I was vacationing on a Greek island called Corfu for about a month in the summer of 1992. During the tourist season, Greece is kind of a crossroads of the world. It was a lot of fun being surrounded by such a wild variety of people from every corner of the earth but because of the crowds, there were times when I needed to clear my mind and seek solitude. On such occasions, I would usually rent a motorcycle and head into the interior of the island in search of isolated trails and sleepy villages. The inhabitants of these villages were usually more friendly than the locals working in the popular areas, who were often burned out and overworked by the constant flow of tourists.
I rode for hours along dirt trails flanked by bright yellow wildflowers, over steep and rugged hills, and past wide fields where farmers struggled to grow anything that would take root in the barren, rocky soil. I had to keep a close watch on the gas tank because there were no gas stations anywhere except at the village where I had rented the motorcycle. At half a tank, I had no choice but to turn back.
The needle had just hit halfway and I was turning around to head back when I noticed an old cemetery in the distance, far away from any village or other sign of habitation. I decided to stretch my legs before beginning the long trip home. I rode to the gate, killed the engine and laid the bike down.
As I passed through the creaky, wrought iron gate, I couldn't help but notice how silent the place was. I had to whistle to reassure myself that I hadn't gone deaf. There were only a few hours of daylight left and a strong wind was blowing, stirring the overgrown grass which partially obscured the scattered tombstones.
In Greece, people aren't always buried. The bodies of the deceased are usually laid to rest inside marble tombs above ground with lids that can be easily lifted or slid aside. Several times, I walked by tombs where the lids had been removed and skeletal remains were clearly visible. There is also a practice in Greece of exhuming the skeleton and placing it in pieces on top of the lid. I was never given a decent answer as to what function this served. Needless to say, it was very disconcerting to someone from America who was not used to seeing such things. Where I come from, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world (Los Angeles, California), youth and beauty are pursued to the point of mental illness, and death is sanitized and brushed away quickly so as not to make anyone uncomfortable. Suffice to say I knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore.
There are some parts of the world where it is customary to keep the skulls of dead relatives on the mantle in the living room. Ironically, rather than being more afraid of death, people in these places have no fear of death at all. For them, keeping the skulls of their loved ones around serves several purposes - to honor the memory of their ancestors, to keep their dearly departed close to them (though in a somewhat macabre way), and to take away some of death's power.
Wreaths, bouquets and small, homemade crosses dot the landscape of all the Greek islands, marking the exact spots where someone died. Widows wear black for many years after their husbands pass away. It is a country immersed in the spirit world. This may be one reason the Greek people are so well known for their passion and exuberance for living.
In Greek cemeteries, there are small cabinets with sliding glass doors at the head of the tombs where candles and incense are burned, and which usually contain a photograph of the deceased. This tugged at my heart more than anything else - to see the faces of the people buried there as they were in life; their warm smiles and the kindness in their eyes. I spent a long time wandering around, kneeling in the grass next to the graves, talking to the people lying there and wondering how their lives had been.
At the rear edge of the cemetery, an unusual sight caught my eye - a tomb that was twice as large as any of the others. When I looked inside the cabinet, I found out why. There was a photograph of a young couple with their arms around each other, laughing. The date of their deaths, etched in the stone, were identical. Apparently, they were married and had died together in some kind of an accident. They had been laid in each other's arms inside the tomb. I can't begin to relate all the feelings I had while looking at that picture of them together, bursting with youthful energy, their eager smiles full of excitement and anticipation of their lives together.
A line from a poem by Andrew Marvell crossed my mind -
"The grave is a fine and private place
but none, I think, do there embrace."
I hoped it wasn't true.
A white marble cross that marked their graves had been broken off at the base, perhaps by vandals or a lightning bolt, and had fallen on the ground at the head of the tomb. Small, orange wildflowers were growing up around it. This might not have been so unusual except for the fact that they were the only flowers growing anywhere in the cemetery. The contrast of these symbols of life and springtime next to a symbol of death was so striking, I decided to take a photograph of it.
I took my camera out of my backpack and started looking for a good angle for the photograph but couldn't find one. I decided that the best angle would be from the top of the tomb looking straight down at the cross, but I felt that standing on it would be disrespectful so I took a few shots from other angles. Unsatisfied, I said to the young couple buried there, "Excuse me. I don't mean any disrespect but I'd just like to stand on your tomb for a second to take a picture of your flowers. I hope you don't mind."
