Most of you know the story of Bloody Mary, but many of you don’t know who Mary was, how she became evil, or how her spirit got locked in a mirror. That’s where I come in.
It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning in London, England, 1873, and young Mary Worth was smiling beyond compare. She ran over to her brown bear hide leather couch and picked up her mother’s long, white wedding dress, and put on the radiant thing. She picked up her fancy cream- colored jewelry box from her dresser and began dressing herself up in all sorts of elegant frippery. Nothing could ruin her mood. After all, it wasn’t every day you got to marry the sheriff, even if you were a banker’s daughter. As Mary started down the stairs, her proud mother came scurrying up to grab her daughter’s arm.
“Oh, Mary! You look beautiful!” Mrs. Worth complimented. “I’ll go get the servants so they can primp you up a little bit, darling.”
“Thank you, Mum,” Mary responded gratefully, “for everything. You arranged for me to be wedded to the finest man in town, threw me a wedding that I’m sure will be extravagant, and have given a plentiful dowry. How can I ever thank you enough?”
“You can thank me by getting to your wedding on time,” Mrs. Worth laughed, lightly shoving her daughter towards the vanity. “Go get ready.”
So Mary did, and by the time she was finished loading her possessions into the carriage to be sent to her beau’s house, and had finished embroidering her veil with flowers, she decided to stop by the bank to bid her father farewell. Halfway there, though, she saw two figures in the distance, a young woman and man, who looked horribly familiar. She stuffed her train into her left hand and started rapidly running along the dirt road toward the couple. When she got close enough to see the faces, she abruptly stopped. Tears began to gather in her eyes. She had been betrayed, and not only by the sheriff, but by her good friend Dalia, the schoolteacher. They had been holding hands, sharing a memory together. They had been going behind Mary’s back for months, now, engrossed only in each other.
“Sir, you have betrayed my trust. Farewell. Forever. I refuse to be married to such a scoundrel,” Mary was bawling now, and her voice was shaking like an earthquake. As she spoke she slowly backed away. “And, Dalia, my so-called friend. I’d expect better from you. Watch out. Both of you. Mary Worth is coming to get you.” At this, she turned and ran into the distance.
After this encounter, young Mary was not seen for three days. She did not show up to her own wedding, or return home. Everyone was worried about her, especially her parents. Day in and day out, her loved ones went searching for her all over London, and every watch guard all over London was informed that if they see a fair young woman with dirty blonde hair in a wedding dress rushing by, stop her and contact the sheriff.
One night, a young watch guard positioned not miles from Mary’s parents’ house claimed to see a pretty girl such as Mary run across the dirt path in an old worn wedding dress and disappear into the mass of trees.
“Oh, thank you, sweet Lord,” thought the good man. “ I will be kindly rewarded by the sheriff for this useful information.”
So when his shift was over, he rode off on his chestnut steed toward Town Hall. This was where the sheriff would most likely be speedily finishing the last of his paperwork. He was always rushing, so he could return home in time for sunrise. This was what the sheriff was usually doing when he came for a visit after his shift was over.
