From when I can remember I have seen ghosts all my life.  I have seen them in nearly every house we have lived in.  We lived in Mafking street in Featherstone and they were miner’s houses and I saw the ghost of cats, dogs and people.  I did not really realise that I should be scared of them, I did not thank goodness. I was about 8 years old and very young for my age as I could not hear that well I did not do very well at school in subjects and was bullied awful.  Mafking street is now called Hardwick road and I use to live at number 15.  It was an open yard and if you climbed the wall you could play on the bits of grass and the open yard was great for playing ball or skipping with friends.  This old man hated noises and would tell me to shut up and go in the house.  My mother came out of the house and told him off. We had bonfire and mother use to do baked potatoes, pie and peas as well as toffee home made for bonfire night. Everyone use to cook something or buy fireworks and get the wood together and we made a guy Fawkes too.

I had my sister Tracy who was 4 years older than me and we did argue a lot lol.  I also use to play the piano as this old man would teach me how to play I loved it.  Unfortunately, it stopped due to him dying and he was a nice old man.  I got an organ for Christmas to help me as I was severely bullied all the time.  I ran home every day from school.  I panted a lot and was so scared of the kids and teachers.  We had the old man who was a headmaster and he was so nasty and horrible.  I got the ruler for no reason too.  He could not teach me as he had no patience and he was of the old era of teaching.  I have to admit I was glad when I went to the deaf school.  I did very well their thank goodness.  I finally had a wonderful teacher who helped me so much and I will thank her for the rest of my life.  I love her for what she did for me.  Mrs Joyce Sundram was a fantastic teacher for the deaf.

We stayed for about 3 years and then we lived in Girnhill lane it was number 1 it is now gone and a supermarket has taken its place.  That house was haunted too.  The gates use to open and then close all by itself.  We would hear footsteps and it was always cold all the time too.  Never warm even in the summer.  It was a lovely house.  The school policeman came to the house as I did not go to school because of the bullying and the bad teachers too as they were not understanding at all.  So I went to Elmete Hall School which is now put into flats which is beautiful.  The boy’s domain was haunted as lights use to switch off and on and there were doors opening and shutting etc.  Fascinating.  Ghosts are real and they are part of your life.  Some are just here to live their lives and to share what used to be their home.

When I got married ghosts just followed us all the way round to each home.  We moved 5 times and I am now hoping to move for the final time if I meet someone.   This bungalow now that we live in is definitely haunted we have someone that runs the hallway about 11.25pm and he goes quickly as a flash.  There is another one that haunts the living room and hears footsteps too, doors open and other things happen too and it’s never warm either in my bedroom.  I have sent a world war Tommy to heaven and also a postman that died of a heart attack while posting letters.  My ex-husband did not believe me once about it and he sat by the window as it was warm and he heard the footsteps and the letter that dropped in the letterbox.  He went to the door and there was no letter but soon afterwards the real letters came.  I am not bothered about the ghosts they are part of my life and I will no doubt meet more.

By Cindy Poulson.