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‘Jay’ a ghost story by Harry Riley

It was late afternoon in early spring, and Nelson, our Jack Russell, was getting restless in the back. My wife and I had been to Edwinstowe, North Notts. We really enjoyed the trip. But the dog had still not had his proper walk, so we drove into the forestry pull in, by the side of the road. The sign said ‘this car park closes at 5.30pm daily.’ Well, we still had a good half hour, so this seemed an ideal place for a quick walk. However we were surprised how dark the wood became, as we pressed deeper inside. Time passed quickly and each time we reached a boundary fence, the view was open fields. Soon we were inextricably lost and it was fifteen minutes to closing time. It’s surprising how quickly panic can take hold. We had not seen another soul, until thankfully we stumbled upon an attractive young woman, who I took to be a gypsy, and asked for directions. She kindly offered to guide us back to our car and gave her name as Jay, saying she lived in the forest. Her dress was bright pink and she had long dark hair and pale blue eyes. Thankfully we arrived back just in time. I turned to thank her but she had gone. It was then that Nelson barked and a colourful bird flew into a tree. Asking my wife its name, she said “oh it’s only a Jay”