Here I 'll try to re-tell in English what I have told you in German there:

Ein Gespenst in Schottland?

It was years ago, when I was hitch-hiking through Scotland, in the middle of winter.

Hardly any other tourist was about in Scotland then.

And so I was the only guest in a Youth Hostel, where I had a strange experience.

I woke up in the morning, slowly and against my will, because of some persistent noise.

It sounded, as if bags or suitcases werde dragged along the floor.

Still half asleep I thought: "Ah well, the first guests are getting up, are packing their things, and leave ..."

But then the thought struck me, that I was the only guest in the whole house - and I was suddenly wide awake ....

_________________

Before I start telling the story, I want to say, that I did not dream it all. I was wide awake, when I saw that appearance.


---------------------

It was in winter in Scotland. There were hardly any tourists about. So in most Hotels and bed-&-breakfast-places I was the only guest.

Same in a big youth hostel in Glasgow. It was a 3 or 4 floor house, and I was the only guest in that big house and the only person in a big room.

Now in the morning I woke up slowly because of some annoying sound. It sounded like bags and suitcases were pushed along the floor. A kind of scraping sound. With my eyes still closed I thought: "Well, the first guests have woken up, and now they are packing their bags or suitcases, and are leaving .."

But then it occurred to me, that I was the only guest in that house. Who should be packing then?

So I opened my eyes slowly to have a look round ...

..... to be continued .....

I opened my eyes to have a look round. But the room was completely empty.

And then I saw something very eerie.

Opposite my bed there was a large window, right down to the floor, nearly like a door.

And there stood some black figure in human shape. I could not see any face, just a black silhouette.

Luckily that figure was on the other side of the glass.
It had it's arms outstretched, the fingers on the glass, and it looked like it wanted to claw it's way through the glass with it's finger nails.

Scraping it's way inwards - to me ....

That must have been that scraping sound!

..... to be continued ....

When I saw that figure, I shrieked as loud as I could.

And I waved my arm in a gesture that should say: "Go away! Go away!"

I had closed my eyes for a second ....

And when I opened it again - the figure hat gone!

Slowly I moved towards the window to have a look.
I looked outside, and there was only a dark and empty courtyard.
No sound - nothing ....

But I was 100 percent sure of what I had seen and heard

.... to be continued ....

Later I told the youth hostel warden about it.

He just said: "Probably some burglar ...."
As if that would be quite normal.

But if that had been a burglar, why did he try to brake in at the third floor?
And not at the ground floor?

And how could he leave so quickly?

There had been no ladder ....

--------------------

Well, what do you think about?

A ghost or a burglar?

Und was meint ihr, was das war?

Ein Geist oder ein Einbrecher?

Ich könnte ja mal eine Umfrage dazu machen.

If we rule out that it was a dream ....
If we rule out that I was drunk then ...
If we rule out that it was an illusion of some kind ...


What could it have been then?

Let me ask again:

If we rule out that it was a dream ....
If we rule out that I was drunk then ...
If we rule out that it was an illusion of some kind ...


What could it have been then?

This story has a sequel.

Many many years later my wife and I were in Scotland.
And I thought: Why not pay a visit to that haunted house again?