Destined

- 11 -

~ * ~ Dream ~ * ~

The sun was high in the sky on a summer day and everyone was enjoying the sun as much as possible as autumn was slowly getting nearer. At Hemmings’ mansion however was a different story.

Four boys from the age twenty to seven years old and three girls from the age of fifteen to eight were stuck inside their mansion, grieving for what they would soon lost.

Edmondson II held onto his twenty years old fifteen years old sister Victoria as she weeps. Only Edmondson II and Victoria was the only one related to the dying woman lying on the bed. But this didn’t stop the twins Anthony and Marco; age thirteen, Andrea; age ten, Julia; age nine and the youngest Gregory; age seven from crying.

Mrs Juliana Hemmings was pale as her white night gown, her lips slowly turning blue and her eyes were dull and unfocused. But she can hear her children crying beside her but she was too weak to reassure them that everything will be alright even though she knew it was a lie.

Oh my children! She thought in desperation. Victoria was only a month away before her début and she finish sewing her gown for that special occasion, she was excited to see her in that dress but now she’ll never be able to.

Edmondson, her oldest was married to the lovely Margaret which he met during his trip to London was now pregnant and giving birth in two weeks time but she won’t be able to hold her first grandchild.

Anthony and Marco, the twins she fell in love with as soon as she laid her eyes on them two months when she found out she can’t have anymore children. They were beggars at the age of five and without hesitation she adopts them. Her husband can only shakes his head at her the day she told the twins to get in the carriage.

That’s when Andrea and Julia came in, in their life. She was doing charity work one day and saw a large family. They were having a picnic and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy as she watch six kids running around and a baby on the father’s arm. She went home that day and begged her husband to adopt a child but end up adopting two.

Gregory wasn’t planned. She was happy with her six kids but one night someone left a baby at their doorstep and this time it was her husband who decide to keep the baby.

They were all happy. Mrs Hemmings will help around the town with Victoria while Edmondson II helps his father Dr Edmondson Hemmings on his research.

They were all happy but then half a year after Gregory’s seventh birthday, Mrs Hemmings fell ill. Dr Hemmings did as much as he could to cure his wife but as the day goes by she get worse.

Now she was dying and she didn’t need to know from her husband or any doctor. She knew deep down she won’t recover even with the hope still alive inside her. She still wanted to live, to see her children have their own family and to see her grandchildren running around the mansion. But she can only wish.

Mrs Hemmings force a smile one last time as she felt her husband’s hand holding her tightly before she welcomed the darkness. Dr. Hemmings froze in shock as his wife’s hand slip off his grip while the Hemmings cried harder.

Dr Hemmings stood up and plan a kiss on his dead wife’s forehead one last time before walking out of his room to his studies. He locks himself off the world with a glass of brandy on his hand. That was the last time the Hemmings children saw their loving father.

After the funeral the Hemmings life went back to normal or so what their father forces them to do. Dr Hemmings sent his oldest back to his family telling him to spend as much time he can’t with his because he won’t know when God will take them away from him.