WHERE IS HELEN?

Chapter 6

      It was six in the evening when a red car pulled up in front of the McDonagh's house. There was no sound of a horn, perhaps it would have interrupted the sleep of a little princess, for in the backseat, Helen was soundly asleep. Mrs. Wilson stepped out of the car and gently shut the door behind her. Mr. and Mrs. McDonagh had been waiting for them in the front after Mrs. Wilson gave them a call fifteen minutes earlier, so they came out to meet her, and exchanged greetings.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Wilson." Helen's mother said to her as they broke out of a hug.

"Oh Ma'am, it's no big deal." Mrs. Wilson replied and smiled "You know, Helen is like a daughter to me, I'll do anything for her. Thanks for letting me spend time with her."

"We should be thanking you," Mr. McDonagh interrupted, bringing in his own share of gratitude, "if there's anyone here worthy of thanks, it really should be you. She talks about you all the time, you're like a fairy godmother, and we know she's always safe around you. If ever you need anything, please don't hesitate to let us know."

Mrs. Wilson blushed at the kind words being showered on her, "You're welcome. Your daughter is one in a million, you're such lucky parents." She said, then walking towards the back seat, she opened the door to let Mr. McDonagh in, "After an adventurous day, she decided to sleep back here on our way home. She didn't have dinner, she was eager to come home and nothing was able to change her mind, not even hamburgers, her favourite." Mr. McDonagh leaned in and carried his daughter in his arms and the couple said their last 'Thank youn' to Mrs. Wilson and watched as she drove off. The two then took Helen inside, and laid her down to rest for the night.

Helen woke up after a few hours with a smile on her face, feeling light and carefree for the first time in weeks. She had seen a dream in which the ghost gave her a goodbye present, a pink diary with 'DEAR SELF' written boldly on the cover. She glanced at her clock and saw that it was well past midnight, but she didn't care. She felt so good that she couldn't possibly go back to sleep. Instead, she jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to her parents' room. She burst through the door and flung herself into her mother's arms. "Mom, Dad!" she exclaimed, "I'm so happy! The ghost is gone!" Her parents were confused at how hyper she was in the middle of the night, and surprised to see their daughter up so late, but also relieved that it was a scared Helen. They had seen the toll that the ghost sightings had taken on their daughter, and they were happy to hear that it was over, especially from her.

"What do you mean, Helen?" her father asked, concerned.

Helen paused for a moment, considering how to explain everything to her parents. "I mean that the ghost is gone now. Mrs. Wilson took care of it."

Her mother's eyes widened in surprise.

"Mrs. Wilson? How did she do it?"

"It's a secret," Helen said with a small smile. "But she did it, and I know the ghost will never come back."

Helen's parents exchanged a glance, not quite sure if they believed their daughter's words, they were wondering what had happened. They knew that Mrs. Wilson had been trying to help Helen, but they didn't know what had finally kindled this joy and certainty in their daughter. They had seen how scared and distraught she had been over the past few weeks, and it was hard to believe that everything had suddenly been resolved. Helen suddenly felt her stomach grumble. "Can I have something to eat? I'm really hungry." She informed. Her mother nodded and got up to make her something to eat.

As she ate, her parents kept staring at her and at each other, still confused about what was going on. Helen never ate in haste, but there she was, eating like she was being chased.

"Helen, honey, please slow down." Her father cautioned.

"Helen!" Her mother called out to her, she still wanted answers because her daughter was behaving strangely "Is there something we should know?"

"Would it be a secret after I tell you?" Helen asked, "I don't think so." she answered herself.

    After Helen finished her meal, her parents sat her down on the couch and talked to her for a long time. They wanted to make sure that everything was truly okay, and that Helen wasn't still experiencing any strange feelings or seeing any ghosts. Helen assured them that she felt perfectly fine and that she was happy that the ghost was gone. She even joked and laughed with her parents, something that hadn't happened in weeks. At one point, she was going to tell them about Mrs. Wilson's delicious meal when something the ghost had said in her dream, rang a bell in her mind. She quickly bade her parents goodnight, and ran back to her room to commence a search hoping to find the diary she was given in her dream. As she searched beneath the bed, she found a wooden box she had never seen ever since she was given the room by her parents. She dragged it out and opened it up, then to her surprise, she found a diary, just like what she had seen in the dream. She picked it up and saw a pen with a pink encasement on it side. She opened it up and began writing furiously, trying to capture all of the thoughts and feelings that were swirling around in her head. As she wrote, she thought back to the previous afternoon, when Mrs. Wilson had taken her to see the old lady who could speak to ghosts. She remembered feeling scared and nervous, but also hopeful that something could be done. She wrote almost everything that crossed and could not tell what time she dozed off.

