Who, or what, is Esther Bligh?
At the end of the Second World War, Grace Marlowe moves to the far west
of Wales, hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she finds herself trapped
in a dark, forgotten house, surrounded by a bleak landscape and
unwelcoming neighbours. Even her 'voices' - her spirit-world
companions - appear to abandon her. Except for one...
Then anonymous letters begin to arrive, addressed to 'Mrs. Esther
Bligh', dated more than twenty years before. They accuse Esther of the
worst of crimes, committed in this same house - a place she had arrived
in as a young bride, but had quickly come to detest. Soon, Grace becomes
increasingly lost in the nightmare vision of Esther's past deeds,
conjured by the words from the letters, together with the voice in her
head.
And, like the voice, Esther's presence in the house grows ever stronger.
Will Grace find a way to escape, or will she succumb to the only means
of freedom that Esther can countenance - to burn her old home to the
ground?
A psychological exploration of a troubled mind, or a story of demonic
possession in a haunted house - 'Esther Bligh' is as ambiguous as the
character herself.
A rushed ceremony in a back-street office. They were used to it then,
with the soldiers and their floozies, wanting their weddings before
France, the trenches, death. Witnesses pulled off the streets. It was
easy. But there was to be no death, he was sure. 'The war is all but
over. This is no more than information-gathering. I'll be back before
you know it, and then I'll take you home.' Home. The word always wrapped
in smarming breath. So special, so meaningful, as if that were how all
homes were. As if he had no knowledge of rats grinning at you from
corners, black mildew serving as patterned wallpaper, the stench of
week-old stew mingled with stale piss...
*
That night, Grace dreams of Esther Bligh. Except she doesn't know who
Esther Bligh is. A woman without a face, without clear form, who wanders
through the shadows of a house ¬- this house. Sometimes, she carries a
child in her arms; sometimes, there is a man, too, who follows her
around, calling 'Esther, Esther!' But Esther moves faster, faster, never
allowing him to catch up with her, until she disappears.
