The flame of the candle flickers in the window
A ghost story for a snowy night
Someone mentioned I seemed overwhelmed at the moment. Certainly, the weather is overwhelming me and it seems many more. This is the third day I have written about the weather! Who writes about weather other than weather forecasters? It has changed the atmosphere. The streets are empty so too the pubs. It feels like a good ghost story could be written at this time. How a traveller is running out of fuel and decides to turn off at the next junction hoping to find somewhere to sleep for the night. The snow is piling high along the banks of the road. He begins to panic. He sees a light coming from a dwelling not far from where he is so he drives to it.
He parks outside the cottage and sees that it is a lighted candle in the window. He shivers as he knocks on the door. No one answers, he knocks harder. Feeling wearisome he decided against his own morals to push the door as he does it gives way. A blazing fire draws him in and the armchair beside it seems ready-made for him. Keeping his overcoat on he takes the seat.
And then he notices her. There is an elderly lady asleep in the adjoining chair. Beside her is a tray of tea. Two cups are poured with the steam funnelling from them. There is a plate of fresh toast buttered and ready to eat. Should he wake her he thinks. He decides she looks so peaceful that he will remain staring into the dancing flames. His mind begins to think of the toast and tea. He is hungry and it seems almost right for him to eat a slice and perhaps drink from the cup nearest to him. He moves one hand towards the toast and the other towards the tea.
He enjoys the toast as much as any expensive meal and the tea is brewed just as he likes though rarely experiences. He has forgotten about the cold outside and the snow that has now bunkered him into the cottage. The flames have mesmerised him into a sleep.
He awakes and it is morning. The fire is smouldering, the old lady remains asleep in the chair with her tea and toast untouched. He remains seated gathering his thoughts about the day ahead and remembering he needs fuel for his car. A loud knock comes to the door, he feels startled. “ Mum are you there?” the voice calls. He looks at the lady she remains unstirred. He impulsively gets up and answers the door. The fortyish woman looks at him with a concerned face and asks him who he is. How does he start to explain? The woman pushes past him and goes immediately to her mother. She shakes her and calls out. There is no response. “She’s dead” she exclaims.
She calls for an ambulance and as they wait she asks who he is and how he got here. He explains that he was running out of fuel and came off the motorway. It was the only house with a light.
She seems relieved and thanks him for lighting the fire and making her mother tea and toast. She explains that she couldn’t reach her mother because of the snow. Each evening she would light the fire and sit with her mother eating tea and toast but last night she was prevented. The man explains that the fire was already lit, the tea brewed and the toast buttered when he arrived. Startled she looked at him and sputtered out it wasn’t possible as her mother was incapacitated and was no longer able for such tasks.
She then looked and saw that the candle in the window had burned low. She asked did he light the candle. He said it was lit when he was driving and it was the candle that led him to the cottage. The woman was now shaking as if in disbelief. She explained to him that her mother had placed the candle in the window after the death of her father. Her mother said that when it was her time to go she would light the candle so that her husband would know where to come.
It was while the ambulance arrived that they both noticed the tea had been drunk and the toast eaten. As they left the house with the body of the old lady the candle came alive for a second and then as if by the wind blew out.
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