Great Granny's Ghost

by Griff Hosker

  Jane and Alice almost became panicky trying to envisage something so huge. “Tell you what Wayne let’s work it out. Right kids come over here on the grassy bank. Wayne you can be the tip of the whale’s mouth. “She paced back a short way and said, “Stephen you stand here. You are the back of the whale’s head. Johnno you follow me.” She walked back quite a long way. “You are the whale’s tail now the rest of you fill in the gaps so that we have a long line. Diane and Bridget join in and I will take the photo of the Spion Kop whale.”

  When they had finished they were all excited and took it in turns to look at their picture on Miss Tozer’s Nikon. “It was huge wasn’t?”

  “How did they catch them?”

  “Good question Jane. They went out in small boats, I’ll show you one when we go past the harbour and they rowed after them. A man in the front would throw a harpoon with a rope attached, it would go into the whale’s body and they would be towed along by the whale. Other boats threw their harpoons and eventually the whale died of exhaustion.”

  “Oh Miss that is cruel.”

  “Well they had to make a living.”

  “Did they eat whale meat?”

  “Not really, they melted its fat down to make oil to burn lamps.”

  “Morning children. Are you having a good time?” Mr Campbell’s familiar tones did not detract their attention for the dead whales.

  “Yes Sir did you know they used to kill whales with harpoons. They were cruel.”

  “Yes I know Alice but they don’t do that any more.”

  “Good job too. “

  Dave Campbell scanned the children and paused to look at Wayne. “Everything all right?”

  Wayne knew he should tell the head about the wet bed incident but he wanted to deal with it himself. If he went crying to the head at every minor mishap then his school life would be very unhappy. He had to deal with it himself.

  “Yes Sir,” they all chorused.

  “Well Miss Tozer have they completed their morning work?”

  Grinning she said, “I think so headmaster.”

  “Good then I hear they have nice fish and chips here. Should we get some?”

  The pensioner’s party nearby recoiled in fright when they heard the roar and then smiled when they saw the happy children troupe down the cliff side path to the Khyber Pass chippy.

  While the children were eating under the supervision of the classroom assistants the head pulled Jo to one side. “Well?”

  “Seems to be going well in fact better than we had hoped. There haven’t been any incidents and he seems quite happy to be here. He is loving the field trip side of things. His work is really good. I don’t think he should be in this group. He is quite able.”

  “Yes I had come to that conclusion myself. When we get back we’ll give him last year’s SAT paper. It will be a bench mark and show us what his ability really is. Any problems outside of the work?”

  “Well not really but the housekeeper said his pyjamas were wet last night.”

  “Wet, you mean…”

  “No no just water but she couldn’t understand it.”

  “Keep an eye on him. I will be back tomorrow night and I’ll stay the night. It will give me the chance to get to see him at close hand.” Turning to the group he said, “Well I have to get back to Hartlepool but I wish I was staying here with you.”

  Wayne looked at the head and thought, ‘So do I.’

  When they got back to the hall they were given free time and most of them went running around outside. Wayne shyly approached Miss Tozer. “Miss, do you play chess?”

  “Well yes but I’m not very good.”

  “Neither am I can I have a game?”

  “Of course you can.”

  Jo found the game to be very pleasant as the chatty boy rambled on about what he had done with his nana and all the places they had been. It told Jo that he was coming to terms with his loss. “I’ll have to ask about those newspapers and scrapbooks. Perhaps if they have them we can find some time after tea to read them.”

  After a dinner of steak pie and chips followed by chocolate mousse the children set to their task of writing a report on Captain Cook and an explanation of the waling industry. Once again Johnno and his friends produced little and, when they were allowed to play games, there was only Wayne working. Bridget and Jo brought in their coffees and some scrapbooks with newspaper cuttings. They spread them out on the table and then Jo said, “Here is one, dated April 1940, Whitby Gazette.”

  Tragedy at Larpool Hall

  By

  W.G Parkinson

  Victoria Bellerby, aged thirteen, the eldest daughter of retired sea captain Kenneth Bellerby today tragically fell in front of the Scarborough Express on the viaduct close to the captain’s home.

  The body was discovered by the girl’s governess Dorothy Bate. “It is a great tragedy. She had so much to live for.”

  British Transport police are conducting an enquiry

  .

  “Wow,” said Bridget. “So that is your Great Grandmother, Dorothy Bate.”

  “So she did work here. Let’s see if we can find more.”

  They worked their way through the scrapbooks but there only seemed to be photographs of ships and fishermen. The newspaper cuttings had to be unfurled and uncurled before they could be read. Many of those they found were newspaper items about garden fetes and regattas. They made two piles those which looked related and those which were not.

  Mrs Harper found the next one. “Look. I’ve got one. I’ve got one.”

  Laughing Jo said, “Calm down Bridget. Let’s see. Oh this is 1940 again. June and it’s the Whitby Gazette again.”

  Sea Captain closes Hall.

  By

  W.G Parkinson

  Captain Kenneth Bellerby has decided to close up Larpool Hall following the death of his daughter in tragic circumstances. Readers may remember that the girl fell beneath the wheels of the Scarborough Express.

