B&B OF LOVE AND FUN-47
Hi everyone. So glad to be with you again. I wanted to write this chapter for Halloween, but I didn't have enough time, so excuse me for being two weeks late and writing a spooky chapter, that I intended. Today we are going to accompany our favorite people in their own way of spending Halloween.
Charles and Elsie felt so well rested and happy, coming back to the B&B , after their short but fun weekend. It was an amazing time for both of them. Beryl and Bill were already back in the B as well, along with the pets, who could not be more pleased to see everyone back together.
The only missing person was Katie, who came to visit her family and she didn't go back yet.
Beryl had her share of fun jokes, seeing Elsie's happy face and she was very curious about the weekend. Elsie did not hold back, she told her friend all about the wonderful surprises, that Charles prepared for her, leaving out only the most intimate parts of the story, which were not meant for her nosey friend.
During the day, they were hanging around the house, ordering and preparing for the guests who were soon to arrive. It was a real blessing, that the furnace was working, because it became very chilly outside.
It was October 31 and Elsie was looking through the window, with melancholy in her eyes, thinking what this day meant for her, when she was living in Scotland. All those scary stories, that they've shared with friends and family...She sighed, thinking that she was really missing it... Beryl, who just entered the living room, noticed it and as always, she decided to comment:
"Still in a dream land after the weekend, aren't we?"
""You are wrong this time Beryl...I wasn't thinking about the weekend now..."
"And what were you thinking about?"
"About October 31st and what it meant when I was living in Scotland..."
"How were you spedning this day?"
"Well, the day was pretty ordinary, but the magic part began after dark...All those scary ghost stories.. I really liked this tradition..."
"Why not do it today? I prepared a delicious dinner for us. A hot soup and a pumpkin tart...Bill is on his way home from the farm. We can eat in the kitchen and tell each other scary stories..."
"You think? I wonder what Charles will say to that idea..."
"What sort of idea?"-Charles unexpectedly entered the room, joining his wife and friend...
"Beryl and I were just saying, that we would want to have a night of the scary ghost stories...Just like the ones I remember from my childhood..."
"I don't know about that...I've never been a fan of those types of stories, nor believed them"
"Sorry Charles...You've been outnumbered...Most of us want that kind of night..."
"How do you know that Bill will want to do it?"-Charles asked...
"Because I know my husband very well..He loves those stories..."
"Well...It looks like I have to give up..."
"Looks like it my love..."-Elsie said with a soft voice, kissing his cheek...She was no longer being ashamed, of showing her love for Charles in the presence of Beryl...And he must have liked it too, since his grumpy face expression, changed into a happy one immediately...
A little while later, after dinner...
Beryl fully took care of a proper mood...She turned off the lights after dinner, lightened few candles and they were all sitting by the warm stove, drinking wine, that Charles brought from the cellar...
"I'm telling you...The night before my William died, I had this scary nightmare...I dreamed, that I saw a death and she told me that she is going to take William...I asked her to take me instead, as my boy was still so young...But she said, that she will decide who to take...It's been so many years and I never ever forgotten that frightening experience..."-Bill was clearly shaken, saying this...
"So sorry Bill...It must have been awful...I remember, that I felt that something bad will happen, just before Archie died...I was preparing a breakfast trays for the next day in the kitchen, I was all alone, with only few candles and one of them was constantly putting out on her own...I thought, that this was a bad sign, as once the vicar told me, that when a candle is put off, a soul is going to heaven..."
"So these signs do matter...I always knew that..."-Elsie was impressed with those stories...When I was a young girl, there was a whole tradition in my family village...Soon after dark, the families were gathering around, to tell awful ghost stories, after which everyone were afraid to go to bed..."
"Did you have any ghost experiences yourself Elsie?"-Beryl asked...
"I did...When I was a teenager, one of my friends from school died because of flu. Me, Olivia and Isla were three best friends. We didn't even had a chance to say goodbye to her. It happened in the middle of October and Isla gave me the idea, that we should say goodbye to her on the cemetery, on Samhain night...She said, that this was the night when people can talk to the spirits...So we decided to go the cemetery at night..."