      Helen woke up early on Monday morning, feeling refreshed and happy. She got dressed in her favourite outfit, grabbed her backpack, and headed to school. As she walked, she felt a sense of lightness that she hadn't felt in a long time. When she arrived at school, her classmates noticed a difference in her. They no longer saw the quiet, withdrawn girl who had been haunted by ghosts. Instead, they saw a girl who was friendly and always smiling. Even her teachers noticed the change in her demeanour.

     Helen's parents called Mrs. Wilson as they noticed she was walking a few meters ahead of them. "A minute please." Mrs. Wilson slowed down and turning towards them, she was caught off guard by Helen who hugged her tightly.

"Girl, you're becoming heavy." Mrs. Wilson teased.

"Ouch, take that back." Helen said as her parents approached.

"Sorry to disturb you," Helen's said.

"Please, you don't have to be sorry." Mrs. Wilson replied.

"We just wanted to thank you for all that you have done for our little girl. She says it's a secret, and didn't tell us. But whatever you did, worked. Our Helen is happy again thanks to you." Mrs. McDonagh explained. Mrs. Wilson was modest and brushed off their praises, saying that she was just happy to help. She, asked Helen how she was feeling, and Helen replied that she felt much better than ever. Mrs. Wilson smiled and told her how happy she was to see her feeling like her old self again.

"Err... I don't know how this may sound," Mrs. Wilson said, hesitantly, "can Helen sleep over on weekends?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Helen rejoiced. Mrs. McDonagh looked at her husband with a smile on her face, he nodded at her wife and both man and wife joined their daughter in the 'yes' chants.

"Thank you very much Mr. And Mrs McDonagh," Mrs. Wilson said, gratefully "this means a lot to me. I promise to take care of her."

"We know you will, Nelly." Helen's mother replied, "Perhaps we should get going, we've taken much of your time. Thanks once again."

"Don't mention it." Mrs Wilson expressed. "Have a great day, we will too, won't we Helen?"

"Yes." The little girl replied quickly.

"Bye Helen." "Bye Mom, bye Paps."

"Bye Princess." Her Dad said, blowing her a kiss and watched as she moved her shoulders in silly a way, smiling as she did.

The day was a fun one for Helen. She participated in all her classes and enjoyed every moment of it. She talked and laughed with her friends during recess and lunchtime. And she even found the courage to answer a question in class. 

   Finally, the last bell rang, signalling the end of the school-day. Helen gathered her things and headed to Mrs. Wilson's classroom. When she arrived, Mrs. Wilson was busy grading papers, but she smiled when she saw Helen.

"Hey there, how was your day?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

"It was great, thank you so much for all your help," Helen said, beaming with happiness. Mrs. Wilson put down her pen and turned to face her.

"You don't have to thank me, Helen. I'm just glad I could help. I'm so proud of you for being so brave." Helen smiled and hugged Mrs. Wilson.

"You're the best," she said.

"And me?" Stephanie joked. "And you too sis." Helen said, pulling her in for a group hug.

"Be good you two." Mrs. Wilson advised. "I've got stuff to do, so, see tomorrow, extend my greetings to your parents. Love you."

"I love you too." Each of the girls said and ran off into Stephanie's waiting ride home, just like old times.

     Time flew by much quickly, and days raced even faster. Helen grew stronger, both mentally and physically, and increased in wisdom with each passing day. She spent every weekend with Mrs. Wilson, who did her best to keep the promise she made to the ghost, to protect and take care of Helen. About Helen's ghost, she was slowly forgotten by Helen, as neither Mrs. Wilson nor Helen's parents and friends mentioned her ever again. The only thing that reminded Helen of the ghost was the diary, so she decided to write in it only at the end of the week. At Mrs. Wilson's, Helen developed interest in history and law, and whenever she went over to Stephanie's, the two girls would sneak into Stephanie's father's study, to read the history and poetry books he had. They resumed their violin practice with their luthier and stayed closer to each other, doing all they could together to strengthen their bond, they became inseparable until university came in. Helen's interest in law, heightened to an extent that after high school, she informed her parents, Mrs. Wilson and Stephanie that she wanted to study law in the university. Her announcement was received with smiles from everyone present. Stephanie however, decided to venture into the depth of science and become a scientist. Her family organized a get-together for the two high school graduates, in appreciation for studying hard and making it that far.