The Beggar Woman of Locarno by Heinrich von Kleist

The Beggar Woman of Locarno by Heinrich von Kleist

Re written by  Anubha Sood

Once in a small village in India, stood a bungalow, the property of a village head; of this bungalow one sees now only the ashes and ruins. In one of its high and spacious rooms there once lay, on a bundle of straw which had been thrown down for her, an old, sick woman, who had come begging to the door, and had been taken in and given shelter out of pity by the mistress of the village head.

The head, returning from work, happened to enter this room, where he usually kept his guns, while the old woman lay there, and angrily ordered her to come out of the corner where the bundle of straw had been placed and to get behind the stove. In rising the old woman slipped on the polished floor and injured her spine severely; so much did she hurt herself that only with unspeakable agony could she manage to cross the room, as she was ordered, to sink moaning behind the stove.

She lay injured on the floor for several days, no one in the bungalow bothered to take care. The Head was not interested in the pain the lady was going through and wanted her out. That night one of the servants was asked to get of the lady because the head was tired of her moaning. While the servant was going upstairs to do this, he stood in front of the room for several minutes. He could see the trail of blood could hear the moaning loud enough but could not see the lady. He checked on the bundle of straw, behind the stove but the lady was nowhere to be seen. He panicked and rushed downstairs to inform the head. The head refused to believe him, opened one of his cabinets and took out his pistol. He asked the servant to follow him and watch him scare the lady and throw her out, where she belonged. But as soon as the two men reached the room, to the head’s surprise there was nothing at all.

For days the noise continued, the head called for a local medicine man to help his family. The medicine man did his magic but this magic could only help them for half a day, after which the noise started again. Left with no option the head decided to sell his estate.  One day a nobleman arrived at the bungalow which, on account of its beautiful situation, he wished to buy. The Head, who was very anxious, gave instructions to his wife to prepare for their guest the above-mentioned room, which was now very beautifully furnished.

But imagine their horror when, in the middle of the night, the nobleman, pale and distracted, entered their room, solemnly assuring them that his room was haunted by something which was not visible, but which sounded as if somebody lying  in one corner of the room, moaning.

The Head, horrified, he did not himself know why, laughed with forced merriment at the nobleman and said he would get up at once and keep him company for the rest of the night in the haunted room. But the nobleman begged to be allowed to spend the rest of the night in another room, and when the morning came he bade farewell, and departed.

This incident, which created a great sensation, frightened away several would-be buyers. His wife was more terrified than ever in her life, and begged him, before the rumour grew, to make a cold-blooded trial in her company.

In the evening both of them, with beating hearts, went up the stairs to the guestroom, anxious to get at the cause of the disturbance, they found that the watch-dog, who happened to have been let off his chain, was standing at the door of the room; so that, without giving a definite reason, both perhaps unconsciously wishing to have another living thing in the room besides themselves, they took him into the room with them. About eleven o'clock the two of them, two candles on the table,   the head with dagger and pistol which he had taken from the cabinet beside him, sat down one on each bed; and while they entertained one another as well as they could by talking, the dog lay down, his head on his paws, in the middle of the room and slept.

As the clock began to strike midnight the horrible sound began; the straw could be heard rustling beneath him; and at the first step the dog woke, rose from the ground growling and barking, and, just as though somebody were making straight for him, moved backwards towards the stove. At the sight the mistress rushed from the room, and while the Head, who had snatched up his dagger, called 'Who is there?' and received no answer, she, like a mad woman, had ordered the coach to be got out, determined to drive away to the village immediately. But before she had packed a few things together and got them out of the door she noticed that all round her the bungalow was in flames.

The Head, overcome with horror, and tired of life, had taken a candle and set fire to the wooden panelling on all sides. In vain she sent people in to rescue the wretched man; he was found in the corner of the room lying on his back, moaning. He dragged himself on the floor trying to get out but met his end in this horrific way. The servants and the mistress left the house.

Now only ashes and ruins remain, people refuse to use this land as they believe the beggar lady still haunts the property as for her this was her shelter which the Head took away.