The Woman In White

On a cool summer's day in the middle of nowhere U.S.A, a young girl in a white dress dreaded her special day. She was unlike most brides. Most brides' parents weren't as anxious to marry off their daughters, especially to husbands so much older.

Her parents claimed she owed a debt to her family. The arrangement would save the family farm, thus keeping her siblings and parents from homelessness. How could Lilly deny them a home? Yet, Lilly imagined a storybook romance, and this wasn't romantic.

Growing up on a farm and away from the rest of the world, Lilly was on the naive side. At eighteen years old, Lilly knew little about the world. She knew animals, her two sisters, and her home. Now, her mother was "warning" her about the expectations of a wife.

In an old church made of brick and mortar, Lilly sat and stared. A tear streaked down her left cheek. What was about to become of her life broke her heart.

A knock at the door caused her to wipe her cheek. She looked in the mirror, checked her face, and opened the door. It was the one person she could not hide things from, her mother.

Georgia knew what they were doing went against what her daughter envisioned for herself. Still, seeing her in her dress, she had no words to describe how beautiful Lilly looked. It reminded her of her wedding, which was a much happier occasion.

"My princess, you're going to be a beautiful bride," she said, wrapping her arms around her child.

"But mother, I do not love Mr. Arton."

Her mother wept with her. What the women of the time had to endure was nowhere close to just. Mr. Arton was influential. She would enjoy a life far more privileged than that of a farmer. She would enjoy a life greater than her mother ever would.

"If you choose to run from Mr. Arton, I would understand. We would lose everything in the world."

Lilly loved her siblings, and she forgave her parents for what they had damned her to do. Lilly believed that someday she might still find happiness, even love. She only had to do what was necessary to save her family's home.

"No. Mr. Arton can save the farm. Lila and Lucas won't have to be homeless. You and father won't have to start over," she promised.

Her mother could not thank her, not enough. Her daughter's sacrifice would save the rest of them. She got up and left her to finish getting ready for the wedding. With a look over her shoulder, Lilly's mother hated herself. She hated her life as much as she feared her daughter would.

The wedding of James Arton to Lilly Johannson was an event that the small area gathered to behold. Many wondered if Arton would remarry after the passing of his second wife. The wealthy land baron was widowed twice, so taking a younger bride didn't raise much of an eye. Many of the men folk around Kajimee Falls looked up to the man.

The church pews were filled with what family Lilly had and the friends of James Arton. They were all wealthy, powerful, and elitists. Most of the men flaunted their wealth with expensively tailored suits, lavish dresses for their wives or concubines, and the finest coaches. A few came in the new motor cars, impressively showing off the future of transportation.

Lilly wore the veil and walked down the aisle with her father as organ music filled the church. The priest performing the service began with traditional words. Lilly forced herself to bite her tongue throughout the shameless fiasco of a wedding. She drifted off, lost in her thoughts, until James nudged her hand.

"And, do you, Lilly Johannson, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and obey, in sickness and in health, until death parts you," he read.

Lilly thought about running. However, the man wouldn't last forever. He was, after all, fifty-five years older than she.

"I do," she replied.

"Then, by the power vested in me by our savior, I now pronounce you husband and wife," smiled the aged priest. "James, you may kiss your bride."

When the man leaned in to kiss Lilly, she wanted to hurl. Her stomach churned as his wrinkled lips pressed against hers. He wrapped his arms around her as if to hold her passionately. There was no passion to be in this marriage. It was a simple business arrangement.

Words her mother once spoke to her rang in her head. They were an anchor to help her through the worst of what was to come. Many women before Lilly knew the words to be true.

"Sometimes, as women, we have to do what's necessary to keep the men in our lives happy. It won't always be this way, but today, that is our lot in life."

Lilly held her new husband's hand as he walked her out of the church. His friends were all applauding his latest conquest. How could the world be so cold to the truth, she wondered?

The black carriage waited outside the church. As James escorted his bride through the doors, they were greeted by onlookers, and Lilly was surprised to see the ceremonial release of doves. As James drug her through the crowd to their carriage, he announced he could not wait to have her.

The Arton Estate was twenty miles from the church. There would be a grand reception for the newlyweds, but that was later in the evening. As they rode through the countryside, Lilly couldn't help but to feel lost in time.

As James made advances to his new wife, she didn't respond as he wanted. She would learn the price of defiance. He backhanded her, forcefully reminding her of her new duties. His icy gaze scared Lilly into the corner of their carriage.

"Come here you wench," barked James.

When Lilly tried to resist being taken she thought of her family's needs. She hated them for forcing her into this position. She couldn't stand the idea of allowing the vile man's touches. Her expression must've enraged her new husband.

"I knew this was a mistake," James screamed. "Fortunately, I run this region and I won't be stuck with you or your wretched kin."

When they arrived at the Arton Estate, James exited the carriage alone. His coachman, a loyal servant to the Artons for many years, looked at his master from above. When he did not see the girl exit, he nodded his head.

"Take this trash back to the church. Tell her parents I said the deal's off," ordered the angry Mr. Arton.

Mr. Arton didn't know that the family had already taken the money and run off. They never intended to stay with the family farm. The dowry would set them up for the rest of their lives. So, when the coachman arrived back at the church, nobody was there but he and Lilly.

Another thing that Mr. Arton didn't know was that his loyal servant had a penchant for young women. Mathias returned to the Arton estate and cleaned the coach as if nothing happened. He would never mention such a thing to Mr. Arton, who told his guests how his young bride ran off quite by surprise.

The priest returned to the church the next day to find poor Lilly. What was done to her was an unholy act of evil. Local authorities never looked into the girl's murder. As Mr. Arton had warned, he ran the region and everybody answered him.

Alas, that was not the end of the story. The church soon closed its doors due to an eerie sense in the building. Something changed in the area around the church. The small community that was starting to develop soon dwindled, as many men died mysteriously. The site of a ghostly apparition forced the locals to burn the building. Only the bricks would stand until the area was cleared and the ground became the home of Highway 29.

Before that, Lilly Johannson was believed by many to have been the legendary woman in white. Even today, people can't explain it when they see her. She comes to bring her wrath onto anyone that crosses her path and has treated a woman badly.

The unexplained mystery of the woman in white lives in, even today. Was it Lilly Johannson's tragedy that became the woman in white? Nobody may ever know.