It was one summer time in the mid 70s, Devon, UK.
As a child, walking around my village was amazing. I really think I had a great childhood. Fun parents, great brothers and pets all over the place. We lived in a picturesque fishing village by an estuary. It was a close knit community – everybody knew each other and it seemed there were always fancy dress parties to go to for children and the parents. I was the happiest little girl around… far too friendly and a proper little madam too.
These particular experiences never sat in my mind as others do. They were different from other experiences… and happened over two days. I don’t clearly understand either of them. I have been told his maybe what is called a screen memory.
One afternoon, I’d been down in the village playing and I knew it was time to go home for tea. For some reason I decided to walk home a different way than usual. I don’t recall why I chose to do this… but it was a strange thing to do. I was most certainly a free spirit . I recall walking down the back road, passing a car park and down a cul-de sac… but this wasn’t the way home at all.
Suddenly ,I stood in front of a young girl. She was suddenly just there right in front of me. She appeared to be the same age and same height as me. I called her the Chinese girl only because of her beautiful shaped eyes.Large and dark. There was no Oriental family that lived in the village that had children. If there was she would have been going to my primary school. I don’t recall what she was wearing… I was simply in an enchanted moment that children get into. This girl held out her hand and in her palm she had a note of some kind… like money?Same size of a bank note. We ‘spoke’ but I don’t recall her speaking to me I just recall hearing her talk to me. I have no idea how long I was there and I don’t recall her moving either her body or facial expressions.
I can see her so clearly in my head. I felt comfortable and I wasn’t scared at all. The only time I saw her move was in a hand gesture which was to show me her house which was behind her on her left. She asked if I’d like to play with her the next day and I agreed.
Looking back at this it makes me think that this exchange was planned to the point where I had been guided to meet her. I recall seeing which house was hers and said goodbye and went straight back home as it was getting late. Everything else before, in-between and after is very hazy. I don’t recall talking to my Mum about this but I must have said why I was later over dinner. What I do recall is being excited at the thought of meeting her again .
The following morning was like any other… Mum in the kitchen, Dad working in his studio and me eating my breakfast far too fast so I could just get out and play in the huge garden we had. I don’t recall what I did that day, only that it was routine until going on that same journey into the village to play with my new friend.
I remember being at the cul-de-sac at the same spot where she had pointed to where her house was. But it wasn’t there! Her house had disappeared. Where her house had stood yesterday was now a field. In this field was what I can only describe as a large ‘gazebo’ with lanterns around it, glowing in different colors… yellow, green, red and blue all evenly spaced around the middle.
I could see the glow from the lights reflecting on the grass that this structure was sitting on. It was kind of dark – not like it was when I arrived at this spot looking for her or her house. She was nowhere to be found. Only this strange scene in front of me.
My only other conscious memory’s of these two days came to me a few days before going to meet Budd Hopkins for hypnotic regression work in 1998. I am just left with a sense of something… a feeling of my hands gripping something after seeing the gazebo. It was to do with trying to remember how I got home. I remember my hands gripping something and jumping down from something. Was it a wall so I could make my way home quickly? In my mind it almost felt like I was holding on to a side of a table curling my hands around the side of it and jumping down. It’s all very hazy and confusing and I can’t recall much after first seeing the gazebo. I also don’t recall how I got home.
More came out in Budd’s sessions but I only want to include conscious memories here.
(Missing) This animation appeared in Hong Kong based around my Chinese Girl And The Gazebo Encounter. I’m not sure what they are saying so I can’t tell you if it’s accurate or not! Please note: this was when I was still using the name Bridget Grant.