"Did you parents let you do it?"-Charles curiously asked...
"They would never let us do it...We waited till everyone will go to sleep and sneaked out of the house. Isla was living next door to me and it was a short walk to the cemetery.. We got there, we stood by Olivia's grave and we said out loud, that we want to say goodbye to her...We were standing there for a longer time and nothing happened. Suddenly Isla grabbed my coat and she pointed her finger to the back of the cemetery...We saw a dark shadow, which looked like a young girl, coming our direction... We screamed loudly and ran as fast as we could to our houses...Slamming the doors loudly, which caused that our parents woke up and we were severly punished..."
"That's how silly ideas end..."-Charles smiled maliciously...
"What about you Charles? We all told our stories, now it's your turn..."-Bill noticed...
"Sorry, I have no such story...I don't like to think, or talk about stuff like that..."
"Oh come on Charlie...There has to be something...Do be creative...You can do it..."-Elsie challenged Charles...
"Well, to be honest...There was one thing, that I still find bizzare and inexplicable."
"I knew it! Come on Charles, tell us what it was..."-Beryl was very curious...
"Soon after Lady Sybil died, maybe a day or two later...I was sitting alone in my pantry, late at night, remembering all those happy moments with her, when she was still a little girl..You don't know this Elsie and Beryl, because you were not in Downton yet, but she was the sweetest little child... She used to sneak into my pantry, driving nanny near madness, as she could never find her and she used to come to me and tell me: Hello Carson. Do you have any candy for me today?"
"And did you?"-Elsie asked, smiling, as she also had some nice memories with little Lady Sybil...
"Of course...I always had some candies for her. She was such a sweet girl. When I was giving it to her, she was laughing so sweetly...I never forgot that sound..."
"I awlays thought that Lady Mary was your favorite.."-Beryl said...
"She was, but you could not adore Little Lady Sybil...Everyone adrored her...Anyway, when I was sitting in my pantry, remembering those old times, I suddenly heard laughter, which sounded exactly like little Lady Sybil...In the beginning, I thought, that it was just an illusion, but I heard it once or twice more..."
"And what did you do?"-Bill asked...
"Well, to tell you the truth...I got so scared, that I left my pantry at once and went upstairs and for a long time after that, I was avoiding being there alone at night..."
"What a story...You see, I told you all, that it would be fun to spend our night like this..."-Elsie smiled, with a triumph on her face...
"I wouldn't exactly call it fun, but I admit that it was nice...But probably time to go to bed..We have work to do tomorrow.."-Charles said..
"You are right...Thanks for the lovely evening..Good night..."-Bill said...
Elsie and Charles went to their room and were preparing for their night rest. Charles was already in bed, while Elsie was brushing her hair, in front of her vanity mirror, when suddenly they heard a scratching, coming from outside the door..."
"Oh my God Elsie, what is that?"-Charles became very pale..."You don't think?"
"Calm down Charles...I'm sure it's nothing, I will check..."
"Maybe not...Suppose that it's some kind of a ghost?"
"And you were the one who said not to believe in ghosts?"-Elsie was teasing Charles..."Don't get up, I will check..."
Elsie opened the door widely, only to find Oliver on the other side, who was trying to get in, to spend the night at the armchair, in the corner of the room, as he often did...He walked to the room, without any doubts, that he will have a permission to do that...Elsie could not hide her smile...
"There is your ghost Charlie...Our dear Oli, who wants to sleep with us..."
"What a relief...After all, anything can happen on a night like that..."
"Now you are speaking like a true Celt and I like it...I will tell you what can happen on a night like that..."-Elsie laid herself on his side..."You can hold me closely and rock me to sleep...Then I will be happy and you will be safe, from all the ghosts and goblins..."
"That I will gladly do on any night...Sleep well my sweetheart..."Charles wrapped his arms tightly around his wife...
"You too my frightened husband..."
That's all for my spooky chapter...I always thought of Charles, as the one who would be easily frightened by things like ghosts and Elsie, as the one who would be more brave...I hope that you will have a good fun reading this. Have a wonderful week.