The Tragedy of Petticoat Luce
Her name was Mary Hannigan but the townspeople would never let you know that. In fact, over the years since her story began, they have started forgetting her name in favor for the one they chose for her; Petticoat Luce. She loathed the name and would promise to rightly punch anyone for calling her that to her face. Mary knee she could do nothing for the whispers behind her back, so she steeled herself for the fights she could win.
She was a formidable woman standing taller than any of the men in the village and some say that trees were the size of children next to her. She was never bothered by her size, in fact she reveled in it. As a farmer’s daughter and having such a great height led her to being ignored by most “suitors” and having the strength to crush those who dared pursue her against her wish. She would not allow a man to raise a hand to her or treat her as property to be controlled. Her wild spirit would not be “tamed” nor did it need to be. Although she was thought strange for this she believed that the village was the strange one for this mindset.
Dancing and singing and drinking were her favorite and she could spend all night just spinning around the dance floor with no care in the world. One particular night a group of what can only loosely be called men decided to play a cruel trick on Mary and placed one of their swords in her way while she was dancing and it ripped her skirt off so she was left in her petticoat. The creatures all burst into laughter but instead of storming off in embarassment Mary continued on as if nothing had happened. She would not let them have any satisfaction in seeing her anger or sadness.
Many of these tricks continued on throughout her life and time and time again Mary kept a calm expression on her face. She learned that so long as she remained impassive that she would be left alone for the most part. There would still be whispers and stares and rumors, but she believed that it was only par for the course for being independent. Eventually though, that too would come to an end.
As her father laid dying, Mary knew there was a mountain of debt that he had collected in order to save their farm. She took some time to grieve with her mother and then composed herself. She married the tallest, and richest, man in the village to pay off her parents’ debt and her life as she knew and loved was over.
The marriage at first seemed to be rather peaceful for the first year, but it became apparent that it was only a show. Mary’s husband would come home drunk regularly and demand her obedience in every way. She was an iron rod that was not meant to be bent or broken but he tried everything in his power to do exactly that. Resentment began to grow inside her and would bubble over in a gruesome manner.
Three years into her marriage she began a friendship with a student who neighbored their cottage and soon fell in love with her. The woman, Rebecca, was studying in the city nearby and was considered peculiar by the townspeople the same as Mary was. A woman, they believed, had no use for education as she was meant to run a household and to bear children. Rebecca was determined to become a teacher to challenge that mindset by bringing a new generation of girls up with a proper education.
As the months went on, Mary and Rebecca would meet at the lake in secret under the moonlight. They stole forbidden kisses and dreams, shared every thought, and comforted each other against the harshness they had faced from their home. Rebecca was furious when discovering the truth behind Mary’s husband and vowed to steal her away in the night and run away together to leave the village and all the people in it behind. This would not come to pass unfortunately as Mary’s husband soon uncovered their secret romance.
One day, in an uncharacteristicly kind mood, Mary’s husband extended an invitation to Rebecca to join himself and Mary fishing. Not having a polite way to refuse, she accepted. It was only an hour or so into their little expedition when he confronted the women about their love and became enraged when Rebecca defended Mary. Without warning he grabbed her by the neck and snapped it before tossing her into the lake. Mary sobbed and hit her husband, trying to avenge her love, but he easily overpowered her in her grieving state. She became withdrawn after that and rarely left her house.
A year after the murder of Rebecca, a traveling headmaster had a violent run in with her husband where he was stabbed to death. Rumors spread that the headmaster was Mary’s lover and she conspired with him to kill her husband but she did not entertain any of them. She was grateful to be freed from her prison but wept as it was not at the hands of her only love. The headmaster tried to marry her, only fueling the rumors more, but she refused time and time again. After living in her own personal hell for years at the hands of her husband she refused to be tied to a man again. Mary took up to carrying a sword around wherever she went and became as hard and cold as a bolder. No one would ever get close to her again and she would not hesitate to kill anyone who would try to take her freedom again.
After a long and lonely life, Mary passed away peacefully in her sleep. The townspeople were relieved that her menacing presence was gone but they were shocked when her apparition was soon spotted on the road. As they did in life, they called her ghost Petticoat Luce and became the scourge of any wandering person who happened upon her. She did not attack random people, like the village believed, but men who were dishonest, murderers, or harmed their wives or women in any way. She would ask a simple favor to be brought to her home and if the man obliged, then she would know he was a kind soul and spare him from her blade. If they refused however she struck them down in judgement of their wickedness.
One day a priest happened to come across her visage. Instead of accepting or refusing her he pulled his “holy” book from his robes and read some passages outloud before proclaiming she was damned to the lake to empty it with only a thimble. Instead of striking him for his audacious belief that he had any power to do so, she disappeared and was never seen by the road again. She would soon be spotted at the lake, and looked to the village to be emptying the lake as the priest had commanded.
In reality, Mary had been stuck on the road for some time and instead of condemning her, the priest freed her from her confinement. She went to the lake not to do as he said and empty it with a simple thimble, but to find Rebecca’s body and reunite with her. All night she would spend pushing the water away to find her love but she remained unsuccessful. With each passing month and year with no sign of her soulmate wore her spirit and soon the village would her mournful cries whenever they saw her appear at the lake. They twisted her story as a warning to children to keep them in line and not to step out of the norm. After only two generations Mary Hannigan’s name and truth would be forgotten and all that remained was her sorrow and Petticoat Luce.
