Strawberry Island (girlxgirl)

Island Time

The ferry docked and Florence darted out of the vehicle and onto land, sucking in the fresh summer air.  She sat in the grass and watched from afar as her parents were greeted by the Lighthouse keeper, Mr. Clayton. He was not your stereotypical grouchy old man, he was in his early fifties and still had brown in his hair. "I remember the first time Florence came up, she was maybe three or four years old, oh I remember how green her face was when she got off that Ferry. Somethings never change, huh." Mr. Clayton chortled and patted Florence's father's shoulder as they reminisced on the past. Once they wrapped up their conversation, the Ainsworth's returned to their vehicle and continued to the northern side of the island.

"Do you have any idea when your sisters will be arriving with their families?" Ophelia asked Malcolm as they drove over the bridge. "The Edwards are scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. The Bernardos should be here tomorrow evening." He responded.

Not long after, Florence's headache and stomachache soon faded as she and her family pulled into the driveway of Mulberry manor. 'Mulberry' was the name of the Ainsworth mansion on the lake. It was neighbored by three other houses on the shore and occupied by each respective Ainsworth sibling: The Edwards' stayed at Winterberry, the Bernardos' at Coralberry, and grandfather Ainsworth resided at Huckleberry, up until his death. 

Each house was equally beautiful and had their own respective themes, Mulberry was a modern farmhouse architectural masterpiece. Almost every room being a variation of cream white with neutral colored furniture and appliances to match, with an exception of a few wood accents. Mulberry was warm and inviting, rustic country elements updated with a rich mix of industrial and Scandinavian touches for the most unique of twenty first century spaces. The house smelled of cinnamon and vanilla all year long.

Winterberry was minimalism-galore, with a stark coldness and uncomfortable severity. The interior design was based around simplicity and empty refinement. Rooms were practically spare, and well-edited with printless fabrications and décor extras. Winterberry had the same aesthetic as a modern art gallery, museum, or maybe insane asylum, filling spaces with the barest of essentials. Although the home was occupied by a family of five, including three lively and vibrant young girls, the hopelessly dull walls served as a depressing residence.  

Coralberry had a unique eclectic interior design that focused on high-energy, spell binding finds and furnishings. Full of bold color palettes, textures, and patterns. Coastal color palettes were made up of shades of light blues and greens inspired by the ocean along with an array of creams and neutrals for a relaxed yet elegant finish. The home had more than five exotic fish tanks scattered throughout. Coralberry was bliss and delight rolled into one.  

Huckleberry was old with bohemian interior design. Oak book cases lined every hallway and study. It had the most timeless style of all four manors, an inspired comfortable mix of vintage and antique furnishings sourced from travels by Cornelius and Rosemary Ainsworth filled the mansion. Unfortunately, Huckleberry was now vacant, the Burgundy painted walls were dull and peeling. None of the Ainsworth siblings could stand to step foot in the home, not after the death of their beloved parents.