Lady in White | A Furness Abbey Ghost Story
The Lady in White tells of a haunting in the historic ruins of Furness Abbey near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The legend has been passed down through generations, with various versions of the tale. At its heart is the story of a young woman whose spirit is said to still wander the Abbey ruins, waiting for the love who never returned.
By Paul J. Scribbans – Author of The Mereland Chronicles.
Trigger Warning: This ghost story contains disturbing imagery, presented within a haunting, supernatural setting.
As dusk settled over the woods, the two friends walked down the narrow dirt path, their boots crunching through fallen leaves. Ahead, the car park was almost empty, save for a single vehicle.
“So you pick this moment to tell me we are walking on a haunted path!” said Jane, picking up the pace.
“Hey, wait up,” Kate laughed as she tried to keep up, “You are way too easy to spook.”
“No kidding, Kate. It’s Halloween, it’s twilight, and you tell me this path, right next to Furness Abbey, might I add, is haunted!”
“Oops, sorry. Slow down,” grinned Kate.
“No, I want to get back to the car and away from this place… what did you call it again?”
“The Lady’s Walk,”
“Whatever,” scolded Jane
“Come on. Look, the car is right here.”
Jane climbed in and sat in the passenger seat, arms folded, a scowl on her face. “Does this thing have heating?”
“It’s a Tesla; it has everything,” said Kate, smiling, trying to lighten the mood.
“I’m not ready to forgive you yet. It’s your fault I don’t like spooky things.”
“My fault?” Kate said, with a playful gasp, as she clasped her hands to her chest.
“You know damn well, Kate. It was you who made me stay up and watch that horror film. I’ve hated anything like that ever since. I even hate Halloween.”
Kate hid her smile. “We were nine years old, Jane. Anyway, I didn’t even tell you the story. I just said this is where the ghost of the Lady in White is seen, and that’s why it’s called The Lady’s Walk. Come on, don’t look so glum. I was only having a laugh.”
A smile creased Jane’s lips, which she tried to hide. “Always having a joke at my expense. Ever since we were kids.”
“But you always see the funny side in the end. You know, we’re all grown up now, and you really shouldn’t be scared of ghost stories at your age.”
“Hey! You make me sound like an old woman. It’s getting dark, want to come to mine for coffee?”
“Sure,” said Kate, as she switched on the car and the central screen lit up.
“That 3D visualisation screen is neat. Does it show animals like cats and dogs, or just people?”
“Not that I’ve noticed. Haven’t read the manual, to be honest. I think it just shows driving hazards, like car-shaped boxes and stick figures for people.”
“I see,” Jane paused. “Anyway, what’s the story behind the Ladies Walk?”
“Wow. Someone became brave all of a sudden?”
Jane chewed her cheek. “I feel safer in the car and I’m curious now. Tell me it while you drive me home.”
“No way, Jane! We’re actually at the very location where the ghost story takes place. If I’m going to tell you, it’ll be right here, right now.”
Jane shifted in her seat. “So I guess you’ll refuse to drive me home until you’ve told me it?”
“You know me so well.” Kate beamed.
Jane rolled her eyes. “Just get it over with.” Twenty years of friendship had taught Jane that arguing was pointless when Kate was in one of her mischievous moods.
“What are best friends for? Now, are you ready?”
“Can you at least switch on the internal light?”
“Nope!”
“Fine, I’ll just stare at the screen until you stop talking; it’s bright enough,” huffed Jane.
Kate laughed and cleared her throat. “Okay, Miss Grumpy. So, a few hundred years ago, there was this daughter of a landowner. She was best friends with a local lad, but when he was old enough, he went away to sea. On her twentieth birthday, he returned, and they rekindled their friendship. They used to meet in secret here amidst the ruins of Furness Abbey.”
“Why in secret?”
“Different social classes, probably. Her father was a landowner; he a mere sailor. Anyway, the couple fell deeply in love until the day he had to go back to sea for a year. The story goes that the evening before his departure, they met at the ruins as usual, and the couple made their vows to each other. She promised she’d walk their trail every day until he returned from his voyage, and they would get married.”
