1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:03,120 Speaker 1: There's nothing better than feeling comfortable in your own shoes, 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: and that doesn't mean flopping down on the couch with 3 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: bunny slippers. Maybe you're a parent raising a little rock star, 4 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,399 Speaker 1: or a techno man working from anywhere and jumping from 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: one thing to the next. Whoever you are, All Bird 6 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: wants you to be comfortable in your actual shoes too. 7 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 1: Their wool runners, pipers, and loungers are designed for a 8 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: level of coziness that makes you feel like you can 9 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: do anything. You might even forget you're wearing them. And 10 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: their shoes are so stylish they go perfectly with a 11 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: wear whatever I want attitude. All Birds is all about 12 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: loving mother nature too, because no one wants to leave 13 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,280 Speaker 1: a bad footprint. Each shoe is carefully crafted from natural 14 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: materials that tread lightly on our planet, from ZQ certified 15 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: Marino wool to a bouncing midsill made from sweet foam, 16 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: the world's first carbon negative EVA material made from sugarcane. 17 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: That night, Zoe was restless, lying in bed with her 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: boyfriend's stan Fast asleep beside her. She had noticed a strange, 19 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: diffuse light that appeared to be emanating from just inside 20 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: the bedroom window. Nudging Stan awake, she gestured toward the 21 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: far end of the room. Seeing it now too, he 22 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: sat up, trying to comprehend what he was looking at. 23 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: Before he had time to think, Soie was already up 24 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: and flicking on the main light, nervously looking about the room, 25 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: before turning it off again. With the room shrouded once 26 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: more in darkness, the peculiar light appeared to have gone. 27 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 1: Must have been something from outside, said Stan, as he 28 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: rolled on to his side and closed his eyes. Soe 29 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling a little cold, and moved 30 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: over to the window. Peering down through the curtains to 31 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: the quiet street below, she could see the soft sodium 32 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: of a street light illuminating the pavement on the far 33 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: side of the road. That must have been it, she thought. 34 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 1: She pulled the curtains tighter and got back into bed. 35 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: Before she could get comfortable, however, she saw once again 36 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: that the strange light had returned. Stan whispered Zoe. He 37 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: opened his eyes for a moment before turning away again 38 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: on to his side. I told you it's just something 39 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: from outside, but Stan, said Zoe. It's moving. Stan paused 40 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: before turning to look at Zoe, and then towards the 41 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: end of the room, what at first seemed like a 42 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: light was more like a misty white shadow now, and 43 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: it was moving away from the window and further into 44 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: the room. Stan's hands gripped tighter on the covers. The 45 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: pair froze as the amorphous shadow of light continued to 46 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: move around the room before stopping at the end of 47 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: the bed. Stan shot under the covers in terror, but 48 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: Zoe couldn't take her eyes off it. She reached out 49 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: her hand, drawing closer and closer until she was near 50 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: enough to touch it, and then as quickly as it 51 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: had appeared, it vanished. You're listening to Unexplained and I'm 52 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: Richard McClean Smith. The following morning, Zoe and Stan weren't 53 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: quite sure what, if anything, they had seen. An embarrassed 54 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: Stan left early for work, leaving a perplexed Zoe to 55 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: explain the events to her housemate Rosemary. The two of 56 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: them lived together in Flat number twenty four of Frankom House, 57 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: a five story red bricked council housing block built in 58 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: the late nineteen thirties. It was located on the corner 59 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: of Frankam Street and Deptford Church Street in southeast London, 60 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: forming part of the area's Crossfield Estate. The estate had 61 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: been built over a ten year period as part of 62 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: a major regeneration drive to improve housing in the local area, 63 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: but had itself in recent times come under threat of demolition. 