10pm.

The team have subsequently discussed this fascinating development and are unable to find any rational explanation for what happened.  Derek made a quicker recovery this time and did not feel so drained and tired, but still felt it was quite a surreal experience that he wasn’t fully part of.

Whatever has enabled these communications to take place, the team are extremely grateful and hope that if our paths cross again with Albert, we will learn more about him, the wee girl and the world in which they reside.