The Ghost That Grinned

The Ghost That Grinned By Jessie Middleton © 2007 by http://www.HorrorMasters.com

A correspondent, whom I know well, has sent me the following: “This is what happened to me about seven years ago. A great friend of ours, living here with her husband and blind mother, was lying very ill of pneumonia. I used to go every morning to read to the blind mother and express my sympathy. One morning there was special need for quiet; no strangers were to be admitted, or bells rung; even doors were not to be shut, but left ajar, so that servants could come in and see to the fires quietly. “I was reading to the mother when suddenly the door was jerked widely open—it had been ajar— and a most horrible-looking woman stood there. She had a red face, and a tall black hat with the black crape veil thrown back, and her features wore the most diabolical grin you can imagine. She conveyed to me her rejoicing at a calamity, and sniggered as if to say, ‘There’s plenty of trouble now coming here—more even than you imagine.’ “I stared blankly but did not speak, because of the blind lady. Then the creature departed, closing the door with a loud bang. The mother sprang up instantly, crying out, ‘Oh, who is it? Who could have done that to wake an invalid?’ “I went to the door, looked out, but saw nobody, and told the poor lady that it must have been the wind or one of the servants’ carelessness. Anyhow, I managed to pacify her, and when I said good-bye before going home to lunch, I questioned the three servants closely as~ to who could have come upstairs and banged the door so loudly. In each instance the reply was practically the same: ‘Why, madam, you know that we have the strictest orders to allow no one up the stairs, except yourself, your daughter, and Mrs. H. S.!’ So the affair remained a mystery. “That very Friday afternoon, in January, the blind mother was taken seriously ill, and though she did not, die till the following June, she was never really well again. The daughter never rallied, and passed away the Monday following that horrible appearance. It was a great grief to us all, and, of course, the shock helped to kill the mother, who was absolutely devoted to this, her only child. “The husband has since married again, and now a new wife and baby reign supreme in that once-so-sad house. “One curious thing in connection with my old friend happened about six weeks before her fatal illness. I was at tea there, and my friend—the blind lady’s daughter—was standing beside the piano. Suddenly I noticed she was enveloped in a radiant halo of light, transforming her mere prettiness into absolute beauty. Little thinking of any sequel, I did not hesitate to speak of this momentary transformation. My friend seemed delighted, and the mother, calling me to her, kissed me, saying, ‘Thank you, dear, for telling me. I liked hearing of it.’ “Wasn’t that strange?”