The
Missing Bride
Well, Kate, it looks like we are in
the
last hour of our session.
We have made a lot of progress in one day. How are you feeling about
your wedding?" Mr. Jones, Kate's therapist, asked.
"Oh, I am feeling so much better about
the dress, the reception, and the
guest list. I do have one more issue I would like to discuss..."
"Alright, we have one more hour. Go
for it."
"Well, I am worried about the
honeymoon. My husband wants to go to the
Philippines. I have a big fear of going to other countries. I saw some
pretty scary stuff in Jamaica a few years ago. I have
never left the country since."
"Were you in a bad area?"
"It's not just being in a bad area
that bothers me. You see, my best friend told me
this story about a girl being kidnapped on her honeymoon and showing up
years later in a circus!"
"Why don't you tell me the whole
story?"
"Okay, so it starts with Kelly and her
husband Clark. They had just
gotten married and were on a plane headed for the Philippines. They
were both so excited and happy. They had no idea what was coming. When
the plane landed, Kelly and Clark went to get their luggage. Clark's
luggage was the first to come out. After waiting an hour with
no sign of Kelly's luggage, they decided to report it and go on to
their hotel.
They had been traveling all day and were extremely tired. Kelly
decided she would go shopping for new clothes tomorrow at the local
shops.
The next morning Kelly left the hotel
while Clark was still asleep. She
left him a note that she would be back in two hours. She walked to a
few stores nearby but they turned out to be much more expensive than
what she had wanted to spend. After three stores, she was beginning to
get frustrated. Suddenly, a man came up to her and asked her if she
needed any help. This guy did not look like he worked in a clothing
store. He was tall, muscular, and rough- looking. Kelly smiled and told
him she lost her clothes but did not have the money to buy clothes
here. The man told her he knew a place where they sold great cheap
clothing and that if she wanted to go there he would drive her. Kelly
was a little reluctant but she did not want to be on her honeymoon
wearing the same pair of clothes every day. She agreed to go with the
man and he took her out the back entrance. As soon as they were near
his car, which was in a creepy alley, the man hit Kelly and knocked her
unconscious. She obviously did not make it back to the hotel in two
hours.
Meanwhile, Clark was at the hotel
worrying like crazy. Kelly was six
hours late and it was getting dark. Clark thought maybe she had gotten
lost, so he called the police. The police searched the area and could
not find her. The police in the Philippines are not the most reliable
source if you want to find someone. Anyways, Kelly did not show up the
next morning or the rest of the week. Clark went out by himself and
looked for her. He asked people if they had seen her but no one
recognized her. By the end of the week he had to go back home because
he had no money left. He sadly went back to America alone. Clark
didn't find out what happened to Kelly until years later.
About five years later, Clark's good
friends had just gotten home from
their honeymoon. They invited Clark over for dinner. When Clark
arrived, he noticed the mood was tense and uneasy. He had no idea what
was coming. Jenny, Clark's friend's wife, started. She said they had
seen
Kelly. Before letting Clark ask questions they told him the whole
story. They had seen her at a circus show. They said she looked
horribly beaten and that she was covered in bruises. They tried to talk
to her but they said she did not even seem like the same person. Clark
was mortified. She had been kidnapped and forced into a circus act and
who knows what else!"
"I just cannot go to the Philippines
for my honeymoon. There are scary
kidnappers out there. I cannot imagine having the best week of your
life
turning into the absolute worst. I do not want to be kidnapped or
forced into a circus!"
"Okay, okay, slow down. Have you
already gotten your plane tickets yet?"
"Oh! You know, I do not think we have
yet. Maybe I could still get out
of this!"
"I think you should go somewhere else.
Florida is always nice. If you
have a fear of losing your luggage I suggest bringing a small carry on
bag on the plane. That way you will have your clothes with you. I also
think it would ease your worries if you and your husband did not
separate on the honeymoon."
"Oh, I don't think that will be a
problem. I think my worst fear was
something messing up the best week ever."
"I think everyone has that fear. It is
easy to let that fear get out of
control, especially when you hear stories like this. This story may not
even be true. All of the stories you have told me are not the core of
the problem. They have only made your worries worse. I think the real
problem is, like you said, something messing up any part of your
wedding or honeymoon. Weddings are so hard to plan and the bride can
lose sleep and become very stressed. The important thing is to follow
your heart. Like I said before, it is YOUR wedding, meaning if you do
not like how someone is doing something you can say something. It is
important
for you to be happy on the happiest day of your life. I hope my advice
has helped."
"It has helped tremendously! I cannot
thank you enough for helping my
cope with my problems! See you at the wedding!"
Author's
Note: The
original story was about a Japanese couple traveling to Paris for their
honeymoon. The wife wanted to go shopping one day and tried on some
clothes in a store. The husband was waiting for her outside. She never
came out of the dressing room so the husband asked a sales attendant to
check on her. She was not in the dressing room; she had just vanished.
The
husband thought the wife was playing a joke on him but when she did not
return the next morning he called the police. They never found her. I
kept the ending the same, except the wife in the original story ended
up in a freak show
instead of a circus. In both stories the wife had been horribly beaten.
I decided to add the missing luggage scene to give the wife a reason to
shop and leave her husband. I also added the mysterious man who
kidnaps her. I did not really understand how in the original story she
disappeared in a dressing room and no one saw her. I thought this was
another great story for Kate because she had a fear of going to foreign
countries. Her real fear was something ruining what is supposed to be
the best week of your life. The therapist worked through with her what
she could do in order to avoid the problems of the newlyweds from the
story. I think the most important advice the therapist gave her was to
plan her wedding how she wanted it. I think so many brides get caught
up in what everyone else wants and do not think about what they want.
This was the case with Kate.
Coverpage
Bibliography:
The Shanghai'd Bride. Web source: Snopes.com
Image Information:
Dead Bride. Websource: The
Photo Bucket
