Nat Hewsun

“BLEAK HOUSE”

When a relationship falls apart, it leaves skeletons. In this case, the skeleton is a house sitting alone near the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Trinity East, Newfoundland. I do not know the people who lived in this house; I only know what they left behind.

The only clue to when Bleak House was abandoned is a calendar hanging on an otherwise bare wall. “December 2013.” The paint peeling from the wall it hangs on has fallen over a sun-faded image of rocky landscapes. The calendar itself is a promotional calendar for the closest grocery store in the next town over, Port Rexton. There is nothing written in the calendar, no birthdays, appointments, or reminders.

There are 5 other items in what I assume was the old dining room: an old rusted wood-burning stove, a small wooden table with a microwave and mossy record player stacked on top, and a small plaque painted with a poem titled “Mother.” Three things are abundantly clear about the person who lived in this house: they were a mother, loved music, and were a Christian.

In the next room over (the living room) the floor has been overtaken by a carpet of moss. Paint peels off the walls here too, revealing layers of floral wallpaper. Against the far wall is an old, haunted pump organ. Of course it’s not haunted (as far as I know), but it sure does look like it. The keys are jagged and uneven. The inside of the instrument must have crumbled away, leaving the keys and foot pump completely nonfunctional. It feels strange standing in this room imagining what it might have been like in 2013. Did the organ get a lot of use? What songs were played on it? Was there an audience?

Vinyl albums were scattered throughout the house, their paper labels long gone. The only remaining evidence of the music enjoyed here is two cassette tapes, a gospel folk album, and a record labelled “Old Tattered Guitar Strings,” which I couldn’t find any information on.

Upstairs was filled with personal objects: old steamer trunks with clothes, a desk full of old letters. Were the letters written to the person who lived here, or letters she never sent? Hymn books, a Bible, a Stephen King novel, Cleveland Browns memorabilia. A small shell box caught my eye; inside were pins, crosses, and Girl Guide badges.

Exploring the contents of Bleak House fascinated me, seeing what people leave behind. Do the former occupants regret anything they left to wither away? Houses like this are all too common in the scenery of Newfoundland. Do they all contain remnants of the lives left behind?