I am pleased to share this story from one of fourth grade authors.
A Frightening Night In Paris
One night two little girls named Sophie and Sue were sitting on the couch in their house watching TV. They were watching a movie that they loved so much. They would watch it almost all the time. The movie was called Dolls. It was one of those movies that is about really scary dolls. The girls loved it. One of the sisters was only five years old, but she loved it anyways. But when there was a really scary part her 15 year old sister would always say, “Okay this is a little too scary for you. Cover your eyes and when I say peek-a-boo you uncover your eyes and the scary part is all over and you can watch it now.”
The girl’s mother did not like how her little five year old Sophie was watching the movie with her older 15 year old girl Sue. But when little Sophie was left out she would be mad at her whole family for weeks!
So that is just how it was. Sophie was with her family all the time! When Sophie was with her mom she would want to be with her when she was cooking dinner. She would want to be with her dad when he was working on the computer. And she would want to be with her sister Sue when she was doing almost anything!
When the movie was over the girls went upstairs to their rooms. Little Sophie started playing with her Barbie dolls. Sue got out her homework from her book bag. Sue sat at her desk and read the math problem. It said, If Sally has 9 gumballs and Molly has 5 times as many as Sally, how many gum balls does Molly have? Sue looked at the problem like it was too easy! She was about to write the answer and show how she did it, but before she did, there was a scream from downstairs.
Sue and little Sophie came rushing down to see what was going on. Their mom was in the kitchen looking at a letter in her hand.
Sue said, “Mom, what is going on! You know that I am trying to do my homework!”
“Yeah!” said Sophie. “I was playing with my dolls. And I WAS TRYING TO MAKE THEM PRETTY!”
“Sorry girls,” said their mom, “I was just really happy because I got a letter in the mail saying that we are going to Paris!” The girls had always wanted to go to Paris.
Then Sue said, “But why?”
“Well it says, Dear Mrs. Goodwell, You have been doing such a good job with your job! So we are going to let you have a little break. And we have got you two tickets to Paris! So we hope you have a good break.”
“Only two tickets!” said Sue. “But we all want to go to Paris!”
“Well I just have to pick one of you to go with me,” said their mom.
“Okay,” said Sue. Then both sisters went back to their room. And they were both very quiet on the way back. A week went by and it was the day that the sisters’ mother would chose the lucky girl to go to Paris with her.
“Okay girls, are you ready to know who is going to Paris with me?”
“Please be me! Please be me! Please be me!” said Sue.
“I made up my mind. It’s... both of you!” said the mother.
“What?”
“But you said...”
The mom said, “I know how much you both want to go to Paris.”
“But Mom, it’s your time and you want to go to Paris too!” said Sue.
“Honey I’m not going because”…
“Yes?”
“I have the flu.”
“Mom, are you okay?” Do you need anything?”
“No, but I can’t go if I have the flu.”
“But who will go with me and Sophie?”
“You are going alone with her.”
“Mom! I can’t go alone with Sophie!”
“Yes you can! It’s okay to go alone when you are fourteen years or older.”
“But Mom where will we go when we get there? I don't think we can get a hotel room alone!”
“I got your Aunt Lucy to come pick you up when you get off the plane. I think you will be okay.” Their mother paused, “But we have to go in -” Their mom looked at her watch and then looked up alarmed. “We have to go NOW!!!”
“Mom we need to go now?!” said Sue.
“YES!! Let's go!” So Sue went up to her room and got into her plane travel clothes.
Then they got into the car and their dad drove them to the airport. The girl's mom had to stay home and rest because of her flu. When they got there the other passengers were all lined up to go on the plane so they had arrived just in time. Sue was very scared to go on a plane all by herself with her little 5 year old sister.
The plane ride was very long. It took them about 6 hours and 42 minutes! When they got there the girls were both sleeping and when the other people on the plane started standing in the line to get out, Sue woke up and she woke little Sophie up. When Sophie woke she was very cranky because of the long, long plane ride.
When the girls got off the plane, there was the aunt standing there. She was wearing a long purple dress that went down to her feet. She looked very old and she did not look like she was very happy to meet the girls for the first time. Sue and Sophie had never seen their aunt so this was their first time meeting.
“So... you must be our aunt?”
“Yes, I am,” Lucy snapped back.
“Okay, hi Aunt Lucy,” said Sue, “Do you have any strollers that I could use for Sophie? She is really tired and she might need something to sit down in.”
“I don’t.”
Then Sue bent down to her little sister and said, “Okay, you can walk all by yourself right?”
“Yes if it does not take too long” said Sophie.
Aunt Lucy said, “Sophie how long will it take to get to the car?”
“What car?”
“We are walking” said Lucy. And the walk will take about an hour.
“What?” said Sue.
“HEY!” said Lucy “Do you want to meet my daughter!?”
“No,” said Sue.
Then all was very quiet. Then when they got there, the girls were so tired from the long plane ride and the long walk, that they could not even stand any more until they saw the house.
“This is your house?” Sue asked.
“You live in a castle!!!” said little Sophie.
And it was true. The girls were standing in front of a castle.
“Yes this a castle. It has been in the family for years,” said Lucy.
“Then why did we not know about this?’’ said Sue.
“Your mom never told you?”
“No.”
“That is very strange.”
“Does that mean that our mom lived here?”
“Oh no, we would just use it as a place for other people to stay. Our house is right next to it.” Aunt Lucy pointed to the left side of the castle and there it was a little house.
“Oh so we will be staying in the castle for the week?”
“Yes, you are.” They all went into the castle.
“Why are you coming with us?” said Sue.
“It is my house now because I can't live with my parents anymore,” said Lucy.
