Two More Stories From Chagford

During the Evensong service, the couple who had invited us to St. Michael the Archangel learned that Bernard Knight's novel The Tinner's Corpse had brought us to their Dartmoor village of Chagford. They invited us to the pub afterward to continue our conversation. As we told them about our lives and interests, we learned that they were retired doctors, who had attended Cambridge University when training for their medical careers.

Before COVID-19 struck, I attempted to contact them. I had a few questions for them about how the British medical and education systems functioned. I also wished to compare our 2017 visit to Cambridge with their time there. Despite a priest at St. Michael the Archangel putting me in touch with them, the couple ignored my emails. Subsequent emails to the priest also received no response.

It's hard to know how to interpret silence. Had the priest given me their email addresses without getting the couple's okay first? Were the couple drafted into help with the COVID-19 crisis in local hospitals? Or had they discovered that evening, that after sating their curiosity, they had no desire to converse with us ever again? There are people who are friendly, but who will never be your friend, after all. 

All I can do is pray that the couple and the priest are safe and well.

Another memorable event from that evening was a conversation I had with a man who worked behind the bar. I don't remember exactly what I asked him. Perhaps I inquired about historical associations regarding the town. In any case, he responded by telling me that occasionally he saw people sitting and interacting with others in the pub. These people are dressed in clothes from a different era, and their speech also hails from an earlier time. One moment he'd glance up and see them, the next minute they would be gone. 

Were these apparitions real or imagined? And does it matter? While Science cannot prove the existence of ghosts, authors beyond counting have imagined the world inhabited by the spirits of those no longer physically with us. Memories of loved ones can either plague us or help us get through our days. Long departed friends and family members often visit us through our dreams. Stories--whether included or not in holy texts--also help to anchor and sustain us, particularly in difficult times.

May these five stories about the British village of Chagford shine light upon these dark times, and bring interest and meaning to your life.

Dragon Dave

Related Link:
St. Michael the Archangel