Patrick George Callaghan

Episode 59… Return To Bayswater On reaching Bayswater Charles drove quickly to his friend Doctor Michael Fellows. ‘Well Charles, I have given her a thorough examination and aside from a little shock’ he concluded, ‘she seems to be in good health. One odd thing though, she hasn’t spoken a word to me. Has she said anything to you about her ordeal.’ ‘Nothing very much doctor.’ he replied ‘Just some murmurings, really that’s all.’ ‘Well Charles, could be the shock. Take her home and let her rest, that’s just what she needs right now. Please come and see me in the morning, I will need to know a little more about her for my report.’ ‘Report!… Dear friend… Please understand. There can’t be any report.’ Charles startled hastily. ‘Rebecca does not exist, at least not in our time. There would be no reckoning of her.’ ‘What are you saying. This is nonsense. Of course she must exist. She is flesh and blood.’ ‘No ...

Episode 58… Rescue The ladder would just reach the window. He drove it hard against the wall and the ground. It felt secure. Within moments he had reached the window and beckoned Rebecca to first stand back then take his arm and climb onto the ladder, he shouted to her that he would hold her firmly and make sure she was safe. He pressed himself further into the ladder in order that his body would help her support. The heat was unbearable and flames licked hungrily from inside the window as Charles smashed the glass with a covered elbow. Rebecca’s form was petite allowing her to grasp the ladder and swing herself out from the rather small aperture of the window frame. Charles held her waist and moved down the ladder a little allowing her room. Then carefully, and very slowly they both edged downwards until Charles was able to lift Rebecca to the ground. ‘This place is a mess, come-on, lets all go.’ he declared ‘Lets get away from this heat.’ The ladder was no...

Episode 57… Rebecca’s Acceptance Once more, Charles watchful look at the ruined house showed him nothing. No voice entered his mind. Nothing seemed to be out of order to his expectation, and once more, rain began to soak through those overhead clouds. ‘Come-on, lets go.’ He announced reluctantly.  ‘There is nothing more for us here’. He had satisfied himself that this was a waste of their time. ‘Let’s get back to the car.’ he declared. ‘Charles.. Charles, I can see her. Rebecca, she is looking at us from a second floor window. The house is there, yes there, in all its entirety. Can’t you see. It’s as beautiful as before. She is smiling, and yet she is crying. Can’t you see her Charles… Can’t you see this beautiful lady.’ ‘Esme, all I see are these old ruins, as I did before, but the images from my camera  allowed me to visualize a little before they faded completely…’ ‘Something is wrong.’ Esme inter...

Episode 56… A Change of Mind ‘I don’t know Charlie. I think you are playing with forces that you can’t understand and you are putting Esme in some danger.’ ‘Some danger Bill? Danger from what! Forces we don’t understand. Come-on, this is all nonsense. It’s born in the minds of those that…’ he stopped himself further, thinking of Esme feelings. ‘We’ve looked over the old place Bill. No harm has come to us. If Esme can raise thoughts in her mind when she is there. That’s perfectly ok. Look, when a person can tune into what we call an astral plain they are given the courtesy of being respected as a “Medium”. Not labelled as some person of evil. To be that gifted and move within a spirit world. Why not?’ ‘Because it’s not right Charlie It’s not normal behaviour.  You know, I did not welcome you both here to become ghost hunters. Perhaps, you both… Should return to London and not cause any further upset’. Bill was clearly very angry, it was there in his eyes....

Episode 55… Disappointment   It was raining very heavily that following morning. Bill said he wanted to finish off a landscape and Margarita felt there was plenty to do in the kitchen, so donning raincoats and weather proof hats the two of them set off in the direction of the old manor house. ‘What are we looking for?’ inquired Esme, as they made their way up a long steep gulley. The wind and rain down drafted along this pathway and progress was slow . ‘I don’t really know.’ he replied. The rain stung their faces unceasingly, ‘Anything that is not how it should be, I guess.’ At last they arrived. Everything seemed as they had both seen it for the first time. Stonework was crumbling and nature had taken back her heritage in every way. It was possible of course to follow the ruined outlines of the old house and also to determine the structured remains of fallen rooms. ‘There must be cellars’ declared Charles, ‘A house of this size would have cellars. Perhaps, undisturb...

