I really won't understand how I struggle to write updates but a new story? Easy :L
This story came from the scene when Ethel tells Elsie she's pregnant, when Elsie's walking down the stairs calling 'hello?' I found that rather creepy so I wanted to write something similarly chilling.
I don't know where this idea came from or where it is going, please be kind.
"I've often wondered if this place is 'aunted, it ought to be"
"It is" all heads turned to face O'Brien, her eyes met theirs in turn, narrowing them as she turned back to Thomas, "didn't you know?"
He sat stunned, they all did, some shocked, some scared but some looked disbelievingly at her.
"Don't you believe me?" she raised an eyebrow,
"Don't listen to her." Mr Bates reassured them, returning to his book.
"'ow would you know? You 'aven't been 'ere long enough" Thomas pointed out with a sneer, out of all of them there, O'Brien had been at Downton the longest. He looked back at her, eyes full of mischief.
"There are those that say, a spirit walks these halls"
"What, like a ghost y'mean?" Daisy asked, she sat at the end of the table, small and insignificant but so young and naïve, wondering if O'Brien was telling the truth.
"Yes, a ghost. Of someone who never left."
"A servant?" those that had just entered sat eagerly listening.
"The housekeeper" her voice was nearly a whisper, a thin smirk on her lips.
"Like Mrs Hughes y'mean?"
"Exactly like Mrs Hughes. 'undreds of years ago, the housekeeper was taken seriously ill, Ms. Howard, she'd been a brilliant housekeeper, devoted beyond anything, even died clutching her keys, the family at the time loved her, so when she died they made credit to her memory by writing how wonderful she'd been on her gravestone – it's still in the churchyard to this day.
But, underneath the kind exterior, she was far different, a monster inside – troubled and twisted by her illness to the point where they say in the end, it was the devil that took her." Eyes widened and glances were exchanged between the younger staff.
"She was furious that illness had struck her at such a time, she was only fifty seven, not exactly old, especially for a housekeeper. She did not want to die I'll tell you that, she did everything in her power to hold on, which meant agreeing to whatever force or power, to not die, but not live either. To be a ghost.
You're all to young to know anyone other than Mrs Hughes, but round 'ere, housekeepers don't make it to their sixtieth birthday."
"Why not?" Beth, another kitchen maid, young like Daisy.
"Because she gets 'em silly. She wanted to be remembered by the family, didn't want any other housekeeper endangering her memory, so she gets 'um, when they're her age, she gets rid of them. To be fair to 'er, I don't know any other housekeepers besides 'er, Mrs Hughes and Mrs Winter."
"Whose Mrs Winter?" William asked, he'd been sat silently, looking at his hands, talk of fear and ghosts got to him easily, he wasn't the bravest of people and didn't like the feeling of death.
"The last housekeeper, the one before Mrs Hughes?" Anna frowned, she'd been a very young housemaid when she joined Downton but vaguely remembered the woman.
"Yes."
"The one that died just after I arrived here?"
"Yes"
"'ow did she die?" Thomas's eyes flicked back to O'Brien, his expression of mischief now changed into one of slight panic, he'd arrived a month after Anna and never knew this woman. All he remembered was a tense atmosphere when he joined, not much said, just quick glances between senior staff.
"No one, knows" her voice was now a whisper, the room was silent apart from the sound of heavy breathing from the youngest staff. She saw their fear and knew her story was having the desired effect, even Thomas looked sceptical about whether she was joking anymore, Bates still look uninterested but she continued regardless.
"No one knows how she really died, all they knew was she was seen in the evening but in the morning, she was found dead, hung by the back staircase, y'know from the hook on the ceiling." Daisy's breath caught and a few more gasps escaped the lips of the maids.
"But you can't reach that, not from the railing, it's too high and too far away" Anna pointed out, hopefully finding a flaw in the story in which to prove O'Brien wrong.
"That's the point, she didn't get there by herself" she leant back triumphantly, observing the scared nature of the youngest staff.
"How did she get there then?"
"Well, she didn't get there herself, and no other human could reach that hook let alone lift a whole body up there…how do you think she got there?"
"Mrs Howard!" Daisy whispered, beginning to shake slightly while another maid took hold of her hand. O'Brien simply nodded. Everyone in the room was now fixated on O'Brien, hanging on her every word, even Bates had now stopped reading and was looking at her with confusion, even he was beginning to believe.
Mrs Patmore strolled into the servants hall and upon observing the scared faces of her kitchen staff looked questioningly at Anna who opened her mouth but no sound came out.
"We're hearing about ghosts" Beth told her,
"There's no such thing" Mrs Patmore scolded, rolling her eyes at such childish nonsense, she turned to leave but O'Brien spoke again.
"Do you remember Mrs Winters, Mrs Patmore?" she stopped suddenly, her hand tightly clenching the door frame, holding her breath, feeling all eyes on her;
"What about her?" she muttered without turning around.
"How she died?"
"No one knows." No one'd seen the strict cook scared before or even nervous, but now, she was breathing rapidly and her skin had drained of colour.
"You knew her longer, maybe you can remember the story better than me. The little'luns want to know."
She turned slowly, her eyes focussing on O'Brien's, she glared but her eyes were wide themselves with fear.
"I don't think you should be telling them that story Miss O'Brien" she hissed through gritted teeth.
