MONDAY
They found this house out in the sticks
Resplendent in Victorian bricks
Took it for a year long rent
Dad said it's going cheap
Mum said there'd be a catch
Dad signed the contract anyway
Was never really daunted
I said it must be haunted
Mum said don't be silly
I chose the bedroom way up high
Where all the windows face the sky
And farm ploughed fields stretch round about
There even is a kind of moat
Inside, as I walk round the room
The polished floorboards groan
Then lying down upon the bed
The rusty bedsprings moan
I'm not sure if I find it all so quaint
Or rather queasy
Whether living here will be hard
Or easy
TUESDAY
In the corner of my room there's a wooden desk
Three drawers on the right hand side and three drawers on the left
Five of them are empty
But the bottom right is locked
With no sign of a key
Thus my entry's blocked
And on one side
So neat and tidy
I see there's something scratched
It's very hard to read it all
I can't quite make it out
Though part of it is not in doubt
Three words are what I see
'. lea.. .elp .e'
WEDNESDAY
Now picture this if you're able
Jack and Jill and Debra Winger
Seated at the dining table
Eating fish for dinner
Jack a stringer for a paper
Jill a landscape painter
Daughter Debbie just thirteen
Many places already seen
They live a life quite variegated
Never settled
Oft vacated
"I think this house will suit us well"
"It's better than expected"
"What do you think Debbie darling?"
"I think I'd like ice cream for afters"
Which sets her parents off in reams of laughter
Reaching almost to the rafters
So having more or less agreed that everything is fine
They settle down to live their lives
As always
One day at a time
THURSDAY
The second time I tried
The drawer it wasn't locked
I guess it must have just been stuck
I felt a little shocked
At what I found inside
A picture of a little girl
In faded black and white
Wearing clothes of long ago
And sitting on a horse
I flipped it over
Saw the words written on the back
This is what they said:
"My darling Debbie passed away
My heart is full of grief
From her horse she fell
Her body very weak
Once to bed she did not linger
Quickly taken by the fever
Into the arms of God"
FRIDAY
I kept the picture to myself
I really can't say why
And when I look into her eyes
I nearly start to cry
I felt an instant bond was made
As boundaries were crossed
Of life and death
Of found and lost
Of time
SATURDAY
Today we left the house alone
Went off and found the nearest town
Did some shopping
Bought our lunch
Drove around
Saw the attractions
Like busy bees
Hop hop hopping
And all the time
With Debbie's picture in my bag
Safely hidden out of sight
I wondered why I felt the need
To keep her secret
SUNDAY
It's late at night
I should be fast asleep
I have to get up early in the morning
The first day at my new school will soon be dawning
Instead I'm wide awake
Thinking of my namesake
Almost like a friend
When suddenly a strange thing happens
From somewhere in my room
Comes a hollow sound
That even as I listen
Seems to call my name
And somehow I am certain
My life will never be the same
MONDAY
Linear equations
Historic confrontations
English compositions
PE exertions
All the usual irritations
And from Debbie no concentration
Her mind a single occupation
Thinking of her new found friend
In midnight conversation
Or was it just a dream?
TUESDAY
Debbie talks to Debbie
Deep into the night
Of her love of horses
And knowing she was dying
Of 'please help me' scratched on the wood
Knowing it would do no good
Of her mother who ne'er stopped crying
And her father so brave of face
Of being stuck forever in this place
Until Debbie fell asleep
ALMOST A YEAR LATER
Jack and Jill and Debra Winger
Are seated round the dining table
Having a family meeting
There is a decision to be made
To stay another year
Content with what they've got
And roll the contract forward
Or maybe better not
"Time to take a vote," says Jack
"Let's see what we think."
At which point Debbie feels she's standing on the brink
Will Debbie stay if Debbie goes?
She hasn't dared to ask
But if she does, one thing she knows
Her heart, it will be broken
"Let's stay," she blurts in desperation
Then from Jack in sotto voce
"It's time our train left the station"
Which leaves Jill the casting vote
And Debbie's heart caught in her throat
Two pairs of eyes lock on to mum's
Awaiting her decision
"Well ...truth be told... I'm fifty fifty...so let's toss a coin..."
Thus are fates decided
The invisible friend or imaginary companion is a very common and usually healthy part of childhood. They are seen as indicators of a child's advanced cognitive and social skills. They can be especially comforting during periods of change such as moving house. Studies suggest up to 65 percent of children have one. However in some cases...
