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Element
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Published by Element 2003
© Katie Coutts 2003
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Katie Coutts asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780007332113
Ebook Edition © February 2016 ISBN: 9780008191498
Version: 2016-02-25
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Contents
1 By Appointment: Ghostly Experiences of My Clients
2 Picture the Scene: My Own Ghostly Encounters
3 Over to You: Ghosts Stories from My Readers
Death is nothing at all –
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I – and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
speak to me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone:
wear no formal air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me … pray for me.
Let my name be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort, without the ghost of a shadow on it.
Let it be spoken without a tear.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was;
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of your mind
because I am out of your sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is past. Nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before –
only better, infinitely happier … and forever.
We will all be one together.
author unknown
I was born in Glasgow in 1965, the youngest of three siblings. I believe I ‘inherited’ my psychic ability from my maternal grandmother, my beloved nana. My mum, Annemarie, is also very psychic, although her visions and premonitions come mainly from dreams. Nana was a hard-working lady, Irish by birth and very down-to-earth. She would often read tea leaves, and I still recall her accuracy. She wasn’t a confident woman and she would do this as a favour to family and friends, but I don’t think she ever took her ability seriously. I often wonder how she and I would interact if she were alive today. It’s a great source of regret for me that she’s not here to discuss her beliefs (although I believe Athena, my youngest daughter, is my nana reincarnated).
Although my childhood was happy and secure, I hated school from day one till the day I left. After leaving school I worked briefly as a telephonist, but soon gave birth to my first daughter, Natalie. She was my pride and joy.
When Natalie was four, I met my St Andrews-born husband, and Natalie and I left Glasgow for a new life in Fife. A mere hundred miles away, this place was worlds apart. We settled very quickly and I loved the picturesque village with its stunning views over the River Tay. Within a couple of years, one of my two brothers and my mum had followed me here to Fife, and together we’ve grown to love the area.
During the early years of my marriage, I did many varied jobs, ranging from sales to running my own business. The common denominator was that I was my own boss in every single job. Although I always knew what I really wanted to do, I was loath to follow my dream for some mysterious reason.
I have always been ambitious – a typical Leo trait – but during the early years of motherhood, my main aim was to be a good mother to my beautiful daughter. My happiness was made complete in 1997 when, right