Little lamb
All lights were extinguished at the Charter Mount School for Girls by 9 o clock.
No flame was lit before dawn.
This tradition dated back to 1774.
Students broke the tradition at their peril. Rumor had it that blood-thirsty ghosts were drawn to the light. There are stories of children devoured in the dark corners of empty rooms. Most of the students cowered under their covers in the dark.
Anne, however, refused to be alone.
A small golden smear of candle-light appeared in the black at the end of the northwest, third-floor hallway. As it floated forward, Anne, a slight, 15-year-old girl in a blue silk nightgown, was seen holding the candle. Trembling and breathing hard, she timidly opened a door to one of the 3rd-floor bedrooms.
Anne entered the room and quietly closed the heavy oak door. As she moved through the room, beds lining the walls and a sideboard with a tall pitcher of water and a basin for washing appeared in the candle light. She stopped at the last bed and shook the shoulder of the sleeping girl, Kimberly, a tall, graceful, 17-year-old girl from Notting Hill.
“Kimberly? Are you awake? I had a terrible, awful dream. Please wake up. Oh please.”
“I am sleeping, go back to bed, you little lamb.”
“It was simply awful. Please wake up.”
Anne put the candle on the floor, sat on Kimberly’s soft bed and gently shook her foot. Kimberly wrapped her silk pillow around her head.
“Penelope and I were walking along the south bank of Regent’s Canal, at least I think it was Regent’s, and we were having a most pleasant day, watching for birds and butterflies and talking about everything and nothing at all.”
“Sounds lovely, go to bed.”
“It was. She was nice to me. We were holding hands and running and waving to the canal boats. It was lovely. The sun was shining, the birds were singing…”
“I’m going back to sleep. You should go back to your room before the ghosts eat you.”
“No, no, please. We were laughing and enjoying each other’s company when suddenly the sun seemed to flare and I saw fireworks, lovely blues and reds and greens. I turned to Penelope…and she was gone.” Anne started to sob quietly. “Oh, Kimberly. It was so so horrible…”
Kimberly sat up. “Just tell me what happened, lamb.”
“She was still holding my hand…but she’d been cut in half. Blood ran down the canal stones and pooled in the water. I realized I was dragging her. I screamed and she smiled. She said it was a lovely day for a walk and I screamed again…the blood was simply everywhere.”
“You’re being a silly little lamb. It’s still dark out, Charter Mount is still standing and everyone is asleep in their beds.”
“Not Penelope,” Anne whispered. “She’s gone.”
“You little liar.”
Kimberly jumped out of bed, grabbed the candle off the floor and rushed out of the room.
