Mrs Wright and the Milific.

                                                     The Milific

Mrs Wright & The Milific.

Mrs Wright wiz on her wye tae the care hame at Strocherie. She wiz a fyowe days aff o aichtytwa an here she wiz in an ambulance heedin for a new adventure. She didna wint tae gyang intae a hame but it wiz wi the insistence o her son and his wife that she agreed in the hinner eyn. She felt that wi a bittie o help she could’ve workit awa but her gweed dochter wiz een o yon control freaks aat fowk spik aboot. She ruled her son wi a rod o iron an he wid’ve steed on yer tap lip if ye said onything like aat aboot her. As it wiz, her loon wiz only alloot tae visit her but eence the fortnicht an aat for jist haaf an oor. Aifter aat time wiz by, the wee mobile phone thing he ayee cairriet wid start bleepin like a klaxon. Oh and he’d get fair vrocht up wi his een dancin in his heed like bools. E’d flee awa wi a quick peck at her chik and wi- “I’ll see ye next time!” he’d be awa like the haimmers o hell.

That wiz kyna the reason she’d agreed tae gyang tae the hame. At least in the hame he widnae be under ony obleegement tae gang an see his mither so he could spenn aa his time on his control freak o a wife. The ither reason she’d agreed wiz that the cooncil nott her hoose because it hid three bedrooms. There wisna ony “pensioners hoosies” noo-a-days. Young single eens were gettin them aa so a hame it hid tae be. Ess growein aal cairryon wiz a bit o a bugger.

Mrs Wright arrived at the hame and wiz left sittin at reception file a lassie gid awa tae find the staff nursie. She’d a gweed look aroon her new abode. It wiz a bonny clean place an tae the front o her she could see some lassies standin ahin a widden coonter lookin at computer things and laachin an jokin wi eenanither.

‘Ae me but tae be that age again.’ thocht Mrs Wright.

“Mrs Wright?” She looked up and saa an affa bonny lassie lookin doon at her.

“Hi I’m staff nurse Mair! I’ll tak you up to your room.”

The nursie teen her wee bag an wi the eese o her zimmer frame, Mrs Wright follaet the nurse tae her room. It wisna a big space ava but it hid a bed alang ae waa, a wee table an a chest o draaers an a wardrobe alang the ither. Ere wiz a windae in the back waa that looked ower the roof o anither bit o the building. She wid even hae her ain lavvie throwe a doorie on the richt.

‘A bonny wee room richt eneuch’ thocht Mrs Wright.

The nursie teen oot her clyes fae her wee bag and hid aathing squarred awa in nae time.

“Would you like to come through to the common room for a cuppie o tea Mrs Wright?”

There wiz a puckle ithers in the common room but maist o them were noddin in their seats. She got a cuppie o tay but didna like it ower muckle because it wiz jist a tay bag squeezed instead o masked in a taypot the wey she did it at hame. But ach well she’d hae tae get eesed tae change. She wiz richt fine trickit wi the funcy seat she’d gotten. It wiz richt fine an saft wi big cushions an pressin a haanle garred it lean ye back or it wid caa ye forrit so that ye could staan up easier. Wi her getting the local cooncil tae pey maist o the bills she could nivver hae affoorded sic a seat.

A fyowe o the workers cam inaboot tae introduce themsels and she thocht that they aa appeared tae be affa fine fowk.

The mait wiz gran, made in their ain kitchen so it wiz aye fresh an pipin hett.. She teen macaroni and cheese for supper an it wiz jist the wye she liked it wi a drappie o mustard in the cheese sauce. Alang w’t she got hame made chips and by the taste o them they werena fried in yon horrible ile but in rale beef drippin. Oh michty, it wiz affa fine.

That nicht at bedtime instead o her haein tae struggle wi the zimmer they jist hurrled her throwe tae her room in the funcy seat. Somebody hid rigged up a wee t.v. for her so she sat a fylie and watched Eastenders. Een o the nursies cam in and showed her how tae gyang throwe the stations and she wiz fair amazed at the amoont o stations ye could get. At hame her ain t.v. only hid only haen five stations but it wiz rented and hid been pitten back. “Ae me sic adventures!”

The first nicht she didna sleep affa weel for thinkin and she supposed it wiz wi it bein a different bed. In the hinner eyn she fell awa tae sleep but jist as she did she could’ve sworn she saa the shape o somebody sittin in the cheer. The neist mornin she wiz teen throwe for her brakfast. She’d plum tomatoes, sausages and a poached egg on toast. Michty it wiz jist gran.. She teen a wee bit o the scunners though fin she watched some o the ithers being fed and them spittin oot haaf chaad mait the wye they did. Aifter brakfast een o the carer quines cam tae tak the dishes awa and speired at her if she’d like tae gyang throwe tae the day room.

