Read MAGDALENA'S GHOST: THE HAUNTING OF THE HOUSE IN GALLOWS LANE for Free Online Page B

her wayward father. She silently recalled her tall, slim, debonair father with his trim black moustache and smooth short black hair. He could turn on the charm like the flick of a switch and women couldn’t resist him. Behind the cultured façade he was a callous rogue, squandering mother’s earnings on gambling and alcohol. He would disappear for days on end without any of them knowing where he was. Her mother tried to cover for him of course, knowing all along what he was, but she was a firm believer that if you make your bed you must lie in it. And so she continued to fund his extravagant lifestyle in the manner he enjoyed, for the purpose of shielding the children from the truth.
    But Beryl always knew what he was up to – at least she’d always been sharp-witted enough for that. But Billy was much too young to know and he was too focused on his music anyway. He was just like mother with his ice-blue eyes and blonde hair, and he looked to be inheriting his mother’s good looks as well. But Beryl was not as fortunate in that respect. Her hair was a boring mousey-colour – often the result of having a mother with blonde hair and a father whose hair was black. She’d also had the misfortune of coming somewhere in between when the looks were handed out. She’d always felt that she was a misfit neither one thing or the other – and she was insanely jealous of perfect Billy. But jealousy breeds resentment and Beryl’s position was no exception – she even gloated on the fact that he was gone.
    It had dawned on Beryl as the years passed, that her father had probably found another financially-secure woman of his choice, and had seen Billy as a meal-ticket for his own future. He’d probably thought that by stealing him away he would be guaranteed security in his later life, whilst he continued to live his rampant lifestyle with, no doubt, his new conquest. But although she herself had tried to locate him she had always come up against a dead end, until finally she gave up. And as she’d never been drawn to children, or to motherhood itself, she was unable to understand Magdalena’s emotions and devastation and therefore had been unable to offer any support, or kindness, that might have helped her on the road to recovery. And quite frankly, she’d never really cared either.
    She dragged herself up off the step and wheeled the suitcases one by one across the long, bare landing. She glanced up at one particular door on the way past and noticed it no longer had a handle and the door itself had been sealed up. She automatically headed for her old bedroom. It hadn’t been altered at all, except the carpets and the furniture had all gone, but there was an old mattress on the floor which would be better than nothing .Walking back along the landing she noticed that the floorboards still creaked from one end to the other – nothing much had changed in that respect. She remembered how no-one could sneak past that particular area without everyone knowing. She felt no emotion at any of her childhood memories and no fondness. She had a plan in mind and she intended to carry it out, and there was no place in her heart for nostalgia.
    Once her belongings were in the bedroom, she wandered back downstairs. She needed to sort out her cat and she knew mother wouldn’t like that as she’d always been allergic to them. As she walked into the sitting room, she glanced over to the grand piano which was still there in the same position as it had always been. It wouldn’t exactly be an easy item to steal, and its lack of use over the years was evident by the cloak of cobwebs strewn across it. Of course no-one could possibly take it without the necessary equipment to move such a weight, or at least being noticed in the attempt. So that’s probably why it still remained; but she doubted if mother had ever played since Billy had gone. There had also been a beautiful and rare antique musical clock which had always sat on top of the piano,