A Sunny Spell

A Sunny Spell


“I’ll do the brasses today” whispered Dolly to Ada “Seeing as your thumb is still sore from yesterday”

“Oh thanks love that will be grand” Ada replied.

Suddenly the door flew open and in swept Large Marge with her broom.

“We haven’t got all day girls, its Sunday you know, they’ll be back from Church in an hour and you know what that means?”

“Yeah sorry Marge we’re just planning on the next move” squeaked Ada.

“What move? We’ve been doing it for weeks. First the floors, then the doors, then the brasses and silver and finally the ……..”

“Laundry” interrupted Dolly.

“Exactly” said Marge “so let’s roll”

They all three shuffled off to do their duties and finally all arrived in the laundry around the same time, hearing voices from upstairs indicating the family had returned and by the sounds of things had brought the Vicar back for Sunday lunch.

“I hear Vicars are tasty for Sunday lunch this time of year” giggled Ada.
“Ssshh they’ll hear you.” hissed Large Marge.

“I have heard a rumour about this place being a spooky and weird things happening in it” whispered Dolly

“Oh not again” said Ada.

“But I have” insisted Dolly. They proceeded to fold crisp bed sheets and table cloths nicely starched ready for the hot iron that Large Marge was wielding.

“Go on then tell us it’ll pass the time of day” moaned Marge as she took the hot iron off the fire.

“Well it’s a Bavarian spell cast on this place in the year 1886” Dolly spoke in a very matter of fact like manner.

“Are you sure of the year?” Ada asked.

“Quite sure because it’s the year a Bavarian nobleman died”. She replied.

“Who the devil was he then? I’ve never heard of him” asked Large Marge.

“No neither have I” said Ada.

“He was a rich man who lived in the 1800’s and allegedly he was totally off his rocker” answered Dolly. She pulled at her shawl to try and straighten it but failed and managed to untie her apron strings in the process. “Now look what I’ve done” she said getting agitated.

The door of the room swung open and an icy draught blew the window shut. All three women stopped dead in their tracks. They were shivering, yet it was summer. A picture on the wall began to swing. On the mantelpiece an ornament fell to the floor smashing on impact. They were all very pale and unable to speak. Ada looked terrified. Marge just beamed and shook her head. Ada stood shaking from head to toe.

The icy blast vanished and Marge began at once to clear away the broken ornament.
“What was that?” asked Ada in a very shaky voice.

“Oh that was our friendly ghost just popped into say hello, he’ll be back again later no doubt to finish the job” laughed Marge.

“What job?” croaked Ada “It’s coming back?”

“Usually” answered Marge.

“What, err where, errr a ghost!” stammered Dolly who could barely make a sentence.

“Oh don’t worry about it, Dolly, he won’t hurt you.” Marge said calmly “He’s only a boy who likes to play tricks. He died here about a hundred years ago. He fell off the roof. No one really knows what happened to him, maybe he was pushed and that’s why he can’t rest”

“Oh that’s awful” cried Dolly clutching her face.

“Come on Dolly get on with your story, I’m sure this boy won’t hurt us, we’ve not done anything to upset him. Or have we?” asked Ada looking directly at Marge, who was on her second piece of ironing.

Marge shook her head slowly. “No we’ve not upset him, no one upsets him. He just pops in from time to time, plays his silly games and departs. He usually comes back though to annoy me.”

Marge was quite a lot taller than the other two ladies and much wider in girth also. She liked her bread pudding made with goose fat and it showed. Her voice boomed when she needed to and therefore she’d got the job of the head cleaner in the Big House nine years before. Dolly and Ada were good friends and had started work together at the Big House only a few weeks earlier. Ada was twelve years older than Dolly and had slightly more greying hair than her friend.

“I’m not happy about this ghost” Dolly shook with fright.

“Come on now“ said Large Marge “I’ve been here nine years and he’s never done me any harm. He just breaks things and then I have to clean up after him. He’s just mischievous”

“He’s a poltergeist” said Ada

“I suppose he is” said Marge chuckling. “Mmmmm. I suppose he is! Forget about him, he’s harmless, honest, you are quite safe.”

“Are you sure?” Quivered Dolly

“Positive” Marge said in a very convincing way.

“So please tell us Dolly what do you know about this spell?” Inquired Ada

“Oh yes this spell. Well it is to do with Summer Solstice” Dolly said a little uncertain.