Whit a bonny view she got o the gairden fae the windae. The fine warm sun wiz bleezin in the windae makkin her feel a bittie sleepy. She’d been noddin awa haaf atween sleep and awaak fin she’d the funny feelin that somebody wiz staanin aside her.

Thinkin it wiz een o the staff she looked up and saa the coorsest face she’d ivver seen. It wiz an aal wifie and she wiz girnin at her. Mrs Wright skirled oot o her and the evil face disappeared as the staff ran throwe tae see fit wiz wrang. Mrs Wright apologised saying she’d only been dreamin but hid gotten a bit o a fleg. She nivver let on aboot fit she’d seen because they’d think she wiz gyte in the heed.

Een o the lassies gave her a cuppie o tay and a biscuit and sat wi her a wee fylie newsin aboot onything ‘n aathing.. She wiz an affa fine lassie and she cam fae Macduff jist like Mrs Wright. It eynt up her kennin the lassie’s faimily so they’d plenty tae news aboot.

Ower the next fyowe wiks Mrs Wright sattled in fine. She’d gotten tae ken a lot o the aal fowk an hid even been asked tae jine different wee groups. Aa the file though, jist ivvery noo an then she’d get a visit fae the malevolent spirit. It wid staan aside her hissin throwe its twisted mooth an ayee seemed tae be tryin tae say something. Mrs Wright couldna mak oot fit it wiz sayin wi her bein a bittie deaf but she fairly heard the hissin. She wiz terrifeet but nivver let on for she thocht she wiz gyan mad or mebee a bittie dottled.

Ae aifterneen her and a puckle ither residents were being entertained by Marjory Nicholson fae the North East Scotland Library Service. She’d come oot ivvery noo an again tae hud a group on ‘Memories’. She’d hae wee boxies wi stuff like needles fae aal gramophones, pirns o threed, cakes o soap, sweetie papers and mair besides.

Some o the fowk tellt wee stories aboot the stuff if they mined things and some rare newses they hid.. Ithers though were aat far awa wi the dementia they didna ken a ‘bee fae a bull’s fit’. Mrs Wright fair enjoyed getting tae spik aboot lang ago.

At een o the meetings Marjory Nicholson said tae the group, “I’ve a surprise for ye the day!” and she teen oot a puckle photies. She lookit at Mrs Wright and said, “I’m affa sorry but ess mith be nae interest tae you Mrs Wright. Ye see it’s photies fae the Christmas pairties here ower the last fyowe years.”

She lookit roon the group sayin that the ithers wid see themsels an their aal freens. So sayin she handit the photies roon and some o the fowk were gettin richt laachs at the memories. Mrs Wright teen a couple and hid a look at them- jist tae be sociable kine Ae photie hid been teen in the room faar they were sittin but aa the tables hid been butted thegither and a big tablecloot wi holly patterns wiz spread oot. Michty but the plates o turkey and beef were weel laden wi aa the trimmins and a heest o trickit faces looked up at the camera. She got a richt begeck though fin she saa een o the faces. It wiz the same phizog that hid been tirraneezin her ower the past fyowe months.

She sat lookin at the face. Though it wisna twisted the wye she ayewis saa it,there wisna ony shadda o a doot ava because the black fish een didna smile at aa. They were richt cruel an caal. Her mooth smiled for the camera but the smile nivver lichtit her een. Mrs Wright sat for ages while the laachter an gabbin gid oan roon aboot her. She wiz terrifeet finivver she lookit at that malevolent phizog.

She saa anither thing that aboot garred her skirl.The verra seat she wiz on wiz the marra o the een in the photie. She speired at the woman next tae her faa the wifie in the photie wiz?

The woman teen the photie an tellt her, “Oh that’s Miss Avant . She deet a fyowe wiks afore you cam here. Ae me naebody likit her.She ordered abody aboot like they waur servants!”

She fuspert tae Mrs Wright, “Ivvery day there wiz a row wi her an she pickit on aabody- an God help ONYBODY that sat on her cheer. She’d roar at them in that funny hissing voice “That’s my chair!! And mair than eence she wid lash oot wi her stick!!”

The woman shuddered.

“She wiz evil that een!”

She gid the photie back tae Mrs Wright sayin, “I widna’ve sat on her cheer for aa the tay in China!”

 

end.

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