Thrummy Cap

One winter evening, as a snowstorm blew across Aberdeenshire, two friends were desperately looking for any kind of shelter from the weather. One was simply called John while his companion was known by all as Thrummy Cap after the hat he wore at all times, made out of spare strands of thread.

Fortunately for the travellers, they came upon the safety of the Castle of Fiddes and the owner answered their desperate knocking. The master of the house tried to encourage them down the road, where just two miles away they would find a good inn with plenty of beds and drink, but Thrummy declared it too far. Eventually, after plenty of smooth-talking, the pair were welcomed into the warmth, but with a warning.

The only spare room in the castle wasn’t one they wanted. It was so haunted that none of the family would dare step foot anywhere near it, especially not at night. John wasn’t happy about the situation, but Thrummy just laughed. As long as the room was warm and dry, there was nothing that could disturb his sleep!

As the weary guests settled down for the night and the rest of the castle went dark, the bold Thrummy decided to go looking for a nightcap. Down in the cellar, sitting astride a barrel and swigging a tankard of ale, he found a spectre that looked identical to him, even wearing the same clothes. Rather than being afraid of his double, Thrummy grabbed another cup and joined him for a drink.

Eventually, he bid goodbye to his new friend and climbed the stairs back to his warm room. There was John, still lying in bed terrified and in dire need of the drink, not realising it had been poured by the very ghost he was so scared of. The men soon finished their drinks and fell asleep, but barely an hour had passed when they awoke to the sounds of scuffling and crashes through the wall.

Now John was more afraid than ever, but Thrummy was determined to find out what was going on. Bursting into the hallway and tearing open the door to the next room, he saw his identical ghost being taunted in a game of football against two other spirits. Shouting at the pair to make it a fair match, Thrummy decided to join in and with a strong boot, kicked the ball against the wall.

With a clap of thunder, the two opposing ghosts disappeared and as a reward for his help, the remaining spectre told his story. He had been cursed to wander the Castle of Fiddes for 40 years after betraying the previous Laird. Working as the overseer, he had hidden the deeds to the estate in the hope that once his master had died, he could steal the title for himself.

Unfortunately, he died only three weeks after the Laird and the deeds remained in their hiding place. Nobody had been brave enough to speak to the ghost until now and learn his story. He showed Thrummy a loose stone to pull from the wall, behind it was a leather football with the documents stashed inside. Finally, he told his new mortal friend that the present owner of the castle was in a legal battle and would do anything to get his hands on these papers.

In the morning, Thrummy marched downstairs with a cheery smile to the surprise of the Laird. He declared that not only had he solved his haunting problems, but he could help with his legal issues as well for the right price. The Laird was so delighted at the sight of the estate deeds that he happily handed over 50 guineas and Thrummy marched back out into the snow followed by John with an extra spring in his step.