64 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: In early nineteen seventy three, builders had moved in to 65 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: widen the adjacent road, and now the council were considering 66 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: the partial removal of some of the housing blocks on 67 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: the estate to make way for it. It was shortly 68 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: after builders moved in that Zoe's peculiar experience had taken 69 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: place that morning. However, recounting the story to Rosemary, she 70 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:54,679 Speaker 1: couldn't help but feel a little bit stupid. Most likely, 71 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,920 Speaker 1: as Stan had suggested, it really was just a trick 72 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: of the light. Twenty one year old Zoey had moved 73 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: into the flat the previous year, shortly after giving birth 74 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: to her baby Natalie. The pair shared the apartment with 75 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: the twenty eight year old Rosemary, her eight and three 76 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: year old daughters Donna and Jennifer, and her seven year 77 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: old son Mark. Though neither was particularly superstitious. With their 78 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: young children also living in the flat with them, they 79 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: could be forgiven a slight sense of apprehension at the 80 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: thought of something strange happening inside their home. They had 81 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: soon forgotten the incident, however, until a few weeks later, 82 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: when Zoey, who worked as a nurse, returned to the 83 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: flat after a long shift to find a putrid smell 84 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: filling the apartment. She had come across that smell before 85 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: at work. It was the smell of rotting flesh. Rosemary 86 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: had recently adopted a puppy. Perhaps it had brought something 87 00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: into the flat, thought Zoey, Yet despite scouring the place 88 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: from top to bottom, she found no obvious source. When 89 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: Rosemarie returned with the children later that day, they spent 90 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:13,559 Speaker 1: the evening pulling back furniture and disinfecting the property, even 91 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,799 Speaker 1: spraying air freshener everywhere, but it was to no avail. 92 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 1: Nothing could shake it. The following day the stench persisted. 93 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: Being Saturday, the families took the opportunity to get out 94 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: for the day, hoping the odor would dissipate by the 95 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: time they had got back. Returning later that evening, they 96 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: were somewhat disappointed to find it still very much lingering. 97 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: Zoe took little convincing to stay it stands for the night, 98 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: leaving the others to deal with it alone. Doing their 99 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: best to ignore it, the family would eventually bed down 100 00:06:50,240 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: for the night and find some sleep. It was sometime 101 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:05,040 Speaker 1: around one a m. When Rosemary awoke with a start. 102 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: The room was pitch black, but as her eyes slowly adjusted, 103 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: she could just make out the figure of a man 104 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: standing at the foot of her bed, watching her. Assuming 105 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: it to be her boyfriend Lloyd, who had mentioned possibly 106 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: heading over that night, Rosemary watched in silence as the 107 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: figure turned and walked straight out at the bedroom without 108 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: saying a word. Lloyd whispered Rosemary into the night, but 109 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: there was no reply. Feeling suddenly unsure, she stepped from 110 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: the bed and peered into the darkness of the corridor, 111 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: looking down to the far end. Although the living room 112 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: door was closed, she could see the room's light was on, 113 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: softly shining out from under the door. Lloyd she whispered again, 114 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: but still there was no response. After checking to make 115 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: sure that there was no one in the kitchen, Rosemary 116 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: cautiously made her way toward the living room. Stopping outside 117 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: the door, she could just make out an airy scratching 118 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 1: sound coming from within. Slowly she opened the door, but 119 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: there was nobody inside the room. The sound, she now realized, 120 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: had been coming from the record player, which had inexplicably 121 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: been turned on. She watched for a moment, mesmerized by 122 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 1: the empty table as it spun round and round, listening 123 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: to the scratch of the needle as it dragged against 124 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: the empty plate. With a rising sense of panic, she 125 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: hurried to check on the children in the other rooms 126 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: and found them all sound asleep, with no sign of 127 00:08:55,080 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: an intruder, or Lloyd, for that matter, anywhere. Finally making 128 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: her way to the front door, Rosemary double checked the locks, 129 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 1: finding them just as she had left them earlier that night. 