Green Lady Woods
There wasn’t a kid in the village who didn’t know about the Green Lady who haunted the tower. Just a tale to scare us kids, to keep inquisitive noses out of an old building no longer safe. Right? Yet it made us more curious. As we braved ourselves to enter the dark woods which surrounded the part-demolished old hall, I fleshed out the skeletal tale, made the lady a green witch who lay in wait for us amongst those deep-shadowed trees. Scared, my friends raced for the road, left me. Alone.
When, as an adult, I read the history of that Elizabethan hall I discovered the truth of the legend: that lady wore green as a sign she was Catholic.
120 words
Written for Weekend Writing Prompt #85 on Sammiscribbles
Loved this, and I loved spooky tales as a kid – still do 🙂 Going through the dark woods to get to the ruins, while a spooky tale is scaring you witless, creates a vivid image.
Interesting how she turned out to be Catholic rather than a witch…
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I thank you, Sammi. But it’s a bit of a cheat, cos it’s a true story. The Green Lady was the first full length story I ever wrote down (took almost a whole exercise book, I was 9 yrs old) I then told it to my friends, having persuaded them to come with me to the ruinded hall.
The true story of the Green Lady formed the basis for my research into the Gernagen family, which I posted over several years on the no longer active Crimson’s History.
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BTW, at the time of the Commonwealth, when it was dangerous to be a Catholic, the Catholics wore green as a means of mutual identification.
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Very nice write and interesting backstory here in the comments. Thanks for both.
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The one word: Legend, was irresitible, refreshing memories as it did. Thanks for your like and comment. 🙂
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But your version of the legend is eerie and much more fun 🙂
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Thank you. I confess to having a thing for spooky stories when I was a kid. Or rather, I enjoyed scaring my friends. 🙂
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The image alone draws you into a magical portal to unknown worlds.
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I thank you, Judy. But I have to confess, that photo isn’t of the old hall. That was demolished in 1970s, the woods around it grubbed up and the ground opened for aggregates extraction. It made me want to scream and cry.
I featured the real hall and its surrounds in my blogged story, Neve. Right at the end,
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