For people that don't know Scotland that well, it's a magical and mystical place; the land of creatures like the Loch Ness monster. As a child, I didn't believe in ghosts, yet I was scared of my own shadow. I didn't believe, but I always had my head in the types of books that filled my mind with all sorts of horrors. Things did happen from time to time-- things that I can't explain, like hearing my name called on the morning my aunt died. When I got out of bed that day, I found dad sitting silently in the living room. He too, had heard a call. The real story, however, begins five years ago. I was working as a nurse and had been on my feet for nearly 14 hours. As I finished the last round of patient checks, I nearly walked into a very tall man wearing a long, tan coat and hat. He carried a leather bag and pleasantly smiled as he murmured, "Good evening." I smiled back and walked past. I am now surprised that I didn't question his unusual appearance. I am normally a very curious person. I can only assume that my exhaustion hindered my judgment. At the time, I just assumed he was an eccentric doctor, maybe even here from out of town to work a miracle on the poor fellow upstairs who had the flu. Still, he left me with such a feeling of warmth that I decided to seek him out the next day. When I asked security about the strange man, they claimed that no such person had appeared on the video surveillance. I requested a peek at the daily register, and there were no unusual names. My co-workers claimed that they had seen me in the hallway the night before, and I was definitely alone. They even commented that I seemed to have been smiling at something. For weeks I was convinced that I was the butt of some elaborate joke, but everyone seemed uncomfortable whenever I brought up the incident or pressed to find the identity of the strange man. I finally just accepted that what had taken place that night was supernatural, just as my aunt's goodbye had been so many years ago.

Mary McCulloch, Glasgow, Scotland