Mrs. Watkins Last Visit

Name: R. Harrison
Location: Fairford, England
Date: October 1960

When I was 8years old I lived in a small town in England. My mother used to work in the local bakers shop in the High Street which was opposite the church yard. It was half term, so I was home from school, and whenever I was off school I would sit on the wall of the church and wait for my mother to finish work and then I would walk home with her.

There was an elderly lady who used to visit the graveyard every Tuesday to put flowers on her husband’s grave. Her name was Ann Watkins, and she would always smile and say, “Hello, young man.” And I would always reply, “Hello, Mrs. Watkins.” Sure enough I was on the wall waiting for my mother when out of the graveyard walked Mrs. Watkins. I turned to say hello to her, but she just smiled and walked off down the street. I was a little put out that she had not said hello, but when I looked down the street I could no longer see her. After about 10 minutes, my mother came out of the bakers and we made our way home. I said to my mum that I had seen Mrs. Watkins come out of the graveyard but she would not speak to me. My mother stopped walking and said to me, “Are you sure it was Mrs. Watkins?” I said, “Yes, she looked straight at me.” To which my mother replied, “You could not have seen her, my love. She died last Thursday.” To this day I know it was her. I saw her. And the odd thing was it was the first time she had ever failed to say, “Hello, young man.”