Hoping I had won their approval, I stood on the lid and took the photo from the angle I wanted. I can't recall feeling any cold sensations or chills other than the ones I was already riddled with due to my overactive imagination. I stepped down from the tomb and said thank you. Before I left, I picked up their cross and put it back in place on their tomb. The break was clean so it fit like a puzzle piece.
The sun was setting quickly and I was worried about finding my way back in the dark, so I decided to head home. I walked through the creaky, old gate again and kick-started the motorcycle. After being immersed in such profound silence for so long, the noise of the engine seemed louder than ever.
As I rode home in the gathering darkness, I thought about all the faces I had seen in the curled and yellowed photographs of the people buried in the lonely, abandoned cemetery, about the dreams they might have had, and where they were now. I had found the solitude I was seeking, but it was tainted with sadness, particularly because of the young couple. There was peace in the old cemetery but it was a dark peace and I was eager to get back to the resort, and to living.
I left Greece a few days later and traveled elsewhere for several more months. I didn't develop the film until after I returned to California. I took three to four hundred photographs on that trip, and only about ten at that cemetery. But of all the photos I took, only one has an abnormality - the one I took while standing on the tomb of the young couple. A white mist swirls upward from the bottom right to the upper left corners. The mist has defined edges in several areas, which eliminates the possibility of a lens flare or light refraction. It appears to be something, or someone, rushing upward very quickly.
By standing on the lid of their tomb, I had apparently awoken their spirits. Perhaps they had died so young and with so much life left to live, they had not yet accepted death and were eager to rejoin the living. That might also be the reason that the only flowers in the entire cemetery were growing by their grave. Whether they were happy to have company or disturbed by the intrusion, I will never know.
- Mark Rickerby
Author notes
Choice - Supernatural - Contact with the dead in any form.
The mist can be seen at the upper left of the photo, at the
bottom right and just to the left of the cross. The mist next to the cross has particularly defined edges, and almost looks like a face. There is also a darker, blurred area at the upper right.
The camera was new and, as mentioned, this was the only photo with anything out of the ordinary in it.
This experience brought to mind an old Beach Boys song I loved when I was a kid. Here it is -
There's a story told
of a very gentle boy
and the girl who wore his ring.
Through the wintry snow,
the world they knew was warm
for their hearts were full of spring.
As the days grew old
and the nights passed into time
and the months and years took wing,
gentle boy, tender girl,
their love remained still young
for their hearts were full of spring.
Then one day they died
and their graves were side by side
on a hill where robins sing.
And they say violets
bloom there the whole year 'round
for their hearts were full of spring.
Written May 8th, 2004
In a list
A contest entry
- Ghostly Photo by Nicada.
675 points, ended December 4, 2008, 7 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - The Camera by MyCutsDontBleed.
400 points, ended September 4, 8 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 37 of 37
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This is very good- you made me enjoy reading prose, and that's not easy to do. Great write, and good luck in my contest!
~ ASingleBloodyRose
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You were born to write, Mark.
You truly have the skill of a well-versed novelist, in my humble opinion. I wish my visit to Greece in 1989 had been so long. I was there for just a couple days when my ship pulled in. The travel is what I miss most about the the Navy.
I learned so much about various cultures at that time in my life. I'm not surprised their rituals for burial was quite a culture shock for you. It's definitely NOT Kansas, and so far from the "mental illness" and botox that roams in Los Angeles.
I have been reading about the supernatural since I was 11, and, in my opinion, you captured an authentic spirit photo. So many of them can be explained just as you mentioned, by refractions of light (especially with digital cameras), but there are also many that I believe to be genuine. The white mist you captured is a very common spirit vortex. I have some similar ones that show up around my kids' photos a lot (which isn't surprising, because both of my parents passed before their grandchildren were born). Camera straps, or strands of the photographers' hair can often be attributed to vortex photos, but they show up in plenty of my own photos, and I haven't had a camera with a strap since I had a Konika that finally quit on me in 1992. Orbs are often attributed to dust, or even rain, but the solid ones that are captured literally in motion can't possibly be dust. The more transparent they are on the photo, the more likely they are dust on the camera lens. Often, a multitude of transparent orbs is also nothing more than dust, or rain. It's the solid orbs that show up that are more likely to be genuine.
