A GHOST COLLECTION

Anne Stanmore

THE GHOSTS OF DODSON HALL

1
Dodson Hall
It is 1940 and the Germans are bombing the big cities in England. Sally
Brown is 12 years old. She goes with some children from her school to stay
in Norrick village, in the country. Its safe there for the children.
Sally is going to stay in Miss Dodsons house. She lives alone in Dodson
Hall, a big, old house near the village.
Miss Dodson says, I m an old woman and I cant look after you. I know its
lonely and children are bored here. Im sorry, but its better than London
with the bombs. Let me take you to your bedroom.
Sally puts her bag in her bedroom and decides to explore the house. She
walks around the cold, quiet rooms. Everything is elegant and beautiful,
but Sally is sad because she wants to be with her family in London. Its
lonely in Dodson Hall because she hasnt got any children to play with.
Suddenly, Sally hears laughter. Children! she thinks. Happy children!
Who are they? Ill go downstairs and find them.
Sally enters the kitchen. A girl and a boy are running out of the door into
the garden. Wait she shouts. Dont go!
The girl stops and looks at her in surprise. Mee Lee? she says. Then she
turns and runs outside. Sally is perplexed. Who were the children? she
thinks. Why did they run from the kitchen? And what is Mee Lee?

2
Ghosts!
Miss Dodson and Sally have dinner together. Miss Dodson tells Sally about
her life in Norrick and Sally talks about her family in London.
There were children in the kitchen today, says Sally. Who were they?

Children? says Miss Dodson. No, dear. There are no children in Dodson
Hall.
But I saw them says Sally. A boy and a girl.
Youre imagining it, dear, says Miss Dodson. Its because you miss your
friends from London. Maybe other children from your school are staying
near here. Why dont you try and find them tomorrow?
Its late and Sally is tired. Its time to go to bed, she says.
Goodnight, dear, says Miss Dodson. Sleep well.
Sally goes up the stairs slowly. She takes a candle and it throws shadows
on the wall.
Sally enters her bedroom. A girl is there. Its the girl from the kitchen and
shes looking under the bed. Where is it? she says quietly.
Wheres what? asks Sally. Shes very curious about the girl.
The girl stands up immediately. She goes silently to the window.
Wait! says Sally. But its too late. The girl disappears. Im not imagining
this, thinks Sally. Shes a ghost!

3
At Night
The weeks pass and Sally is still at Dodson Hall. She sees her ghosts many
times, but she doesnt tell Miss Dodson. Sometimes the ghosts are in the
kitchen, other times theyre in the bedrooms. One day its just the boy,
another time its the girl. They open drawers and look under tables.
Theyre always trying to find something.
What are they trying to find? says Sally. Maybe I can help them.
At night Sally says lies in bed and hears the ghosts. Theyre talking, she
thinks. Why dont they talk to me?
Sally closes her eyes. The ghosts think shes sleeping. They enter her
room.
Sally sits up in bed. Shes nervous, but she wants to talk to the ghosts.
Hello, she says. Who are you? What do you want?
The boy looks frightened. He goes to the window and disappears. The girl
approaches Sally. Mee Lee, she says. Where is it?

Wheres what? shouts Sally. Shes frustrated. Tell me maybe I can help
you.
The locket! answers the ghost. Im desperate. Help me!
Sally gets out of bed and tries to touch the ghost. Theres nothing there!
Now the room is very cold and Sally starts to tremble. She looks outside,
but theres nobody there.
Suddenly the door opens and Miss Dodson enters the room. Are you Ok,
dear? she says. You shouted.
There were ghosts in my room! Sally explains. Please believe, Miss
Dodson.

4
The Explanation
Theyre trying to find something here, Sally continues. And they say a
strange word Meela Lee. Whats that?
Miss Dodson is surprised. Meela Lee? she says. Thats me! My name is
Amelia, but in the past, some children called me Meela Lee.
Which children? asks Sally.
Nancy and Tim, answers Miss Dodson, sadly. Their father was our
gardener and we played together. They were my friends.
And what happened to them? asks Sally, impatiently.
A tragedy. There was a terrible fire in their house and they died. Ive still
got something of theirs, Miss Dodson says, quietly. I keep it to remember
them. Its a locket.
A locket? asks Sally. Shes excited now. The girl wants the locket. Shes
desperate. How did you get it?
Nancy broke her locket one day, says Miss Dodson. She was very sad
because her dead mothers face was inside it. I wanted to repair it for her.
But the fire happened that night. I never saw her again.
Lets leave the locket for her on the kitchen table, says Sally.
Good idea, says Miss Dodson. Then she and Tim can rest in peace.
Miss Dodson and Sally put the locket on the kitchen table. They leave a
note, too. It says, This is yours, Nancy. I repaired it for you. Much love,
Meela Lee.

