
The Orphanage
Life had not turned out as Margot expected. She’d lost everything in a gas explosion whilst away from home at a work conference.
Her arms ached to hold her child again, but all she had left of Jamie was a memory. He’d only been six years old, his whole life snatched away in the blink of an eye, leaving her a hollowed out, empty shell. She missed Michael too.
Now she was the resident housekeeper / manager at an old orphanage that was being renovated into a hotel.
She didn’t like the dormitory, with its steel-framed beds in regimental lines down the walls, finding it chilly and damp despite the warm summer sunshine outside. Often feeling like she was being watched, she’d think she saw a small boy out of the corner of her eye but when she looked up, there was no one there.
On a few occasions at night she thought there was someone in the bedroom with her and in the morning there were wet marks on the floorboards that looked like a child’s footprints. She’d sometimes hear a child’s voice on the edge of her dreams but would jerk awake to an empty room, convinced it was just imagination.
One night, as she drifted to sleep, she felt a small, cold hand slip into hers and a small voice said, “Mummy, come and play.” She bolted upright in bed, clutching her hand to her heart and in the light of the moon through the window, saw a small boy at the side of her bed. She felt compelled to follow him and allowed him to take her hand again, pulling her out of the room, down the staircase and out into the garden.
The next morning she was found by the workmen, floating in the lake. It was presumed that she’d taken her own life because of her grief.
No one knew about the small boy who had drowned there during the war. No one saw him playing with his new mother in the old dormitory. They’d both been alone, but now found solace in one another—forever.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleSuch a bitter-sweet story, Carrie. I love the idea of them playing together. It painted such a happy scene in such grim circumstances. Great story.
Thank you, Marianna. It’s just a pity that the little boy tempted her into playing with him at the lake. I think he replicated the scene of his drowning so she would go in to ‘rescue’ him. Having lost one child, I think she would have felt she had to save him, and he’d have felt very real to her. She would have drowned in the attempt, giving the boy the mother… Read more »
It is another bittersweet tale, Carrie. I could clearly feel the grief, sadness, desperation, and longing of a mother for her child. How sad. My tears are falling. Well done, Carrie.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you, Lotchie. It is a sad tale, sad that the child died during the war years, but couldn’t move on because he was longing for the mother he loved and missed so much that he ended up taking the life of another lonely woman years later, just to gain a new mother. I just hope she is enough to satisfy the unsettled ghost and that he doesn’t also try and gain… Read more »
Truly a sad story – loss of home, son and everything held dear. Love your descriptions of the protagonist “seeing” and dreaming of a small boy. They left me wondering if he is her son. I hope that she can meet up with family in the afterlife.
Thanks for commenting, Margarida. No, the child was the ghost of a young boy who drowned in the same lake during the war, as mentioned in the last paragraph. There may eventually be more to the story.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI am still shivering, Carrie!! A scary story with a strangely inevitable happy ending, in a way. So much to love in it!
Thank you so much, Greene. I’m glad you enjoyed this story too 🙂
My goodness, Carrie, this is spooky supreme. Oh! The end is so sad. I’d rather she was still alive and moved on.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you, Thompson. Yes, Margot intended to move on and build a new life for herself. Unfortunately my little ghost had other ideas. I just hope he doesn’t make her afterlife difficult, though I suspect she may find it is less than easy. I think a certain paranormal investigator may have to get involved!
A motherless child and a childless mother, is there anything sadder? The little boy wanting his mummy, went straight to my heart and you describe so well the desolation felt by Margo. Although the ending is tragic, there is also comfort in that they found each other. An extremely poignant story, Carrie.
Thank you for your kind words, Linda. Desolation is a very apt word for Margot; to lose everything so suddenly is the most traumatic thing I can imagine. Sadly, a similar occurrence happened to the little boy on the first night of the blitz, which is perhaps why he was so drawn to her in the first place ?
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleSuch a bittersweet story! It’s awful and yet so heartwarming, despite the circumstances. Very beautifully written, it sets a creepy atmosphere and pulls at the heartstrings!
Thanks, Emily. There is so much more that I wanted to say in this story. I’m glad that the little bit I managed to write worked for you. I’m just not sure that having a new mummy is going to satisfy my lonely little ghost who had his life stolen away from him during the war.
Easily my favourite. Very creepy ?
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI like how the ghost boy adopted the woman as his “new mother.” I can imagine that orphanages can be quite sad and dreary places. Perfect setting for a ghost tale!