Be Careful What You Wish For
On a not so long ago trip to London, we stayed in the shiny new landmark hotel, Shangra-La at The Shard. It was lovely in every way, my favorite being the bird’s eye view of trains. We were located within walking distance to the Crossbones Cemetery and other interesting places.
Then, halfway through the trip, we chose to reside in another part of London. Excited to see the hotel we'd call home for the last leg of our journey, we barely noticed the luggage that totterer and shimmied at our feet as we crossed the Thames.
As we drove, my family and I agreed, the Shangra-La had been posh in every way. But it was too perfect somehow. The Shard was merely a glass and metal picture frame, perfect for viewing the historic city from a lofty height but not for experiencing it. Yes, we filled our lungs with smells as we explored the city during the day, filled our stomachs with pub food. We savored old churches and visits to countless museums. But at night, we fell asleep to the twinkle of the London skyline from 46 stories above the bustle, grit and character.
We were ready to experience something different.
As the cab neared the corner of Kensington Gardens, we pulled to the curb at the foot of a pink-brick hotel that throbbed with authenticity.
There was an inevitable mix-up during check-in, but after a time, we were given keys to a suite with two adjoining rooms at the back corner of the property. We turned the key and as the door creaked open, the kids buzzed past, ran up the steps to check out room number one, then whizzed past again to see room number two. "This one is ours!" they shouted. I climbed the steps to see a room decorated in black, white and silver and flooded with natural light that came from a generous bank of windows.
My husband and I smiled and settled our things into our room-by-default. We set our luggage down below an oil-painting of twenty or so dogs, hungry ribby dogs. The rest of our room was painted in the same palette of browns, tans and grays. Two small windows and one lamp gave the room a tobacco-stained haze. Giggles from next as the kids set up house kept us from insisting they trade.
The location was ideal, within walking distance to our favorite London pub, The Britannia, we all went to bed feeling fat and happy.
Somewhere past midnight, I woke to the feeling of a cold hand gripping mine, which dangled out from beneath the duvet. It was the cold that made me tuck my hand into the blankets again. Two times more I would wake before morning light to a soft, "Mama." The second cry caused me to walk the hall and steps up to check the kids next door. They were sound asleep. I smiled at the light they left on in the bathroom and the door they left ajar. I don't think I was meant to know that they still needed/wanted a nightlight. I returned to bed and tucked the blankets around my ears, then slept once again.
The days after that were busy with plays, museums, trips to every H&M my tween could locate on Google maps. Every night I woke to the quiet cry of, "Mama." Once, I opened my eyes to see a little girl in a flouncy white dress standing near my side of the bed. She was watching me sleep with a tiny smile etched across her face. I smiled back at her. You see, I'm no stranger to ghosts and hotels. Click here to see my post about the ghost writer I had on book two.
Half-asleep, I whispered, "I know you're interested in me because I'm a mom, but, please stop running back and forth in the hallway. You'll wake up the kids." Yes, the little girl spirit had been trailing behind me since we'd checked in. I asked her not to follow me into the bathroom, "That's just plain rude," I said. And thankfully, she obeyed.
The day of our departure, I did a thorough check of both rooms in search of forgotten items. As I zipped my daughter's bag shut, I bit my tongue. You see, we have a couple rules when we travel. Rule 1: Never use the ghost app in a hotel room we have to sleep in. Rule 2: Never talk about any "spirit" activity in the room until we're checked out and away from the property. I knew the rules, but we were basically checked out. The cab would be here soon. I blurted out, "Have you guys had any ghost stuff happen to you?" Their wide eyes and pink cheeks confirmed the truth.
"There's a white light that follows you everywhere, Mom," said my teen. "It's not a bad energy, but it's always there, like a blur, no matter where you go."
Then my youngest child confessed, "One night, I woke up and there was a little girl standing over me. She was watching me and sister sleep," She glanced at the bathroom door, "And there's a mean woman in the bathroom."
"Oh, yeah!" interrupted the teen. "She's horrible. That's why I never showered here." She scratched her head and shivered.
On the drive to the airport we exchanged stories, shocked at how they intersected. We were all grateful to be away from the historic hotel and eager to sleep in our own beds that night.
We never seek this out, but it happens to us. I guess if we had read all theTravelocity reviews before we'd booked, we would've known what we were getting in to. The title of one is, "Not as good as we thought and possibly haunted."
If you're a thrill-seeker, check this link to find the five most haunted hotels in London.