Fragments: Girl Scouts in the Sanitarium?

 

 

Girl Scouts in the Sanitarium?

I have a feeling this could turn in to something, but right now, it's more like scattered fragments that I have been playing with. So... welcome to the workshop, where the words are still at play.

The prompt from https://moreoddsthanends.home.blog/2020/04/08/week-15-of-odd-prompts/ was:

Four girls of about 12 explore their Scout camp, formerly used as a tuberculosis sanitarium in the days prior to antibiotics. 

Uh, oh... quick brainstorming, a visit to Google, what? Okay...

Hum. Haunted? A cemetery that they don’t expect? The tb sanitariums were mostly pretty ritzy, I think? AZ was a favored location... Tucson had a bunch? What might the patients have tucked away, hidden, and never come back for?

More ideas? A left-over alien who was hiding out in the sanitarium? (E.T. didn't go home?) 

Nothing that seemed to grab me, but, let's try some freewriting, and see what we end up with. 

Fragment #1

Helen looked around at the woods. Rebecca and Louise were right behind her, and Zoe was following. She frowned, and hoped she had identified the twins correctly. She wondered if they knew that usually Rebecca stood on the right, and Louise stood on the left. She would be willing to bet their parents had named them after the two directions, and stood them up in their places enough that they unconsciously stood that way without thinking about it. It sure made it easier to remember who was who. 

The Girl Scout leaders had told them they could go anywhere in the camp they wanted, except beyond the red signs. Naturally, they were now poking their way beyond the red signs. So far, it looked just like another part of the woods that most of the camp was covered with. Although there was some kind of clearing up ahead.

Moments later, she stepped out into the sunshine. The other three followed. They all looked around.

Rebecca groaned. “A cemetery? Oh, come on.”

Helen nodded. The little stone markers covered the field. She walked over to the nearest one and knelt down to read it.

“Amy Gilbert, 1905-1912.”

She scrambled up, and stepped back.

Zoe gasped. “She... she was only seven? Wow...”

Rebecca and Louise looked at each other, then started walking through the field, reading dates. They called to each other. Seven, nine, oh, here’s one that was twelve... 

Zoe put her hand on Helen’s arm.

“I don’t understand. Why so many young people dead?”

That was when Helen felt the cold shiver, and heard a voice. 

“Welcome to the sanatorium! We’re glad to see you.”

She looked around, trying to figure out where the voice came from.

Zoe screamed, and the twins ran back.

“Did... did you hear that?”

They all nodded, and stared at each other, and glanced around.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Amy. I am a ghost.”

Helen felt her jaw drop. Then she pulled it up, and frowned.

“A ghost? What?”

Zoe nodded. 

“I... I read about  something like this. You’ve been waiting for someone to talk to, haven’t you?”

The ghost chuckled.

“Yes! But it has been so long, and no one comes here.”

End of Fragment...

Some characters, a cemetary, a ghost...

Blah. I don’t like that. What if we just went with exploring the woods?

Fragment #2

Zoe looked scared. 

“Is... is that poison ivy?”

Helen looked where she was pointing, then shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. Look, that has four leaves together, and they are round. Poison ivy has three leaf clusters, and I think the leaves are pointy.”

Then she grinned, and pointed at another tree nearby.

“Like that one! Zoe, don’t touch it, but take a good look. That’s poison ivy.”

Zoe looked at it, carefully. Then she nodded.

“Okay. I can remember that. Thanks, Helen!”

End of Fragment

Nuts, let's try again...

Fragment #3

When they left the tents behind, the sunshine was warm and the air gentle. But now, under the trees, with shadows dappling the ground and vines and bushes everywhere, Helen felt a shiver run up her spine. She glanced back where Rebecca and Louise, the twins, crunched through the dry leaves on the ground behind her. Behind them, Zoe looked at the ground, and then stopped.

Helen turned and said, "What's wrong, Zoe?"

Zoe lifted her hand and pointed at a tree near her, covered with some kind of vine.

"Is… Is that poison ivy? I don't want to get sick!"

Rebecca glanced over at it, then shook her head.

"No, whatever that is has too many leaves. Look, poison ivy has three leaves in clusters. Like…"

She glanced around, then pointed at another tree.

"Now that is poison ivy!"

Zoe looked at one tree, then at the other. She looked back and forth several times, then nodded.

"Okay. I think I can remember that."

She gave the tree with the poison ivy a glare. And she smiled.

"Let's get going again!"

End of Fragment

Fragment #4

Helen chuckled and looked around. They had already walked past the red warning signs that the adults had told them to never go past. So far, the woods just looked like any other part of the Girl Scout camp. She didn't know what to expect, but she thought there must be something special here.

There was a clearing just ahead. She stumbled out of the woods and almost stepped on a low stone in the field, her eyes dazzled by the sun. Then she glanced down at the stone and realized it was a grave marker. She knelt down to read it.

“Amy Gilbert, 1905-1912.”

She scrambled up, and stepped back.

Zoe gasped. “She... she was only seven? Wow...”

Rebecca and Louise looked at each other, then started walking through the field, reading dates. They called to each other. Seven, nine, oh, here’s one that was twelve... 

Zoe put her hand on Helen’s arm.

“I don’t understand. Why so many young people dead?”

That was when Helen felt the cold shiver, and heard a voice. 

“Welcome to the sanatorium! We’re glad to see you.”

She looked around, trying to figure out where the voice came from.

Zoe screamed, and the twins ran back.

“Did... did you hear that?”

They all nodded, and stared at each other, and glanced around.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Amy. I am a ghost.”

Helen felt her jaw drop. Then she pulled it up, and frowned.

“A ghost? What?”

Zoe nodded. 

“I... I read about  something like this. You’ve been waiting for someone to talk to, haven’t you?”

The ghost chuckled.

“Yes! But it has been so long, and no one comes here. Who are you?”

Helen frowned.

"My name is Helen. Are you Amy Gilbert?"

"I'm pleased to meet you, Helen. Yes, my name is Amy Gilbert. But who are your friends?"

Rebecca and Louise stepped forward together, and curtsied.

Helen said, "This is Rebecca and Louise."

Zoe looked around, as if she might spot the ghost, then bobbed her head.

Helen chuckled. "And that's Zoe."

End of Fragment...

Bleep! I kind of like the four girls, and even the ghost seems reasonable. But... it's not really going anywhere. Okay, put it aside and see if you can find something to do with it later.