I had passed by the old house hundreds of times.
Some said it was going to be pulled down to make way for modern planning, but each time I got near, I found that I always seemed to pause and I would find my eyes glancing up at the windows.
The same windows that shone in the moonlight or could look dark and eerie when there was no moon about.
It was a huge house - they say it was once alive with people and that the now dark windows were then all lit up with oil lamps and candles.
They say that there was a family living there, mother, father and two daughters and they entertained a lot.
People would arrive in their horse-drawn carriages. The ladies would be wearing long dresses and their perfume would waft around the gardens, which in those days were well tended.
In the summer days, the buzz of bees could be heard going their rounds amongst the hollyhocks and wallflowers, stirring up the heady scent of stock.
One could almost see the gardener raking up leaves and mopping his brow.
Why, I asked myself, was I so fascinated by this house in particular? I mean, on my travels, I passed many a house such as this one, but fascinated I was.
This time though, I thought I would walk up the driveway and get a better look at the windows. It was the large window facing the driveway that caused my heart always to skip a beat. "I must get as close to it as I can", I said aloud.
I raise my eyes and stood staring up at the window. There must have been at least a dozen windows belonging to the house, but it was this one that drew me.
I must have stood there for a few minutes, because I felt myself getting cold.
"Oh dear, this is madness", I thought, "what on earth is the matter with me?"
I was about to turn away when I noticed a movement in the window.
My heart jumped. There was a light flickering - a candle, I thought.
I watched and saw a shadow up close to the window, it was a woman's.
She stood perfectly still, holding a candle. Dressed in white (I could tell it was white) and she had long hair way past her shoulders. She appeared young and I thought, beautiful.
I knew she was looking down at me, but I couldn't see her expression. I felt such an excitement, I could hardly contain myself. Without thinking, I raised my hand in a gentle wave.
As if by magic, she was gone, light and all. Only darkness looked down on me.
I could not understand it. I know I really saw her, it was not my imagination. Also, I knew the house drew me like a magnet. Turning, I made my way home.
I wondered what my mother would make of my story.
When I entered the front door of our nice house, I called out "I'm home, mother"
"I'm in here, Justin" she called from the dining room.
I entered, "Hello dear", she said "have you had a nice walk?"
"Yes, mother", I replied "I had a very nice walk"
I thought I would mention the old house after dinner, when we sat in the lounge with coffee. Right now I let mother ramble on about her doings throughout the day. My mind kept wandering, though, so I started when her usually soft voice sounded quite loud
"I say, Justin, whatever are you dreaming about?"
"Sorry mother" I said "sorry, I'll talk to you after dinner. What were you saying?"
"I just said would you help me lay the table. I have made you your favourite apple pie for sweet"
"I can tell you've been baking."
"Oh, can you" interrupted mother "how?"
"Well", I smiled, "you have flour in your hair and some on your nose!"
"Oh", said mother and bent her head over and softly shook her head.
"There, how's that?"
"Fine", I replied.
"Right, let's have some dinner"
Mother chatted almost all the way through the meal.
"What do you think, dear?" her voice brought me back to reality.
"Sorry, mother, what do I think about what?"
"Oh, Justin, you are the very limit" she said, crossly "I said, now your father is no longer with us and there is only you and I living here, do you think we should sell this house? The thing is, I do love it so. Your father chose Brambles. I would so hate to sell it"
"Well mother, why ask? Is it because of the work? Is that too much for you?"
"Oh no!" mother cried "of course not, it's not that. I just thought when you pass your exam to become a lawyer, I thought you may want to move out. You know, get a place of your own, Justin"
"Would you like me to mother, when I do finally become a lawyer? Do you want me to move, because I don't? I love Brambles"
"Oh good!" cried mother "then forget I ever mentioned it. You know this will always be your home"
Having settled that, mother stood up starting to collect the plates and dinner things"
"Talking about houses mother" I said "sit down won't you, I have something I must ask you"
"You sound very mysterious, dear" said mother, sitting back down again "what is it?"
"Mother" I said "you know Armitage Way, that avenue just off the high street, the place where there are a few very large, old houses with large gardens?"
"Armitage Way?" said mother "let me see now. Oh yes, I know a couple of the houses are empty and have been for a long while now. They do say they may pull them down or have them done up for retirement homes. Doing them up would be a good idea. Why do you ask, dear?"
"Well it all started a way back, some months in fact."
I then told mother of how I took a walk up the avenue and found myself drawn to the house. I told her about the lady in white and how the old house drew me like a magnet and I finished "There really is something weird going on there"
"Ah now" said mother "I think I know the house in question. Is it about the fourth house up the avenue?"
