Drabble Wednesday: Victorian Christmas Ghosts

Today’s drabbles harken back to the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas. Here are three chilling tales… Enjoy.

Also, I won’t be posting next week, but will try to get a New Year’s Eve post up.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Echoes of Christmas Past

The snow falls gently outside, as the fire crackles and wisps of smoke drift up the chimney to scent the air. A light gust of wind disturbs the pine trees behind the house, stirring old ghosts from their slumber. Faint moans drift in the night as the phantoms roam, peering past the windows at the warmth and joy inside.
They remember seasons like this. Ones of holiday cheer and bright lights, hot chocolate, and feasts of food piled across the table. They hunger for a taste of that joy, rattling the doorknobs, but entry is denied.
They fade away, forgotten…

---

Fire is Eternal

There is a corner tucked away on an old London street. The locals whisper of ghosts, of tragedy, of one cold winter night, and the body found the next morning.
“A little girl,” they reply, when asked. “Surrounded by burnt matches. Trying to keep warm.”
Then eyes averted and silence. No one voices the rest out loud.
That the corner is haunted.
That on Christmas Eve, sobs echo in the breeze, mixing with the acrid smell of smoke. The frosted air snaps with a chill wind, until a faint glow appears and the figure of a child holding a match…

---

Ghostly Fate

The hearth is cold, full of ashes, the rooms empty and desolate. Once, laughter filled the home. No more. Only ghosts roam these halls, mournful revenants of the living, trailed by the aroma of pine and peppermint, and memories of happier days.
Days of sticky fingers on the walls, of tangled curls and silken bows. Lighted trees and jauntily wrapped presents, of chocolate and mulled wine, of cake and candy.
Yet those days vanished, swallowed by the grave and grief.
Now the house lingers, mouldering, neglected, a forgotten tomb shrouding those enduring phantoms caught in a web of endless sorrow…