Feb 20
Feb 20, 2026 at 5:34 AM UTC
MONDAY
They found this house out in the sticks
Resplendent in Victorian bricks
Took it for a year long rent
Dad said it's going cheap
Mum said there'd be a catch
Dad signed the contract anyway
Was never really daunted
I said it must be haunted
Mum said don't be silly
I chose the bedroom way up high
Where all the windows face the sky
And farm ploughed fields stretch round about
There even is a kind of moat
Inside, as I walk round the room
The polished floorboards groan
Then lying down upon the bed
The rusty bedsprings moan
I'm not sure if I find it all so quaint
Or rather queasy
Whether living here will be hard
Or easy
TUESDAY
In the corner of my room there's a wooden desk
Three drawers on the right hand side and three drawers on the left
Five of them are empty
But the bottom right is locked
With no sign of a key
Thus my entry's blocked
And on one side
So neat and tidy
I see there's something scratched
It's very hard to read it all
I can't quite make it out
Though part of it is not in doubt
Three words are what I see
'. lea.. .elp .e'
WEDNESDAY
Now picture this if you're able
Jack and Jill and Debra Winger
Seated at the dining table
Eating fish for dinner
Jack a stringer for a paper
Jill a landscape painter
Daughter Debbie just thirteen
Many places already seen
They live a life quite variegated
Never settled
Oft vacated
"I think this house will suit us well"
"It's better than expected"
"What do you think Debbie darling?"
"I think I'd like ice cream for afters"
Which sets her parents off in reams of laughter
Reaching almost to the rafters
So having more or less agreed that everything is fine
They settle down to live their lives
As always
One day at a time
THURSDAY
The second time I tried
The drawer it wasn't locked
I guess it must have just been stuck
I felt a little shocked
At what I found inside
A picture of a little girl
In faded black and white
Wearing clothes of long ago
And sitting on a horse
I flipped it over
Saw the words written on the back
This is what they said:
"My darling Debbie passed away
My heart is full of grief
From her horse she fell
Her body very weak
Once to bed she did not linger
Quickly taken by the fever
Into the arms of God"
FRIDAY
I kept the picture to myself
I really can't say why
And when I look into her eyes
I nearly start to cry
I felt an instant bond was made
As boundaries were crossed
Of life and death
Of found and lost
Of time
SATURDAY
Today we left the house alone
Went off and found the nearest town
Did some shopping
Bought our lunch
Drove around
Saw the attractions
Like busy bees
Hop hop hopping
And all the time
With Debbie's picture in my bag
Safely hidden out of sight
I wondered why I felt the need
To keep her secret
SUNDAY
It's late at night
I should be fast asleep
I have to get up early in the morning
The first day at my new school will soon be dawning
Instead I'm wide awake
Thinking of my namesake
Almost like a friend
When suddenly a strange thing happens
From somewhere in my room
Comes a hollow sound
That even as I listen
Seems to call my name
And somehow I am certain
My life will never be the same
MONDAY
Linear equations
Historic confrontations
English compositions
PE exertions
All the usual irritations
And from Debbie no concentration
Her mind a single occupation
Thinking of her new found friend
In midnight conversation
Or was it just a dream?
TUESDAY
Debbie talks to Debbie
Deep into the night
Of her love of horses
And knowing she was dying
Of 'please help me' scratched on the wood
Knowing it would do no good
Of her mother who ne'er stopped crying
And her father so brave of face
Of being stuck forever in this place
Until Debbie fell asleep
ALMOST A YEAR LATER
Jack and Jill and Debra Winger
Are seated round the dining table
Having a family meeting
There is a decision to be made
To stay another year
Content with what they've got
And roll the contract forward
Or maybe better not
"Time to take a vote," says Jack
"Let's see what we think."
At which point Debbie feels she's standing on the brink
Will Debbie stay if Debbie goes?
She hasn't dared to ask
But if she does, one thing she knows
Her heart, it will be broken
"Let's stay," she blurts in desperation
Then from Jack in sotto voce
"It's time our train left the station"
Which leaves Jill the casting vote
And Debbie's heart caught in her throat
Two pairs of eyes lock on to mum's
Awaiting her decision
"Well ...truth be told... I'm fifty fifty...so let's toss a coin..."
Thus are fates decided
The invisible friend or imaginary companion is a very common and usually healthy part of childhood. They are seen as indicators of a child's advanced cognitive and social skills. They can be especially comforting during periods of change such as moving house. Studies suggest up to 65 percent of children have one. However in some cases...
