'In December 1986, two Catholic priests, Father Howard and Father Andrew, came out of the Diocesan Council Office on Brownlow Hill at about five minutes to five in the afternoon. Father Howard was the older priest, and Father Andrew was twenty-five. As the priests walked up the street on their way to a bookshop called Parry’s Books, they suddenly noticed that things were unusually very quiet. Not a single person passed them, and there were no cars on the road, even thought it was the rush hour. The priests walked into the bookshop on Brownlow Hill and found the place deserted. The cash registers were operational and the place was lit up, yet there was no one about. Not a single member of staff or a customer. This obviously made the priests uneasy. They waited and waited, but no one came into the place, and there was no one outside to be seen either. Father Andrews nervously joked, ‘Perhaps there’s a bomb scare on and everyone’s been evacuated.’
The time seemed to drag by, and when Father Howard glanced out the bookshop window at the University Clocktower, he was amazed to see that the time was still five minutes to five. It was almost as if the clock had stopped. Father Andrew tapped on the door of the staffroom in the bookshop, but there was no answer. When he looked inside, he saw handbags and coats and other belongings of the staff, but no sign of anyone. It was a scene more reminiscent of the Mary Celeste than of a city centre bookshop.
According to Father Andrews, the baffled priests went next door to a pub called the Augustus John, and to their horror, found the premises there deserted as well. The one-armed bandits were illuminated and the bar and lounge were lit up, yet no one was about.
Feeling very unsettled and perplexed, the two priests decided to hurry back to the Diocesan Council building on Brownlow Hill. Halfway through the journey, Father Andrew said, ‘I don’t like this.’
The elder priest, Father Howard said, ‘I think it’s the other fella up to his tricks.’
Young Father Andrews knew whom he was referring to – the Devil.
Then Father Howard said, ‘Jesus, get us out of this situation.’
At that precise moment, a vagrant who was well known in the area came around the corner from the direction of the Students Union building. Then the two priests heard the screeching sound of a bus’s pneumatic brakes. When they turned around, there was traffic on Brownlow Hill again. Then they heard the Clocktower striking five o’clock.
The priest who told me about this strange incident showed me his old diary for December 1986, and there was a full account written down, exactly as he had told me. The other priest who is now down south, also confirmed the weird story.
‘It was as if we had strolled into Limbo that day.’ Father Howard reflected with a shudder.'
Hammy x x x