130 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: Now thoroughly spooted, Rosemary switched off the living room light 131 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 1: and returned to bed. After eventually getting back to sleep, 132 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: she was woken just before seven by an unexpected brightness, 133 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,720 Speaker 1: surprised to find her bedroom light had been switched on. 134 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: In fact, as she would discover soon after, every light 135 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: in the house had been turned on again, there was 136 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: no sign of anybody else other than her children, who 137 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 1: were still sound asleep in their beds. A few hours later, 138 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: while helping her daughters get dressed, Rosemary went to the 139 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: spare room to get clean clothes. She opened the door 140 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: and let out a stifled cry. The room had been 141 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: completely smashed up. The bed had been stripped and the 142 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: mattress tossed to the bottom of the room. All her 143 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: children's clothes had been wrenched from their drawers and scattered 144 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: across the floor. And in the middle of the room 145 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: sat a small rocking horse, which until that morning had 146 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: been perched high on top of the wardrobe. Then she 147 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:30,839 Speaker 1: spotted something else lying on the floor, a golliwog doll 148 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: of her daughters, its head torn off and the stuffing 149 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:39,959 Speaker 1: ripped out of it. Although quite popular with many white 150 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: families at the time, the dolls designed in the image 151 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:47,839 Speaker 1: of a black face minstrel have since been broadly recognized 152 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:52,360 Speaker 1: as racist and offensive depictions of black men. All other 153 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:57,559 Speaker 1: dolls in the room had been left curiously untouched. There 154 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:02,560 Speaker 1: was something else too. The wind was wide open, However, 155 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,960 Speaker 1: as Rosemary looked down at the sheer drop two flights below, 156 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 1: it was clear that nobody could have climbed in or 157 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,960 Speaker 1: out of it. Later that day, having confirmed that her 158 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: boyfriend Lloyd had been nowhere near the flat, a deeply 159 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 1: shaken Rosemary accompanied by her three small children, made her 160 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: way up the road to Saint Paul's Church. Terrified that 161 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: she was going mad, she relayed the events to Cannon 162 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 1: David Diamond, who listened with patience and concern to her story. 163 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: Though he wasn't free to see the flat for himself, 164 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: he gave her a crucifix to install in the apartment. 165 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: A short time later, Rosemary returned home, joined by friends 166 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: and neighbors Linda and the aptly named Missus Mystery. Stepping 167 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: into the damaged bedroom, Mystery was immediately gripped by a 168 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:03,680 Speaker 1: profoundly unsettling sensation. Blood drained from her face, and the 169 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 1: hairs rose on the back of her neck. Certain that 170 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: whatever had been here was violently angry. Together the friends 171 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: cleaned up the room and placed the crucifix on the wall. 172 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: At Linda's suggestion, the nervous Rosemary also scattered garlic throughout 173 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:28,320 Speaker 1: the room to ward off any evil spirits. That night, 174 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: with Lloyd staying over this time, Rosemary slept soundly with 175 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: no repeat of the previous night's disturbances. The next day, 176 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: Priest Diamond arrived, and, sensing something of an unquiet spirit, 177 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: he offered up a solemn requiem Mass, also known as 178 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: the Mass for the dead. The Mass, as the Catholic 179 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: Rosemary knew well, was usually given at funerals in an 180 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: effort to bring rest to the souls of the cease. 181 00:13:01,559 --> 00:13:04,920 Speaker 1: But Rosemary was confused. Why would he need to say 182 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: it in her apartment, she asked, as Diamond explained this 183 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 1: wasn't the first time he had given the Mass at 184 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 1: Frankom House. In fact, he had been hearing reports for 185 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: some time that the place was haunted. As it would transpire, 186 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 1: there had been another building here before the council knocked 187 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: it down to build the estate. It was a church 188 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,959 Speaker 1: demolished in the nineteen thirties, and Frankom House had been 189 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: built right on top of its cemetery. Perhaps the recent 190 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:45,559 Speaker 1: building work had disturbed something in the soil. But Rosemary 191 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:50,120 Speaker 1: shouldn't worry, said Diamond. The spirits wouldn't be bothering her now, 192 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: and he was right. For a short time at least. 193 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 1: Are you always taking care of your family? You often 194 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,559 Speaker 1: take care of others and not yourself. Now it's time 195 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:06,800 Speaker 1: to take care of yourself. To make time for you. 196 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: You deserve it. TELEDOC gives you access to a licensed 197 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: therapist to help you get back to feeling your best, 198 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: to feeling like yourself again. With teledoc, you can speak 199 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:21,119 Speaker 1: to a licensed therapist by phone or video. Therapy appointments 200 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: are available seven days a week from seven am to 201 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe 202 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 1: you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, or you 203 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 1: might be struggling with a personal or family issue, teledoc 204 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, 205 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: so they make it easy to change counselors if needed. 