 Gretchen in 1958 | |
 Gretchen in 2004 | |
| Gretchen Culliver | |
| Portrayed by | Blaire Restaneo (1958) Molly Cheek (2004) |
| Episode | The Boy in the Box |
| Status | Alive |
Gretchen Culliver is a character from "The Boy in the Box". She is the "sister" of the titular boy, Arnold Culliver.
Gretchen and Arnold resided in the Fernwood Home for Orphans, believed to have been dropped off together. They knew that they would be separated upon adoption so they promised to see each other again at Bryer's Horse Fair once they turned 18.
Arnold disappeared in 1958, having supposedly been adopted without Gretchen getting a chance to say goodbye. She did go to the fair years later, but Arnold never showed up. Gretchen then went on with her life assuming that he just forgot about her.
Gretchen works as a librarian in 2004. She is in disbelief when told that her brother has actually been dead since 1958. Further investigation revealed that they are not even related; Sister Grace Ashley had forged their birth certificates to hide the truth that Arnold is her own son.
The epilogue shows Gretchen crying in the arms of Sister Vivian Dole upon learning the truth. She then visits Arnold's newly dug grave and imagines seeing him alive at the Horse Fair.