Core-Experiences
Part 3: A Walk on the Wild Side 1991 - 1992
Written by Gary Osborn between 1991 and 1997.
Copyright © G Osborn 1997. All Rights Reserved.
In December 1991, my relationship with Nikki ended and we went our separate ways. It was a depressing time for me. The reason wasn't anything really bad, just that our relationship had become more like a 'brother-sister' relationship, and its not surprising that years later we would meet up again and become close friends.
In any case one Saturday about this time, myself and the other members of my band discovered that a gig we were due to do that night at The Golden Gloves in Fulham Palace Road, had been cancelled. Some of us then decided to go along to a local pub – The Emma Hamilton in Raynes Park, to have a drink and a chat. Present that night was my brother Paul, Ken Ward, Martin Tiedman and James Hannington our band’s drummer.
We stood around chatting when I noticed a group of women to our right sitting down around a table. They were all quite loud – apart from this one attractive blonde who seemed to be part of the group but looked as if she was sitting alone. It was clear that she wasn’t interested in what her friends were talking about. I caught her looking at me and smiling. I was pleasantly surprised but also felt uncomfortable at this and quickly turned to re-engage myself in the conversation the guys were having.
Every now and again, I would quickly look over in her direction, to find that she was still smiling at me. She then waved me to come over. I then excused myself to the others and went over to talk to her. I remember the conversation suddenly stop and the guy’s jaws dropping as they watched me walk across the room.
I then knelt down by her chair so I could hear what she had to say above the music and chatter. She introduced herself and shook my hand, and we exchanged names - Sally was her name.
She then said that I looked sad, and that I needn’t worry about things – after all, I had everything going for me. She then paid me so many compliments that I found it all a bit embarrassing. I didn’t know what to say. I had never been paid so many compliments from a total stranger before. Time seemed to stand still; it was all so surreal.
She then held my hand and said that I was a special person and that I should not get so depressed about things. I was falling for her straight away. We talked for a while about my situation, but I wanted to hear more about her. Every time I tried to turn the conversation around to her, she would turn it back onto me. I then asked if she would like a drink, and she said she would have a tonic water. I excused myself and went to the bar.
After a few minutes, I looked back to where she was sitting, and she was gone! – And so were the women that were sitting with her!
I looked around the pub, and went to look outside the front of the pub to find her. I looked everywhere in the car park. It seemed that she and her friends had suddenly disappeared!
I went back to my brother and the others. And they said that although they remember seeing me talking to this woman, they didn’t see her leave. I then spoke to one of the guys who worked behind the bar, and he replied “What group of women?” I was dumbfounded. The others had a laugh about it. The whole event was very strange.
I had heard of people seeing or meeting “Angels” who had helped them in some way and who had then quickly disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. Maybe I had met mine. My depression had certainly been lifted for a while as I reflected on the uplifting things my “angel” had said.
As the months went by I had many insights into the nature of human relationships, and I began to cultivate a more caring and loving nature like I used to have during my childhood and before realising what the world was really like. I’d always unconsciously tried to deny my feelings as I had become cynical the older I got. But now I became more sensitive. It seemed, as if I was developing a feminine side to my nature – which I stress is in every man to some degree. Maybe this was an expression of the synthesis of energies, which was taking part in my own consciousness. Looking back on it now, it seemed as if it was all interrelated with my own insights – which at that time were taking root; and that it was also related to what was happening with Paul.
I was becoming more patient – because although I made a few mistakes by trying to rush back into a relationship – it wasn’t until February, 93, that I got heavily involved in a relationship again with a woman whom I had already been friendly with for two years . . . Claire.
I mention my break-up with Nikki because this period was an important stage in the course of my development along with the paranormal experiences that my brother and I were experiencing at that time. I think that this was meant to happen to me, because it led me to develop a more sensitive and spiritual outlook on life . . . although it didn’t stop me from making the same mistake again.
One night, not long after our break-up, I felt so bored and depressed, that I went to bed early. I just wanted to forget about the day, and just sleep it off, but I couldn’t get to sleep. I was thinking deeply about my life; what I had done with it; how I had wasted a lot of my time. My depression was getting worse by what I was telling myself and I just lay there; wanting to just fade away.
The room was dark and I was looking up at the ceiling. I suppose everyone must feel like this at least once in his or her life. There was no excuse for it really and I suppose I was just feeling sorry for myself, which is really unlike me.
My whole body was relaxed, and my breathing was so low, I was hardly drawing any breath, I didn’t care because I just wanted to fade away into oblivion – just shut everything down and fade away.