“Aww, why can’t I meet a man like that?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Wait until you hear the last bit. He never returned and was never heard of again. It was rumoured that his ship foundered in a storm. They say she refused to accept his fate, hoping that he’d return one day. She walked the path every day without fail, wearing the same white dress she’d worn when they said their vows. She continued this until the day she died as an old woman. Legend says that after her death, her heartbroken spirit still walked the path, appearing as she did the day they made their vows. They say that if anyone crossed her path, they would die shortly afterwards. That’s why it became known as The Lady’s Walk.”
Jane was still transfixed by the screen and stared at it without blinking. “You know, that’s a really touching story.”
“Told you that you spook too easily.”
“Perhaps I do.”
Kate grinned mischievously. “Did I ever tell you the other Furness Abbey ghost stories? There’s one about a headless monk. Or what about the broken-hearted brother?”
“No, and I think I’ve been brave enough for one day. Now, can we go home?”
“Sure.”
Suddenly, Jane gasped.
“What now?”
“Look at the screen; someone is out there. A stick figure out in the ruins.”
Kate peered out into the gloom. “It’s too dark now to see anything.” She glanced at the screen.
“Whoever it is, looks like they’re coming this way. Must be a dog walker. Nothing to be worried about.”
“Can we just go?”
Although Kate loved to tease her friend, she knew the limits. “Sure,” she shifted into drive, causing the headlights to illuminate the Abbey ruins before them.
Jane peered out of the windscreen and then back down to the screen. “Strange, I can’t see anyone out there. But the stick figure is still on the screen. Still moving toward us. We should be able to see whoever it is.”
Kate frowned. “Probably a software glitch, you know what technology is like.”
Jane shivered. “It’s getting chilly.”
“You’re right,” said Kate as she adjusted the temperature, then pressed the accelerator.
The car rolled slowly out of the parking space.
“Kate!”
“What?”
“The stick figure, it’s moved.”
“Where?”
“It’s right in front of us, on the road, up ahead.”
“Maybe it’s a jogger?”
“That fast? Impossible.”
“Look, there’s nothing on the road ahead. Now stop making me nervous while I’m driving,” Kate said, pushing the accelerator a little harder. The hum of the electric motors grew louder.
“Kate, slow down. We’re going to hit it.”
“Hit what? Thin air?” Kate replied, tension in her voice.
“Stop. You have to stop.”
Kate gripped the steering wheel tightly as foliage, illuminated by the headlight beam, sped by. “No way I am stopping for a computer glitch. If there is someone out there, they will see us coming and move out of the way.”
Jane began to sob, “I… I thought you didn’t get scared?”
“I’m not. Just let me drive.”
Both women held their breath as the stick figure drew closer, only moments away.
Jane’s eyes darted between the screen and the open road ahead before she covered her eyes with her hands. “Kate! We are going to hit it.”
Kate stared at the road. “There’s nothing there!” And with one last glance at the screen, the stick figure vanished in an instant just before the car made contact.
Jane peeked from between her fingers. “Is it gone?”
Kate stared at the road as she struggled to navigate the car through the winding lane. “As I said, a software glitch,” Kate said, though her voice lacked conviction. “There was never anything there. I told you, you spook too easily.”
“For God’s sake, Kate. That better not be one of your practical jokes.”
Kate burst into laughter. “If it was I would admit it, that would have been an incredible windup.”
“You bloody idiot, Kate!”
“I’ve changed my mind about that coffee. Do you have any of that Christmas whiskey left?”
“But you are driving?”
“Not tonight. I’m staying at yours.”
Jane smiled. “Deal. I think I could do with the company after tonight. But no horror films.”
“Absolutely agree. I can’t believe…”
Kate’s voice trailed off. Her eyes were fixed on the rear-view mirror.
Jane realised her friend was no longer watching the road.
“What’s wrong, Kate?”
Kate didn’t answer.
Jane followed her gaze toward the rear-view mirror.
Both women turned.
There in the back seat was a young woman dressed in a pure white dress. Her sad face, partly covered by a gauze headscarf, was deathly pale.
Kate’s last sensations were her best friend’s screams. Dark, empty eyes reflected in the rear-view mirror. The shrill warning of the car’s collision alarm.
Then confusion.
The solid trunk of an ancient oak tree loomed in front of the car. Kate stamped on the brake. The tyres screamed. Glass shattered.
The central screen flickered, its display fractured by a web of cracks.
A single stick figure moved slowly away from the wreckage, back towards the Abbey.
A spark. The screen went black.
Intense pain.
Then nothingness.
Paul J. Scribbans - Author 