I nodded "Yes"
"Well dear" said mother, shaking her head "fancy that now, you finding the old house. You see, there once lived, many years ago, a family. A man and wife with two daughters."
"Yes, that's right" said mother, answering herself.
"Now for years, everything was just fine, then I believe the mother died and if I remember rightly, the father followed close by. Devoted, they were. He couldn't stand living without her. He shot himself in the head. Terrible it must have been for the two girls. I remember I was only a young girl at the time and we lived in the Old Rectory"
"You know - mother, father and myself" continued mother "which was in Holly Lane, about a mile from Armitage Way"
"We first heard about all the tragedies just after father bought this house, Brambles and we moved in here. The eldest girl, she was about nineteen, then went to live in London. A bit of a madam she was-old for her age. She got married and settled down. I never heard any more about her" said mother "but the other girl, Blanche, stayed on in the old house and an elderly aunt moved in with the girl."
"She was, the girl I mean, about sixteen years old" continued mother, who was thoroughly enjoying herself by now, especially knowing how I was so fascinated, sitting there with bated breath and listening to every word.
"Well anyway" said mother "they didn't get on at all well. The old aunt was very strict and set in her ways and she was always laying down the law to poor Blanche. We heard that the girl was about to have a nervous breakdown when the aunt caught a bad chill and she died. Well by now, the girl Blanche was about nineteen or twenty and suddenly getting all this freedom with no nagging aunt hanging around all day, she went a bit wild, gave wild parties and had a thoroughly good time.until she met up with Brent Freeman. Well I don't know the whole story, except she fell madly in love with this Freeman chappie. He moved in with her, which as you can guess, in those days caused an awful lot of gossip"
"Anyway, she went wild, I do know that. He started to have an affair with someone-that caused a furore with Blanche and she kicked him out. There were lots of young men after Brent Freeman, but she must have loved him because she took him back and things were ok for a while. I saw her many a night in her buggy with him, all dressed up-she loved clothes. Do you know she had such gorgeous dresses? She was lovely, you know, long fair hair, slim as a reed. Everywhere he went, she would follow"
"Do you know, Justin" said mother "I do believe I have some old photos upstairs-I am sure Blanche will be in one of the old photos"
My heart skipped a beat. "Can you find them, mother?" I cried, trying to not sound so impatient.
"Eh, yes" said mother "Let me see, where is my old hat box? They're all in there, all my old photos and trinkets. I know, in my linen box by the bed-at the bottom of it."
"I'll go, mother" and I was already half up the stairs. I flung open the linen box lid and peered inside. Underneath what may have been a pair of sheets, I saw the hat box, scooped it out and flew downstairs.
Mother's voice called to me "I'm just making us a nice cup of tea, Justin, I shan't be long"
Meanwhile, I was already looking in the hat box-there were quite a few photos taken at different times through the years.
Mother entered. "Here, let me find the photo, dear. After all, you wouldn't know what you were looking for, would you?"
After what seemed an age, mother finally cried "Here we are dear, that was Blanche" She held up an old, slightly faded photo of a young woman and I knew it was my lady in white. Even though it was a bit faded, I sensed it was she-long hair, lovely smile and very slim.
"I'm afraid that is the only one here" said mother, breaking in on my thoughts "well maybe that's your lady in the window"
"It is" I mumbled "I am sure of it. What happened, mother?"
"Well dear, let me see..."
"Are you sure you saw a woman at the window Justin?" mother asked "only this happened years ago, before you were born, my dear. If you really did see Blanche, then you must have seen her ghost and that seems strange to me. After all, it's the first time I've heard anything like this, I must say. How very eerie!"
"Well I can only tell you what I saw. It was her, I'm sure of it" I said "Do go on mother, what happened at the old house?"
After a short pause, mother said "Well, I was growing up as well as Blanche or anyone else, so I only know she married Brent Freeman and for a while they were happy" Suddenly, mother looked at me hard.
"What is it?" I cried "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"My word" exploded mother "I have just realised.oh dear, Justin.Brent Freeman looked, or I should say you look like Brent Freeman. Yes, you are remarkably like the fellow. Look at this one of him at the back there.see, it's the only photo with him in it"
I looked at the photograph of a group of young people. Blanche wasn't among them.
"That young girl in the front was my best friend" said mother "I never spoke to Brent Freeman, I only knew about him"
I stood mesmerised at the likeness of this Brent Freeman guy and myself.
