Mary D - A Christmas Story
Mary D – A Christmas Story by Ghia Cooley
Transcript
Hello, Merry Christmas.
2
:This is Ghia with the creative,
spiritual journey podcast.
3
:I'm here with a bonus episode,
which is not our usual content.
4
:So if you are new here, Please check
out one of our other episodes to
5
:see what our podcast is all about.
6
:It has been my goal for quite some
time now to write a short Christmas
7
:story every year and to send it
out to my friends and family.
8
:Because all of you are now my friends.
9
:I thought I would share one with you.
10
:Turns out.
11
:It was a Victorian tradition to
read ghost stories at Christmas.
12
:Think of Charles Dickens and his
famous ghost story, a Christmas Carol.
13
:Thus the inspiration for this short story.
14
:Mary D.
15
:Bye Ghia Cooley.
16
:There are a fair, many
stories told about ghosts.
17
:But this one being told by the
ghost is out of the ordinary shore.
18
:I was home bacon for the family
th,:
19
:When fire gutted our flat.
20
:Killing me straight out.
21
:The place was Washington
Heights, Manhattan, New York,
22
:fourth floor of a tenement.
23
:I'd been born and raised in the slums
of the lower east side, being the best.
24
:My parents, as Irish
immigrants could afford.
25
:The new flat had been a grand
stepping up and all because me,
26
:man and boys had found good work.
27
:They were at it when the fire took me.
28
:Oh, sure.
29
:That's the way of it.
30
:Our treasure was gone.
31
:Finding myself in spirit forum was queer.
32
:Strange.
33
:I could have left the flat and
gone anywhere, but supposedly
34
:family would return after repairs.
35
:I hung around the place waiting.
36
:There was a thing I wanted done, and I
thought I could persuade me man, to do it.
37
:By the time I realized
he would never return.
38
:I couldn't bring myself
to leave the place.
39
:Lots of tenants came and went,
but I wasn't about haunting them.
40
:Not exactly meaning I never materialized
in the middle of the night with
41
:sunken eyes or the like, The fire
caused deep sorrow shore, but I'd
42
:never spit it out on other folks.
43
:I have been known to toss plastic flowers
on the floor, not liking them at all.
44
:And I might have caused the faucet to run.
45
:If the dishes needed Washington.
46
:I like my flat tidy.
47
:But that's it mostly.
48
:Still may flat got a
reputation as being haunted.
49
:It had been empty for months.
50
:No one wanting a haunted flat But
early October, Kate and her little
51
:Emily moved in willing to take the
flat for considerable discount.
52
:I liked them right off with
their good old Irish names.
53
:Sure.
54
:Emily was mostly at
school during the days.
55
:And Kate recently put off her man was
working from home as a journalist.
56
:It was only a week before Kate stormed
the building manager's office, demanding
57
:to know the name of who died in the flat.
58
:If we're going to live together,
I want to know who it is.
59
:The manager searched the records
and named me as Mary Doyle.
60
:Is that you, Mary D Kate asked the next
time she found herself with goosebumps.
61
:I was pleased to be called by my name.
62
:And I sent a warm breeze
to sooth her census.
63
:It worked for, she calmed mightily.
64
:In my opinion, both mother and daughter
spent too much time staring at all
65
:manner of computers, pads, and phones.
66
:Uh, body's got to move.
67
:But truth be told I did take a
Gander over their shoulders now.
68
:And again.
69
:It caused Kate and Emily, all kinds of
shivers, but they put up with it shore.
70
:A grand thing, because when I
found Kate frequenting, a site
71
:called ancestry, I was intrigued.
72
:She was searching out
people from the old country.
73
:I might have helped her
find a few things here.
74
:And again, You know, just a
point in the right direction.
75
:I could always tell when she was catching
my drift because her nose would Twitch
76
:and she would say, Is that you, Mary D.
77
:When Kate came across the name of manana.
78
:She shrieked at the chill.
79
:I sat down her spine.
80
:It was an accident.
81
:Sure.
82
:Could you blame me?
83
:K tonight.
84
:We're from the same Irish tree.
85
:It was brilliant.
86
:Kate even found me name and likeness.
87
:That's when I got thinking, Kate
could help me with what I've been
88
:needing, done all these years.
89
:But how to get her to do it.
90
:Sending little hints while she
was on the computer was one thing.
91
:But getting her out of her chair
was another, I tried pushing, of
92
:course my hand went right through.
93
:Then I worked on the water
pipes, creating an eerie sound.
94
:Not now, Mary D I'm busy was all I got.
95
:It took a donkey's years of scratching
at the floorboards before she
96
:finally ordered a box of mouse traps.
97
:Not what I was going for.
98
:Sure.
99
:But it got the job done.
100
:When Kate began looking around the
floorboards for a place to put the
101
:traps, she found the hole where Milaca
had fallen all those years before.
102
:It took some doing to get it out.
103
:But once in hand, Kate excitedly
called Emily to come see
104
:together, they opened the lock.
105
:It.
106
:May likeness was inside along
with two, we locks of hair.
107
:One read like me mans the other
brown, because it was mine Across from
108
:the likeness I had written Shanna,
rd,:
109
:Emily stared at the name
who's that she asked.
110
:No idea.
111
:Kate said, let's see what we can find out.
112
:Kate was wasting no
time ordering DNA kits.
113
:Again, not what I was expecting.
114
:DNA, be a new to myself.
115
:But as I learned from reading over her
shoulder, it would more than do the job.
116
:I thought I might go, barmy
waiting for the test results.
117
:I paced the flat Roman from room to room.
118
:Kate and Emily quite used
to me now often commented.
119
:Mary D must be here.
120
:My spidey senses are tingling.
121
:It was Christmas Eve when
Kate called from her computer.
122
:Emily come quick.
123
:The test results are here.
124
:Emily.
125
:And I were both at her shoulder
as she opened the message.
126
:Mom.
127
:The hair was from a mother and daughter.
128
:Emily said looking up at Kate who frowned.
129
:The records don't show that Mary had a
girl, Kate said as she clicked through
130
:the ancestry site, but she did mom.
131
:The hair proves it.
132
:Kate had tears in her eyes.
133
:It's true, Emily.
134
:It's true.
135
:The little thing must have died
in the fire with her mother.
136
:On the family page, Kate typed
Shannon, Catherine Doyle, November
137
:3rd to December 24th, 1912.
138
:I swirled about Kate and Emily
doing my best to fill them with the
139
:overwhelming love and appreciation.
140
:I felt.
141
:My girl's life had been recorded.
142
:What a gift.
143
:And with that done.
144
:I knew I could finally leave the flat.
145
:Upon departing.
146
:Kate's nose twitched.
147
:As I gifted her with the old Irish saying.
148
:Until we meet again, may God hold
you in the hollow of his hand.
149
:And then I added as a whisper.
150
:Farewell and happy Christmas.
