Ghostly Echoes
1 – Friday July 20th ...
Ethel Mead wiped her arm wearily across her brow. She now
regretted having started baking. It was far too warm to be in the
kitchen with the oven going full blast – especially as the back
door and windows were shut because of a wasp nest hanging in
a nearby tree. Little Katy had to play out of sight in the front
garden because the pernicious pests crawled drunkenly through
the sparse grass, in and out of the fallen apples, unable to fly far
but not too sleepy to sting if stepped on, or when poked by an
inquisitive finger.
Before rolling out the pastry, Ethel covered it with a cloth
and went, yet again, to the living room window, to check on her
daughter. All was well. A cool breeze wafted the curtains and
she stood quietly, enjoying the change of air, watching the threeyear old playing ‘hospitals’ with Rosebud, her doll. Ethel’s thin,
plain face was transformed, momentarily, by a wide smile.
She recalled how, a few weeks ago, a carelessly waved
paintbrush had splashed a red gash on Rosebud’s arm. Tommy,
Kate’s big brother, declared that it was “no big deal” but she was
inconsolable until he demonstrated how to bandage it with a
handkerchief – promising that it would be better the next
morning. Tommy had ‘cured’ the painted streak by surreptitious
washing, so ‘Nursing’ had become Kate’s favourite game.
Her baby face wore a concerned frown and her golden curls
bobbed as she rocked the toy cradle where poor wounded
Rosebud lay, hardly visible under a voluminous head dressing.
Satisfied that all was well, Ethel returned to her baking.
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