"It's uncanny", I said.
"Yes it is" said mother "He is so like you, but it was years before you were born and Brent Freeman was a right playboy. I never ever thought about him, that's why it I such a shock, the pair of you being so alike"
"Can I have this photo, mother? I am going to take it to Duffy's, the photography shop and see if they can do anything about bringing it up clearer and closer"
"You know" said mother "I wish you hadn't even seen that old house now. I feel rather unhappy about it all. Call it superstition Justin, but I don't like this at all"
I put my arm around mother's shoulder. "Now then, don't be a silly girl!" I said, not really feeling confident about it at all myself.
"It's all coincidence" I said "When this photo comes back, you will see that it is nothing like me at all"
"Justin dear, don't bother with this photo and don't go near the old house again" Mother's normally calm face looked agitated
"Don't worry mother" I chided "after all, what on earth can happen? All this, as you said, was long before I was born"
"Oh dear" mother sighed "I think I'll be off to bed and have a read"
"Hold it mother dear" I said, grabbing her arm "you haven't told me what happened to this Blanche and Freeman yet. It won't take you long, will it?"
"No dear" said mother "it won't take long. They said that their marriage was fine for a while, and then he started having affairs. They had quarrelled a lot, then Brent Freeman up and left.took all his stuff"
"I heard" continued mother "that he swindled her out of a lot of money over the time that they were married. Yes, he was a rotter all right! Blanche never left the house after that. They say she pined away, poor thing. You know, she could have had so many affairs, but she was very much in love with Brent Freeman"
"Obsessed, I would say" said mother "Anyway, she had an elderly housekeeper who came in every day to look after her, but Blanche didn't last long. She died up in one of those rooms. Died, I shouldn't wonder, of a broken heart"
"So you see" ended mother "either you imagined it, the woman at the window, or you saw Blanche's ghost"
"As I said before" cried mother "I don't like any of this. How come, over all the years, I have never heard anyone mention a ghost at the old house? Why, it was rented out for a few years to a family. I don't understand it at all"
"Well I shall just have to go once more and see this lady in white, although I know I didn't imagine it" I said "Now you can just stop this worrying, I'm not a child, I'm twenty eight years old, mother. I'll not do anything silly"
"Yes, dear" mother sighed "I'll be off to my bed now. Don't forget to lock up, Justin. Good night, dear"
I said good night to mother and checked the house, then went up to my room.
Lying in bed a little later, I thought over all that mother had said about Blanche Freeman (because that was her right title, marrying Brent Freeman) It was quite well known about a family living at the old house, but it was the first time I had heard the whole story. Was it my imagination?
I tossed and turned for hours wondering-was it a ghost I had seen or just a shadow?
Before I finally fell asleep, I knew I would go and take another look at the old house. First to sort out the photograph, though-after all, my tired mind reasoned, the picture was old and faded.
I awoke to a bright morning with the sun shining through my window and lay listening to the birds. Last night's talk with mother seemed unimportant now.
Stretching my long frame and wriggling my toes, I remembered the photograph. Jumping out of bed, I headed for the bathroom.
"I'll take the picture after breakfast", I thought.
Going down the stairs, the smell of coffee hit my nostrils. I popped my head around the kitchen door. "Morning, mother" I cried "what's for breakfast? ...and the coffee smells great!"
"Good morning, dear" mother said "Did you sleep well? I know I did-like a log"
"Yes, I slept fine", I replied.
"The table is laid, dear. There is bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs.oh, and toast. You go and take this coffee pot for me, will you Justin? Mind, it's very hot!"
I did as mother asked, smiling to myself. After all, she says the same thing to me every morning-mind, the coffee pot is hot!
Over our breakfast, we never referred to last night's talk. Instead, mother chatted about her friends and the afternoon's bridge game, which she particularly loved, because she was such a good player. To tease her, I sometimes called her friends cronies, which infuriated mother-I would often get a swipe across the head with the morning paper!
We chatted about this and that, and I helped mother in the kitchen for a while before going into the town to do a little shopping for myself.
"See you this evening, mother" I called, starting to climb the stairs.
"Have a nice day, dear", she called back.
I stood staring out of the window in my bedroom. The sun was shining and last night's episode seemed unreal. Picking up the photograph, I once more examined it.
"You know" I said out loud "even if you do look like me, so what?"
I gathered up my shopping list and made my way to the front door. Mother was on the phone.
"Here you are, mother-I shall not bother with the photograph"
Mother took it and nodded. I expect she was quite relieved.
