Seeing Ghosts

I was in London on Halloween on a back street just off the side of Regent Street – one of the capital’s busiest shopping streets. I noticed an old building with windows to match – every pane of glass seemed different – and my eye for design saw a potential picture.

I was just about to take an image when four ghostly shadows crept into the image from the left. I froze, jaw dropped. I was late for lunch and hadn’t even had time for my mid-morning shot of caffeine. Was I hypoglycaemic and seeing things? I blinked and looked again – they were still there. Four ghostly figures were edging across the building, pausing now and again. I started shooting. Opportunities to record the supernatural don’t happen very often.

Serendipity strikes again. If I’d been looking the other way. If I hadn’t turned right at that last corner. If I hadn’t stopped to photograph those two girls outside the biggest toy shop in London. If I hadn’t decided to walk from Charing Cross to Oxford Circus. If, if, if. If I’d been a minute earlier, a minute later, I would have missed this. Of all the days in the year to see this – it had to be Halloween. Some stories you just can’t make up.