to the other side

7/31/2019 To the Other Side

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Alastair Millen is a writer from East Sussex, whose works include shortstories, poetry, song lyrics and historical articles.

He has worked with Patcho, OtO & Guy W. Stoker on song lyrics, fortheir musical compositions and historical articles for Scottish Detecting.Alastair is also a featured blogger for The Talk About It! Foundation

First Published in Spirit Force Magazine Issue #7 2012www.spiritforce.co.uk

Proof read & Edited by Robin Hellier

Many Thanks to Wendy Hellier for finding the last line, my wife Yvonnefor her continuing support and especially to you the reader.

Copyright Alastair Millen 2012All rights reserved.


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To The Other Side

Adela was a familiar figure in the village, but few actually knew her. Tomost she was simply the quirky old woman who lived in the overgrown

cottage on the hill who said she could talk to spirits.Her run downcottage was visited by few, and the garden ran rife with herbs andvegetables. She was often seen wandering the lanes with her shawl andcane, no matter what the weather, picking road side plants and poppingthem into a small, time worn willow basket.

Most of the villagers paid her scant attention, thinking she was aharmless old love. Some humoured her when she came with messagesfrom 'the beyond.' Others would scoff at her claims that she could

communicate with spirits. Their comments were not quite so kind andtheir prejudice was picked up by their children, who thought she was awitch and would dare each other to go into her garden, or knock on herdoor.

Today she had things to sort out, final preparations if you wish. She hadknown this day was coming for sometime and had most of herpreparations in order, with just a few bits to do before she retired to bed,for the longest sleep of all. Shed been to the village that morning,

cancelled her paper and other deliveries, saying she was going away.The shopkeeper merely thought she meant that she was moving awayfrom the village to live with friends and asked her to stay in touch as hewould miss seeing her about the village. Adela said that she would try to,as she had always liked him and that he had always been such a lovelyboy and that his mother would be proud of the man he had become,before pottering out of the shop and making her way home.

She took her time enjoying the walk and the views over the woods andfarmland for the last time at times she would stop to watch the wind blowthrough the trees. Today was the first time in years that she did not stopto pick plants from the hedgerows her old, time worn willow basket hadbeen left at home. Adela didnt walk straight home, but wandered thelanes and footpaths revisiting memories of the past, like the field of cattlewhen as a young girl she had been caught with her best friend riding thecows over the field, by the farmer. Adela laughed at the memory,recalling the thrill and exhilaration of the speed as they had flown acrossthe field on the cows back and the look on the farmers face when he hadcaught them.

It was late in the afternoon when she finally made her way up the


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twisting lane that lead to her cottage on the crossroads, as sheapproached her gate she was stopped by a young family who had losttheir way. They were looking for the small farm museum with the pettingzoo, where their children could feed the farm animals. Adela happily

gave them directions, wished them a lovely day out and told them whatthe farm had been like in its hay day, before it had created the museumand childrens area to make ends meet. The mother listened with politeinterest, while the father asked questions interested in what farming hadbeen like in the old days, as he had grown up near farms, where as hiswife was a city girl. She waved them farewell as they drove off, back theway that they had come from, Adela was quite glad to have had thisunexpected interruption to her day and that they had taken the time tolisten to an old ladys tales of the past.

Now as the sun, slowly started to set Adela sat at the kitchen tablewriting a letter in her flowing copperplate handwriting, the ticking of thekitchen clock and the scratching of the nib of her pen were the onlysounds to be heard. When she had finished writing and blotted thepaper, sealed it in an envelope addressed to the vicar and placed it onthe mantelpiece, in front of an old carriage clock. Going slowly round thecottage, she covered all the furniture with sheets and out of a habitformed over many years wound the clocks, before she made her way upthe creaky stairs to bed.

She read for a short while, hoping to finish her book tonight or she wouldnever know the ending, it was one of the few Agatha Christie novels shehad never read before. However she became too tired to focus on thetale with only a handful of pages to go in the final chapter, so sheskipped to the end to find out who had committed the murders. Whenshe had finished the final pages of the book, Adela placed it on thebedside cabinet, amazed as ever by the cleverness of Poirots mind andpowers of deduction, Adela turned off the bedside light and soon drifted

off into a deep sleep.

Shadowy forms gathered from no where around her bed, watching,waiting for what was to come. Their figures were dimly discernable, theywere of different ages, sexes and clothed in a myriad of styles from ahost of eras, some were quite modern in their apparel, others garbed inclothing that dated back over many decades.

Its not long now. said one form to another.

Youre right, wed best get ready to welcome her. the other answered.


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The spirits gathered closer to the bed. Her breathing slowed and finallystopped. The life drained from her face as her heart stopped beating.

Its time announced the first form reaching out and taking her by the

hand as her spirit sat up and parted from her body. She looked aroundand saw that she was surrounded by familiar faces, many she hadknown since childhood, when she was growing up in this old ramshacklehouse. Her parents had always thought that they had been Adelasinvisible friends, which in a way they were, but not in the way herparents had thought.

My friends, we are together at last! Adela cried joyfully. I have beendreaming about seeing the spirit world for so long now. Is this real and

not just another dream?

You dont have to dream any longer for this is real, welcome to the otherside, come with us and well show you sights that we have only beenable to describe before. came the answer.

Thank you my friends I will come with you, I have been looking forwardto this for years now. She answered and paused in thought for amoment. 'Its such a shame I can't convince them now!' she mused,looking in the direction of the village, before departing with her fellow

spectres.

to the other side

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