Episode 54… Consolidation Those words of Charles that were said downstairs revolved around in Esme’s head. She sat on the edge of the bed in their little room and pondered. “Surely, Charles did not really mean what he was saying. This was not him. It couldn’t be him. She knew him. He would never offer those sort of views and yet now, he was saying goodnight to the Porrit’s downstairs and would be here soon. She would say nothing, that was decided in her mind. His footsteps were heard now on the narrow staircase leading to their room, he would be here in moments, loving and always protective for her as ever. There should be no reason to doubt him…Non at all!” He quietly entered the room making sure his entry would not disturb her and was slightly surprised to find her awake. He moved over to her and gently kissed her on the check. ‘Do you mind if we stay a little longer here with the Porrit’s?’ he asked softly.' Somehow her eyes were sud...

Episode 53… A Concerning Time ‘That’s truly incredible.’ stated Bill. He looked quite astonished at Charles. ‘Are you telling me that your friend e’r… Tobias is behind all of this. I just really can’t believe it. Because this Rebecca Haigh business and visions nonsense has been going on for years in village gossip.’ ‘No Bill. I’m not saying that. Somehow, we have all become part of this, and that, somehow Tobias can tune into this fantasy world in such ways that can effect our thoughts and what we think we see. I’m scared for all of us and for what we now are beginning to understand and for where it will take us. I just don’t feel there is a way out. There can be no running away. This strange world will inhibit each and every one of us. I’m certain of it!’ ‘What you are saying Charles. declared Esme. Tobias is really here and that these are tricks he can play in our minds?’ she looked at him for some reassurance. ‘Maybe...

Episode 52… Plain truth With Charles insistence on just a darkened room. Bill suggested the old stone smoke house at the back of the cottage. ‘We’ve not used it since we moved here and there are no windows, so it may suit your purpose Charlie.’ With thought of having brought most he needed with him, he returned to the car for those items that would be useful. Once his photographs became stable from the dim light of his occasional striking match, the pictures seem to be taking on very different images from those he had seen at the ruins. Through Esme’s mind set, he could see the those fine green laws, those beautiful dancing ladies. This magnificent house of true splendour. A place of dreams. A place of hope and love abounded in its every crevice, every fragment of its brick and stone. Now it was there, alive and in those pictures. ‘Look, this is the plain truth. Look at the photographs.’ All of you. ‘This is what Esme saw. For some reason, I w...

Episode 51… Charles visits the ruins The heavy camera and its tripod were no match for Charles enthusiasm to reach the ruins. In good measure he reached the headland and stood in front of this ruined Manor House. In his eyes, it was as Esme had first seen it. Crumbling structures of forgotten walls, of forgotten rooms, of forgotten lives, overgrown and left to the winds of time. Nothing would enter this dark place, he thought, and yet there was a compelling feeling to it’s strange hypnotism. He felt that love and death dwelt both within its presence and it brought about a chill that could muster only the heart of a living soul. He began walking through what must have been beautiful gardens skilfully managed by loving hands, now only tall unkempt shrubbery, dark and thorn like, stood where ugly weeds grew upon this dismal soil. He felt no change as he approached. No voice in his head, as Esme had described in her encounter. He stopped some yards from th...

Episode 50…Gossip and fantasy There was much relief as she reached the cottage, others had been busy with their morning pleasures and by now it was midday. Margarita greeted Esme with a warming smile and a recommendation for lunch. ‘Bill and Charles will be here soon… They are still discussing Bill’s work, that I’m sure is something of a formality as Charles has always loved anything Bill has put a brush too.’ ‘Margarita’ Can…Look can I ask you…’ Esme stumbled over her words thinking this was foolish. She tried again with some reluctance. ‘Can you tell me about the old house on the headland, it’s a ruin I know, but you must know something about it?’   ‘You’ve been there, well of course. Some folk here think of it as a magical place, a place where certain thoughts, good thoughts, can become a reality. If you spend any little time within its ruins thoughts can become real and touchable, I think true, perhaps? If you are there and have ghosts to exorcize, then ...

Episode 49… Face to Face ‘You have followed me. That’s good.’ He smiled perhaps a little weakly, then stood up and looked at her directly. ‘I thought you were in London. Why are you here and how did you get here so fast? You’re supposed to be looking after the business for Charles.’ Her demand was met with indifference. ‘Oh Charles won’t mind.’ he replied quietly. ‘How do you know that! You haven’t spoken to him.’ She tried dispelling the sudden strange dream like feeling inside her head. It would not go. The stir of a feathered wing outstretched on a standing perch caught her eye. ‘So he’s here too.’ The Parrot lifted its head a little and closed both eyes, then sunk back unconcerned. ‘He may not be a He’, could be a Her’. How do you know Esme. Do you have the gift. Then of course, you know of Rebecca Haig. Is she inside your head Esme. Does she speak to your thoughts.’ The cynicism of his words was self evident. ‘I don’t know ...

