The Face in the Frosted Glass

The old man came in the wintertime,

The mist was cold and grey,

She thought he’d been in a distant time

But then he went away.

She only caught but a fleeting glimpse

Through the hedgerow to the street,

But felt a chill as the memory spilled

From her head down to her feet.

 

He wore a common fedora hat

And a houndstooth overcoat,

The collar was turned up high, so she

Saw neither cheek, nor throat,

But just for a moment, as he turned

And beneath the brim of his hat,

She caught a glimpse of his piercing eyes

And his eyes were dull, and black.

 

She told her brother about the man

And she tried to laugh it off,

She said it gave her a sudden fright

And she thought that he would scoff.

Her brother turned with a furrowed brow

And his face was white as sin,

‘If ever he comes to your door, you know

You never must let him in.’

 

‘What do you know about this man?’

She cried, in a sudden fit,

‘I only mentioned his passing, so

That you’d scoff, make light of it!’

A chill ran down to her fingertips

And tightness grew at her throat,

‘Be sure to lock all your windows

And the door, please draw the bolt.’

 

He stood there facing the window, and

He stared long out at the lawn,

No matter how much she pressed him, he

Was firm, would not be drawn.

‘There’s no point letting the nightmares in

That will make you feel aghast,

The man you’ve seen is a walking sin

That we left behind in the past.’

 

She’d always trusted her brother John

Who was older, solemn, grey,

He’d always tried to protect her from

What hurtful people say,

Their mother had died, with her a child

While he was just sixteen,

They’d moved away to the countryside,

Had avoided kith and kin.

 

But John was working away at night

So it left her on her own,

Huddling over the fireplace

In their quaint and rustic home.

The mist swirled over the window panes

When she saw the face peer in,

And tap at last on the frosted glass

As he called out, ‘Carolyn!’

 

‘Carolyn, won’t you hear me now

I have such a tale to tell,’

She stared back into the dull black eyes

Of a soul who’d been through hell.

She shook her head and she bit her hand

And she waved the man away,

‘I need to talk to you, Carolyn,

Please hear what I have to say.’

 

She edged on up to the window

And she whispered, ‘Please to go!

You know that you have me terrified

But for what, I just don’t know.’

‘They put me away for twenty years,

In jail, for killing my wife,

That woman you called your Momma, girl,

They sent me down for life!’

 

Carolyn shrieked, and held her ears

From the face in the frosted pane,

And distant memories flooded back

From her childhood, once again,

She saw them dragging her father off

But they never brought him home,

And John had gone to the funeral

Of their mother, all alone.

 

‘They said I poisoned your mother,’ cried

The voice through the frosted glass,

‘I swear, my girl, that it wasn’t me

But your brother John, alas.

I turned my back when your brother poured

That powder into her tea…’

Then Carolyn sobbed, and choked, and said,

‘Please God. No! That was me!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[alf]

Hi David. Oh the mind!!! What it can do to a person and how those thoughts come back to haunt!!! I have decided you must be one of the kindest people on this earth, for your evil spills in poems and give people goosebumps as they read chilling tales!!! Loved this, and please, keep them coming!! alf

[EMMIE]

Haunting, dark, and lovely!!!! Loved every line!

[Terrence Chang]

Mr David you always tell your story in such ease that it give me shiver down my spine. you tell your story in such way that it your poetry comes to life. Well written piece Sir

[TPK Stories]

It's amazing how the past comes back to haunt you. Well written David.

[MomzillaNC]

[shuddering] Really deep down, psychologically scarring wickedness and tragedy in this one!

[Eve S.]

What a story ! What a startling ending !
It gave me chills, yet left me smiling.
The characters are catchy, n' spending
a timeless, memorable, little while in
between your lines was a pure delight!
If it's meant to touch, then it did it right.

Peace,
Dusty

[B]

I have chills all over my body
and on the edge of my seat

amazing

[Keith Charles]

I like this very much. It sounds classic, as if it were written many lifetimes ago.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Your poems always have a masterful way of opening like a deep chasm to the reader and letting him fall right in. We never know where we are going to wind up, and the journey always transfixes us to the point that, when we reach the ending, we are caught completely off guard.

One is left to ponder: Why did Carolyn kill her mother?

[R Smith]

Quite a scary story David, i love when you turn out these masterpieces, they have such class and style, the twist at the end has become your trademark and still it takes me by surprise great work my friend :)