I was invited to go to London by a friend. She and I use to go to so many places in England. We had a special weekend deal which we stayed at the Hilton hotel and we went to see a show as well as going to the Tower of London. I could not wait to go. I had never been to London and this was a great chance to go there and a holiday deal for just for a overnight stay.

We travelled from Westgate, Wakefield on a straight 4 hour train ride down to London without stopping. I never did history at school as I was at a deaf school and only did four subjects and did quite well with all four of them. I had to work hard and do my very best. Being deaf does not help you when you are trying to learn and I did not go to a deaf school until I was 11 years old.

Anyhow, I will tell you about our London trip which was absolutely brilliant and you should go there one day as it is a wonderful experience even though it is a little expensive. We arrived in London at Kings Cross., it’s a lovely train station. They even have the Harry Potter sign for 9 ¾.

We eventually, arrived at our hotel and it was September and the weather was feeling fresh so we got dressed up for our theatre deal which my friend could not see as there was a tall man and I could not hear and some one smelt at the side of me. Anyhow, we got the bus to the hotel and slept in lovely beds with wonderful pillows. The next morning we went down for our breakfast and after finishing we came back to our rooms where we showered and packed our bags and left at the hotel as we did not want to be weighed down with them. We caught the bus through to London near the Tower of London and we entered the place where it hit you full of spirits and intrigues, of course jewels too, There of course was a long queue for the tickets. This German couple were in front of us and I did my best with the bit of German that I could speak It was lovely being able to connect with people from all over the world

We entered the Tower of London properly and I have to say it is wonderful the cobbled path that you walked and the very old buildings from our Past. We were allowed to look at the crown jewels and had to not take picture of the jewels. After looking at various things I started talking to ‘Arrabella’ a spirit. I did not understand who she was until I was stood watching these people enact some from history and with being deaf, my friend poked me in the arm and said can you hear them and of course I replied ‘No, I am deaf’, she giggled and said they are on about ‘Arrabella’. She got put in the Tower of London for treason. Oh yes of course I already know that Arrabella has told me. We went up some winding steps that led of course to the Towers of London and I was talking away to her and people must have thought I was nuts. Anyhow, Arrabella, told me she died of a broken heart and she never recovered from being accused of treason.

It was very sad for Arrabella as she was a nice lady and she was naïve as well as being impressionable too. I almost cried for her. There were so many spirits there and at one stage I was taken back in time and I saw how people lived and how they smelt too as well as poverty too as well as the filth. I just cannot believe how much we have changed since the days of Henry the Eight.

We had some thing to eat and returned home on the train from Kings Cross to Westgate, the weather started to get cold and that year we had a lot of snow. My friend was so fascinated by my speaking to the ghost more than her on the London trip, that she looked up about Arrabella and apparently they did not know what she died of and she was a lovely lady. My friend told everyone she knew and she was absolutely intrigued by it all.

By Cindy Poulson