Episode 48… The Tower Esme watched Tobias until his form had disappeared from view. She thought for a few moments then decided to follow. She would speak to him, ask him why he was here and not in London. In  The Gwyllt there are days and nights when the mild Atlantic winds take on a humidity borne only of the tropics, they can deceive and disrupt human thought, and such was now, for Esme began to feel she was in her own cloying dream. Is this a dream… I always remember my dreams, she thought. She stopped walking for a moment closing her eyes tight shut, then opened them. Everything was the same, nothing had changed. The house and tower were still in view. She continued walking towards the turret. Her feet found the first steps leading up a steep stone spiral stairway reaching into the gloom beyond. Yes, she would follow him. She was brave enough. She wanted to look for Tobias Westlake. She had no torch and found her way by touching the curving wall with one ...

Episode 47… The Gwyllt (Part Two) The voice in her head laughed with a sallow pleasure and replied; ‘Of course it’s me. I am Rebecca. You know me well’. Then the voice was gone, cried away to the paucity of the ruins. In that moment and one by one, creamy flower heads burst forth all around her and large purple flowers lifted up to feel a warmth of life. Brick by brick began to replace broken debris and steadily the house and turret rose once more and stood triumphant in their wonderment beneath a summer sky. Now, the warming earth of summer love, of seasons lost, of virgin cackle and barking dogs tripped those lovely lawns of ripe red love and pleasant souls. It was upon a marble seat at the farthest end of a small enclosed Rose garden that she saw Tobias Westlake. He was watching her and smiled in a somewhat odd way. He then stood up and with a raised arm beckoned her. At once, he walked away and in the direction of the Manor hous...

Episode 46… The Gwyllt (Part One) A narrow path led off to her right, upward and through the thick undergrowth and toward the headland plateau above her. It was a steady and breathless climb and at one point she could just make out the top of some house or building structure. Then suddenly, she had reached the plateau. Her path had opened to a narrow area of what looked like old onyx pillars with ivy covered marble seating and beyond this she saw the house for the first time. It was derelict and crumbling and had not seen use for many years, perhaps the building she had glimpsed earlier. She walked on. Her footsteps softened within the stillness of the place. Then strange thoughts began to enter her mind. At first she took them to be induced by this odd setting she now found herself. A woman’s gentle voice found favour in her head… “By Gwyllt Pond…A lovers bond…Lay Rebecca Haig’s remains” She stood in front of the ruins gazing into its hopelessness. One time ...

Episode 45… A Sighting It was that time of the morning when the trivia of the day before was forgotten and the ocean would open itself to the lonely walker. Around the Bay large curios gulls swooped over its soft sands and called out to a gentler Atlantic. She had not noticed him before and now her eyes were fixed on a single figure walking towards her from the far side of the Bay. She thought it odd because Margarita had said that she would not meet anyone. The person seemed to be coming from the direction of the outcropping rocks near where the sea was crashing into the headland. Perhaps there was a path around the head, she told herself. A burst of sunlight ran into her eyes for several moments and she cupped a hand to her forehead. When the watery eyes began to clear. The figure had gone. Esme took a few steps forward, straining for another glimpse of the stranger. There was none. She thought the figure could have been a man, perhaps a young man. His stride was...

Episode 44… Reason He looked at Charles with open eye. ‘Beats your town living Charlie!’ he remarked. It was only the second time Esme had ever heard anyone call Charles: Charlie. In her mind he was a Charles not a Charlie. The surprise on her face was self evident. Charles picked up on it. ‘It’s ok… Bill’s allowed… After all, he’s the finest painter I know… Apart from Picasso!’ ‘You know Picasso!’ Bill burst forward with total percussion. ‘You’ve never said!’ Esme suddenly went into a fit of laughter at the expression on Charles face, then Bill fell in with it and laughed loudly showing his great white teeth once more. After breakfast Bill insisted he wanted to show Charlie his latest work and other works yet to be given a public airing. ‘Tell me what you think in all honesty.’ he asked. Esme said she would like to take a long walk along the shore line and enjoy the fresh sea breeze. ‘I want to blow London right out of my mind.’ she had said to Margarita, after they had f...

Episode 43… Good Company There was much small talk over supper and Esme seemed to take to Bill and Margarita, odd couple as they appeared, with some delight. There was even agreement that she would pose for the painter sometime during their stay. By way of return Charles said he would take pictures of Margarita one morning in a walk along the shore line. It was the Herring Gulls that first woke Charles and Esme the following morning. In the bric-a-brac of the early morning light they seemed to swoop and call in ever increasing numbers. It was cold in their little room and even cuddling together during the night had not kept them warm. ‘I said it would be freezing!’ Esme muffled her head firmly under the covers. ‘Don’t worry.’ he replied. ‘You’ll be ok once your up and dressed, put on some warm clothes. I guess breakfast can’t be far away.’ He could detect the enticing smell of bacon frying. He pulled the covers back and sat on the edge of the bed. ‘What time is it?’ came ...