Then a woman came up to little Sophie and Sue to show them their rooms. When the girls saw the room they were in love with it. It had two queen sized beds on each side of the room. The beds had light pink blankets on them. In the middle of the room there was a big window that had light pink curtains on it. Then on the right side of the room there was a nightstand that had a little doll house on it with a doll sitting right next to the dollhouse. Then on the left side of the room there was a nightstand that had a books on it. The room was the best for them.
Sophie took the side that had the doll things and started to play with them. Sue took the side that had the books. Sue looked at some of the books and most of them were about how to fight ghosts. Sue did not know why they wanted books about ghosts on a book stand. She thought it was a little too creepy. Then the girls heard a knock on the door. Sue went over to the door and opened it. It was the lady who showed them to the room.
“Hello,” said Sue.
“Hello it is time for dinner. Follow me.”
“Okay.” Then Sue got Sophie and they went with the lady. As they were walking Sue asked why there were so many books about ghosts.
“Because of Lucy's daughter…. her daughter died and now she is a… ghost.”
‘What that is not right! Ghosts aren't real.”
“Yes they are… if you want to find her bring the books and go out of the room without me or your aunt.”
“What do you mean when you say if I go alone I will be able to find the ghost?”
“The house is not safe if you are not in your room or with someone like me or you aunt.”
“Yes, but that is the part I don’t understand.”
“Well we have learned how to fight ghosts with the books that you have on the nightstand.”
“Oh so are you saying that you know all this stuff about fighting ghosts and since you know what to do when a ghost is coming and you can just fight that ghost?”
“Yes that is it.”
“And how long did it take you to learn all the ways of fighting a ghost?”
“Oh it took years and years to learn all the stuff you need to know about ghost fighting.”
“Well did you-?”
“We are here. You cannot talk about this when your aunt is around. She does not like it.”
“Okay,” said Sue.
Then both girls sat there at the big table with their aunt. They did not talk at all. All they did was eat their carrot soup. When they were done one of the maids sent the two sisters back to their rooms. Then the maid locked the door to the room leaving the girls locked inside. Sophie did not notice but when they had to go to the bathroom Sue did not know what to do. But then the girls saw another door and that door was a door to the bathroom. The girls did not have time to pack anything when they left so the only things that they put in a bag was a toothbrush, hairbrush, toothpaste, and one of Sophie’s dolls. So then the girl’s brushed their hair and teeth then went to bed. Then Sue got a nightgown that was hanging from the closet. Sue put one on Sophie too. The nightgown that she found for Sophie fit her very well but the one that she found for herself was a little big.
When Sue got up it was like someone had been in the room because some of the things were in another place then they were the night before. But Sue just thought that she was going crazy because she thought that there might have been a ghost. Sue looked at the other side of the room and saw her little sister still sleeping. Sue thought she would wait until Sophie woke up. While she was waiting, Sue made her bed and picked out some new clothes from the closet. She also got some clothes for Sophie. Then Sue went into the bathroom and put her hair in a bun.
Sophie was still not up, so Sue read one of the ghost-fighting books and thought that was really full of all this stuff about fighting ghosts. By the time she was done with the book, Sophie had woken up. Sue put the book away on the nightstand. Next, she helped Sophie put her clothes on. Sophie asked Sue when they could leave their room.
Sue said, “When someone comes and knocks on the door.”
“How long will that take?” Sophie asked.
“I don’t know,” replied Sue. Sue thought that they had to get out of the room soon, but one hour passed. Sue decided to jump out of the window. As she walked over to the window, she saw a reflection, but it wasn’t hers! The reflection started to talk, it said, “Help me,” in a whisper-like voice. Sue was scared, but she could tell the reflection needed help. It also kind of looked like her.
Then the ghost said, “I’m your cousin Carol. Your aunt Lucy is my mother. I died in a horrible accident. I fell out of a window. This window. Don’t jump!”
Sue just stood there with her mouth open, and noticed that Sophie was now beside her and listening to the reflection too.
Carol said, “I need your help telling my mother that the accident was not her fault. It was just an accident. Accidents happen.”
Sue said, in a shaky voice, “Why can’t you just tell her?”
“She won’t listen. She’s fighting me. She thinks I’m a ghost trying scare her,” said Carol.
“But you can help me by going to the garden with your Aunt Lucy and telling her that the accident wasn’t her fault!” Carol said excitedly.
Sue replied, “How will she know that it was you talking to us?”
Carol explained that she had a very special way of kissing her mom. She would first kiss her right cheek then her left cheek, next her nose, and finally her forehead. Last she would say, “I love you very much.”
“If you do this she will know you talked to me and that you are telling the truth,” explained Carol.
“We can do that for you.” said Sue.
“Thank you!” said Carol, “I know that will help my mom.”
Then there was a loud knocking on the door. Sue and Sophie jumped and screamed because the knock was so loud. It also made Carol’s reflection disappear. The door opened and it was Aunt Lucy.
“Time to work in the garden,” she barked.
Once they got to the garden, Sue said, “Can I talk to you?”
“What do you want?” Aunt Lucy said meanly. Sue didn’t know what to say so she just looked directly into Aunt Lucy’s eyes and walked closer to her. She was very scared but she just kept moving slowly and she lovingly kissed Aunt Lucy on the right cheek, left cheek, nose, and forehead. Aunt Lucy started to cry.
Sue said, “Carol talked to us this morning. She said she loves you very much and that the accident wasn’t your fault. It was just an accident.”
Then Aunt Lucy hugged Sue and Sophie and apologized for being so mean. As they were hugging, Sue could feel Carol joining in on the hug. From that point on Aunt Lucy realized that the strange things going on in the castle were just Carol’s spirit trying to find a way of saying that the accident was not Aunt Lucy’s fault. Aunt Lucy was like a new person and had an extravagant, loving visit with her nieces Sue and Sophie.
The End.
