When a ghost ‘flu’ in

Time for some chills and thrills. Check out this spooky story set during World War I.

Updated - October 22, 2024 10:42 am IST

My name is Bibliodander and I love to read. Sadly, I do not have many books at home, and can’t go to a library. Why? Because I am a monster and cannot be seen. They can only hide under beds at night. So that’s what I do.

With Halloween around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to read something spooky, something spine-chilling. So, my choice for this month is One for Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn.

The story is set in 1918; World War I is raging and the Spanish Flu epidemic is also at its peak. But Annie Browne’s biggest concern is being able to fit in to her new school: Pearce Academy for Girls situated outside Baltimore in Maryland, the U.S. On Day One, she meets Elsie Schnieder who tells her that the two of them are to be best friends. Later, Annie finds out that no one likes Elsie. They call her a tattletale and a liar. Added to all this, Elsie’s father is German.

Elsie invites herself to Annie’s house and ruins all her things. She controls Annie and does not allow her to make other friends. Annie wants nothing to do with her but Elsie does not give her a chance. That is, until Elsie is absent from school and Annie quickly makes friends with and becomes part of a popular group. Though she feels bad about it, she joins the other girls in teasing Elsie and calling her names.

Then, one day, Elsie gets the Spanish Flu and succumbs to it. If Annie thinks she is now free of Elsie, she is in for a surprise. Elsie returns as a ghost — and an angry one at that. Her target is Rosie, the leader of the group that Annie is now a part of, and Annie, of course. If the girls thought Elsie was incorrigible in real life; then, as a ghost, she is even more terrible. If Annie thought she was rid of her then she is mistaken. Elsie is back to plague her life.

Elsie is a vengeful and horrid ghost. Elsie’s ghostly antics take a toll on Annie until she has to be sent to a convalescent home to recover. If, like me you like ghost stories, then this one might be for you. It is creepy and, at times, takes you over the edge, but brings you back quickly enough to allow you to read the rest of this story.

Spanish Flu

The Great Influenza epidemic commonly known as the Spanish flu spread towards the end of World War I (1918-1920). The first documented case was in Kansas, the U.S. But, in two years, nearly a third of the world’s population (about 500 million people) had been infected in four successive waves. Considered one of the deadliest pandemics in history, the number of people it kills is estimated to range from 17 million to 50 million.

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