Then they return to their bedrooms.

In the morning, there is nothing on the kitchen table. The locket and note
mysteriously disappear. And the ghosts never visit Dodson Hall again.

THE PRIEST HOLE

1
The Priest Visits
Harry York is 13 years old. Hes going to a boarding school because his
parents are going to work in a different country. His father takes him to the
boarding school in his car. Harry is nervous because he doesnt know
anybody there.
Dont worry, says his father. Youll soon have new friends.
Harry meets Simon and Paul. Theyre also new students at the school.
Simon, Paul and Harry are going to sleep in the same room.
I like Simon and Paul, thinks Harry. Maybe well be friends. That will be
nice.
A prefect comes. He takes the three boys to their room.
You can put your clothes in the cupboard, says the prefect. Dinner is at
six oclock.
In the night, the three boys are sleeping. A priest enters the room and
wakes Harry.
Did you pray tonight, Harry? asks the priest.
How do you know my name? Harry asks.
Thats not important, says the priest quietly. I need your help. Please
kneel on the floor and pray for the priest.
What priest? asks Harry.
Dont ask questions, answers the priest. In this room, you must pray to
find the priest.
Harry gets out of bed and prays. Hes frightened of the priest, and hes
very confused.

2
The Boys Laugh at Harry
The priest visits every night and Harry gets out of bed, kneels on the floor
and prays for the mysterious priest.
One night, Simon and Paul arent sleeping. They see Harry. Hes talking to
somebody, but they cant see anybody there. They are very surprised, and
they laugh at Harry. But Harry doesnt pay attention to them. They dont
understand, he thinks. I must help the priest.
Simon and Paul tell the other boys about Harry.
He talks to somebody, but there isnt anybody in the room, they say.
Hes crazy.
Harry is a strange boy, the other boys say. We cant be his friends.
Harry is lonely and sad.
One day he talks to his teacher. Its true. I talk to somebody, Harry says.
A strange priest comes into my room at night. I must get out of bed, kneel
on the floor and pray. The priest wants this, I dont know why.
Dont worry, Harry, the teacher says. Many new boys imagine strange
things at the beginning. Youve got a very good imagination, thats all.
Harry isnt surprised by the teachers words. Nobody can understand this,
he thinks. Its my problem.

3
The Priest is Angry
One evening, the priest comes at half past nine. Harry is tired and angry.
Go away! he shouts at the priest.
The priest becomes angry and Harry is sorry. He tries to apologise, but the
priest wont listen. He shouts at Harry. You must help me. The priest is
here in this room. He cant rest. Pray for him.
Harry covers his ears and shouts, No, I wont listen to you!
Simon and Paul are surprised. Harry is shouting at an imaginary person
again, they say.

A prefect enters the room and says, You must have your showers now.
Harry takes his towel and runs quickly from the room.
After their showers, the three boys return to their room. Theyre very
surprised. The room is in chaos. Books are on the floor and somebody
broke the windows.
Look at the mirror! Simon says suddenly. Theres a message on it!
Paul reads the message. Im here! Why dont you help me?
Simon and Paul look at Harry. Who did this, Harry? Do you know? asked
Paul. Its a frightening message.
I didnt do it, answers Harry. Its the priest. Why doesnt anyone believe
me?
We never see a priest, says Simon. We cant believe you. Is he invisible?
Is he a ghost? asks Paul.
I dont know, says Harry. But Im not imagining it.

4
Nobody Believes Harry
The prefect enters the room again. He looks at Harry. Did you do this? he
asks.
No! says Harry. I was in the bathroom. It was the priest.
Did you see anybody? the prefect asks Paul and Simon.
No, we didnt, they answer. We never see anybody.
We dont believe you, Harry, says the prefect. Youre a very strange boy.
You talk to an imaginary person. You see an invisible priest. You get out of
bed at night to pray
But says Harry.
Listen, Harry! said the prefect. You need help! Why dont you talk to the
headmaster? Maybe he can help you.
In the morning, Harry goes to the headmasters office. Hes nervous. Will
Mr Field, the headmaster, be angry? Will he believe me? he thinks.
He knocks on the door and Mr Field says, Come in! Harry enters the room
timidly.

Ah, Harry, says Mr Field. Sit down. You and I must talk.
Harry is trembling, but he sits down. Then , he tells the headmaster about
the priest.
Mr Field listens to every word. Hes not angry with Harry he wants to help
him.

