Monday 21 April 2014

A to Z Challenge 2014 - Ghosts - R is For Risk, Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews, Raynham Hall

A to Z Challenge 2014 - Ghosts
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suitable for all
One of my favourite hauntings is up today, The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. Plus I'm talking about a story from American Author Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews. Taking a risk is the subject of my section on ghost story writing today and there's Part 18 of The Burning Web, in which Tris is faced with a dilema.




R is for Risk
I've talked about giving the story a kick, and adding some jeopardy to the plot already, and today I'm discussing a specific way to do that: your characters taking a risk. By its very nature, a risk is something that suggests chance, the possibility of being open to a threat. By taking a risk, a hero/ine may be walking into danger, or trusting someone they shouldn't. It might all turn out okay, but it's the not knowing that generates tension.

Stephen King shows his mastery of this technique when he brings together a bunch of 'losers' in IT. They're just kids, defenceless and afraid of what is happening to other kids in their town, but when they come together, they believe in each other and that leads to then taking not one, but many risks based on the bond that is between them. This is shown even more starkly when the characters come back together as adults, now doubting what they can achieve. The risk they all take is huge and for some of them, fatal.

Taking a risk involves trust, thus the characters involved are active in the plot, this is not something happening to them, it is a choice they make, it's an active form of possible jeopardy and can give a plot the kick it needs.
by Sophie Duncan


First Part | Previous PartNext Part | Last Part
Julienne left soon after lunch, the atmosphere not having cleared much. After seeing her off, Tris decided the washing up was preferable to addressing the way Xander was still eyeing him anxiously.

"I'll deal with the dishes, you sort out the bedroom so we don't have to bother tonight," he announced, rather too brightly for either of them.

Still, Xander didn't object, he just disappeared down the corridor while Tris put the kettle on for some hot water for the crockery. His skin was still prickling about the doors incident, and however much both his companions had tried to dismiss it, Tris was sure he'd felt Margaret's hand in it. She had been telling him off for his denial, even if she was not willing to show herself to his friends, he was sure. He didn't know how to get past the worry in Xander, though. Any word of believing in ghosts and his husband would whip him back home, he was sure, and he didn't want that.

Running the cold water from the tap, Tris leant on the sink and watched the now clear as crystal liquid bubbling over the cream enamel as he waited for the kettle. He needed to prove to Xander that Margaret was not a figment of his mixed up mind, but he had no idea how to do it. He didn't think the suggestion of a seance would go down well.

Tris was so deep in thought that it took him a few moments to realise the hair on the back of his neck was standing up again. More than memory, his instincts were firing and he kept firm hold of the sink as he looked to his right, towards the old range. Cold air fell over him once more and his knees went weak, because the battered old ironwork was no longer so tatty. In fact, it was fully blacked and spit spot, and on top of it was sitting a large pot of stew, or soup by the smell that reached Tris' nostrils.

The sound of leather on stone made Tris' heart skip a beat and he glanced over his shoulder, turning just a little, to see a man skirting round the table. He was tall, blond, with a moustache and a sporting outfit from the turn of the last century. The stranger was looking around him and moving quietly, as though he should not have been there, but for all his attention, he did not see Tris, who leant heavily on the sink and shivered. It was like a weight on Tris' shoulders was keeping him in place and pushing him into the ground as his stomach turned over.

The ghost, for that is what he was and Tris could no longer deny it, reached the range and looked down into the pot there. He was wearing black leather gloves and holding a small sack and, as Tris was forced to watch, he reached into the hessian bag. The man's hand came out gripping small yellowish-brown fungi and, looking furtively around, he quickly dropped them into the pot, before stirring the contents. Tris felt sick as he connected what he was seeing to the newspaper report in the library about the poisonous mushrooms. He realised he was, in fact, witnessing murder.

Giddy and nauseous, Tris closed his eyes and willed the awful truth away. Instantly, he felt the air warm and the weight on him lift. Still, he was reluctant to open his eyes again. That was until he heard Xander's footsteps coming down the hallway. Quickly, he turned back to the sink, which was way too full with cold water now, and stuffed his hands in it as though he had already begun washing the lunch things.

"I think the tea towels must be upstairs," Tris began breathlessly, but shot a smile over his shoulder at his husband. "Could you grab them for me, please?"

