Timeslip

We will never know exactly what happened that night. One person on their own might have imagined it, but when two people simultaneously witness the same event there has to be something to it.

Such tales are usually treated with scepticism and derision. I can only relate the following true and factual account, you, the reader, must draw your own conclusions.

John and I detect on two thousand acres of land belonging to a country estate. Over the years we have built up a very good relationship with the owner and tenant farmers. The summer and autumn months will see us detecting all night, on occasions. We enjoy the peace and quiet. The night we decided to search the `boulder` field however, is a night we will never forget.

The very nature of our hobby transports us back in time. We almost sleep, eat and drink the past. Perhaps it is not just the soil we disturb but something more sinister?

As we drove out into the countryside on that warm, early autumn evening, there was a strange silence between us. Normally, the atmosphere would have been one of witty banter - an eager anticipation of what the night might bring. At the time, I put it down to a reluctance to want to search all night, but maybe we sensed that all was not well. Looking back on the experience, whatever happened to us that night had probably started as we drove along those darkened country lanes.

Within thirty minutes we had arrived at our destination. It was nice to get out of the car and fill our lungs with good, clean air. An owl hooted in the distance; the creatures of the night were out and about, making us feel alien their world.

Sitting on a bale of hay, we poured ourselves a cup of tea. At one time there had been a barn on the spot, but a severe gale had brought it down. There had been many occasions when we had sought shelter from the elements beneath its canopy of corrugated sheeting. Now that it was gone, it almost felt as though we had lost an old friend.

The night was warm and balmy, without a breath of wind - ideal conditions for detecting. The prospect of finding that elusive pot of gold had not, however, galvanized us out of our lethargic state. For three-quarters of an hour we just sat there talking.

John fetched a small gas stove from the car and heated up two cans of beans. As the sound of metal spoons against tin plates disturbed the quiet of the night, we formulated our plan of action.

From our deliberations, we decided to search the large field directly in front of us. Although it had never produced much in the past we felt - just a gut feeling - that it had potential. Before the end of the night, we would find more than we bargained for!