I have one of my daughter that I took on Christmas in 2005, and I was looking down at her, while I captured a deep white orb that was in motion all over the top of her while she smiled up at me. The images are perfectly straight, which completely rule out strands of hair. Besides, the other photos of me on that particular day show me with very short hair. The orb appears in several places, but it's the most pronounced in the leading one. It's as if someone photographed a racquet ball bouncing back and forth between my daughter and me with a very high speed camera. There is no plausible way that dust could appear to be in motion like that with the technology of today's cameras. It obviously has to be moving so fast that the same image is captured in motion, and that is just not possible. It genuine spirit orb photo leaves an obvious contrail, and will always appear more solid at the moment the photo was taken. I look at anything that can't be explained from every angle. It's the inbred curiosity that courses through my veins.
I always have, and when I see something genuine, I am not shy about saying it. Photographic plates can be impressed with images of what most of us just can't see. I like to use the helicopter blade in motion analogy. When something is moving so incredibly fast, it disappears. Spirits, I believe, find it very easy to impress their energy on to our photos. When they want to be seen, they are. I've always been clairempathic since I was little, and I was even clairvoyant, but that faded once I got to be about 13. Being clairempathic helps me to feel with more intensity. I'm not easily fooled in that sense, I suppose. When I feel it in my gut that it's genuine, it probably is. I'll trust the intuition I was gifted with over any skeptic's comments any day of the week.
What you captured isn't cigarette smoke, nor is it fog, or anything else that a skeptic could come up with. In my personal opinion, you captured the spirits of this young married couple. I loved reading through your experience, Mark.
Don
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Hey Don,
Thanks very much for the encouragement, and for the insights on catching ghosts on film.
I'd love to see those photos you took. There are a few good spirit photo websites on the internet. My favorite is ghoststudy.com
I haven't been doing much reading lately. My mother-in-law passed away about 40 days ago so it's been a very difficult time but I'm going to relax this weekend and catch up on your writings. Thanks again for the kind comments, and thanks for your service in the Navy.
If you're ever in Burbank, California, let me know. I'll buy you an ouzo. (Greek whiskey.) lol
Take care buddy
Mark
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Wow! What an intriguing story. Thank you for sharing this,as I didn't know much about these Greek customs,and it is always so interesting to me to learn how other cultures do things so differently than we might. The flowers are an amazing sight and I can see the whites mists you speak of. Very interesting! Thanks so much for entering this wonderful piece. Blessings, Patty
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The picture is amazing and this is a wonderful story. Brought to mind a TV programme in the UK clled Most Haunted, where teams stay over and film in the night recounting their expereinces Thanks for sharing Mark.
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really really good!
hey mark, i was reading on Redstormy's page and ur name caught me, so i started looking at your stuff and this got my attention alot. i really liked this and the photo is amazing. i someday will travel the world hopefully with my gf, and i want to visit greece and rome for sure. how long ago were you there? msg me on my authors page, ttul -
wow, that is an amazing story. I am weird and love sitting in cemetary's, so I really liked this for that reason too. And I know what you mean about the silence in a cemetary, it's very eerie but peaceful at the same time. I loved how respectful of the young couple you were, not many people would have spoken to them like you did. And maybe the ghostly image in the photo was the couple respondng to your respectfulness, I don't know. But that picture certainly is very cool, I love ghost photo's. I want to thank you so much for sharing your story, and entering it into my contest.
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What a great story, though it would have been funnier if a busload of tourists had gone by when you and your husband were having your mountaintop experience. lol Well, I'm sure Dionysus was smiling upon you both.
I think we get Most Haunted here, too. I can't get enough of that stuff! (UFO's, Bigfoot, Nessie, etc., too.) I guess there just isn't enough mystery in this world where scientists keep trying to ruin everything for us all by offering logical explanations. Damn them! lol
Thanks again for reading, and for out-waffling me. haha
Mark -
That was a great read!! I thoroughly enjoyed that and the picture is amazing!
We have a TV program in the UK called Most Haunted, where a team of people visit different haunted locations and stay there for the night filming their experiences. It’s my favourite program lol… I love the mystery of it, and this encounter of yours appealed to me in the same way. Nicely written too.
I know what you mean about the lack of petrol stations on the Greek islands. My hubby & I had a worrying experience on a motorbike, on Greek island back in the early 90’s. We set out exploring, much like you did, and ended up getting completely lost up some mountain. (We had stopped on what we thought looked like a deserted track, and had an intense ‘love on a mountain top’ experience. We were young and carefree back then!
Though we were shocked when, just after we finished, three cars in succession, drove past us. What we had thought to be a deserted track turned out to be some kind of main road, and our modesty was only saved by some fortunate timing! )
Anyway, I digress… it was starting to get dark and the petrol was getting low. We were completely lost. We just kept driving around, until eventually, and miraculously, we found our way back to our resort with nothing but fumes left in the tank!
