In the late 1800s, Miss McKinney, a guest at Haunted Glamis Castle, experienced an unsettling night that forever changed her views on the supernatural.
It happened shortly after she returned from India, where her father was stationed. Excited to reconnect with her homeland, she accepted an invitation to stay at Glamis Castle. She arrived late in the autumn during an intense blizzard, which made her journey particularly gruelling.
Upon arrival, the castle's warm and inviting atmosphere quickly dispelled the chill in her bones. Her bedroom was in the oldest part of the castle, the Square Tower. Despite warnings from some guests about possible hauntings, Miss McKinney did not consider ghosts as she retired to her room at half-past eleven. The storm outside was fierce, with howling winds beating against the windows, creating an almost impenetrable darkness.
After securing her room, she settled into bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep. She awoke with a violent start, unsure of what had disturbed her. The storm had calmed, and an eerie stillness filled the castle. A stream of moonlight filtered through the window, adding to the room's mysterious ambience. A strange sense of foreboding washed over her, and for the first time, she felt a deep, inexplicable fear.
Listening intently, she soon heard a series of distinct noises. It sounded like someone in armor running up the stairs at the end of the corridor, accompanied by the clanging of sword scabbards and the heavy breathing of men in a desperate chase. The realisation that these sounds were not from this world filled her with terror. She tried to move but found herself paralysed with fear.
The noises grew louder until they stopped right outside her door. She could hear the fugitive struggling to catch his breath, followed by a fierce attack that sent him crashing against her door with a force that made the stout oak panels shudder. She heard the dreadful sound of a battle-axe cleaving through helmet, bone, and brain, followed by the sickening thud of a body hitting the ground.
A deathly silence ensued, broken only by the sight of a dark fluid slowly seeping under her door. Overcome with horror, she screamed, which triggered a flurry of movement outside. Despite the door being locked, it slowly opened, and she lost consciousness.
When she awoke the next morning, there was no evidence of the night's events. Reluctantly, she spent another night in the room but experienced no further disturbances until the evening before her departure.
Resting in the afternoon after a long walk on the moors, she suddenly felt a dark shadow fall across her face. Looking up, she saw a towering figure in bright armour standing by her bedside. The visor was up, revealing a face that was both dead and terrifyingly alive. Just as the knight bent lower, there was a knock at the door, and her maid entered to announce tea. The apparition vanished instantly.
This experience left Miss McKinney a firm believer in the supernatural, forever haunted by the memory of that terrifying night at Glamis Castle.
Miss McKinney's name was changed from her true identity.
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