5
The Truth
The other boys and the prefect dont believe me, says Harry.
I believe you, Harry, says Mr Field. Many years ago, I was a boy in this
school. I slept in your room. And I also saw a priest.
Harry is surprised, but hes also happy. Finally, somebody believes me!
he says.
The priest never spoke to me, says Mr Field. But I saw he was sad. I was
frightened of the priest but I didnt tell anybody about him, the
headmaster continues. It was my terrible secretuntil now.
You must change rooms, the headmaster continues. Im going to
redecorate that room and itll be a television room. Nobody will sleep there
again.
Simon, Paul and Harry change to another room. Theyre happy there. The
priest doesnt appear again at night.
I can sleep well now, thinks Harry. There wont be any more strange
visitors at night!
The builders come to redecorate Harrys old room. They take the old
wallpaper from the walls. They find a wooden panel under the wallpaper.
There is a skeleton in a small space behind the panel. They cant believe
it!
The police must investigate, says Mr Field. We need an explanation for
this.
The police examine the skeleton. This skeleton is very old, they say. You
must bring forensic scientists. Maybe they can help you.

6
The Priest Finally Rests

Two forensic scientists come to the school and study the skeleton. They
find more small spaces in the walls. The spaces were priest holes, they
explain. This building is from the time of Queen Elizabeth I. roman
Catholics didnt pray in public then because the Queen didnt permit it. But
the Catholics made secret places to hide and pray in priest holes. The
Queens soldiers searched for the priests. This skeleton was one of those
priests. He died in his priest hole and his skeleton stayed there for
centuries. Why did he die? We dont know.
Thank you for your help, Mr field says to the scientists. We must bury the
skeleton and give him a catholic funeral. He doesnt need any more help.
We found him, finally.
A Catholic priest buries the skeleton near the church.
Harry is famous in the school because he saw a ghost and the ghost spoke
to him.
We were cruel to you because we didnt understand, say Simon and Paul.
Were sorry. Can we be friends?
Yes! Its OK, says Harry, happily. We can all be friends now. And dont
worry I wont talk to any more ghosts at night!

SARAHS NEW HOUSE

The Room in the Attic

Sarah Miller and her parents are moving into a new house.

There are three bedrooms, says Sarahs mother. Go and choose yours.
Sarah goes up the stairs and looks in all the rooms. Theres a bathroom,
her parents bedroom, and two bedrooms, one purple and one blue. At the
end of the hall, theres a door, but its locked.
Sarah chooses the purple bedroom and she puts her suitcases there.
Theres a chest of drawers in the room. It looks very old. Did the last
people forget that? thinks Sarah. She opens all the drawers. In one drawer
she finds a key.
Sarah goes to the door at the end of the hall. She uses the key and opens
the door.
There are stairs going up to an attic at the top of the house. Sarah goes up
the stairs. Its dark there. There are two windows but theyre very dirty.
Sarah opens a window. Light enters the room and now she can see.
In the corner, theres an old mirror with a gold frame. There are many old
boxes in the attic. Sarah opens one of the boxes. It is full of clothes. She
takes a dress and looks at it. Its long and its got lots of lace on it. Its
beautiful, thinks Sarah. Is it my size?

2
The Girl in the Mirror
Sarah goes to the corner of the attic. She holds the dress in front of her
and looks in the mirror. She sees another girl in the mirror with her! The
girl is looking over Sarahs shoulder.
Sarah is surprised and frightened. She drops the dress and quickly turns
around.
Whos there? she whispers. But there isnt anybody behind her. Sarah
looks in the mirror again. Did I imagine that? she thinks.
Sarah holds the dress in front of her and looks in the mirror again. Shes
not imagining it. She sees the girl again.
Sarah quickly turns around again. Who are you? she shouts, but there
isnt anybody there. This time, Sarah doesnt drop the dress. She looks in
the mirror again. The girl is there, and shes laughing.
The girls laugh isnt happy. Its a cruel laugh, and Sarah is frightened. Its
got a strange echo and its loud. Shes laughing at me, thinks Sarah. But
why?
Sarah drops the dress on the floor again and runs down the stairs. She
hears footsteps behind her. Is she following me? she thinks.

She pulls the door open and runs into the hall. She locks the door behind
her. Im not returning to that attic, she thinks.

