Charis Cotter - The Dollhouse: A Ghost Story

The train rumbled through the gathering dusk. Every so often it gave a long, mournful hoot that echoed through the countryside. I shivered. Our house was near the railway tracks in the city, and I had always loved hearing that lonely, haunting sound when I lay safe and warm in bed at night. But it was very different to be inside the whistling train, in the very heart of that desolate cry, hurtling into an unknown future with my mother sitting rigid beside me, tears falling in a steady stream down her face.

We had been on the train for five hours. I first noticed that she was crying somewhere in the middle of hour one, and her tears had been ebbing and flowing ever since. Every now and then I reached out and gave her hand a squeeze, and shed come out of it for a moment, shaking away the tears impatiently and wiping at her face with the handkerchief she kept gripped in her fist. Im all right, she would say. Im fine.

But a little while later, when I turned back to her from the hypnotic view of houses, trees and roads, the tears were slipping down her face again, and her eyes looked far away at something that was not visible to me.

It was all wrong. Tonight we were supposed to be in a rental cottage with Dad by a small lake far to the north of the city. Wed arranged for me to get out of school a week early because these two weeks were the only time he could get off work. He traveled a lot, and lately it seemed like we hardly ever saw him. We hadnt had a summer holiday together for years, and we were all looking forward to it. At least, I thought we were. Yesterday when I came home from school, charging happily into the kitchen, bubbling over with that fizzy schools-over feeling, I ran smack into a big fight.

Mom was yelling, Its the last straw, Stephen, I wont take it anymore, and he was shrugging his shoulders and saying calmly, What can I do, its my job, and then Mom started yelling again. If you loved us, you would make this holiday happen, the way you promised. You never keep your promises to me or to Alice, and I told you, if you let us down this time, I was leaving. Thats it. Then she turned and saw me, standing at the door with my heavy knapsack full of everything Id cleaned out of my desk from the year at school: notebooks and books and markers and colored pencils.

Alice, she said, her face crumbling, Im sorry, honey, were not going to the cottage. Your dad cant make it so none of us are going.

I looked from one to the other.

Dad?Mom?

Im sorry, Ally. Im really sorry, but I absolutely have to be in LA tomorrow. It came up at the last minute

It always comes up at the last minute, yelled my mom. I warned you, and as always, you didnt listen. Were done.

Done? I said in a squeaky voice.

Im leaving you, Stephen, said my mom. And Im taking Alice with me.

My knapsack fell to the floor with a thud.

For goodness sake, Ellie, dont be so dramatic, said my dad.

She shook her head, tears falling, and picked up the telephone.

Who are you calling? he demanded.

The Wilsons. Im canceling the cottage.

What are you talking about? Well lose our deposit! You and Alice can still go.

My mother spoke remarkably calmly into the telephone.

This is Ellie Greene. Im calling to cancel our booking at the cottage. Theres been a family emergency. Please call me back when you get this message. She hung up the phone just as my father lurched toward her to try and grab it.

Its done, Stephen, she said. Go to LA. Alice and I will not be here when you get back.