I had lunch in a nice restaurant and decided to spend the afternoon in a cinema, and then have a cup of coffee afterwards. I wanted it to be dark so that I could make my way to the house. Even thinking of it made me tingle. After what seemed an eternity, I found myself outside the house.
It was getting dark as I made my way up to the window and stood a little way back. No-one would see me as the garden was thick in bushes and trees.
"Almost like a jungle", I thought silently as I stood there gazing up at the window.
I knew she was there-I just sensed it. "Where are you?" I murmured.
It seemed such a long while and then there was the light. She stood holding a candle, her hair was streaming down around her shoulders. She seemed delicate to me. My heart was pounding in my chest, yet I couldn't move. Suddenly she beckoned me, yet still I stood frozen. She raised her arm, telling me to go to her. I broke my gaze from her and looked towards the door, black and eerie in the darkness. When I looked up again, she was gone. I felt shattered.
"What happened?" I thought "I must go in, but surely the house would be locked up against vandals"
I found myself walking towards the door. I was no longer frightened, but my heart was pounding.
The door, which was so big and solid, squeaked when I tried it and as I entered the house, it struck me how very cold it was. I thought it would be dark inside, but there was light from the windows. I found myself drawn up the wide stairs-they creaked under my weight. Once at the top of the stairs I stopped dead in my tracks, for I heard a woman laugh, then silence. I moved towards where the laughter had come from and then I suddenly had the strong desire to run, to get outside in the fresh air. I felt myself going all hot and clammy, I tried to reason with myself-how come the door was open and the woman in the window, why it was all a hoax!
I was expecting any second, the door where the laughter came from to open and a voice laughingly say "Fooled you!"
The door did open, slowly it creaked open. The sound made me shiver all over.
"Who's there?" I heard myself cry "Is this a joke? Show yourself!"
Letting out a yelp, I jumped back, for there she appeared in the doorway. Beautiful-slim with long fair hair. As I half expected, it was Blanche. She beckoned me to enter saying "I have been waiting for you for so long, Brent. Why did you keep me waiting?" Her voice was soft and husky. I felt the hair at the back of my head rise. I knew for my safety I had to turn and run, but I was transfixed, rooted to the spot. She was so close, I could smell her perfume-it was heady. Her eyes glowed.
"Brent, darling" she whispered "I shall never let you leave me again, never!"
Her arms wound around me, I felt as if I was jelly.
"Oh Brent" she whispered over and over again "I want you to come into this room with me, darling"
Her hands were cold, she was trying to pull me into that room, but her strength seemed very weak to me. I felt I was falling and moved forward with her.
"Yes, yes Brent" she whispered "just a few steps more." Her breath was cool on my hot cheeks.
I was dizzy with ecstasy! She was like no-one I had ever encountered before, not even in books I borrowed from mother at times. Mother! Suddenly I came to and shook myself free from her. She looked startled.
"Just a few steps, Brent. Quickly, we can be together forever. Just think, darling, alone for all time, but you must do as I say, come into my room", but the memory of mother had done its job. I knew this was wrong.
I had to run, to get away. I must not go into that room. I could almost touch the door by now. I felt the sweat run down my back.
"I am not your Brent" I heard myself saying "you must get away from me"
"You are my Brent" she whispered "you will not leave me again!"
I felt so weak-she had enormous power. Why did I ever come into this house?
I knew it was her will. She thought I was Brent Freeman and if I entered that room with her, I would become Brent Freeman.
Her face was close to mine. Her perfume was lovely. She brushed her lips with mine and I felt myself shiver. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to go into that room with her. I wanted to be swallowed up in that room with her.
I heard myself saying "Blanche, Blanche" I felt weak with the longing to be with her.
I was about to take the remaining step through the doorway into God knows what, when an almighty bang made mw jump backwards in fright and the spell was broken. The huge door had banged to with the wind that was brewing up.
I turned and ran down those stairs.
"Brent, Brent, please don't go. Don't leave me" she cried "Please Brent, I will make you so happy. Come back to me" I turned. "No Blanche" I called back "I cannot. I don't belong here. You see, I don't believe I am Brent Freeman" and with that I left the house.
I heard what sounded like a wail, a terrible sound!
The cold night air did wonders for me, but I felt very sick and I still shivered.
Oh my God, if I had gone into that room, what would have happened to me?
I realised I could never tell anyone. Who would believe me? Why it seemed like a dream to me.
I made myself look up at the window-all was in darkness.
I hurried home-I would never come near this house again, but it will be a long time before I forget Blanche, as part of me doesn't want to.

The End!

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