Xander did not looked convinced, so Tris held the smile for as long as he could, which turned out to be enough. As Xander headed back the way he had come, Tris collapsed over the sink, elbows supporting him, and breathed hard. He had to believe now. His mind was not playing tricks. Yet, how could he possibly tell Xander?

First Part | Previous PartNext Part | Last Part

Author Info: Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
So this is where I admit my cultural ignorance, and until I was going research on Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews because I wanted to feature one of her stories here, I did not know that her most famous work was The Perfect Tribute, a short story about President Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews was an American author, who wrote everything from a Napoleonic Historical novel, Crosses of War, to the story I'd like to tell you about now.

I read this story, Through The Ivory Gate, in The Ghost Story Mega Pack. It's a sweet ghost story, the kind where there is nothing scary about it, this ghost wants to help. We meet Philip Beckwith as a child of 12, having a dream about a young boy in  old fashioned clothes holding out a key to him. He has this dream and sees this boy repeatedly as he grows older, not knowing why. He then finds out who the boy was - his uncle, also Philip, Philip Fairfield, and he discovers that the boy held a secret - where his father hid the Fairfield family wealth. He died keeping that secret since his father had told him to tell no-one, which in his young mind meant not even his mother could know. I will not tell you the details of the rest, but Philip goes back to his ancestral home in the South and the story is one of love and friendship.

As I said, this is not a scary story, but if you like your ghosts without the spooky edges, then this one is for you.


British Hauntings: Raynham Hall
Raynham Hall is in Norfolk, a country house, and the reason I want to share it with you today is because of its famous ghost, The Brown Lady. Now, she might not be quite so famous if it wasn't for the fact that she has been photographed. In fact, I used this photograph as part of my banner. This was the first ever 'ghost' photograph I ever saw, it was in Aidan Chambers' Book of Ghosts and Hauntings and is one of the reasons I became interested in ghosts in the first place.

Unlike a lot of ghost photographs, where the photographer is unaware the have taken the shot until the photo is developed (or in these digital days, reveiwed) the story goes that M Indra Shira and his assistant, Captain Provand, were taking photos around the house when Mr Shira saw an ethereal figure coming down the stairs. Provand was not looking up, but Shira told him to take a picture and he did. The photo on the left is the result,  ghost descending the stairs. At the time, no evidence of tampering of the photo could be found when it was examined, and the picture was even published in Country Life.

So who is this lady. Well, she is called The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall, because of the brown brocade dress she is said to wear. She is the ghost of Dorothy Walpole, trapped in Raynham Hall as a punishment for adultery. She lived there until she died from smallpox. One Colonel Loftus, a Christmas guest as Raynham in 1835, claimed he saw the ghost twice, making not of the colour of her dress and the hollow, empty eye sockets - she must have been a quite terrible sight! She was also shot at by another observer as she grinned at him diabolically.


I'd love to hear your own spooky stories, add them to the blog comments. :)

A few of us discovered that we all had supernatural themes for the AtoZ so we got together and did a mini list. If you also have a supernatural theme (ghosts, monsters, witches, spells etc), please feel free to add yourself to the list.

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32 comments:

  1. You're making me want to watch some ghost hunting shows again. Not a good idea because it's getting late and I can't watch those at night. I get too scared. Daylight watching only.

    ~Patricia Lynne~
    Story Dam
    Patricia Lynne, YA Author

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    1. I really ought to apologise for being a bad influence then ;P

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  2. My "to read" list just keeps getting longer the more I visit here. :) And what a creepy photograph. It certainly makes you wonder.

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    1. Glad to be of service, one's 'to read' list can never be too long :) Yeah, it is a creepy photo and if it was faked. no-one has been able to work out how.

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  3. I adore IT, and so many more horror novels, too. You can't really have a horror story or an adventure unless the mc takes risks. I loved the ghosts stories about the little boy, Phillip, and the Brown Lady. She's so stately in the pic it's surprising she's so "diabolical" when people see her. Great stories! :)

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    1. No, you're right, a ghost story would be pretty boring if everyone was playing it safe and didn't take risks ;P She does look rather stately gliding down the stairs, doesn't she. I haven't found a reason for her to have empty eye sockets as a ghost, but I can imagine it would be really scary to look at.

