Our first strange experience is -
The Pelsall Common Bridge Mystery
This strange experience takes place some twenty three years ago in 1985 but has a twist in the tale which brings it right up to date. It is related as follows:-
'After working an early morning shift I returned home and at about two o'clock set out with my dog for an afternoon walk along the canal. We crossed the Iron Bridge walked under Friar Bridge, heading towards Little Wyrley. About forty yards away from Pelsall Common Bridge someone looked out at me from under the bridge and then instantly ducked back in again and out of sight. I was startled and a little alarmed as the appearance of the person seemed odd and out of date with the present time period. After the initial shock I reasoned that it must be someone up to mischief and I prepared myself for some sort of prank. Seconds later when I reached the bridge there was no sign of anyone, not under the bridge , on it, or anywhere near to it, or in the distance in any direction. I listened for sounds but heard nothing, it was as if the person had vanished into thin air. The dog I had with me had a habit of standing still and looking in a certain direction if anyone was approaching, sometimes it could be five minutes or more before someone came into sight, but the dog always knew when someone was about, yet on this occasion she showed no such awareness as if no one was anywhere around. I abandoned the walk and returned home, telling my wife of the experience. I reasoned that it must have been someone gaming about but deep down I had an uneasy feeling knowing I had seen something very strange.
Some twenty three years passed after this event and in January of 2008 I was talking to an elderly man from Pelsall who knows the canal area very well, we got talking about the old Ironworks and the Cracker. I mentioned how as a young boy I had heard several Ghost Stories about the Cracker which I no longer remembered and asked him if he remembered any , he replied that he didn't but said that something very strange had happened to him a couple of years ago which he could not explain. Imagine my suprise when he then went on to relate how he had been walking towards Pelsall Common Bridge and someone had looked at him and then quickly ducked back under the bridge again out of sight. When he got to the bridge there was no one to be seen anywhere, he too had his dog with him and the dog showed no signs of being aware of anyone around.The experience had left him feeling shocked
Both of us have walked that stretch of canal many times over the years yet only once have each of us seen this unexplained sight. Does it only happen once a year or once every so many years?
It would be interesting to know if anyone else has had this experience'.
- name supplied -
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