Taken from Newsletter Issue 20 - December 2004

This is a true account of a ghostly experience, which occurred, on the 1st. December 1996, when I was living in Luton. At that time, my prominent hobby was computer programming. This was a very monotonous, repetitive process. Returning from work I would have a meal, spend two hours watching television with my family, then settle down to run through the part-program I had written the evening previous. Carefully I would make any necessary corrections before going upstairs and into the loft to continue with the programming. Taking a hot flask of tea with me I would go up to get away where it was quiet so I could concentrate on the work without interruption. In the loft I had laid duckboards, installed a small desk, just large enough to accommodate my computer and accessories, drawn up some electric connections for lighting, computer power and to supply current for a one bar electric heater. To isolate myself further, I would pull up the ladder to insure I was not disturbed and was completely alone.

It was December and the weather was exceptionally cold so I had the fire on, but it did not afford much heat in the huge loft with high rafters. I set the alarm clock to ring at 12:30pm because once I get into my work, time slips by unnoticed. Switching on the computer, I took a sip of tea, rubbed my hands and proceeded with programming. I was not aware of the time as I concentrated on my monitor screen. My right hand manipulated the mouse with the left using the keyboard. Suddenly I felt very cold, and a pressure was exerted on my right hand making me unable to move the mouse pointer. As I tried to turn my head to look at the mouse, I became aware that I was unable to move a muscle. I panicked and felt my heart racing. My vision was fine so I squinted at the mouse and was terrified to see a large grey luminescent hand pressing on mine. Unable to move, I strained my eyes to get a better overall view, but just then, the mouse was jerked from under my hand and hurled to the floor. At the same moment the hand vaporized and my muscles were back to normal. The temperature too had risen a few degrees.

At first I thought I was hallucinating, or had fallen asleep, but it seemed too real to be a dream. The mouse had landed behind me. I was still shaking from the experience, so hurriedly I left everything as it was and descended the ladder shutting the loft door. I switched off the electrics from downstairs. It was four days later that I plucked up enough courage to resume with my work. Checking that all was O.K., I replaced the mouse and re-set the alarm. I must have worked for about two hours when suddenly the air turned cold and the monitor screen went blank. Two seconds later I was in total darkness except for a bright bluish white light a few feet away on my left. I stood up, and then found that my body was totally paralysed except for my eyes.

Clearly I saw a figure dressed in a Roman type toga. As my eyes travelled up to get a better view of the face, the whole apparition dissolved into a mist and disappeared. The temperature returned to normal. It was very dark, but fortunately I had a miniature key chain torch and used it to get to the ladder and slam the loft door behind me. I was still shaking while I reset the fuse. I made just one more visit to the loft, this time in daylight it was to collect my computer and accessories. It was not long after my experience that I moved to a new house.