The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
By: Katie Alender
There was a pause, and then Maria scampered down the stairs and over to Florence’s enclosure. She reached down and, with one grand swipe of her arm, made a break in the salt line.
Together they ran back to Janie’s unconscious body, and with Florence’s help, picked my sister up off the floor.
“Come on,” Nurse Carlson said. “Through the kitchen.”
But as they started down the hall, Rosie and Posie, in their matching nightgowns, came running from that direction. “The kitchen’s burning!” one of them cried.
“We’ll go through the lobby,” Penitence said. “It’s farther, but perhaps it’s not on fire yet.”
I followed close behind as the ghosts carried my sister through the main hall. Smoke had begun to seep through the doors and swell in dark clouds near the ceiling. The air was warm.
“Hurry, ladies,” Nurse Carlson urged. “Don’t lag. Almost there now.”
The door between the lobby and hall had been restored—probably when the black flames had been extinguished—and my parents were on the other side, struggling to break the lock.
“Set her down, quickly!” Nurse Carlson ordered. Gently, the four ghosts lowered Janie to the floor. Penitence turned the bolt and my parents rushed through. Mom knelt by Janie and felt for a pulse.
“She’s breathing!” Mom shouted.
Without wasting a moment, Dad scooped Janie into his arms, and he and Mom raced out the front doors.
“Let’s go,” Penitence said. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
She, the nurse, and Florence started to follow my parents, but Maria stayed put.
“Maria!” Penitence called. “Come on!”
“But there are more ghosts,” Maria said. “Lots more. On the third floor. They’re trapped. Or they think they are. We need to go help them.”
Penitence came and crouched in front of her. “My dear, they’ll be all right. We’re all going to be all right. But we might as well not be inside the house. We might as well save ourselves the pain.”
Maria’s stubborn chin jutted up toward her mother. “I’m not afraid of pain,” she said. “I think being scared is worse than being hurt. I’m sorry, Mother. I’m going back. You can come if you like.”
Penitence hesitated, then nodded and took hold of the little hand. And as they headed back into the hallway, Nurse Carlson turned and followed them as well.
Florence stood in the doorway, her hair flowing wildly behind her, looking strangely lost. She was a ghost without a cause, dazed by her sudden freedom. Even her hatred was useless to her at this point.
With a start, I noticed a person running from outside into the lobby. Theo. He stopped in front of Florence.
“Does anyone inside need help?” he asked.
She stared at him, still dazed, and then suddenly woke up. “I think so,” she said. “On the third floor.”
“Then come on,” he said to her. And they both went after the others.
“You all right?” Eliza’s voice startled me. She hadn’t left my side the whole time, but I’d been too focused on Janie to notice. “Of course you are. Now, let’s go see your family.”
We walked outside, the building smoking behind us.
My parents were loading Janie into the backseat of Dad’s car. Mom climbed in with her, while Dad got into the driver’s seat.
Without thinking, I sprinted over and hurled myself into the car.
To be honest, I didn’t expect it to work. But I landed neatly on the front passenger seat.
As we drove down the driveway, I was in shock.
The force that had bound me to the house was gone, so I was free. I could go anywhere I wanted. A dream I hadn’t even dared to dream was coming true.
I was going to go home with my family.
I turned and looked back at the house, where Penitence, Maria, Florence, Theo, and Nurse Carlson were shepherding out small groups of ghosts, most of them in gray Piven Institute nightgowns. Eliza stood next to them, watching me go.
I waved good-bye to her.
Then I turned to look over at my family. Janie coughed, Mom stroked my sister’s face, and Dad drove like he was in a police chase. We were fifty feet from the gate.
Time slowed down.
In the wind from the open window, Mom’s hair moved through the air in slow motion, like a beautiful jellyfish. My father leaned back in his seat and began to reach back to pat Janie’s hand. I ached with love for them.
Finally, I could be happy again. I could live out my days at home. They would never forget me.
Janie knew I existed now. She would talk to me, and …
And try to look for me. Try to reach me.
Every day of her life, she would spend in constant longing, trying to communicate with someone who would always be just out of her reach. She would sense me, dream about me … It would consume her, an ever-present reminder of the worst thing that had ever happened to her.