Lucy Ashen had a very weird and old neighbor living nearby. The old lady was very private about her life and rarely talked to anyone living in that district. What is more, she was particularly peculiar about not wanting anyone to take a look at what was going on behind her closed doors.
Was she hiding something, or was it something else entirely? When Lucy tried to take a sneak peek inside her home, the sight left her and the whole community in complete shock.
Who Is Lucy Ashen?
Lucy Ashen used to live right next to the old lady. Lucy was very intrigued by the odd behaviour of her neighbour. This London-based lady wanted to know about that old lady’s life.
She used to try very hard to take a look inside that old lady’s house to gather more information about her. But it was no use since the old lady didn’t want anyone to invade her privacy.
Her Social Media Post
Lucy was so intrigued by this mysterious old lady that she couldn’t help but vent it out on her social media. “This strange woman is our neighbour for the past 20 years and even after such a long time, I know nothing about her.
She is very withdrawn and avoids contact with everyone.” Her social media post read.
No One Visited Her
She also revealed in her social media post that no one had visited her in a very long time. This strange lady had been living alone since time immemorial.
It didn’t take long for people to come up with stories of their own. Soon, it became a widespread rumour that the old lady was mentally sick and had many ailments.
Grocery Run
The strange lady used to come out of her home only once a week. That too, to fill up the required groceries in her home. Apart from this grocery run, she used to stay locked in her room.
That was the only time people used to see her out of her 1BHK apartment. She indeed had something off about her which Lucy was about to discover!
Conversation With Daughter
One fine day, Lucy and her 16-year-old were talking about the old lady. Lucy’s daughter kept convincing her to go and ask if the old lady needed any help.
“I’ve already tried talking to her on countless occasions but she refuses to interact at all!” Lucy replied. Her daughter was soon going to ask Lucy a question that would change her perception.
Needs Help
“Mom, imagine yourself at her age. What if you needed some help but were too reserved to ask for it? What if she needs our help too but cannot ask for it?”
Lucy’s daughter was trying to convince her. That got Lucy thinking that she should definitely try harder to help the old lady and know more about her.
Avoiding
Lucy then started trying harder to interact with the old lady but guess what? She kept avoiding and dodging Lucy like Neo dodges bullets in Matrix!
The old lady didn’t want any interaction with anyone and she made sure of it. Lucy’s intrigue kept growing with each passing day as she wanted to decode this mysterious old woman.
Months Go By
Despite Lucy’s continuous efforts, she found no success. Days and months went by but she couldn’t get close to the old lady.
When they used to come across each other on the common staircase, Lucy used to notice that the old lady’s appearance was deteriorating with each passing day. Lucy wanted to help the old lady but her hands were tied as the lady didn’t want any help from anyone!
Her Appearance
The old lady was dressed in ragged, worn-out clothes and her slippers were broken as well. Lucy couldn’t make peace with her appearance and decided that she HAD to do something about it!
She was not only dressed in miserable clothes but the old lady was also smelling pretty bad. Lucy knew that the old lady needed her help and if she didn’t help her, her condition would deteriorate even further!
Lucy’s Persistence
Lucy kept trying her best to have a heart-to-heart with the old lady but she kept avoiding her. She even offered her help but the old lady denied that as well, claiming that she didn’t need any help.
Lucy was very persistent in her approach and her persistence was soon going to bear fruit. But it wouldn’t be a pleasant surprise for Lucy, at all!
Inside
One fine day when Lucy was more persistent than ever to help the old lady, she FINALLY let Lucy inside her apartment.
This was the first time in almost 20 years when Lucy was getting to see what the old lady was hiding behind the closed door. Lucy couldn’t believe what she saw as her eyes opened wide with terror!
Complete Filth
It is pretty much understandable that a lady of her age, who’s living alone, won’t be able to keep up with the chores. But the condition of that old lady’s house was something else entirely!
Her house was completely covered in filth with a thick layer of dirt covering the floor. Lucy also revealed later that it was stinking pretty bad too.
Just Wanted to Help
When Lucy finally got to know the condition that the old lady was living in, she offered her help, yet again! But the old lady denied her help, yet again.
Lucy couldn’t take it anymore because the condition that the old lady was living in, was inhabitable, to say the least.
