The Stunned Nun

I had an aunt named Dolly. The name suited her, as she was small and petite.

When Dolly was about eighteen years old she got engaged to a young man named Tom. Tom's father was very fond of Dolly and he was thrilled at the idea that Dolly would be his daughter-in-law.

A few months into their engagement, Dolly met someone named Bernard and it soon became clear that Bernard was the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Explaining this to Tom was no easy task and Tom's furious reply was "It doesn't matter how long it takes me, I will get you for this!"

Dolly and Bernard were married and had six children. Immediately after the first baby's birth, Dolly became severely depressed. The depression stayed with her for the rest of her life.

Bernard's sister Doris was a nun. Each year Doris would visit Bernard and Dolly for a few weeks. While Bernard was at work and the kids were at school, Doris and Dolly would keep each other company.

One day, Doris and Dolly were sitting in the living room chatting. Dolly excused herself to fetch something from the bedroom. From the chair where Doris was sitting, she could see all the way down the passage, right into Dolly's bedroom.

Dolly walked into her room and a few seconds later returned toward the living room. As Dolly was walking, Doris stared wide-eyed at Dolly, then fainted in her chair.

Dolly couldn't wake Doris so she wiped her face with a wet cloth. Doris finally sat up and explained the reason that she fainted.

Doris said "When you came walking down the passage, I saw the spirit of a man walking behind you". Doris went on to explain what the man looked like.

Finally Dolly replied "I know him, that was Tom's father".

The fact that Tom threatened Dolly, makes me wonder whether he had something to do with her depression. Throughout her married life Dolly used to visit the doctor frequently and she was in and out of various clinics. There were so many pills in her cupboard that she could have started her own drugstore.