Mr. Boots

Hi guys!

I just recently started listening to your podcast, and it inspired me to send in my story.

It happened in 2016, when I visited Edinburgh, Scotland for the very first time. I went there with my parents, and we had a wonderful long weekend there. Enjoying both the culture, the architecture, and of course, the paranormal.

As original tourists visiting a new place. We went on outings. Mary Kings close was a journey to say the least. Such a fascinating place with fascinating history. My dad had a little experience there. We were standing in an old kitchen. The guide had us all standing in a circle in that kitchen. To the left there was a room that was filled all the way to the ceiling with teddy bears and toys. We were told that a very famous ghost "lived" in there, called Anne. She was continuously looking for a toy she had lost when she still lived. So visitors brought her all these toys, and filled the room with them. Anyway, we were standing in this circle, and the guide was telling us about this kitchen. My dad was standing straight across from me in this circle. And I noticed he kept hitting his leg all the time. As if there was a fly or something tickling his leg.

When the tour was over and we later sat at a bar with some drinks. I asked him about it; What was up with your leg down there in the kitchen?

He told me that it was so annoying. it felt as if there were little fingers nipping out his leg hairs one by one. Without thinking about it, I just said; it was probably Anne. kind of as a joke, but my dad ate it up. He was convinced it was her because he swore, it felt like a little kids fingers nipping out a hair one after the other.

So I thought that was a fun little story there.

My experience happened inside a bridge. This was also an excursion. This one wasn't guided, though. We were shown a short clip inside, before the "guide" who locked us inside, let us look around on our own. The clip just explained what this part of the bridge was used for in the 1400's. Because of poverty and the plague, people were forced to keep warm and dry inside of this bridge. They had a kitchen, and a "hospital" and beds, kind of. It was pretty much just a hole in the stone walls that people slept in.

So we were given this pamphlet that explained everything, and what each room was used for. It was very small, and no electricity. So we used the flashlight on our phones, and there were a few candles standing around the place.

I felt totally normal down there. Nothing unusual other than the damp and cold air in the dark.

Until... The last room to explore, was the only room down there that was painted. Walls and ceiling was painted white.

My dad was standing in the doorway, reading the pamphlet. I went inside and looked around. Immediately i felt uneasy. I said to my dad; Oh it's real creepy in here. I know how this sounds. It so weird. But I started feeling threatened. as if I was not in any way welcome in that room. And that if I didn't get the f*** out, I was gonna get hurt. I imagined inside my head, that a figure was floating in the right hand corner of the ceiling. A figure that was rather large, and wore a long coat. Kind of like the fisherman in "I know what you did last summer". Only he was wearing a hat, and not the sailor rainhat thing he wears in the movie. I only saw a black silhouette, and not like anything clear, if that makes sense? didn't see a face or anything. Anyway I became scared inside that room. I felt threatened, and I am 100% convinced, that if I stayed there for longer, I would have gotten hurt.

I said to my dad; I can't be in here! And i pushed myself past him to get out. I almost knocked him over in the process. Once out of that room, I felt totally fine again. Like nothing had happened. The fear just evaporated. And I felt like I could breathe again.

When we had seen everything, we let the "guide" know that we were ready to be let out. The "guide" asked us if we had any questions before we finished the experience. My hand shot up in the air right away. And I asked her if she could please tell her about the ghosts down here.

She lit up by my question and was eager to tell us her stories. She told us about several things. a little boy that was roaming around down there, harmless. A hand she had seen come out from the stone wall. just a hand, and then it went back inside. She told us about smells sometimes. Sounds. About how scary it was to be on the last shift of the day, and be the one to walk around and blowing out the candle lights.
"but the scariest room" she said "is the white room".

My dad went; "oh my God that's the room you didn't like and almost ran me over, getting out of!!" he was amazed.

The guide went on to tell stories about Mr. Boots. Explaining that the people who have seen him, describe him as wearing a long leather coat, and big boots on, so that's why he's being called Mr. boots.

Mr. Boots hates visitors. He does not like people being in that room. She said that her colleague had once been in that room to blow out a candlelight, and a male voice had whispered angrily in her ear "Get out", and she ran.

She also told us about another tourist that had visited. She described them as a couple, where the man was a big buff guy. Balled and full of tattoos. She had asked them before she let them inside if they believed in ghosts. And the man of course didn't. Arms crossed and annoyed really, by the whole thing. She didn't think much of it because people are all different. When they were let out, she noticed this man, pale as a ghost, and kind of apathetic. The guide went over to them and asked if everything was okay? the wife just said "look at this" Turned her husband around, so his back was facing the guide, and pulled his t-shirt up. All the way down his back, there were three very obvious and clear red scratch marks. The wife said it happened in the white room.

I haven't been scared like I was in that room, since, and hopefully I never will.

So that was my story. Due to my being Norwegian, there might be spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes. If you need to edit anything, you're of course welcome to.

Thank you for reading my experience!

Sincerely