(When you haven’t got time to write your own blog posts so you steal your 12 year old daughter’s story 😜)

One snowy Christmas Eve, in the heart of the forest, an old abandoned castle stood, slowly being consumed by moss and mould, desperate for civilisation to inhabit it once again. No one ever dared to come near the rotting building due to ancient folklore that had been passed on through generations. It was said that anyone who even saw a glimpse of the castle never came back. Well, I say no one visited. Every Christmas Eve, a pale girl who wore a frilly, grey frock would venture down to greet the castle like an old friend. She would trudge through the snow, never leaving footprints. Thorns and branches would attack her, never leaving scars. Wild wolves would furiously howl at her, never causing her fear.

The girl was extremely similar to a ghost due to her inability to be injured or frightened, but on the outside she was made of flesh. She lived and breathed like everyone else. And, just like everyone else, she felt. She had felt joy. She had felt sorrow. She had felt elation. She had felt grief. Yet, now she was alone. Forever searching…..

On the journey to the castle, the girl in grey would always pass through a grim graveyard where she would come to an abrupt halt. Standing in front of the crumbling headstone, with nothing etched upon it but a date from long ago. The girl knew that the coffin beneath the soil on which she stood contained nothing but a black dress. No remains. No bones. No corpse. Just a black dress. And the girl had vowed to never stop searching for the owner of the black dress. Hearing evil wraiths in the shadows, the girl was untroubled as she stepped lightly between the gravestones whilst she followed her familiar path.

The castle in the distance grew gradually closer. The welcoming outline comforted her. Warm memories came flooding back. The girl began to smile but then stopped dead. Something had caught her eye. In the upstairs bedroom, just as in happier times, a candle flickered. The girl in grey lowered her gaze.

Slowly, the door handle turned and out emerged her mother. The woman in black.