Drag Me to Hell was the title of a book that I began to write
But it will never be published as I have abandoned it
It lies in many parts in my bedroom cabinet
And that is where it will stay
Much has happened since my previous essay on the 1934 Lights
First of all I had a dreadful accident six years ago which nearly killed me
I was hit by a speeding van in a country lane with the driver failing to stop
And because of this I am confined to a wheelchair
I will never walk again and sadly will never be able to have children
The people of Wroxham have been so wonderful to me that I often weep
They are indeed God’s chosen children and in a way this was part of the problem
Our shop has been a constant in our lives as it has looked after us financially
I now live downstairs as we adapted the considerable space we had
Again the lovely people of Wroxham were there to help us
Jan has come to terms that we will remain childless although she is sad
But I have not told her everything about that dreadful evening
First of all the van that took away my mobility has never been identified
I was told by the police that it did not appear on either of the speed cameras
That covered the lane at either end which is impossible
As the cameras recorded the farm vehicles that I remember
Also after a great deal of searching I found Carol Ennis-Jones
She was living in St John’s Wood with her mother
But that was that as my polite letters went unanswered
That was until one day about a month before my accident
A tall distinguished woman of about sixty years entered our shop
It was Jan’s Norwich Day so I was alone on a quiet afternoon
The first thing that struck me was her resemblance to Darius
When I enquired she noted that Darius was her brother
Although quite friendly her manner was abrupt
She asked me why I had such an interest in the lights
I noted that like Darius I was a local historian and had written some articles
It was then that she became cold and warned me to discontinue my researches
No good would come of it and to revisit the subject would be upsetting
The lights she noted should remain hidden in history
I untruthfully assured her that I would discontinue my investigations
And with this she thawed and showed me a number of photographs
Of the shop and the airfield in the distance
She also showed me a photograph of her mother
Which had been taken a few weeks previously
This photograph took my breath away as her mother was an exact image
Of the woman standing in front of me even if she was approaching ninety
I tried to hide my surprise and said nothing
The woman after buying some postcards left the shop
Even though I had promised to discontinue my researches
I waited a couple of weeks before I decided to visit Darius
Who was enfeebled in a care home in Norwich
And enfeebled he was as he did not recognise me
How different he was to his sister who was full of life
I then started to study the parish records
And had nearly finished my investigations
Although again I had drawn a blank when my accident occurred
You might ask why I gave my book such a strange title
Drag me to Hell
That is easy as I am haunted by these screaming skulls
I see and hear them even on the brightest of days
I am dragged to Hell and I am dragged back
Which not only lacerates my skin but also my mind
Even when they are at their nosiest Jan cannot see or hear them
I am terrified of the nights as from my bed I can see
The landing window which bears quiet witness to the terrors outside
It is never ending and I feel that I am on the verge of madness