Wretched
I am a teacher of a very old school. One of the stories about this school regards a lonely girl who haunts it until this very day.
Mary used to study in the school nearly twenty years ago. A lively and lovely girl, she was also good in her studies and was the envy of many students there.
However, tragedy struck one day when she discovered that she had leukaemia. Coming from a poor family, Mary could not afford the expensive medical fees for treatment. What her family could scrape out went into her medical treatment. But still, her health rapidly deteriorated.
The chemotherapy caused her hair to drop rapidly and in no time, she was bald and she had also grown very pale. It was in the late seventies and not many people understood the disease and thought that it was contagious. As such, many of her friends left her after they found out. Even her teachers were reluctant in coming near her.
Seeing this, Mary grew even more depressed. Besides dealing with rejection, some of her meaner classmates began to taunt her with cruel names. Her parents were almost close to disowning her, since daughers in those days were considered a burden to the family. It was only a matter of time before Mary ended her life.
One day, a school servant found a dead body hanging in front of the teacher’s common room. It was Mary’s. The police was notified and and the pale, bald-headed female corpse was removed. Everyone was eager to forget about the incident.
From that day onwards, people started hearing cries, shouting and they even saw a bald girl ‘walking’ to and fro on the corridors. Many believed that it was Mary. Some even said that she was coming back to visit her friends and teachers.
I could not believe this, but my encounter made me believe it. I really saw her. And I can tell you that she really look terrible. Even in this age of scientific medical advances and understanding, I can understand why all her friends and teachers left her.