Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around
by Lynne Phillips
The caretaker’s gnarled fingers
turned the brass key and pushed the heavy door open.
“The old house has been empty for
decades. Albert left after the unfortunate accident with his wife and son.”
Henry followed him through the door,
staring up at the high entrance and sweeping staircase. “Is that where the
accident happened?”
“Yes, most unfortunate it was. The
boy was climbing on the stair rail and fell. His mother tried to stop him
falling and fell too. Both died the minute they hit the tiles below. Albert was
never the same again. He locked up the place and left us as caretakers. We’ve
done our best to look after it.”
A shiver ran down Henry’s spine. His
mother would say someone walked over his grave. He tried to shake off the
thought; he was lucky to inherit such a grand house.
“You know, you look a lot like your
uncle.” The caretaker’s voice echoed in the entrance hall.
“I’ve been told that before, but I
never met him. He was always travelling abroad.”
“There’s a portrait over there,
check for yourself.”
Henry looked at the stern man whose
eyes stared back.
“I hope I don’t look as scary, but I
can see the similarity.”
“I’ll leave you to look around. The wife has
cleaned everything except the attic. There’s food in the fridge and a generous
wine cellar.”
The old house held many treasures.
Henry explored every room. The attic was locked, and he couldn’t find the key.
He wandered over to the caretaker’s cottage. Maisie, the caretaker’s wife,
wiped her hands on her apron.
“Albert locked it after the accident
and gave me the key. He said evil was locked away, so I never opened it.” She
handed Henry a heavy brass key.
The attic was empty except for a teddy bear
covered with dust.
“I had one like this as a child. I
wonder if this belonged to my cousin.” Henry dusted it off and pulled the cord
in the bear’s tummy.
“Teddy
bear, teddy bear turn around, teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground........”
The jingle made Henry laugh. “Come
on old chap, you don’t want to be locked away here on your own.”
Henry placed the bear beside his bed
and went to the pub for dinner, coming home late. His head spun.
“I think I drank too much.”
He fumbled around in the dark and
fell onto the bed fully clothed.
“I
saw you push him.” Henry woke with a start.
“I
saw you push them”
The room had an eerie red glow.
Henry realised it was the bear’s eyes.
“Albert,
I saw you push them both down the stairs.”
“No, you’re mistaken. I’m Henry, not
Albert.”
The bear floated towards Henry. “I saw you. He loved me.”
In his drunken stupor, Henry backed away from
the bear’s baleful glare. He stumbled out the door and fell backward down the
stairs, his neck broken.
Wowwww!
ReplyDeleteWow!! Nicely done, Lynne. I liked this a lot. Way to go :)
ReplyDelete