My mum and dad were friendly with a couple and the husband, Arthur, was a Feemason who attended the Wroxham (UK) Lodge.

Arthur had quite an interesting job keeping law and order on our local coast but it was quite stressful and it ultimately had an effect on his health.  He suffered quite a severe heart attack and he was advised to rest and then look for something a little less demanding.

Arthur had been used to being active and soon became bored at home so his local Freemasons lodge suggested he may like to do a little bit of bar work which he happily accepted.

On one occasion he was asked if he would open up the lodge to allow the brewery to deliver one afternoon.  Arthur obliged and, following the closing up of the lunch time bar, he waited for the delivery to arrive.  He found it somewhat eerie being in a large hall on his own and imagined he could hear someone moving around but, being a down to earth type of guy, he put his unease aside but was nonetheless relieved when the brewery turned up with the delivery.

After all the booze had been delivered safely into the cellar Arthur offered the delivery man a cup of coffee.  While they were sitting in the bar chatting a man came out of the gents loos.  Arthur didn't recognise him and asked what he was doing but the man totally ignored him and walked through into the dance room.  Arthur followed but he couldn't see anyone.  He checked the kitchen but found no-one; he checked the back fire door but it was locked; he looked out of the kitchen window into the car part but the only vehicles there were his own car and the delivery lorry.

After the delivery man had left, Arthur locked up the lodge, returned home and thought no more of it until the following weekend when there was a dinner dance being held there.  Over a drink, Arthur told the chairman what he thought he'd seen and confirmed that the delivery driver had seen the same thing.

The Chairman smiled and led Arthur to a wall covered in photographs of past members.  He asked Arthur if he recognised the intruder from any of those pictures and Arthur soon spotted him.  The Chairman nodded his head.  "That's Fred", he said calmly.  "The lodge was his life after his wife died 20  or so years ago so he did the job that you're now doing.  He used to oversee the deliveries and lock up and his last inspection always ended in the toilets and then he'd leave via the kitchen fire door.  It seems, despite his death several years ago, he likes to keep an eye on the place and make sure everything's just as he left it.  You're not the first person to have seen him and I doubt you're the last".

Fact or fantasy?  Arthur was a real feet on the ground man and is it possible for both Arthur and the delivery man to witness the same manifestation?  Who knows, but I for one have to believe him.

 

,,,,,