  Last month the enquiry reported that the child’s death was due to the negligence of the girl’s governess Dorothy Bate who had left the Hall for a tryst with her paramour John Thomson.

  The Captain told the Gazette that he would be returning to China with his remaining daughter. Elizabeth.

  “That must be your Great Grandfather then. He has the same name as your nan.”

  “Was she to blame then Miss?”

  “Well it looks like they blamed her anyway. Look at the time. Off you go to bed Wayne and we’ll carry on with this tomorrow.”

  Reluctantly Wayne trudged upstairs. It wasn’t the story he wanted to hear but it told him a little more than he knew already. He had hoped for a happy story with a happy ending which would have made his spirits rise as his nan’s stories always did but this one was not happy. As he walked along the landing he realised that nana would only have heard the story his great grandmother had told her. She wouldn’t have told her of the mistake which cost a young girl her life. He looked out of the landing window at the towering and foreboding viaduct. Suddenly it seemed sinister. There were no longer trains using it but it held the pieces of the story together.

  The light was off in the room and he saw Stephen coming from the bathroom. “Hi Ste. What were you playing?”

  “Monopoly and Alice cheats.”

  They entered the room together and turned on the light. Wayne reached under the pillow for his pyjamas which he had put there when they had dried. He threw back the covers of the bed and there, in the middle of the pristine white sheets was a mound of chocolate mousse. In itself it was a small thing but coming on top of the beating, the death of his nan, the wet bed and the revelation about his great grand-mother it just seemed the last straw. He raced from the room, down the stairs and out of the back door. Suddenly plunged into darkness he just wanted to get away from the animals who had done this. He just ran as fast as his legs would carry him across the open fields towards the trees. When he reached the trees he found a path leading to the viaduct. Th
ere was no rational reason why he should want to go onto the viaduct but he did and as he reached the top, now devoid of the rails it had once carried and covered in tarmac he ran to the middle of the huge structure sat down and began to sob. All the bad experiences poured out of him. No matter what he did his life would always be a mess. He had no one. His mum was still too ill to look after him and besides she was hundreds of miles away. His nan was dead and the small hope he had had that he would find something positive about his family at this hall had been shattered. The bullying he thought had ended had continued; it showed no sign of stopping and would follow him to his grave.

  Almost without knowing he clambered to his feet and went to the viaduct wall and peered over into the dark depths of the Esk, flowing a long way below his feet. He found himself drawn to the parapet and he climbed on to the rough stone surface and sat on it, his feet dangling over the side. He began to wonder what it would be like to fall, like a leaf, twirling down to the dark welcoming waters below. The darkness would just swallow him and swallow his problems. The idea began to grow in his mind. Perhaps he would just fly away, disappear like the Richmond Drummer boy in the story. He felt himself begin to edge out and he prepared to launch himself into space.

  Suddenly he sensed someone near him. “Who is that? If it’s you Johnno I will throw myself off I swear down I will.”

  Then he heard a voice, the same voice he had heard the night before and it seemed to be in him and around him at the same time. “No young man you will not throw yourself off, your nana and I wouldn’t like it.”

  “Who is it who is there?”

  “Come down off that parapet. Come on and stop being silly. If you come down I’ll explain.”

  He slowly swung his legs over the side and slid to the tarmac. He could see a vague shape in the dark but he could not see any features. Part of him still thought this was a practical joke from Johnno but there was something and it didn’t look like Johnno. The shape began to come towards him and he pressed himself back against the parapet. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to save you. I’ll save you like I should have saved Victoria all those years ago.”

  The shape began to take a human form and he saw that it was a young woman with her hair in a bun and a lovely smile. “There, nothing to be afraid of. Your nana was right; you do look like your mother when she was young.”

  “Who are you?” Wayne was no longer afraid, just curious.

  “I am your great grandmother, Dorothy Garvey. I am your nan’s mother.”

  “But you are dead.”

  “She said you were clever.”

  Almost in a whisper and knowing the answer already he said, “Who?”

  “Your nana. She sent me here to save you. And to save me.”

  “Save you?”

  “Yes you read the newspaper cuttings didn’t you?” He nodded. “Then you know that I let little Victoria down. She came looking for me. She had seen me sneak out of the hall to meet with my young man and…Well you know the rest. It was my fault and I have been waiting here to right the wrong.”

  “But she is dead. How can you save her?”

  “It’s you Wayne. I must save you.”

  “I wasn’t going to jump.” There was silence as the spirit just stared at him. “Anyway you can’t save me. My life is a mess. You can’t stop them from bullying me back at school can you?”

  “No.”

  “You can’t make mum better can you?”

  “No.”

  “Then what good are you? You can’t save me.”

  “But Wayne I have to. Don’t you see I have to or I will spend forever here until I can save a child’s life? Both your nana and me want, no we need, to save you.”

  Relenting a little he said, “And I want to help you but I can’t see how I can save you.”

  “Actually Wayne neither can I at the moment but I will be with you while you are here, looking after you.”

  “Won’t the others see you?”