The room was dark, but there was still a little light from the window. After a while, the room became foggy, and small milky white clouds began to form in front of my eyes. My body felt as if it was becoming heavier and heavier and I felt as if I was sinking deeper into the mattress. Then slowly a soft ray of light began to form over my left shoulder – almost golden in colour. I really did see this.
I stayed calm – curious as to what was happening – but calm, as if it was a natural occurrence. I then began to feel light as a feather. I could not feel the weight of my body any longer, and it was as if I began to sway from side to side.
I remained like this for a long time, and as I did so my depression lifted, and I felt a joyous feeling inside which to this day I cannot really explain.
The next morning I felt as if a black cloud had lifted from me; just as if spring had arrived. I felt newly refreshed and revitalised and looked forward as if reborn. Something happened that night . . . ‘I’ – my superficial self – knows not what.
Strange Phone Calls
In January 1992, Paul began experiencing some kind of electrical problem with his phone. As we know, such a thing is quite common and this would not have been noted, except that immediately after these problems Paul began receiving strange phone calls. Our grandfather died in February 1992. And it was immediately after this that we both received strange phone calls. I will give Paul's accounts first.
Paul:
“I've had a few strange phone calls. The first one happened about the time when I was feeling those strange cobweb-like hairs on my body . . . I think it was late 1991. I remember two calls that were similar to each other but were spaced about two months apart. I shall start with the first one:
"One evening I heard the telephone ring, and so I picked it up. On the other end was a man with a strange voice. There was a funny tone to the voice . . . I can’t really explain it, who ever it was sounded ancient – you know . . . as if they were a hundred and twenty years old . . . really guttural . . . old, ancient, as if the voice box was shot to pieces. The words were like “gobbledegook.” I couldn’t make out what he was saying. And I was thinking that the person was probably so old that it was no wonder he didn’t make sense. I said, “Who is it?” just to give him another chance. And then this male voice said something else that was just rubbish . . . in a really harsh, rasping voice. He was also shouting quite loud . . . you know, almost at the top of his voice. And then I heard a female version of this voice in the distance, behind who ever it was who was calling, and then there was a pause. I thought “Sod this, what the hell am I listening to this for? . . This is mad” – and so I put the phone down, and then I thought about it. I thought, “that was bloody weird.” The words were . . . I couldn’t even give an example of it. It was something like . . . [Paul just makes some gruff noises] "Ah you see? . . . I can’t even do it. It was mad . . . just bloody weird. It wasn’t frightening; it was more comical than anything.
“There was a similar call just after my grandfather died . . . probably an hour after he died. Funny thing about that . . . you know that evening when he died. I was driving home from Ladbroke Grove, just coming along Marylebone Road when I could feel my hair sort of standing on end. It felt as if there was something in my hair. At first I thought there was an insect or spider in my hair and so I kept running my fingers through it to get rid of it . . . but there was nothing there! And when I took my hand away, I felt it creeping back again. I thought, “Sod this” . . . and it got to the point where I nearly pulled down a side-road to stop and shake whatever it was out of my hair. Anyway, it was like this for ages all the way home. I couldn't get rid of this feeling.
As soon as I got home and walked through the door, there was this phone call. It was similar to the one I described earlier. It was just an odd noise on the other end and this old person rasping away again. After a while I put the phone down, and as soon as I did so, the phone rang again – only this time it was my mother. She rang to tell me that grandfather had just died an hour ago.”
Gary:
The day our grandfather died I was sitting upstairs alone in my room, just thinking about him. Suddenly the phone rang. (I had an extension in my room) There was this voice on the phone. I would describe it as a metallic voice and sounded like it was speaking Russian backwards. There was also an echo to the voice that suddenly stopped – like gated reverb – as if it was on a tape running backwards. It was so weird that I was instantly shocked. A shiver went up my spine. I don’t think I even said anything. I think I may have laughed nervously to hide my discomfort though. After a few seconds, I put the phone down because I couldn’t make out what was being said. I sat there a little shocked and disturbed, and the silence in that room was uncomfortable after such a weird experience. It didn’t happen again.
Again, in his book Strange Creatures from Time and Space, John Keel tells us of another strange phone call incident similar to what we experienced:
‘. . . Mrs. Doris Lilly, who lived in the south end of Point Pleasant, began to receive strange phone calls early in March 1967. Each evening around 5:00 P.M. her phone would ring, and when she answered she heard only a bizarre metallic voice speaking in an incomprehensible language. It was guttural and rapid. These calls came only when she was alone. [1]
