Sister Mary hurried down the cloister towards Mother Superior’s room. She had found the message, “Come to my room!” under her door when she returned from evening prayers.
She knew Mother Superior didn’t like to be kept waiting, so she was not about wasting any time.
As she hurried along, she could feel the ghosts of sisters past around her. At night the cloisters had that scary feel about them. All the sisters knew the stories, the tales of ghostly apparitions along the way, the story of Sister Alphons who was so disturbed she threw herself off the top level. Her body was found the next morning, quickly removed and buried and her family told she had died unexpectedly during the night.
You could do that back then. The order was enclosed, and contact with the outside world was very restrictive. Once inside the convent doors, you were permanently removed from contact with anyone.
Sister Mary had been in the convent six months, and she wasn’t finding it easy in any way. She struggled with the long hours of contemplation. Her mind would wander to family and friends whom she missed very much and the discipline demanded by Mother Superior was oppressive.
She’d made no friends, that aspect of life was frowned upon as the order ruled their only friend was God and through prayer and meditation that relationship should overrule all human need. Though she wondered about that as late at night when returning from the bathroom, she’d heard noises coming from a few sisters’ rooms that suggested more earthly than heavenly devotion.
Around the final corner and she felt a sense of relief as she came to Mother Superior’s room. She knocked in the customary way she had been taught and waited for the expected stern ‘Come in’ of Mother Superior.
Hearing it, Sister Mary went in.
Written for: https://scvincent.com/2018/04/19/thursday-photo-prompt-waiting-writephoto-4/
Morpethroad 
Well, this is definitely part of a story. What happens next? Also, it would be interesting to explore with actual nuns if their beliefs would allow for a haunted convent.
Having known many nuns over the years, some are and were relos, and the convents they lived in, at night some of them were scary places.
Back when I worked for the postal service, I sometimes worked in the original post office in downtown Boise. I’d get to work at 3 or 4 in the morning and would be alone in the building for hours. Never saw anything unusual, but heard lots of strange sounds.
Old buildings do that James…lol
It’s actually a cool, old building, but it lost much of its allure once the sun came up and other people walked in.
Continuations are getting popular…………. looking forward to your next installment Michael!
I’m not sure Sister Mary might like my intrusions into her monastic life. A mate of mine had a sister who lived in the convent for over 40 years and came out. She told me she just got tired of convent life. The best thing she ever did she’d say. She’s in her 80s now and still getting around though deaf as a post.
Sounds good……….. no pun intended.
I had a friend who stayed in the convent for 17 years, and then left because of “things” that went on there. She wrote a memoir called “Once Upon a Convent.” It sounded a little scary- like this story!
Thanks Mandy I don’t think every convent was all spiritual awareness.
👍🏻
“…noises coming from a few sisters’ rooms that suggested more earthly than heavenly devotion.” Whatever gets you through the night, right?
Yes it’s what gets you going or settles you to sleep
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That was creepy. A sequel might not be a bad idea 🙂
Thanks Anurag I am thinking about it
A cliff hanger ending, Michael. Well done.
Thanks so much Robbie
I like the mystery in these stories where there are unanswered questions…
Thanks Sue they keep me guessing too
😀
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I want to know what happened next! I’m hooked now 😀 xx
Thanks so much for reading this piece, the next bit, not sure there will be.
Well either way it was a good piece I enjoyed it very much 🙂