  “There’s only you can see me Wayne and you can always hear me. I am that little voice in your head you know the one? The one you can’t explain but it is always there. Now let’s get back to the hall. You will catch your death out here.”

  “But I can’t go back. You saw what they did to my bed, what they did last night.”

  “Yes and there is that nice teacher, her skirts are a bit short but she seems nice, tell her.”

  “But.”

  “But what?”

  “Well…”

  “Just tell her what happened. She will know someone else has done it and he will be punished.”

  “But when I get back to school…”

  “Let’s worry about that later on now come on.”

  It did not feel odd talking to a spirit who knew so much about him. “You are a clever boy and your handwriting is beautiful. I think that when you get back to school you won’t be in the special group.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Spirits can go anywhere and listen to lots of conversations. That Miss Tozer and Mrs Harper were discussing you.”

  “What shall I tell them when I get back?”

  “Well I suspect they will be looking for you so tell them the truth. You found the mousse. You thought you would be in trouble and you ran away.”

  “Shall I tell them about you?”

  “You could do. Would they believe you?”

  “Probably not. Probably say I was upset and imagined it. Call me emotionally disturbed.” He looked up at the spirit next to him.” How will I get to talk to you again?”

  “Do you want to?”

  “Yes I think so.”

  “Then when you need to talk to me I will be there. I am your guardian angel until I can save you.”

  As Wayne approached the hall through the darkness he felt the spirit leave and he heard a voice, he thought it was Mrs Harper shouting, “Wayne! Wayne where are you?”

  He began to speed up and shouted back, “Here Miss. I’m here.”

  Chapter 11

  Mrs Harper threw her arms around him; her face was streaked with mascara making her look like a panda. “We have been so worried about you. Where have you been?”

  “Miss I can’t breathe.”

  “Sorry.” She released him and looked closely at his face as though she might see into his mind.

  Miss Tozer walked up to Wayne and slipped his coat around his shoulders. “Stephen came for us and showed us what Johnno had done.” He looked up, panic on his face. “He’s confessed. You should have told us Wayne.”

  He began to cry, “I felt ashamed. I thought you might have thought I had…”

  Putting her arm around him she said, “Your trouble, Wayne Johnson, is that you aren’t trouble enough. You get in trouble because you try to stay out of trouble.” She knuckled his head. “What am I going to do with you? For tonight, let’s get you to bed.”

  “But Miss the chocolate…”

  “At this moment Johnno is busy making your bed under the direction of a very cross Mrs Robinson who has had her evening glass of wine disturbed.”

  “What will happen to me Miss? Will I be sent home?”

  “You why?”

  “Well I have been naughty. I went out of the hostel. I went…” he suddenly realised that they didn’t know about the viaduct, only his great grandmother knew that. He looked over his shoulder as though he might see her. Had he dreamt it?

  “Are you all right? Was someone out there?”

  “No Miss I er… I am just tired that’s all.”

  “Right well Aileen has made you some nice hot chocolate.” She looked closely at him. “Just like your nana made.”

  As he sipped the steaming mug he thought it tasted good but Miss Tozer had been wrong, it wasn’t just like his nan’s. Nothing could be just like his nan’s.

  Breakfast was a strange affair. Everyone kept looking at Wayne as he ate his cereal and then at the three boys sat with Mrs Robinson on what Miss Tozer had
called, ’the naughty table’. Only Jane and Alice seemed oblivious to the events of the previous night. “Did you get lost last night Wayne?”

  “Lost?”

  “Yes we heard Miss looking for you. It is a big place isn’t it?”

  “Yeah we just stay together and then we can’t get lost.”

  “Yes we can Jane but if we do get lost then we are lost together.”

  “But that means we aren’t lost because we’ll be together.”

  The debate between the two girls about the definition of lost continued as the rest of the room ate their cereal in silence. Wayne felt the eyes of Johnno on him but when he glanced in that direction Johnno was studying his cornflakes. Despite what Miss Tozer had said this was not over and Johnno would try to wreak his revenge on Wayne.

  As the children started to move Miss Tozer said, “Just sit down everyone. Now today we had planned a walk but some of us were naughty last night.” Every eye was drawn to the three red faced boys all intently looking at their empty bowls.” The ones who were naughty will be spending the day in the hall with Mrs Robinson writing up the work they should have done earlier. The rest of us are going to walk along the railway line to the village of Hawsker and we will be collecting things to bring back. You will need shoes for walking and outdoor coats.” She looked at Jane and Alice. “And you two Mrs Harper has got some wet wipes for your makeup.”

  As Mrs Harper walked over with the wet wipes Jane said, “It’s not fair Miss. You wear make up.”

  “Yes Jane but we don’t have pretty young faces like you. We need it.”

  Wayne, for some reason, felt guilty as they walked along the path which led to the railway line. It was almost the same route he had taken the previous night. Now in the bright autumnal sunshine it looked very pleasant. When they reached the line Miss Tozer pointed down the viaduct. “If we have time we will walk down the viaduct so that you can get one of the best views of Whitby. They have taken up the railway line and made this a path for cyclists and walkers so we will keep to one side. Mrs Harper can lead us.”