Episode 42… Arrival He was instantly likeable, as with so many of Charles odd arty friends and Charles was not surprised at his friend’s enthusiasm for Esme, his reputation as a painter was widely recognized. The reference to their “Commotion” on arrival was due to Bill Porrit’s acute hearing. It was the very reason the Porrit’s had left London in order that Bill could paint in quiet solitude. ‘Come on inside both of you. We’ve got supper on the go.’ However, just before they could do so, a miniature woman with bright red eyes and a Humming Bird head stepped into the light of the doorway. ‘Margarita!’ Chanted Charles almost at once. ‘It’s lovely to see you again.’ His eyes danced over her. She was diminutively beautiful and unashamedly proud of her looks. He had seen many nude paintings of her over the years and had long admired her perception and gallantry in showing off her body against much public narrow-mindedness. ‘Charles my darling! and you have brought your lov...

Episode 41… Journey (Part Two) ‘Well, this is about as far as we go with the car.’ announced Charles. ‘We’ll have to do the rest on foot.’ Esme groaned. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not much further. We can do it in about ten minutes.’ added Charles. He went to the car for their overnight bags and locked the doors. ‘I’ll pick up anything else we need in the morning. Stick close to me. There is a very narrow path a little ahead.’ She said nothing. Anger it seemed, was something of wasteful subject. It was getting dark by the time they reached ‘the Porrit’s’ cottage. The frail light from an oil lamp spread dimly from a downstairs window and crept out in to easing night. It was a stone cottage of flaking white paint. Four small rooms. A small kitchen and an out back stone lavatory. When the small front door opened spreading more feeble light on the two visitors, a tall, thick set man with an astonishing jet black beard stood with an outstretched...

Episode 40… Decision ‘Esme… I’ve been giving our situation a lot of thought.’ Charles looked at her with careful consideration. She seemed to him to have more maturity now than ever he realised. She had grown into a fine woman. She sipped from a small cup of coffee whilst her crystalline eyes studied him back. She lowered the cup gently to its saucer. ‘Charles, If I were a smoker, this would be the moment I would light up!’ She grinned lavishly. He smiled back a reply and said: ‘I want us to stay with some friends of mine that live in North Wales. Toby can run things here for a while and his brother Barney will help out. Look we both need a break…Get away from London for a while. It would do us both some good.’ ‘But North Wales Charles… Snowdonia! It will be cold this time of year.’ ‘You won’t feel the cold I promise and you will just love ‘the Porrits’.

Episode 39… A Plan That very day Charles locked the little photographic shop to the outside world. He sat in thought at the foot of the stairs for some considerable time. From time to time, the telephone would ring only to be ignored. Tobias remained occupied in the cellar and Esme slept soundly upstairs. He would check them later he told himself. By the time his thoughts had turned to a plan it was late afternoon. Edward’s simple insanity would be driven from the man… that was Toby’s way. The key to Charles plan would rest with a friend in William Porrit and he would offer council and direction. He decided to send the man a Telegram first thing the next day. At supper time Tobias emerged from the cellar with the declaration that his patient was sleeping peacefully having undergone some hypnotherapy. Esme too, was fully awake and well rested. ‘Who is sleeping peacefully?’ she asked. Toby broke a piece of bread, dipped it into his bowl of brow...

Episode 38… Prisoner ‘Don’t worry. I’m not taking any chances with him.’ Smiled Toby. ‘And maybe when I’ve finished with him… He’ll be a good little boy again!’ Between them, they half carried, half dragged, the dead weight of Edward down a drop of narrow stone steps that led to a cellar room far below the level of the street. Tobias had held a small torch light in his mouth and now its beam picked out a large and rusting iron ring fixed to the wall at the far end of the room. ‘That’ll do.’ Proclaimed Toby. ‘We can tie him to that!’ They put the unconscious body of Edward down on the stone floor and began to move away several wooden boxes of old discarded glass photo plates and yellowing photographic paper. ‘Been meaning to throw this lot away for years,’ remarked Charles. ‘Still nobody is likely to want to come down here….’ ‘It’s me Esme…Please open the door. Everything is ok now. He’s gone!’ Charles tapped the door gently several times. In the flickering light that...

