Harry

by Rosemary Timperley

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction

9 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Rosemary Timperley (20 March 1920 - 9 November 1988) was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. She wrote a wide range of fiction, publishing 66 novels in 33 years, and several hundred short stories, but is best remembered for her ghost stories which appear in many anthologies. She also edited several volumes of ghost stories. Born in Crouch End, North London on 20 March 1920 to architect George Kenyon Timperley and teacher Emily Mary (née Lethem), she went to Hornsey High School, and before studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree in History at King's College, London, graduating in 1941. She then taught English and History at South-East Essex County Technical School in Dagenham, Essex, and also worked at Kensington Citizen's Advice Bureau during World War II. In the mid-1940s, while still working as a teacher, she started submitting short stories to magazines and newspapers, with the first, "Hot Air - and Penelope", being published in Illustrated 10 August 1946. Still writing, she left her job as a teacher to become a staff writer for Reveille magazine in 1949, editing the personal advice column (under the pen name Jane Blythe), readers' letters and writing a number of stories, feature articles and book reviews. She married Physics teacher James McInnes Cameron in 1952, and they lived together in Essex. After writing a number of novels (starting with A Dread of Burning in 1956), she left Reveille to become a freelance writer, going on to write a number of radio and television scripts. By the early 1960s she had separated from her husband, who died in 1968, but she continued writing novels, short stories and scripts until her death on 9 November 1988.[1] source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little story is very atmospheric. It's told from a mother's point of view watching her daughter, who is adopted. The daughter has an imaginary friend named Harry and simply mentioning Harry makes the mother feel very creeped out. She doesn't like Harry and won't let Harry come in to visit. This is our set-up.

The story is collected in 'Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories' and is about 11 pages long or so. It has a nice little pay off, and one can see it coming. I think the pay off would be better for someone much younger. It's easy to read this to a group of kids with how short it is. Kids are so sophisticated nowadays they can probably guess the outcome as well.

The short story was written in the 50s and the writing is pretty good.

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this is such a beautiful story! It must be the best ghost story I have ever read, and it sent shivers down my spine! Not because it was creepy, but because of the deep emotions in it...

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mother becomes increasingly disturbed when her five-year-old daughter, Christine, develops an imaginary friend named Harry. The mother's distress intensifies as Christine insists that Harry is her brother who is fourteen, tall and thin and has red hair like her, despite her adoptive parents knowing and telling her that she doesn't have one. Seeking reassurance, Christine's mother takes her to a doctor who assures her that imaginary friends are normal for young children and will fade in time. However, the mother's anxiety persists. Driven by a growing curiosity and concern, the mother visits the orphanage where Christine was adopted, desperately seeking information about her daughter's background. Eventually she learns the horrific truth concerning the extreme poverty of the family of four consisting of the parents, the fourteen-year-old brother and the baby Christine. The baby Christine was unwanted and neglected by the parents but adored and cared for by her brother. When the father lost his job, he became deeply depressed and decided to end it all. The police found the "husband and wife dead in bed and a note from the husband saying: 'I can’t go on. I am going to kill them all. It’s the only way.’ The police concluded that he’d sealed up door and windows and turned on the gas when his family were asleep." The son must have awakened and got the baby sister and unsealing a window jumped with the baby in his arms, breaking his own neck but saving his sister. The mother than realizes she is late in picking Christine up from school and discovers that when she gets there, she is told that her brother came and picked her up. Frantic the mother searches for her daughter, but she remains missing despite extensive efforts by police and media. The story ends with the mother's enduring pain and fear forever haunted by ordinary things such as: "Sunshine. Sharp shadows on grass. White roses. Children with red hair. And the name — Harry. Such an ordinary name!"

[Amaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

very fitting that this doesnt have a cover

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent short story.

I was supporting a class who read half of this earlier and I had to get the second half of the book to finish it myself as I was so captivated.

[Harvey Vandal · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

Curiously, this is also a story I find myself already familiar with, although this time not in the shape of a podcast but of a creepypasta I read back when I was around 12, namely Laughing Jack which was clearly loosely based around this, with a few lines and plotpoints being directly lifted from the source material. It’s a lovely enough story with a bittersweet ending, this definitely classifies as a proper classic that deserves to be more well known.

The style of writing feels very much of its age, which is by no means a negative aspect. On the contrary, it elevates what is a fairly barebones and cliched story and it’s it that little bit of extra flare and personality that very much made it an easy read. Having said that, however, the story is very much something that won’t shock you in the slightest if you’ve even brushed with the genre of terror, so I find it hard to give it anything more than a 6, seeing as while it’s definitely charming and almost whimsical in its dread, I’ve seen versions of this very same tale that I would much prefer to revisit.

[Tihana · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I loved every single part of this. The dread, the mother's horror when she realises what's about to happen and the fact that she can't stop it. The pacing and direction the story takes. The characters. It's been a while since a story made me feel properly uneasy, and this one accomplished that.

[Sayan Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ghost story of different taste which shows the caring relationship of a brother and sister.. I loved the ending very much..

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They say the place is haunted. So it is. But what's the fuss about? Life and death. They're very close. You get to know that when you're old. Alive or dead. What's the difference?”

[Image: Book Cover]

Harry is a ghost story that managed to crawl its way under my skin. Expertly crafted by Rosemary Timperley, the tale has a strong atmosphere and unnerving conclusion. I imagine that parents of young children will find it particularly effective. At its short length, it can easily be read in one sitting.



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[Image: Anthology Cover]

Title: Harry
Author(s): Rosemary Timperley (1920-1988)
Year: 1955, first published in the anthology The Third Ghost Book
Genre: Fiction - Short Story: Gothic Horror
Date(s) read: 10/16/25
Book 216 in 2025
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[ruby king · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book. I relate to it on so many levels and I'm very impressed with how Rosemary managed to bleed the emotions onto paper! Probably one of my favourite books I've read with an amazing plot twist.

[Paige Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this! It felt old but still held up pretty well.

[KhanDakar AySha SiddiKa RicHi · Rating 2 out of 5]

পারিবারিক সংকটের শিকার একটা ফ্যামিলির মর্মান্তিক জীবনের ইতি,বোনের জন্য নিজের জীবন হারানো ভাই এর আত্মা হয়ে বোনের জীবনে ফিরে আসা নিয়েই গল্পটা ভালোই কিন্তু যে আকাঙখা
নিয়ে পড়লাম সে আশা পূরন হয়নি।

[Viktoria Neborikina · Rating 4 out of 5]

В целом рассказ не плохой. Но не хватает красок, более подробного описания

[✨ Amy Malski ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Malachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As found in Otto Penzler's Big Book of Ghost Stories
Goodreads does not make it easy to add books so this is my record of this story

[Liquidopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this creepy short story about a little girl and her imaginary friend.

[Ronnie Rice Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb Little Ghost Story.

[Estelle]

Read in French

[Lamija · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short horror story about a child’s imaginary friend – assigned in English class to check comprehension skills.

Very creepy, very descriptive. It’s worth checking out


>>>4 stars