“What’s that then? A new Bank holiday?” asked Ada

“Don’t be daft Ada, we all know what Bank Holidays are, don’t we?” Large Marge boomed. Both ladies laughed, nodded and proceeded to fold large sheets.

“I’m not sure what it means but Bert the Gardener told me last week it’s to do with the sun on Midsummer’s day” Dolly said uneasily, starting to flounder with this conversation.

“So what’s the mysterious spell?” Asked Ada.

“It’s to prevent people cleaning the sundial in the rose garden” said Dolly

“What nonsense” retorted Large Marge replacing the iron on the coals. “It’s true, believe me it’s true, anyone breaking it would have this spell cast on them and it can’t be broken”

“Stuff and nonsense” muttered Marge reaches for her second hot iron. Ada pushed her glasses back up her nose and twiddled with her headscarf while Dolly blew her nose as she was allergic to dust.

Dolly replaced her handkerchief inside her pinny pocket and assisted with the folding again. “I can’t believe in rubbish like that” snapped Large Marge.

“No I’m a bit dubious” said Ada. “Sundials are usually bronze and need buffing up now and then”

“We could always find out whether it’s true or not by trying it” said Large Marge spitting on her iron.

“How?” chorused the other two.

“I don’t know, we’ll ask Bert what he knows and then wait ‘til Midsummer’s Day” said Large Marge in a relaxed manner.

“I’m not sure whether we should dabble in things we don’t know about” said Dolly anxiously.

“There’s only one way to prove it works or if it’s a hoax and that means finding out more” said Marge defiantly.

“Agreed?” she asked in a very persuasive mood.

“Mmmm" agreed” said Ada “We’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Ok, all for one and one for all again I suppose” Dolly said sheepishly.

Bert was a great help and explained a few things. They all sat in the large greenhouse amongst lovely smelling fragrances of flowers that he so loving grew in there and listened intently as he chose his words carefully as he told them the story he had known for years about Midsummer’s’ Day.

When the day arrived they were brimming with excitement.

“Ok” said Marge. “We know what we’ve to do. Find the place in the garden where the sun will go down and watch it and then that’ll be that won’t it girls?”

“Yep” said Ada happily. “Yes Marge it’s as simple as that”.

“Mmmm” but a few people have said ‘don’t look over the wall at the sun’ haven’t they?” replied Dolly, not so convinced but being the smallest, shortest and youngest of the three had to follow their example.

Just as the sun started to fall behind the trees they wandered out in the garden knowing they wouldn’t be long and wouldn’t be missed as the family had gone to Church for the evening Service, with it being Sunday after all.

Marge said “I can’t see over that wall, can you?”

They both answered “No” as they were both shorter than Large Marge.

“I’ll stand on the bird bath, give me hand please” So they helped her up and tried to keep her steady but her huge girth made her wobble as the bird bath really wasn’t a suitable place for a large lady to be standing.

“I’m wobbling, get me something to steady me with please” so Ada passed her, her broom. “No it’s no good I’m going to fall, we’ll have to find another vantage point”.

Ada looked around as Dolly helped Marge off her pedestal.

What about the sundial, it’s big and flat, maybe we can all stand on that?” shouted Ada with excitement.

So they all walked over to the sundial.

“Help me up” heaved Marge as she tried to get her leg up onto the sundial. Both Ada and Dolly assisted Marge up onto the platform by giving her and extra push to get her legs up there. Ada passed Marge her broom to help balance her. They climbed up after her and stood peering over the wall.

“Ahh that’s much better” said Marge with a smile.

Dolly whispered to Ada “I don’t like this, I’ve got goose pimples on my neck” and at that moment a Raven landed on Marge’s broom.

“Get off you pesky thing” boomed Marge trying to stay upright on the sundial. At that precise moment the sun started to disappear. Marge squeaked “Oh quick look the sun is setting its lovely”

The other two glanced over the wall, all holding onto each other to balance, Marge waving her broom slightly to move the Raven on. Just as the sun was setting all three of them stood in awe, it was a beautiful sight. The Raven squawked loudly and flew away and at that precise moment all three women were turned to stone and never moved another muscle again.

They had all witnessed the spell arising from the sun and the spell had been cast.

They are still in the garden today, but the Big House was sold several years later and is now part of a University Campus. Many merry students come and go and adorn them with various items of clothing in winter to keep them warm.

No one knows why they are there or who they were as the mystery of them turning to stone has been lost in time. But scholars love them and have christened them ‘The Cleaners’.