Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen: More 'Faiths' Are Added And Gambling

Spring was starting to progress nicely as was Isabella's pregnancy. I still dropped into the Bull for a quick pint, either on my way back from school or property dealings and renovations. Understandably I wanted to spend more time with my wife.

Pretty much the usual crew was there. However, their numbers had expanded. There was a Sufi Muslim Imam, a Hindu, and a Buddhist priest along with a Jewish Rabbi. Plus a lady who is a Wicca, a follower of pagan witchcraft.

Sid and Beryl had to consulate their daughters regarding the food and drink for each of these different religious groups. They all seemed to want to avoid alcohol. This was not the case with the Wicca lady who seemed to relish a combination of pints of real ale and wine.

As I said I did not want to get too involved as I did not want to stay long. The meeting seemed to be getting pretty unmanageable, given its size and diversity.

Magda was given 'chair cleaning duties'. This soon brought Old Slippery back to life, so to speak. He sat back in his chair and seemed very amused. It took him a while to appraise the newcomers. The 'newcomers' were certainly taken aback. Reading about the ghost was one thing, seeing him 'for real' was another. Slippery looked at and appraised each newcomer very carefully. In his day all of these religions would have belonged in some distant and far off land. Maybe not so the Wicca representative.

There were rumours that The Right Hon Jake Horatio Higginbottom' had contacts with pagan groups at that time. These were practitioners of 'dark magic'. This was not the case with this lady, as she was a 'white witch'. The 'wise woman', healer and midwife of the deep past. She had a strong belief in the power of nature. She was also a shaman.

All the new people were reporting that Slippery had entered their minds. This seemed to be a trick that he was gleefully employing.

Pamela Parsons from the BBC had also found time to be there. She was used to chairing large meetings. This group seemed too diverse and did not have a specific focus to make any real progress. She suggested everyone was welcome to contribute to the new documentary that was being produced via the BBC and 'Slippery Productions'. Everything in it would be open to everyone present for discussion and anyone could make alterations. She thanked Dr. Amelia Smith and Professor James Hudson for their contributions to date as well as access to the work of their Ph.D. students on this topic. She would welcome any insight from any of the newcomers at the Bull. They all agreed to this as it seemed to make sense. Contact details were duly exchanged.

As for mind-reading, Professor Hudson stated that mind reading and telepathy had long been debunked by scientific studies. He had to admit, however, that something strange was going on here. He mooted the possibility of a test in the Bull. This could not take place with such a large number as there was at present. There was a consensus that this was an excellent idea.

Each of the new participants then added some thoughts of their own. A number had experienced Old Slippery wandering around in their heads.

Professor James Hudson raised the notion of 'tells'. These were something that poker players could pick up from other players. These were reflex subconscious reactions. Maybe the ghost could read these? This did not explain, however, how the ghost seemed to actually enter your mind? This seemed to be the case. Alternatively is this just what psychologists call 'emphatic accuracy', the ability to read a whole set of 'tells' accurately?

But again people did feel that the ghost was actually 'in their heads'! However, there were mystical traditions in Buddhism and Hinduism. Vihaan Bhat, the Hindu Priest, said he would look into this. Everybody discussed mysticism. Every major religion had a branch that specialized in this. Everyone else said they would also investigate these 'mind-reading' incidents. They had all experienced something since entering The Bull, to a greater or lesser extent.