Chilling adventures with Katharine Arcane

Part 4: Reunited

Year 1884, Alice's cottage.
~
Outside the window I saw the snow begin to fall in a light flurry.
"And what is your name?" Alice asked expectantly.
"Katharine."
Her eyes widened. "Katharine? Your alive?"
"I too am shocked to see that you are fairing well."
" I can't believe it My Lady! To see that you have grown in such a short time, and that we would meet again like this!"
"I'm no longer a Lady. I have lost my title along with all its privileges."
"Ah yes, such a hash thing to come. And so untimely. Stay, stay here with me and sleep on a soft bed for once."
"You must be in need of help around here as well."
" You are offering to assist me in chores?" Alice was used to serving me.
"I told you my life has changed overnight when I was only nine. You were a witness."
" Alright, we will start tomorrow. But, for now you shall rest."
Alice put together a small hay mattress with some blankets on the floor. She then blew out the candles along with the lantern that hung outside. She added logs to the fire place.
"Good night, Katharine." This was the first time she addressed me as someone equal to her class.
~
That morning Alice woke me up to start chores.
"First we need to bring logs in to dry. They have been covered with snow this morning. Then you will sweep the floor and I will make breakfast."
The cool air in the morning helped with my grogginess. A fresh powdered snow on the ground reflected the sun causing it to shimmer. I dusted the snow off the top of the wood pile and brought as much as I could carry.
I let the wood tumble out of my arms adding to the small pile by the fire place. Alice then handed me a broom. I swept the dirt outside that I had tracked in the night before.
Alice had set the table and prepared breakfast and tea.
" I noticed you wear your mother's ring." Alice pointed out the ring on my finger.
"This was my Mother's?"
" Yes, it was a tradition in your family for the first daughter to inherit."
I stared down at my ring for a while. The light reflected off of it, like the snow this morning.
"Today," said Alice, "I will show you the basic moves of the katana. You wanted to learn as a form of self defense I presume?"
I nodded.
" Then we should get started."
~
"First, I shall show you how to unsheathe it." Alice held the sword attached to her waist. "If you have the sword to far on the side, you are left open for an attack. Keep it more centered." She slid the band so the katana was in front of her. "Then to unsheathe it, you push the sword out of the sire and then swing."
She handed me the Katana to try it myself now. I did as she said, pushing the sword and swinging it out.
"Good. Now I want you to remember this sword as not a weapon but an extension of your own body. Pretty soon the moves will come as breathing."
        Alice brought out a stack of paper. " it's expensive but this is going to be our target."
      She taught be how to strike bottom right to top left and vise versa. She threw a piece of paper up and instructed me to hit it mid air.
      " Now try."
      I swung right to left using my body as she taught, missing the paper completely.
      " Use your hips." Alice demonstrated twisting her hips in the direction she swung. "And point your toe towards your target."
      I tried again, and I missed the paper a second time. I huffed. "It's much harder than you make it seem."
      Alice laughed. "Remember to do everything in a fluid motion."
      By the eighth time I was able to master the strikes starting from the bottom.
      "Now, I will show you the strikes from the top. This could take months to start getting the hang of it."
                                          ~
      Alice and I worked on getting the moves down. Pretty soon it came like breathing as she said it would. We continued to use paper, tossing it in the air and cutting it with precision.
      "Good! Your actually quite the fast learner!" Alice told me one evening.
      " I'd hope to have one of my own someday."
      " I'm sure that someday you will have one of your vary own." She smiled.
                                         ~
      As we continued to practice, the snow began to melt and flowers began to bloom. It reminded me of the garden at Arcane manor.  With the snow gone I enjoyed the smell of fresh air as I did the laundry outside.  Alice was near by, hanging clothes up to dry.
      "Alice?"
      "Yes, what is it?"
       " Remember when you said your husband was a merchant and that's why he is gone?"
      "Yes I do, why do you ask?"
      " When is he supposed to get back? It's been so long already."
      "It can take a merchant quite a long while to travel." She smiled.
This seemed too strange. She only lived in such a small cottage but merchants make quite a bit of money.
      " hmmm."
      "Anything else?"
      "No that was all."
      "Alright then. Back to work."
      I continued the laundry, handing the clothes to Alice so she could pin them up. I speculated that she was lying about having a husband but such a lie seemed strange. Unless of course, it was in order to keep her own property. Women did not have the right to own their own property, otherwise Arcane manor would have gone to me.
                                          ~
      After living with Alice for a while now, and her husband still not returning home nor sending letters, I liked to wake up early and sit outside when the air was cool. As summer came around the heat could be grueling. So, early morning and dusk were the best times of day to get work done.
      After a while of being outside alone, I caught something bright orange in my peripheral vision. I quickly turned my head in the direction. It was a fox! I didn't see them often since they were afraid of people. I stayed still sitting on the front steps silently watching the animal.  It began to dig at something. Faster and faster. Has it found something?
      Just then Alice opened the door. "Oh, that fox is digging in my flowers." She sighed.
      The fox heard and darted off. The fiery orange leaving in a blur. I don't see any flowers.
Alice and I had a routine of completing morning chores, practicing the use of the katana, evening chores, and eating meals in between.
My last chore was to add some logs from outside near the fire place. Now that Alice was inside and I was alone, I decided to try and see what the fox was digging up.
Upon closer inspection, there was a small piece of Material that held animal feed sticking up from the ground. I started digging, scooping piles of dirt towards myself.
Getting impatient now, I ripped the feed bag open to see what it was. Suddenly, a hand fell out of the back and slipped to the ground. I jumped back, covering my mouth.
"Alice! Alice!" I screamed.

To be continued...

Author: Chloe LaRain
Editor: Elizabeth Joy
Elizabethjoy1120@icloud.com