Folk Tales for Bold Girls by Fiona Collins

Author:Fiona Collins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The History Press

A TALE FROM ENGLAND

Once there was a girl called Mary, who worked for a farmer. The farmer used to boast about Mary, ‘She’s not afraid of anything. She would go anywhere, do anything. She’s dauntless, that one!’

His friend the blacksmith was sure he could think of something that Mary would be too afraid to do. He said, ‘I bet Mary won’t go to the church at midnight and bring back a skull bone from the dead house there.’

The farmer said, ‘I bet she will!’

The bet was a golden coin. The blacksmith didn’t want to lose his bet, so he asked the man whose job was digging the graves to hide in the dead house and give Mary a fright.

The next night, when it was nearly midnight, those two friends asked Mary, ‘Will you go to the church please, and bring us back a skull bone from the dead house? As long as you aren’t too scared …’

She said, ‘Well, I can’t think what you want an old skull bone for, but I don’t mind going. It’s a nice night for a walk. I’ll get my coat.’

When she came to the dead house, the gravedigger was hiding inside. Mary picked up a skull, and the gravedigger called out in a ghostly voice, ‘Don’t touch that skull bone. It’s my father’s skull bone.’

So Mary put it down and picked up another. The ghostly voice came again. ‘Don’t touch that skull bone. It’s my mother’s skull bone.’

Mary put that one down and picked up another. She was getting annoyed with the ghostly voice, so, before he could call out again, she said, ‘I don’t care if this skull bone belonged to your father or your mother or your sister or your brother. I must have a skull bone and I’m taking this one!’

Off she went with the skull bone, and she slammed the door of the dead house behind her. The farmer and the blacksmith were surprised to see her come back so quickly.

The blacksmith asked her, ‘Mary, weren’t you afraid? They say there are ghosts in the dead house.’

Mary said, ‘Well, there was a silly old ghost, and every time I picked up a skull bone it said, “Don’t touch that skull bone.” But I told it I must have a skull bone, and I brought one home, even though it didn’t like it. I could hear that old ghost moaning and groaning even after I slammed the door and came away.’

The blacksmith felt worried then. He wondered if the gravedigger was stuck in the dead house. He paid the farmer the golden coin and hurried away.

Bad news! When he opened the door of the dead house, the gravedigger was flat on the floor. He had fainted in fear. Mary became quite famous after that, as the dauntless girl who wasn’t afraid of anything, even a ghost in the dead house in the middle of the night.

A young squire who lived not far away heard about Mary. Ever since his old mother

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