Much Worse Condition
When the old lady denied Lucy for her help, Lucy decided to ask for a tour of her house which the old lady agreed. Lucy couldn’t believe what she was seeing from her own eyes!
The condition of her house was much worse than anyone could have ever imagined! The walls were full of mould and the flooring was torn apart. Not to mention, the thick layer of dirt and filth which covered almost everything!
Almost No Food
When Lucy opened the fridge to see whether the old lady had enough to eat or not, she was baffled at the sight! The fridge was dirty as well and had almost no food.
Whatever food that was there in the fridge was expired as well. Lucy couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor soul. No one deserves to live in a home like this, she thought.
Hadn’t Taken a Bath
When Lucy entered the bathroom, she found something weird. There was no running water as the pipeline was broken. When she asked the old lady about the same, she got to know something very disturbing.
The old lady hadn’t taken a bath in 13 years! Yes, you read that right! This is the reason why she was smelling bad. If you think this is the worst, keep reading!
Dirty Mattress
Not only this but the mattress that the old lady used to sleep on, was dirty as well. There was mould on the mattress as well as it was lying on the dirty floor.
Lucy was shaken at the sight but she somehow held herself together. She wanted to do something about the old lady’s house.
Couldn’t Clean
The old lady was in fact, so old that she herself wasn’t able to clean her apartment. She later revealed to Lucy that she had tried many times to clean her apartment but given her age, she got tired in a while.
Lucy understood the grave situation that the old lady was in and she knew that it was her moral duty to do something about it.
Decided to Help
Lucy went back to her place and discussed the whole matter with her daughter. The mother-daughter duo decided to help the lady.
They landed at the old lady’s place with all the cleaning equipment and started doing an overhaul of the place.
Several Days Cleaning the Apartment
Since the house was in such a miserable condition, it took them several days to clean the apartment. Lucy and her daughter worked really hard to thoroughly revamp the space.
While Lucy did most of the work, her daughter made sure to spend some time with the old lady. Her daughter later discovered that the old lady was very lonely.
Habitable House
After spending days cleaning the apartment, the old lady’s house was finally in a habitable condition. When the house was finally cleaned, the difference was clear as day! Gone was the filth, dirt and rotten smell.
But there were still many crucial things missing. Take a proper bed for example because until now, the old lady was sleeping on a dirty mattress that was lying on the floor.
Help On Social Media
Lucy then drafted a social media post, asking people to help the old lady in whatever way they can. The old lady’s house was in shambles and she was missing out on some very crucial household bits.
Lucy requested her friends on social media to drop stuff that they weren’t using themselves so the old lady can use them.
Overwhelming Response
Lucy’s social media post received an overwhelming response as people lined up in the comment section, willing to help the old lady.
Lucy didn’t this and she didn’t see it coming. That day, she realized the power of the internet and social media.
80% of the Things Collected
Lucy included a list in her social media post that included all the things that the old lady needed to live a respectful life. And guess what?
In a matter of a few days, Lucy was able to collect almost 80% of the things that she had mentioned in her social media post. The old lady’s house was going to receive a complete overhaul!
New Things Arrive at Her Home
Soon, her place was filled with several new and used things that completely changed the look and feel of the old lady’s home. She received a new bed and mattress, apart from other things like a sofa and curtains as well.
Moreover, with the money collected, Lucy also ordered new flooring for the old lady’s apartment. Her home was smelling nice and fresh, all thanks to the scented candles gifted by one of Lucy’s friends.
New Friends!
Not only this, but the old lady made some new friends in the building as well. No one, absolutely no one deserves to lead a life that the old lady was living.
She was lonely before but now, she had a wide smile plastered on her face. All thanks to her new friends!
Schedule for Food
The other residents of their building decided to take care of the old lady. The informal committee decided to schedule their shifts to cook food for the old lady.
After all, it isn’t that hard to cook a meal for a single person, when you are cooking for your whole family, right?
Lucy, My Daughter!
The old lady was shocked to see the transformation of her apartment and her life, for that matter! She was grateful to Lucy and guess what?
She even said to Lucy that she was her daughter! That was the greatest compliment Lucy had ever received!
It Doesn’t Take Much
This incident is a testimony to the fact that it doesn’t really take much to transform a life. Lucy’s efforts turned the old lady’s life completely!
We are sure that she will always remain grateful for Lucy’s persistence and all the things that she did for the lady.