3
Conversations with Mum and Dad
Sarah runs into her bedroom. Her bed and other furniture are now in the
room. Sarah puts the key in the drawer again and sits on her bed. Mrs
Miller walks into the room.
Hi, Sarah! This is a nice room, she says.
Yes, it is, and I found the key to the attic here, says Sarah.
Fantastic, says her mother. Lets go and explore it.
No! says Sarah quickly.
Why not? asks Mum. Is there a problem?
No, answers Sarah. She doesnt tell her mother about the girl in the
mirror because she feels stupid. I went up there a minute ago. Theres
nothing there, just some old boxes and a mirror.
Ill look at the mirror later, says Mrs Miller. Now you can organize your
room.
Sarah starts to take some things from the suitcase. Then she hears her
father. Hes calling from downstairs.
Sarah, Im going to town. Do you want to come with me?
Yes, dad, Sarah shouts. Shes very happy to leave the house. She runs
downstairs to the car.
In the car, Sarah asks her father some questions. Who lived in the house
before us?
It was empty for many years, her father explains. We bought it from an
old man called Mr Ross. His grandmother lived in the house, but she died
50 years ago.
Do you know anything else about the house? asks Sarah.
No, but you can ask Mr Ross. Were going to see him now. I must some
sign some papers and hes got some more keys for me.

10

Annie
Mr Ross invites Mr Miller and Sarah to have a cup of tea. They sit in Mr
Ross living room and he talks about their new house.
My grandmother never left that house, he says. She didnt want to leave
Annie alone.
Who was Annie? asks Sarah.
She was my grandmothers older sister. She was only 14 years old when
she died.
Did she die in the house? asks Mr Miller.
No, she died in hospital and they buried her in the local cemetery. My
grandmother lived in the past. She wanted to live with the memories of
her sister.
They return home and Sarah goes to her bedroom. Suddenly shes
shocked. The mirror from the attic is in her room. Mrs Miller is cleaning the
chest of drawers.
I found the key to the attic in this drawer, says her mum. You need a
mirror in your room and this is the same colour as the chest of drawers. It
looks lovely in here.
Mrs Miller goes downstairs.
Suddenly, Sarah hears the horrible laughter again. Now she knows this is
Annies ghost. Sarah looks in the mirror, but she only sees her own face.
Where are you, Annie? she asks. The laughter continues. Sarah puts a
blanket on the mirror and the laughter stops.

5
Sarah Speaks to Annie
The blanket is always on the mirror now. Every time Sarah moves the
blanket, she hears a horrible, cruel laugh. It frightens her. Only she can
hear it.
I must do something, she thinks. I cant live with this. I must speak to
Annie. Maybe she will talk to me in the attic.
Sarah takes the key from the drawer and goes to the attic door. Shes very
frightened. She opens the door and starts to go up the stairs. Suddenly,
she hears the door shut loudly.
Oh, no! The door shut. Am I locked in here with Annie? she thinks.

11

Sarah wants to return to her bedroom, but first she must speak to Annie.
She goes into the attic. The long dress isnt on the floor and all the boxes
are closed.
Mum put the dress in one of the boxes, she thinks.
There are a lot of boxes. Sarah opens one of them and finds the long
dress. She takes it and holds it in front of her. She turns to the mirror, but
it isnt there.
Oh, I forgot! she thinks. The mirror is in my room.
Suddenly, she hears a voice. You dont need the mirror, Sarah. You will
look beautiful in that dress. But its my dress! says the voice. Then it
begins to laugh. I can see you all the time. I can see you in every room in
my house.

6
A Transformation
Its not your house, its our house! shouts Sarah.
No! Its my house, because I was the oldest child in the family, shouts the
ghost.
But you died and your sister got the house, says Sarah. Her grandson
sold it to us and now its ours.
Her grandson cant sell my house! exclaims the ghost.
Ok, Annie, Sarah says. But were here now. What can we do?
Now theres silence and Sarah starts to see Annie very clearly.
You can stay in my house and look after it for me, answers Annie.
But in the future Ill live in a different house, says Sarah.
Annie laughs louder. Oh, no you wont! You must live here all your life.
You cant control my life! shouts Sarah.
I dont want to control your life, says Annie. There is no you! Im you
and youre me!
Then, Sarah feels something strange. Her clothes are transforming into
Annies clothes. Her hair is transforming into Annies hair. Am I a ghost
now? she thinks. Shes very frightened. Am I Annie?

12

Suddenly, Sarah hears her mothers voice. Wake up, Sarah! Its late. Were
moving to the new house today.
Sarah opens her eyes. Shes in her bed in the old house. Her bedroom is
full of boxes. Wow! It was all a bad dream, she thinks.
Dad and I were at the new house last night, Sarah, her mother says.
Look at this lovely dress. We found it in the atticSarahWhats
wrong?

13