206 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: For free. Teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers. 207 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash 208 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 1: Unexplained podcast today to get started. That's teladoc dot com 209 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: slash Unexplained podcast. Hattie Smith and husband Jim had lived 210 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,280 Speaker 1: at Number sixteen for twenty seven years when they accepted 211 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 1: the council's offer to move out as part of their 212 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: redevelopment plans for the area, and they couldn't have been 213 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: happier for the opportunity. All six of their children had 214 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: at some point grown up in the Frankeom House flat 215 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: and all had strange stories to tell. The family had 216 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: always kept it to themselves, not ever quite sure of 217 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: what they had experienced, but also concerned with what others 218 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: might think. Hattie had often sensed a presents when alone 219 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: in the apartment, and at times had even felt something 220 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: touching her or pulling at her clothes. Lights would frequently 221 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: turn off and on of their own accord. Hattie's daughter 222 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:00,880 Speaker 1: Shirley saw shadows moving about the flat and heard odd 223 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 1: noises late at night, as if furniture was being moved around, 224 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: only to find the next morning that nothing had been touched. 225 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: Another daughter, Sylvia, had spent an entire night staring with 226 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: horror at her bedroom door as the handle moved up 227 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: and down the door, seemingly being opened and shut by 228 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:29,200 Speaker 1: something unseen. One time, a neighbor late one evening thought 229 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: she caught sight of Hattie's husband, Jim, standing at one 230 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:36,560 Speaker 1: of the windows just inside their apartment. Only the flat 231 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: had been empty at the time. The strange events seemed 232 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: to have abated until that final year before they moved 233 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: and the workmen moved into the area. It was late 234 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: one Tuesday night when Hattie returned home from playing bingo 235 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: with Jim away for work, and the children having left 236 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:04,359 Speaker 1: home many years before, Hattie was completely alone when she 237 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:06,679 Speaker 1: put a pile of dirty washing in the bath to 238 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: soak overnight before retiring to bed. The next morning, she 239 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:16,159 Speaker 1: was woken at seven thirty am by the sound of 240 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,639 Speaker 1: fast running water racing into the bathroom. She found it 241 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,479 Speaker 1: gushing out of the tap. With the tub almost full, 242 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,399 Speaker 1: Hattie hurriedly turned it off and looked down at the water. 243 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: It was the strangest thing. At the very bottom were 244 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: her clothes soaking in a layer of dark, dirty water, 245 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:41,679 Speaker 1: but then on top an entirely other layer, completely clear. 246 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: Whatever it was, it was back. A few weeks later, 247 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,879 Speaker 1: Hattie was cleaning the bathroom when the door suddenly closed 248 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: behind her. Turning to pull it open, she found it 249 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 1: had stuck fast, as if it had been locked from 250 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: the outside side. Hattie called out to Jim for help, 251 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: pulling furiously at the handle. Looking down, she screamed in 252 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,360 Speaker 1: terror at the sight of a hand sticking out from 253 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:17,120 Speaker 1: under the door. Jim arrived moments later, opening the door 254 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:31,639 Speaker 1: with ease. It had been unlocked the whole time. The 255 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 1: Smiths left their apartment. In February of nineteen seventy four. 256 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:39,680 Speaker 1: It was around the same time that Hattie's friend and neighbor, 257 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: Beatrice Goringe, first experienced her own peculiar happenings. Beatrice lived 258 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 1: next door at number seventeen, and things had never been 259 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: quite the same since her husband died the year before. 