"How I Came To Write This Story" Columbkill Noonan, "The Curse of the Glamis Castle"

HISTORY AND HORROR, OH MY is a collection of horror stories that take place in the past or  make use of an historical event. You can peruse it on the links at the bottom. This is the story of one story from the anthology.

Glamis Ghost

I was researching my family history, and discovered a connection with Glamis Castle in Scotland. During a subsequent vacation to Scotland, I took a tour of Glamis Castle. I snapped pictures all over the castle, including one of the Kings Bed (an old fashioned, short bed hung with red curtains where kings of England would sleep whilst visiting the castle). When I looked at the pictures later that evening, I noticed that there, sitting on the bed, plain as day, was an image of a little boy, who appeared to be wearing period garb. I got goosebumps, because I had taken the picture in broad daylight, and there had been no boy on the bed. In fact, the entire castle had been empty save for the tour guide and myself: no other visitors, no other staff, not even a cleaning crew! I then read a book that the Castle Administrator had given me, about legends concerning the castle, and there was a story about a little page boy who had died hundreds of years ago when he was forgotten during a punishment and left to freeze when the fires died down, and his spirit is said to haunt that very room. Needless to say, I felt that the only thing to do was construct a story around that tale, as a kind of homage to that poor little page boy.

I visited Scotland in January, and Glamis Castle was closed to visitors for the winter. Luckily for me, the Castle Administrator took pity on my plight, and arranged for me to have a private tour of the castle.

Columbkill Noonan has an M.S. in Biology, and teaches Anatomy and Physiology at a university in Maryland. An avid history buff, much of her writing, which could be best described as “supernatural historical horror”, combines historical events with elements of paranormal fantasy.  Her first novel, Night Woods, is available as an e-book on Amazon.com. She is currently working on her second novel, which was inspired by a trip to Scotland, particularly by the grim castles and spooky underground alleys of Edinburgh.

In her spare time, Columbkill enjoys hiking, scuba diving, and riding her horse, Mittens. To learn more about Columbkill, and to hear breaking news about her latest works, please feel free to visit her at www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan .

http://www.amazon.com/History-Horror-Oh-Fox-Dunham/dp/0991582551/

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/496422