"Oh why not Mrs Patmore? They look like they're enjoying it" the patronising tone in Thomas's voice only infuriated her further.
"Because ghost stories are just silly nonsense" she managed with as much courage as she could, trying to appear unaffected by the memories flooding back.
"But it's not just, a story, is it?" It barely sounded like O'Brien's voice anymore, it was low yet quiet, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"They don't need to know."
"But we want to, now we've heard half." They insisted. Mrs Patmore looked defeated, she wanted to protect them, her kitchen staff were like her children and she didn't want to let O'Brien terrify them.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." She walked away, ignoring Thomas's question of whether she wanted to stay and listen.
O'Brien returned to her story, "They say the housekeeper is the most important member of the house, that without her, the house cannot function, sadly I do agree. They say, she, watches over, everything, that goes on. That's how she knows what you've all been doing, saying, sometimes even thinking." They all looked at each other as if a wave of guilt had taken over them.
"However, they wonder if it was the illness that changed Mrs Howard or her age, women of a certain age, when they're, not as young as they used to be, see their successor... as a threat." At this point she turned her head sharply to Anna who jumped, breathing fast, she gripped onto Johns hand under the table.
"A threat?" she breathed.
"Yes, they want to do well in their job, it's the highest position they can achieve, they want to be remembered by the family. Like Mr Carson will be remembered 'cos he's been here a long time, housekeepers aren't 'ere as long, so they want to make sure they're remembered, like Mrs Howard, they want to stay here as long as they can to, leave their mark. But none of them get very far because she makes sure they don't, they all knew of her, they were all strong women, trying hard to keep the fear away from their mind but when you're alone, at night, and no one's around…that's when you're vulnerable, and that's when the fear creeps back. The fear makes you see and hear things, at least you think you do, that shadow in the corner of your eye, that jingling noise behind you. Until you turn round and she's there, waiting for you."
Anna's hand gripped so tightly onto John's her nails make little crevices in his palm.
"So, Mrs Howard, killed, Mrs Winter?" Daisy asked, her voice barely audible, her lip trembling and her whole body shaking a lot more.
There was a long pause, everyone had held there breath, even Thomas looked worried, O'Brien was enjoying the power she now held over them.
"Yes." They all jumped as the silence was broken, a couple of maids burst into tears.
"She's killed all the housekeepers, you ask any of the older staff, no housekeeper at Downton has left or retired in over a hundred years, they've all, been, killed." She punctuated her last words through her teeth, looking daggers at any maids not crying in the hope they might feel the fear she'd projected onto the others.
"It's all silly nonsense," Mr Bates reassured them.
"Is it now? When was the last time Mrs Hughes shouted at you? Any of you? When was the last time she had a fight with Mrs Patmore? You saw 'ow she was when she came in, she's scared too, 'ow old do you recon our dear housekeeper is?
How long before she should turn fifty seven?"
Tears were even forming in Anna's eyes, she could no longer act the responsible head housemaid she should be and comfort the others, she herself was still a child and being engulfed by vicious ghost stories taking over her imagination.
"Watch her, she's scared, she had to be convinced by the family to become housekeeper. After she found Mrs Winters body, even Mr Carson was worried about her welfare if she took the job. She probably forgot about the stories, until now, now she's getting nearer that age, it could be any day now, who knows."
"Why doesn't she just leave?" the only maid not crying managed to ask through baited breath.
"Because of you lot." They all looked confused, until she continued, "doesn't set a good example to all of you if she leaves because of a little ghost story now does it? Even you didn't think it was true at first." She glanced over at Mr Bates whose eyes had gazed in the direction of the housekeepers sitting room door.
"But if she doesn't leave…?"
"Who knows what'll happen, if you still don't believe me, watch her, look at her eyes, and notice how frightened she is. I recon all she can see in her mind is Mrs Winters, hanging from the ceiling, imagining that soon it could be her."
"O'Brien!" They all jumped and Daisy let out a scream as the looming figure of Mr Carson entered the dining room, an untold look of anger on his face as he glowered at the lady's maid.
"I'm sorry Mr Carson we were just telling stories."
"It didn't sound like a particularly nice story to me!"
"No Mr Carson, I was just telling them about Mrs Winters. You remember her, don't you?"
Just as Mrs Patmore had, his face drained of colour, he took a deep breath and raised himself to his full height.
"I do, yes. But I hardly think that is an appropriate story to be telling the other staff now, if you hadn't noticed it is very late and nearly all of you should already be in bed!"
He watched them carefully as they all hurried upstairs, some of the maids still holding hands and drying their tears, Thomas'd left quicker than he would normally, looking highly like he was going to be sick, inwardly Carson smirked. He watched Mr Bates escort Anna up, placing his hand at the small of her back, this gesture not going unnoticed by Charles, though considering her look of fear, he didn't mind.
Left with a deserted servants hall, he switched off the lights and turned to leave, suddenly jumping out of his skin, swearing loudly as he saw a figure hiding in the corridor beside the hall,
"Elsie?"
She looked up slowly, the moonlight through the window eliminating the glistening tear tracks down her cheeks, her whole body was shaking and she had her arms pulled tightly around herself.
She'd heard everything.
So, what do you think? Continue? Leave? I've scared myself beyond belief writing this!
Reviews really appreciated! I need to know what you think!