I remember seeing the many little roadside shrines marking where people had died, that you mentioned, along the roadside.
This account of yours didn’t just appeal to me because of its supernatural element, but also because of all the interesting details that you have included regarding the Greek’s traditions towards their dead. A most fascinating and informative read!
~ Louise ..xx
See, you’re not the only one who can waffle on!
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Hi Angelica,
I was just going over some old responses and realized that I never did see the ghost photos you spoke of above. Did you ever get a chance to copy them onto a CD? I'd love to see them.
There's a site called www.ghoststudy.com that would post them in a heartbeat. Ooh, that's probably not a good word to use when talking about ghosts, huh? Bwaahahaha!
Mark -
Mark ~ This was certainly a fascinating experience, and very well written! I have heard of such things before, and it does raise more questions than we have answers for, that's for sure.
There are also too many different causes and reasons for phenomena like this to have only one explanation. They are always intriguing.
Thank you again for including it, as a "gift", in the contest. It certainly belongs in this 'collection'.
~ Gennelle
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Mark, I have to send them to my Daughters to laser them and put them on a CD, they are truly amazing, I have quite a few of them especially from the church I go to, it's amazing what comes out on the films. And ectoplasm is real, they use it on the other side to bring loved ones through, I have seen proof of it, apparently our great scientist here and in the spirit world are working on improving the ectoplasm, if I find the papers I will send the site to you, and I will most certainly let you see the pics as soon as I get them on my computer~Joan
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Hi Susan,
I'm sorry about your friend. I can see how that would make you tear them up. But you can always start that collection over. I find that the older I get, the less interest I have in the occult, cemeteries, and all that. I just want to enjoy life now. It seems the further away death is, the easier it is to romanticize it.
Thanks for the visit. It's always nice to hear from you.
Mark -
Hey Angelica,
Wow! I'd love to see those photos! Is there any chance of you posting them here? I can't get enough of that stuff.
There was a show on a few weeks ago called Unexplained Mysteries or something like that about ghosts that can write messages onto Polaroid film. Did you see it? They seem to be able to write with whatever they're made of. Is "ectoplasm" the right word, or is that just something they called it in Ghostbusters? lol
I think you should post those pics here and tell the stories. I'd love to see them and hear the long version of those stories, and I'm sure everyone else would!
Thanks,
Mark -
truly an amazing encounter
I have one Mark, I took it after a young 20 year old man was kiled outside our place, his Friends brought flowers and candles and used to come and sit there to have a drink and a smoke with him, they always left a cigarette and a smoke for him, I stood on the middle of the road and took some pics, when I got the pics back,there was the letter M right across the 2 photos, his name was Matthew and it was his way of letting his friends know that he was there with them, I have had it Autheticated by well known mediums. This is an amazing encounter you have written here my friend, I really enjoyed reading it, I also have one of my Father-in-laws face in my window taken 2 months after he died and my pink rose bush came out in beautiful bloom, he planted the rose bush there years ealier. Thank you for sharing this~angelica
Edited on Sep 19, 4:27 because ''. -
Wow
I loved this I love Cemetery's also I use to do etchings, I would get paper & charcoal and rub the stones some were beautiful but I did one of a friend who killed herself and that one haunted me forever so I tore them all up...Wish now I had kept them
Again amazing write
Good luck in the contest and do come see me
Hugs
Susan~~~
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Thank you, Mark!
I do appreciate your including it, even though it can't really compete with the poems, it is still 'on topic' and of interest to those in the contest.
~ G
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Oops, sorry. I guess I am a little color crazy. Sorry it's not a poem. It's okay if it's disqualified. Please consider it a gift.
Mark -
Wow, fantastic!
This is a good story, and very involving. I like your observations about the presence of death and the zest for life. The emotions are clear but understated, "I can't begin to relate all the feelings I had while looking at that picture of them together, bursting with life and youthful energy, their eager smiles full of excitement and anticipation of their lives together." Very evocative!
I think there's something to the Buddhist idea of "hungry ghosts", so this story is pretty creepy to me. Who would have more reason to remain near earth than these two?
Fantastic writing, I'm glad you entered this contest, or I would not have seen it.
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Ok, thanks. But it is still a little intense
, I did say pale yellow would be fine (what is it with men and colours? ) Try the square one left of the right hand corner of the colour palette.