260 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:59,600 Speaker 1: It started with the knocking, short quiet taps that seemed 261 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: to come from within the walls. Then other sounds were heard, 262 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: like something being dragged across the floor. One night, early 263 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: in the new year, the fifty six year old Beatrice 264 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:15,280 Speaker 1: had just said goodbye to her daughter, who had come 265 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:18,359 Speaker 1: to visit, when she turned back into the flat and 266 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: noticed the bathroom door swing closed. She called out, but 267 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 1: received no reply, hearing only voices coming from the radio 268 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: in the living room. Tiptoeing down toward the bathroom, she 269 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: felt the temperature drop suddenly. She pushed open the bathroom door, 270 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: but found nobody inside. Now feeling very cold, she listened 271 00:19:46,119 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: with alarm as the volume on the radio in the 272 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: other room was suddenly turned down. Hello, she said, but 273 00:19:55,560 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: again there was no reply. Moving slowly into the living room, 274 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 1: she headed to the radio and turned the dial back up, 275 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 1: but the volume wouldn't shift. When Beatrice stepped out of 276 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: the room. A moment later, the radio blared out at 277 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:18,440 Speaker 1: full volume, rushing back in. She wrenched the cord from 278 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,840 Speaker 1: the wall and stood for a moment in the silence. 279 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: That night, Beatrice awoke in the dim light of the 280 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: late evening to find what appeared to be the faint 281 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: outline of a figure standing at the end of her bed. 282 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: Too terrified to move, Beatrice waited until morning before packing 283 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,360 Speaker 1: a bag and racing to her mother's, where she would 284 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 1: spend the night for the next few weeks. Friends suggested 285 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 1: the figure she had seen was her recently deceased husband, 286 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 1: but she insisted it wasn't. Her husband had been quite short, 287 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:02,879 Speaker 1: but this figure was something else, entirely tall and oddly shaped. 288 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:16,480 Speaker 1: Back inside number twenty four. A few nights later, Rosemary 289 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: was woken by the sound of the baby crying. With 290 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,880 Speaker 1: Zoe out for the evening. She was just getting up 291 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:26,199 Speaker 1: to see to her when she heard the cry of 292 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: leave me alone coming from her daughter's bedroom, But when 293 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: she entered there was no one there except for Donna 294 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: and her sister, Jennifer. I'm frightened, said Donna, as her 295 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:43,560 Speaker 1: mother tried to comfort her. For the next few days, 296 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,639 Speaker 1: the family are plagued by doors in the property that 297 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 1: continually open and close on their own. When a friend 298 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 1: hears of the latest events, she convinces Rosemary and Zoe 299 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,200 Speaker 1: to try out a wijiboard in an attempt to communicate 300 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: with whatever is haunting their home. One night in early March, 301 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 1: with the children fast asleep, Rosemary, Zoe, and her boyfriend 302 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: Stan set themselves around the kitchen table, having crudely constructed 303 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 1: their own numbers and lettering, and place them in a 304 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,399 Speaker 1: circle around a glass with their fingers on the vessel. 305 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:27,919 Speaker 1: Rosemary asks quietly if anybody is there. Slowly, the glass 306 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 1: begins to move, stopping next to the word yes. Are 307 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: you a good or bad? Spirit cuts in Zoe. Rosemary 308 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 1: gasps as the glass makes its way across the table, 309 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: first to the letter B, then to the A, and 310 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:51,920 Speaker 1: finally to the D. Cut it out stand, says Zoe. 311 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 1: But I'm not doing anything, he says. To prove it, 312 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: he takes his finger from the glass and asks a 313 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: question that neither of the others could possibly know. What's 314 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,640 Speaker 1: the first initial of my brother's name, he says, with 315 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: a deep breath. Slowly, again, the glass begins to move. 316 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: Sliding across to the letter j Zoe looks to stand, 317 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: whose face has already gone white. Another session ends with 318 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 1: the glass repeatedly spelling out goodbye and shooting off the 319 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 1: table into Rosemary's lap. One evening, after a particularly fraught session, 320 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,639 Speaker 1: Zoe was too scared to sleep alone and spent the 321 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: night with Rosemary. The following morning, she returned to her 322 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:44,679 Speaker 1: room to find it completely trashed, with everything from the 323 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: top of her dresser swept onto the floor, including a crucifix, 324 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: bottles of perfume, and her nurse's book. The chair in 325 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: her room had been moved next to the book, as 326 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: if some one had just recently been sitting in it. 327 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:16,720 Speaker 1: Zoe moved out the following month. Shortly before Zoe left, 328 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: a local journalist caught wind of the strange events taking 329 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,440 Speaker 1: place at Frankom House. A series of short articles printed 330 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: in the Southeast London Mercury, in turn caught the attention 331 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:32,080 Speaker 1: of Society of Psychical Research member Hugh Pincot, who promptly 332 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 1: made arrangements to speak with some of the residents. Pincot 333 