The Subject Was (White) Roses

Rosemary Timperley's "Harry", from “From Another World and Other Ghost Stories” (1920-1988), was filmed many times. It was a creepy tale, without a doubt. It was also an emotional roller coaster. The author played mind games with her readers. There would be a debate, as if this short tale by the native of Crouch End, North London could be considered as one of the finest in the genre. This was her masterpiece, but you be the judge.

"Such ordinary things make me afraid. Sunshine. Sharp shadows on grass. White roses. Children with red hair."

The narrator seemed to be living in a derelict house, fearful of the old crazed woman behind her. She happened to be Christine's mother, worried about her daughter spending too much time in the garden. The five year old was all by herself, but she didn't seem lonely at all. This alarmed the mother, who swore she saw a shadow of a young boy within a bush of white roses. It was Harry. It turned out that Christine was an adopted child, and she came from a poor, sad street of London. What was once a home was now deserted, and there was a small patch of garden. And the white roses bloomed gloriously.

The ending would confuse the readers, as they were looking at three different endings. Let's examine each one of them:

Harry was alive. Christine wasn't conscious enough to realize her troubled home. Her biological father worked in a warehouse until he was laid off. He was unable to find another job, and it didn't help that his wife nagged him most of the time. Harry was Christine's fourteen-year-old brother. He adored her, even held her whenever their parents bickered over their lack of resources. It was too much for the old man, such that he thought of ending his life and his family's. Harry broke through the window and fell several stories down. Christine survived the fall, but not Harry. Or did he?

Christine didn't make it. What if the specter had a strong presence, such that it would be real to other people. (Ueda Akinari's "Ugetsu Monogatari" probed into this phenomenon, where a peasant lived with a noblewoman and her servant. He had no idea that he was the only living thing.) If the white roses were an indication, then it implied the unhappy memories were too hard to forget. And Christine lived until Harry fetched her at school.

The startling tale was a product of a deranged mind. Timperley's final paragraphs emphasized the emotion, which would play a pivotal role in the story. Christine's mother might be insane, thinking that an old crazed woman was following her. It could be her imagination. And she might have thought of Christine. What if she had a daughter who died in a tragic manner. She was unable to get over the loss, which led to the breakdown of her marriage. Readers would choose this side of the story unless they believed in Harry. And they became terrified of him.