The ghost dog of Claife Heights

The light was setting. The geese had left the lakeside and two solitary swans moved to deeper water. A side wind blew gently across the lake buffeting my face as I stood part hidden behind a tree watching this enormous dog scouring the ripples for some submerged interest . He stood directly on the jetty opposite Claife Heights where a wedding party of forty seven souls drowned in 1635 .........

The papers reported two men fishing from a boat in the early hours of the morning saw a huge dog standing at the end of the jetty, staring into the water. The dog leapt forward, crashing through the stillness of the mist and began swimming fiercely toward the boat. The men smelt the rank odour of its breath before it dived and disappeared into the abyssal depths. Was it trying to save its mistress from amongst the drowning wedding party? Or was it seeking out in its own vengeful way the ferryman who had led this party to their grief?

The following morning a dead swan was found washed up in the same bay. But on its leg tag, there were no numbers. Instead the words, written in a simple hand script - Help Me ! Four locals buried the swan under deep turf in a field overlooking the lake. A week later a small black basalt stone, about the size of a shoe box lid, lay on the grave, inscribed with the words:

Lay still my golden bride
Lay in my great white wings.
For I shall nestle you to paradise
Where the swan song always sings.