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: found Rosemary and her family deeply traumatized by the recent events. However, 334 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: despite holding a number of further seances. Together with Rosemary 335 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: and Zoe, Pincot was unable to gleam any substantial information 336 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:55,320 Speaker 1: about what exactly had been taking place. One night, soon 337 00:24:55,359 --> 00:25:00,480 Speaker 1: after Rosemary is woken by her daughter Donna's screams, there 338 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: had been a tall man with a large beard standing 339 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:05,720 Speaker 1: at the back of her room, she said between sobs, 340 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: as her mother looked on aghast. Not long after, the 341 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: building works taken place around the property finally came to 342 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 1: an end, and so too did the strange occurrences within 343 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: the walls of Frankem House. Despite everything that had happened, 344 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,080 Speaker 1: there seemed no trace of the apparent haunting that had 345 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:34,120 Speaker 1: taken place at the property, except for one thing. When 346 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 1: Hugh Pincot eventually managed to track down Hattie Smith, she 347 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: was keen to finally be able to share her experiences. 348 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,959 Speaker 1: Taking a picture from a family photo album, she passed 349 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 1: it to mister Pincot. It had been taken by one 350 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,679 Speaker 1: of her grandchildren, a portrait of Hattie and one of 351 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 1: her daughters standing side by side, and there in the background, 352 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:01,920 Speaker 1: to the left of the door stood the dark, shadowy 353 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: shape of a tall figure lurking just behind them. In 354 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:23,199 Speaker 1: two thousand and fifteen, the Population Reference Bureau estimated that 355 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 1: since the appearance of modern Homo sapiens sometime around fifty 356 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:31,480 Speaker 1: thousand BCE, just over a hundred billion of us have 357 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: lived and died on this planet. London, like all major 358 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 1: cities of the world, has buried its fair few. Considering 359 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: that humans have lived in the area for over five 360 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: thousand years, it's a wonder that there is any space 361 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: there at all that doesn't somewhere adjacent or directly below 362 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: it contain remnants of those who have come before us. 363 00:26:57,080 --> 00:26:59,879 Speaker 1: And considering the frequency with which even those who are 364 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:03,359 Speaker 1: still living here will be ripped from their communities and 365 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: involuntarily resettled as if they were mere ghosts themselves, perhaps 366 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,200 Speaker 1: we should not worry or feign surprise when we find 367 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: bones amid the foundations. In some ways, it is strange 368 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 1: to think for those lucky enough to have a place 369 00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: to call their own, or a piece of land, perhaps, 370 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: how desperately we cling to the notion that it is ours, 371 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 1: the thought of it being invaded the ultimate violation. But 372 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: this ownership, of course, can only ever be a legal fiction, 373 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,359 Speaker 1: a reality only as long as there are enough people 374 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: to believe it, so, in truth, land belongs to no one. 375 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,960 Speaker 1: The idea that ghosts remain attached to the land long 376 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: after their bodies have gone has also always seemed problematic 377 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 1: to me. Much like the question played out to wonderful 378 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:06,560 Speaker 1: and mournful effect in David Lowery's two and seventeen film 379 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 1: A Ghost Story. I find myself wondering just where with 380 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:14,399 Speaker 1: these ghosts go when the earth is swallowed by the 381 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 1: massive giant our sun is destined to become it too 382 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: fated to die and perhaps one day vanish from existence. 383 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: But perhaps one way or another, as long as it 384 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:32,840 Speaker 1: and people are here to keep it so, the land 385 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 1: will always be haunted, something of it, always to be 386 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: trespassed upon, or, in the words of the poet Philip Freneau, 387 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: thou stranger that shalt come this way, no fraud upon 388 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 1: the dead. Commit observe the swelling turf, and say they 389 00:28:52,840 --> 00:29:03,720 Speaker 1: do not lie, but here they sit. If you enjoy 390 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: listening to Unexplained and would like to help support us, 391 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: you can now go to Unexplained podcast dot com forward 392 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 1: slash support. All donations, no matter how large or small, 393 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 1: are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are produced by 394 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 1: me Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate the show 395 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:29,640 Speaker 1: on iTunes, but feel free to get in touch with 396 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on 397 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 1: the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of your own 398 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:37,719 Speaker 1: you'd like to share. 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