Anyway, not exactly a poem as requested.
~ G
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Hi,
I changed the background. I hope this is okay. Thanks for letting me know.
Mark
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Mark Rickerby ~ Thank you for your entry!
I'm sorry, but I cannot read red text on black. Please let me know when you've changed it (cream, or pale yellow would be fine). Thanks.
~ G
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Awesome!!!!!
wow!!! this was great! i loved it! i love the title too! great work! i would love it if u would comment on some of my poetry! i would really appreciate it!!! thanks! good work!
luv ya lotz! keep me reading! *xoxo*
molly
Edited on Jun 21, 6:55 p.m. because 'smiley'. -
amazing read... i rather enjoy stories such as this, but your's brought forth a plethora of emotions. i'll end this with a thank you and a huge thumbs up...
Edited on Jun 15, 12:16 because ''. -
Hi!
Welcome to the site. I'm honored that I you chose me to read first. I'm going to hop over to your author page and welcome you properly.
Mark -
spoooky
I just found this sight. You are my first read. Your work will bring me back. -
I just might ... just to share with others. Pretty freaky stuff!!
~Aimee
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Ooh, great story!! I would definitely go back there and see if you can cavort with the orbs again. Be careful with that dizziness, though. Very strange. You should enter that story in this contest!
Have a great week,
Mark -
This was really great and i enjoyed reading it. i believe in ghost. but anyways excellent write and good luck in the contest, not that you need it From imagine27
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Well Mark, this was very highly interesting. And I for one, believe in the "ghost spirts" 100%. I can share with you a short little story, of how I went to an old plantation out here. Barely anything stands.. just a little bit of one the building's foundations and a couple grave stones is about all. These things really interest me, so I drove there one night, parked my car, and headed for this foundation. As I stepped up on the stairs, and over the foundation, I immediately felt dizzy. I mean like, about to fall and knock me out , dizzy. Scary. After regaining myself, I looked around, grave stones, and saw lights. I guess they're called Orbs. They followed me, and it was actually a bit thrilling. Most don't believe in things like this, but I do. I had pictures of all that I saw that night, but of course, lost them when reformatting my computer. I plan on going there again this summer. Maybe I can experience something extrodinary. Thanks for sharing this story!! It was very interesting!!! (sorry if I was blabbing, just thought I'd share with ya'
)
~Aimee
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Thanks, Becca. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I sure jumped when I first looked at that photo. I hope the ghost was just coming out to say hello and wasn't upset with me for standing on the grave. It would sure be nice if we could all just sit down and talk with ghosts, and the wall between life and death wasn't so thick and impenetrable.
Thanks again!
Mark -
Thank you so much for entering this into my contest. It is such a spooky story. I still have the chill bumps down my arms and legs. I have looked at that picture for several minutes before commenting on this. The mist to the picture is so eerie. I don't think I have ever seen any pictures quite like this one. This is truly amazing and very unique. Thanks again for entering this into my contest. Good luck to you.
becca
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Wow! This reminds me of all the ghost stories I've heard in my life. This one gave me the chills but in a good way. I agree with Brida that there was great imagery in this and that you almost took the reader to that cemetary with you. This was delightfuly spooky. Great story.
~Amanda~
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Woo-oo-oh! Very inte-rest-ing! I love stuff like this! Your camera caught what your eye couldn't see..great mystery!
Enjoyed the story! Thanks for sharing!
Maureen
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A word! LOL...Thanks and enjoy your weekend too! Mari
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Hi Mari,
I have written volumes about my travels in an attempt to follow in the footsteps of my favorite travel writer, Richard Halliburton. I'll send you some of it over as an attachment soon, if you'd like to read more. Just say the word!
I really appreciate that you are almost always the first to comment on my work. You're such a good friend.
Have a great weekend!
Mark -
Mark, this write gave me the chills! Now, I would never visit a cemitery on my own, taking a walk all alone there, not that I'm afraid or so, well, maybe that is the reason...
To fear death is something I can't understand, the living ones are the dangerous creatures!
In Greece we can learn about so many things, and the way they live with their traditions is indeed very different, even to the most contries in Europe.
You write is so eloquent and has a very vivid imagery, you take the reader back with you to the places you have been.
It was a very pleasant read, and got my fully attention, luckily you didn't post it yesterday night (night here).
You should write more about your travel in Europe, you always tell the most interesting things.
I keep on staring that photo...
Hugs,
Mari
Edited on May 08, 3:03 because ''.
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