Writing for Fun
November 2017
Things That Go Bump In The Night - Bob Wendelkin
As the car went through the gates Jane remembered the lions on each of the two gate posts, their front halves were painted white and the other half painted black. The last time she saw them she was just a young girl who was brought to visit her Great-Uncle. He had been quite a wealthy land owner. The house as she remembered it was large with lots of ivy climbing over its walls. As the car proceeded up the drive she could see that very little had changed, except where the stables had been there seemed to be ruins otherwise it was very similar to the house she remembered when she was that young child.
As the car pulled up to the front door the Housekeeper came out to greet her.
‘Welcome to Wakering Manner, Madam,’ said the house keeper.
‘Thank you, the last time I came here I was but a five year old girl, very little seems to have changed, the outside is just as I remembered,’ replied Jane as she got out of the car.
‘I’m Mrs Blackmoor and I’m the Housekeeper and this is Masie she is one of the Housemaids. You must be a little tired after your journey, I’ll take you to your room and prepare some tea or coffee for you,’ said Mrs Blackmoor.
‘Thank you it was a long journey on such a hot day. Could I have a shower,’ said Jane.
‘Of course madam, I’ll take you straight up.’
Jane followed Mrs Blackmoor up the stairs to her room at the front of the house. From the windows of her room she could see over to a wooded area and the lake.
‘This is just perfect, thank you.’
‘It is my pleasure I looked after your Great-Uncle for many years and before he left us he told me to put you in this room as it was one of his favourites. Dinner will be served at seven o’clock if that is alright with Madam?’ asked Mrs Blackmoor.
‘That will be perfect as it will allow me an hour or so to rest. Now where is the bathroom?’
‘It’s just up the stairs on the second floor, I’ll take you there,’ replied the Housekeeper.
‘There’s no need I’ll find it myself and do a little exploring, please go on about your duties,’ said Jane with a smile.
There was something about the house that she felt was a little sad but had an air of expectancy. That was probably because her Great-Uncle had lost his wife and his young son just disappeared.
On the second floor Jane went into a room that was directly above her bedroom. It was a room that seemed to be held in time. It was the nursery there was all the usual things you would expect, the blackboard, the rocking horse and other toys. What really struck her was that sitting in an armchair facing the door was a teddy bear. On the bear’s face his mouth had a look of sadness, he sat there looking as if he was waiting for his young master’s return. What Jane noticed was that the room seemed free of dust as if it was still being used. Jane left and took her shower.
A little before seven Jane went down to the Drawing Room, Mrs Blackmoor came in telling her that Dinner would be served ten minutes.
‘Before you go I went into the Nursery above my room, it was as I remembered when I came here when I was a five year old. It looks as if you still keep that room in order and dusted,’ said Jane.
‘I’m very surprised that you got into that room as I believe it has been locked since the young master disappeared and as far as I know no one has been in there for years.’
‘Well it looked like it was only recently used,’ replied Jane with a questioning tone in her voice.
‘I’m sorry Madam I can’t account for it being so. Now if I may I’ll see to your Dinner,’ said Mrs Blackmoor.
Jane just shrugged her shoulders and sat in the chair and picked up a book from a side table. The Watermelon Man, that’s an interesting title I’ll have to read it. I like watermelons.
After a very pleasant meal Jane sat in the drawing room and relaxed but her mind was on the room above her bedroom, it looked so used not deserted.
The day’s journey and the meal began to take effect and Jane told Mrs Blackmoor that she was going to retire.
Jane slipped into bed and quickly fell asleep only to be woken in the early hours by the clatter of tiny running feet in the room above her room. They were the footsteps of a young child scampering across the floor, then silence that left Jane thinking that she must have imagined it in a dream.
The next morning after breakfast Jane decided that she would explore the grounds. She made her way to the woods and the lake. Things were just as she remembered from all those years ago, perhaps a little more over grown. As she stood by the lake close to where the woods finished she suddenly felt a presence approach her.
Then quite suddenly she felt a small cold hand being placed in her hand.
At her side was a young boy aged about 4.
‘Hello where did you come from?’ asked Jane, expecting an answer that he was from the local village.
‘I live in the big house. I want my Mummy, I’ve looked and looked. I don’t know where she is, I want my Mummy,’ he repeated.
‘Does your Mummy work in the Big House?’ asked Jane thinking the boy was the son of one of the housemaids.
‘I don’t know, I want my Mummy,’ he repeated but this time he started to cry.
He broke his hands free from Jane and he ran back into the woods. Jane started to follow him but search as hard as she could she couldn’t find him. Jane thought the best thing to do was to go back to the house and report the fact.
As she made her way back to the house Jane looked up and she was certain that there was the face of a young woman at the window of the nursery.
‘Mrs Blackmoor I’ve just met a young boy down by the lake who said he was looking for his Mummy. He then ran off into the woods search as much as I could I just couldn’t find him. I think we should organise a search party for him.’
‘Was he about 5 years old, with very fair hair and dressed in blue?’ asked Mrs Blackmoor.
‘Yes that is exactly like him. Do you know who he belongs to?’ said Jane.
‘I don’t think we need to search for him. I think you have met our old Master’s young son who disappeared soon after his mother was killed by a wartime bomb that destroyed the stables.’
‘As I came back to the house I saw someone in the nursery window. Was it one of the staff?’ asked Jane as she became a little more apprehensive about what had happed to her.
‘No one has been into that room today, I think you may have seen the boy’s young mother. These things happen in this house, you must try to put it behind you,’ advised Mrs Blackmoor.
Jane couldn’t put it behind her she felt so sad that two souls were not at peace and as they were her relations she felt an obligation to try to settle them.
Jane felt intuitively that the Teddy Bear in the nursery could help as it must have belonged to the young boy. With this in mind she went to the nursery and there sat the bear in the chair facing the door, still with that sad look that Jane had seen before.
‘I’m going to take you to find your young master,’ said Jane to the bear.
With that she picked him up and carried him downstairs. When Jane looked at him again she could swear that the sad look on the bear had turned to a smile.
Holding the bear Jane made her way back to the lake were she had met the boy.
As she stood there she once more felt the cold hand.
‘You’ve brought Mr Bear,’ said the boy as he grabbed the bear from Jane’s hand.
‘Come now, you have Mr Bear, let’s see if we can find your Mummy. I’m certain that she is in the Big House just waiting for you.’
The two then started to walk towards the house. As they got closer Jane could see that a young woman was standing by the door. As they got closer the young boy recognised the figure.
‘Mummy, Mummy,’ shouted the boy as he broke free from Jane’s grip.
The figure at the door opened her arms and clasped the boy to her chest. As Jane got closer she was certain that the Lady mouthed the words, ‘Thank You’ towards her.
The Lady put the boy on the ground together they started to walk towards the lake. The boy holding her hand and looking up at his mother and in the other he was holding the bear’s hand and dragging him along as children often do. As they walked they began to fade into history where they now belonged.