N&Q3 – GhostStory
These events took place a decade ago in Dublin, and – improbable though they are – they should be given some credence, because participants and onlookers alike have sworn to the truth of the story.
John Bradford, a Dublin University student, stood beside a country road hitchhiking on a dark and stormy night. Rain pelted down, and in the midst of cataracts of moisture he could see few signs of life.
The night rolled on and not a car passed.
The storm gathered strength and John could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. But just as he was beginning to despair, a car slowly come towards him and stopped. I’ve said car, though vehicle would be more accurate. John couldn’t make out its shape. Desperate for shelter, however, and without thinking about what he was doing, John got in and closed the door. Only then did John gaze about the interior of the vehicle and realize that there was nobody behind the wheel. Only then did he notice that the engine wasn’t on!
The car started moving slowly ahead. John looked through the windshield and saw a curve approaching. Fear gave way to panic. John was sure he was going to die. He started to pray.
But just before the car hit the curve, a hand entered through the window and turned the wheel to the left. The vehicle stayed on the road. Paralyzed with terror, John repeatedly watched as the car approached one turn after the other, and at each one in succession, a hand came out of the darkness and guided the car aright. Yet the mysterious hand never touched or harmed him in any way.
In due course, as is the custom in the Irish countryside, John saw the lights of a pub appear ahead. Gathering strength and courage, he pushed his way out of the car and ran through the rain to the welcoming lights. Drenched and out of
breath, he rushed inside and, after a pause to order refreshment, began to regale everyone with the ghostly experience he’d just had. Eventually, however, John realized that silence had enveloped the pub. He paused in his story. At which point, the pub’s door slammed open, and two more people, soaked to the bone and out of breath, entered from the storm. Looking around, and seeing John Bradford quaking at the bar, one said to the other, "Look, Paddy… there’s that idiot that got in the car while we were pushing it!!"
(folk tale)