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  4. She sounds like she wants to scare people for fun. Then again I suppose if you're stuck you have to do something for a laugh.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
    FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)

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    1. LOL - now that's a way of looking at it - she's scary people for larks because she's bored!

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  5. Ooh that is a creepy story, I don't think I'll ever visit! She doesn't sound like a very friendly ghost.

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  6. I'm a big King fan, and one of my favorite things about his work is how you never know if the characters taking the risks are actually going to succeed or fail, if they'll live or die. Even main characters are in danger in King's stories. Love it! :)

    Madeline @ The Shellshank Redemption
    Minion, Capt. Alex's Ninja Minion Army
    The 2014 Blogging from A-Z Challenge

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  7. I have this book at home with a bunch of pictures from Raynham Hall. So creepy, I loved it.

    --
    Timothy S. Brannan
    The Other Side, April Blog Challenge: The A to Z of Witches

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    1. The Brown Lady is one of the best ghost pictures I've seen - spooky and atmospheric - the place itself deserves to have a few ghosts as well :)

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  8. Whenever you're writing, no matter what genre, you should take risks with your characters, the plot, everything.

    I got chills while reading about the photograph.

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    1. True - without risks, things go stale.

      It is a creepy experience, looking at an image of a supposed ghost, Imagine being the photographer and seeing that ethereal figure descending the stair! o.O

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  9. Hi Sophie .. I'm not sure I'd like to meet a ghost .. but there are plenty who seem to see them, and I believe they're around, if not all around ... clever capture of something in the photograph - and i definitely agree it looks like a lady on the staircase ..

    I've got a ghost book and hauntings here I think - I must look it out ... cheers Hilary

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    1. I'm definitely sure I wouldn't want to meet a ghost face 2 face :)

      Hope you find your book :)

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  10. I have a long list of books to read so I'll never be bored. These books are a must have, as I want to know the outcome of each. Thanks so much Sophie for another wonderful post. Can't wait to continue with Trish.

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    1. It's good to have a 'to read' list, the only problem for me is what to read next :)

      Glad you enjoyed the post :D

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  11. This confirms it, I need read "IT" again! For some weird reason Pennywise has been coming up in conversation both on- and offline. Now your post makes mention of the book. lol.

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    1. I've only read IT once, I found it a bit long, but Pennywise is certainly the character that stays with me. I don't like clowns! ;P

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  12. I like a sweet ghost story from time to time. Some ghosts are helpful and kind, instead of maleficent and scary.

    When I visit the Hollywood Forever cemetery in Los Angeles, I'm dying to take a picture by Rudolph Valentino's crypt, since a number of people have reported strange light showing up in pictures taken there. There are also many reports of feeling cold spots and having an eerie feeling. Best of all for the ladies who aren't easily spooked, a number of female visitors have reported feeling phantom kisses. I'd kind of like that to happen to me, even if I'd probably feel a bit unnerved!

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    1. A charmer and a ladies' man even after death - he does sound like he might be a good ghost to meet :)

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  13. I was a huge fan of It in my teens. The sightings of the brown lady were really creepy. And poor Tris. You're putting him through the wringer! Though I have a feeling you've just begun. ;)

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    1. Tris is having a really hard time, he has to figure out what is happen both inside his head and outside of it.

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  14. I love the photo of the brown lady. It's an amazing shot.

    Shelley Munro

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  15. I wish he could confide in Xander, but what happens when Xander thinks he's insane? Love it.

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    1. Exactly, he's torn between what he knows and what will be believed. Glad you like it :D

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  16. Yay! The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. I used that image as a drawing for a piece of work for my O' level Art exam, although mine was a monk. I know I still have it somewhere in the house.
    It, great book and great film, although like you, I hate clowns. Only let down for me, It was an alien entity. My favourite King book, Black House that he co-wrote with Peter Straub.
    And poor Tris, he truly faces a dilemma. Should he tell Xander, and take the risk that he will be not be allowed back at Berwick House. Decisions, decisions. ;)

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    1. She's a classy and scary ghost that one!

      I did think King got a bit lost on exactly what It was in the book and it's what let the mini series down as well. I've never read Black House, I'll have to look it up.

      Tris does face a dilemma, can he convince Xander about what is going on?

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Thanks for stopping by - I'd love to hear from you. :)