MacGyver Ok guys, I guess, I’m still working on the next episode of the popular “The Shriving” at www.patrickcallaghan.co.uk   - so meanwhile, I’m going to give you something that I’ve held back for a long time because it’s not that far back in TV time land. Now, Richard Dean Anderson just knocks my socks off with his portrayal of MacGyver in the named TV show. I first watched this on UK Freeview and it just swept me out. so much so, that I rushed out a purchase for all 139 episodes of the show from 1985 to 1992. Each episode is carefully and skilfully written, with all the ingredients needed for a successful production, those of action, help and love, just where its most needed. It’s a show that has youth, vitality and conviction. This is a young adventurer who believes guns are a menace, a downfall to humanity, and that people are more valuable than bullets. Perhaps, that’s a gospel we should all try and live by. I’ve n...

Tales of Wells Fargo… 1957-1962 NBC It all came back to me over the years, when I sat down to watch a disc of the opening series of ‘Tales of Wells Fargo’ featuring Dale Robertson as the company’s investigator. I must admit, that I had rather forgotten these productions long ago and it was only the reference to Wells Fargo in another western that got me thinking to myself… “Wasn’t there, a western TV series entitled thus. Well, a quick check with Amazon has now provided with a reasonable priced disc of the first series. These 25 min slot fillers are an enjoyable romp, much in the style of ‘Whiplash’, with Dale as Jim Hardy giving justice to the company’s problems by a left handed gun belt or simple logic that is much of the backbone of any respectable and successful western. Dale Robertson’s lay back, easy going style, is quite engaging. An approach, I feel, that was very much of his own real life character. A man that women loved and men admired and...

Raffles 1977 ITV Studios Now, this really does go down memory lane and with such class and sparkle. Anthony Valentine features as the charismatic Victorian jewel thief ‘Raffles’ ably assisted in his exploits by dear friend ‘Bunny’ played beautifully by Christopher Strauli in an adaption of E.W.Hornung’s original stories. This is a wonderful step into the past with Raffles becoming a modern day Robin Hood, the poor really being himself and ‘Bunny’ who with their extravagancies were broke. This is no Toby Myers. This is Anthony Valentine as a most charming character. This is my second outing with this complete boxed set and again it takes no prisoners. A lovely romp into an era that simply takes you into another gentlier world. Yes, I’m at it again with another ‘name dropper’ A lovely guy, I photographed many years ago who had appeared on ‘The Golden Shot’ a number of times was TV’s Mr Pickpocket ‘Mark Raffles.’ He and wife Joan hold m...

Cadfael 1994-98 ITV Studios You know, this was a series I missed the first time round, guess, I was doing other things. Ellis Peters books were truly brought to life with Sir Derek Jacobi’s portrayal of Brother Cadfael for Independent Television in the UK. Sitting back with a boxed set, each episode just swarms over you, it’s as if you were there back in time, all those years ago, in the backdrop of medieval Shrewsbury. The research by Author Ellis Peters (her Pen Name)  must have been quite meticulous, in having studied in great detail the lifestyle of these Monks, whose Monastery was positioned close to a fortress castle that gave protection to the nearby village folk. The Television screenplay works at an engaging easy pace woven into a strong style of high drama. It’s not always for the squeamish, me for one! as one of Cadfael’s duties as a Monk is to act as potholigist and apothecary...

I’ve just settled into the very first series of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” I remember these from years ago and being made solely for television screening. I’ve always been a fan of his work, which has often been very forward thrusting and certainly mind catching. These 30 min TV slot fillers are intriguing little stories with Alfred introducing the plot and also summing up at the end. This in itself is a great treat. There is much written about this man, so lets not go down that road, only to say, the guy had directed films successful for Gainsborough in the 30’s and when they threw in the towel, he was left at a loss, thankfully American Studios realised the genius in him and brought him to Hollywood, and where he directed many of his life-long features.

  You know, I’ve just worked myself thru my complete series of ‘Callan’ and realised this is just as hard hitting as when it surfaced on our screens back in the 70s. It was based on an earlier ‘One-Off’ without the trimmings. The single-minded callousness of the characters portrayed, held its togetherness, even today in a very different world, it could almost have been written recently. The charismatic Edward Woodward, a killer with a heart, matched perfectly with the sheer single-mindedness of Anthony Valentine as Toby Myers, and both judged over by William Squire as Hunter. You might say, this would be more appealing to a male audience, but I’m not so sure. Ok, my mother was not so keen on it, but many women, I’ve learnt since, liked the rugged charm of Edward Woodward as ‘Callan’ and the ‘High fee luting’ style of Anthony Valentine in portraying the character of Toby Myers. I remember, myself and ‘HG’ (my dad) and ‘M’ (Marilyn my partner) and h...