TWAS a dark and bitter night some years since. Riven by cold and some distance from the park bench called home, Bar Talk stumbled into a York hostelry, seeking warmth and humanity. And beer.

As the heavy door was pushed open, a gust of wind blew out the fire flickering in the Vauxhall Astra parked outside. A muffled cheer went up as the young folk doused it with more vodka and threw on another firework.

Shuffling across the snug, Bar Talk looked over and saw the ruddy landlord. There was something distinctly peculiar about this man, something your columnist had never witnessed in a York publican before... Yes, that was it, he was smiling.

"Good evening, ruddy landlord," Bar Talk began. "I'll ruddy you, fatface," quipped our host.

But the appearance of a genuine English banknote soon restored a convivial silence. And it bought Bar Talk enough strong winter ale and single malts to chase the ice from the bones.

But then three terrifying words were spoken such as to send a chill down the steeliest spine. "Last orders, please."

As Bar Talk looked up, the very marrow froze in our dog biscuits. It was a terrible sight. The landlord had been silently joined by his identical twin brother. Not only that, but all the regulars, plus chairs, tables, glasses and ashtrays, were suddenly accompanied by their exact double too.

"What short of shorshery is thish?" Bar Talk wailed, and fled into the inky darkness. Only some time later was the broom cupboard reopened...

WE hope our pre-Hallowe'en tale did not scare you too much. Based on a true story, it was told here for the first time to get you in the mood for next Friday's Halloween pub crawl.

Medieval wench Molly Micklethwaite has been frightening and entertaining folk with spooky tales all summer on the Phantom Footsteps Ghost Walk.

Now Molly, aka Helen Sant, a 33-year-old performing arts student at York St John College, is doing a one-off special on pub poltergeists.

Helen, who used to work for York Dungeon, has been interested in acting for years. Also fascinated by the supernatural, she decided to combine the two interests with her ghost walk.

Since Mad Alice hung up her broomstick, Helen is the only woman ghost walker in the city. She likes to introduce a little humour to the occasion, before scaring the willies out of you.

"It's like panto really. When I do my Footsteps ghost walk I start it with a witch trial, putting one of the men on trial to turn the idea on its head, because a lot of women were executed for witchcraft."

Her summer tours have met with approval, she said. "People have enjoyed them. I even had a family that came on the walk with their dog, which was really funny.

" Every time we got to a high point in a story, the dog barked.

"I said it could sense something. It was a big, black dog, like the legend of barguest."

The barguest is a dark hell hound said to prowl York's snickelways.

During her Halloween pub crawl, Molly will visit three venues: the Golden Fleece, Pavement, the Black Swan, Peasholme Green, and the Snickleway Inn, Goodramgate.

"They are three of the most haunted pubs in York," Helen said.

Beginning at the Golden Fleece, she will tell scary stories outside and inside each pub, woven together by a medieval murder mystery she has written. Her audience will later be able to gulp down beer as they gulp at the ghoulish revelations.

Does Helen believe in ghosts? "I believe in a lot of things like that, and I believe people when they tell me they have seen or experienced something.

"I haven't seen an actual ghost, and I don't think I want to."

Is she scared of conducting a ghost walk on the busiest night of the spectral calendar? "Not at all. If the spirits are restless, it will be even better."

To join her Hallowe'en pub crawl, meet outside the Golden Fleece at 8pm next Friday. For more details, ring (01904) 671706. Her scary trips cost £3 a head.

Updated: 08:48 Saturday, October 25, 2003