Transcript Wait Till Helen Comes student summary corrected

By Mary Downing Hahn
PowerPoint adapted from a
creation by Kieran W.
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
Genre: Horror
Type of story: Ghost Story
Setting: 45 miles away from
Baltimore in fictitious
Holwell, MD
In chapter 1, Molly, 12, and Michael, 10, find out that
their parents have bought a church about 45 miles
away from Baltimore (where they live currently).
They are not happy and are telling their mom this
when their step-sister, Heather appears. She tells
her dad (their step-father) they were arguing about
it – which was not true. Michael and Molly later
agree they don’t like the move or their step-sister
Heather, who seems to be trying to break up the
new family.
The family moves to the church. Molly and
Heather are told to look around the area and
they find a graveyard, which freaks Molly out.
Heather on the other hand, enjoys teasing
Molly about her reaction to the graveyard.
Heather lies to Mom and Dave by saying
Molly ran off and left her alone in the
graveyard.
The family goes to the graveyard after dinner.
They investigate the tombstones while
Heather is running and dancing around. Mom
tries to give Molly and Michael advice about
how to deal with Heather and instead gets
upset about the situation.
After Dave puts Heather to bed they all sit
talking about the graveyard; then they all go
to bed. In the morning Molly finds out that
there is a graveyard caretaker called Mr.
Simmons. He and Michael tell Molly about
the various families in the graveyard. Heather
finds an old grave hidden in the weeds
beneath a tree.
Molly finds Heather in the graveyard. She hears
Heather talking to someone. When Heather
sees her, Molly asks who she was talking to
and Heather will not tell her. Molly tries to tell
both Michael and Mom about Heather and
how she talks to somebody, but no one
believes her.
Heather has nightmare about the fire her mom
died in and Dave tells Molly not to talk to
Heather about ghosts or the graveyard. The
next day, Molly looks for Michael and sees
Heather at the ruins of an creepy old house.
She is talking to Helen and has a locket
around her neck that wasn’t there before. She
tries to tell Heather to stay away from the
house.
Molly tells Mom about the ruins and Mom
agrees they are dangerous. Molly takes
Michael to the ruins she found. They look
around and realize the house burnt down.
They see Heather near the pond so they run
to get her. They see the locket around her
neck with the initials HEH on it. Heather says
it stands for “Helen Elizabeth Harper” and
tells them “you’ll be sorry. You’ll be so sorry”
when Helen comes.
Michael still doesn’t believe Molly about the ghost.
Michael and Molly ride into town to visit the library.
They find out more about the ruins in the woods –
the “Harper House” and discover it burned down
with the Helen’s parents (mother/stepfather) inside
– Helen had escaped the fire but drowned in the
pond. They learn some locals think the ghost of
Helen is responsible for drownings in the pond.
They talked Mr. Simmons about it, but he hadn’t
told Heather the story of the house.
Mom and Dave get into fight because Molly and
Michael went to the library, while Heather told
them Molly and Michael had taken her to the ruins
and left her there. Dave believes Heather. Later,
Molly tries to convince Michael about Helen’s
ghost again and Mom and Dave got in another
fight. Heather fakes a nightmare and Dave blames
Molly. Heather sneaks out and Molly sees Heather
and Helen talking about getting Michael and Molly
and staying together forever.
Molly wakes Michael early and she tries to
convince Michael of what she saw by showing
him, and Michael and Molly get in trouble for
being outside. Mom and Dave take Heather
with them as they go shopping. Michael and
Molly go into the woods and talk. Molly
realizes Heather might be in danger from
Helen, but Michael doesn’t believe her.
Molly and Michael head back to the house, and Molly
realizes something is wrong. There is a crash (Molly
sees Helen leaving the house) and they run away.
Mom, Dave and Heather return and they find the
only damage is to Molly, Michael, and Mom’s stuff.
On the wall Molly sees “I have come H.E.H.” but it
fades away. Heather tells Michael and Molly that
Helen did it. Michael tells the police officer that
Molly saw a ghost and the officer said some people
had seen one at the grave yard, but he didn’t
believe in ghosts.
Molly tries to warn Heather about Helen, but
Heather says she will make Helen come
again. The next day, Molly shares with Mr.
Simmons everything that has happened with
Helen. Mr. Simmons says his sister had told
him the same story about her cousin Rose,
who she said was led to her death in Harper
pond. He tells Molly to keep Heather away
from Harper House and the pond.
Mom and Dave left a note that they were going
to Baltimore for art supplies, so Molly looks
for Heather. She finds her at Harper House,
talking to Helen. Heather is saying “I thought
Daddy would be with us too” and Helen
replies “We don’t need your father”. Helen is
trying to lead Heather into the pond, telling
her that her father wouldn’t love her if he
knew what Helen knows.
Heather walks into the pond and Molly jumps in
to save her. Helen cries “Don’t take her from
me” and Molly and Helen fight for Heather.
Finally Molly rips the locket from around
Heathers neck and throws it at Helen. Helen
leaves, and Heather wakes up and looks for
Helen. They enter the ruin of the Harper
House and as Heather runs across the old
floor, she falls through it.
Heather thinks they fell through the floor because
Helen is mad at Heather. She is upset at Molly.
Molly figures out that Heather was similar to Helen
because both of them lost their mother due to a
fire. Molly figures out Heather was the one who
started the fire that killed Heather’s mother . Molly
and Heather find the bodies of Helen’s parents.
Helen enters and finds her parent’s bones and
ghost of Helen’s mother appears and hugs Helen
and then they disappear together.
After some time Mom , Dave, and Michael find
Heather and Molly. They see the bones and
Heather explains whose they are. The family was
fully united for the first time. Dave tells the police
about Helen’s parents and they are all buried
together in the graveyard. Heather tells Dave she
started the fire that killed her mother.. Heather
finds the locket on Helen’s grave. Michael sees the
locket back around Heather’s neck and says he
thought he’d heard the last of Helen. Molly replies
that she thinks they have.
Mary Downing Hahn (born December 9, 1937, in
Washington D.C.) is an award winning American
author of young adult novels.
Mary Downing Hahn's first published book, The
Sara Summer, was released in 1979, when she
was forty-one years old. Since then she has
written over twenty novels. Many of those
novels take place in Maryland, a state in which
she grew up and still lives in.