Deed to Damnation

The Deadliest Sin

Gwen had to calm herself before facing her husband. He always knew when the slightest thing was off. Her encounter with Delarue had left her so shaken, she had stayed inside the mercantile for thirty minutes after returning the broken plate, making excuses until she was sure Delarue had gone. And after that, she sat by the side of her own home for an additional fifteen minutes before going inside with a finely made gravy tureen.
Tim looked up from his work when he heard the front door open and the click of the lock being turned. Gwen always locked doors. She came in from the den, pulling the bonnet from her head and carelessly tossed it on the sofa.
"I see you bought something." He commented. "What's wrong?"
The question was immediate. Despite the time she took to collect herself, it was obvious she was flustered by her quick movements and the deliberate way she began unwrapping the purchase. He also noticed she didn't make eye contact.
"Nothing!" She snapped. "Why are you always asking me that?"
Tim stood from his desk and approached her cautiously. Something was up. It was rare for her to use such a harsh tone.
"You seem rattled." He answered gently.
Gwen finally looked up. Her eyes were wet with unspilled tears and there were small, dark wet stains peeking out on the underarms of her dress. She had been so scared she couldn't stop the nervous perspiration from appearing.
"I was!" She cried suddenly. "And I'm sick to death of it!"
She broke down and covered her eyes with her hands, the tears leaking out from beneath her palms. As usual, Tim went to hug her, to comfort the fear out of her once again. But this time, she shook herself out of the embrace, wiping the tears away determinedly.
"I can't go on like this!" She wailed. "I have to change, Tim! I'm so tired of jumping at shadows and hiding in shops!"
She had become almost hysterical now, running towards the sofa and throwing herself down on it. Tim hurried behind her, nudging her body until he was able to sit on the edge of the cushion.
"What do you need from me, Gwen?" He asked.
She sat up slowly, this time allowing her husband to embrace her. Sniffling, she looked to him, loathing that same look of pity she had seen on his face hundreds of times before.
"Exactly what you did today." She answered. "I want you to encourage me to go out every single day even if I don't want to. You are such a kind and gentle husband. I'm lucky to have you. But I've come to realize that sheltering me isn't helping what ails me."
To say Tim was surprised at her revelation was an understatement. It had never even crossed his mind that she was very aware of her unfounded fears. He was convinced she thought them to be real all the time and that hadn't changed over the course of their five year marriage. Today was the first time she had ever breached the subject of trying to change. He was very proud of her right now.
"If that's what you need me to do. I'll do it." He agreed. "You're an amazing woman, Gwen. I know you can get beyond this."
After making Gwen dinner and drawing her a bath, Tim sat nearby on the edge of the bed, listening to his wife try to hide her dismay with barely audible sobs as she soaked in the tub. Although he had seen her break on more than a few dozen occasions, she had never reached such a drastic conclusion. He wondered what happened today to make her make such an unlikely decision but opted not to ask. It could cause her to become hysterical and she had just started to calm. No, he was going to follow her lead on this and hopefully it would help her finally get over the fear that plagued her life.

Gwen's choice to start living her life differently wasn't an easy one. It was one thing to make a plan to change but quite another to follow through. She had done well the first two days, wandering to the mercantile and back again. She didn't go in, only touching the porch railing and coming home like it was some kind of child's game. The second day, she went a little further, venturing to the mill, watching the men work from a distance. By the third day, Tim found her standing in the front doorway, her poofy bonnet on her head and her coin satchel in hand as if she were ready to leave but she stood frozen.
"Gwen? Are you okay?"
She turned to him, her expression a mix of sadness and panic.
"I can't do it today." She blurted. "I just can't."
Normally, Tim would have kissed her forehead or the back of her hand followed by a hug and a reassurance that she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to. But he promised he would help push her rigid boundaries and he wasn't going to disappoint her.
"I have an idea." He told her, grasping both of her hands. "Let's make this into a game with a reward at the end. Let's give you a quest each day to keep you interested."
It had turned out to be exactly like a child's game, a notion that worked remarkably well on her.
"Your quest today is to bring me back something red." He instructed.
Tim reached into his pocket and pulled out some money, tucking it into the small coin satchel that hung from her wrist.
"If you can't find something, buy something." He added.
She smiled at him. He was always such a nurturing man and oftentimes she felt bad that he had to deal with her delicate condition. Even now, he was heeding what she asked for and was doing it in the most caring way possible. He had not given into her inclinations to hide behind locked doors and windows.
The first day the something red had been a clipped rose from Mrs. Sumners garden. A simple rose. She had thought of going to the market for strawberries but passed the old woman's house on the way. It hadn't even been as far as the mercantile but Mrs. Sumner had been sitting on her front porch. The encounter had forced Gwen to interact for permission to take one and that had been huge. So the fact that she was back within twenty minutes still made her beam with pride as she handed the bloom to a smiling Tim, telling him about how nice Mrs. Sumner actually is.
"I thought she was a witch!" Gwen giggled.
And Tim knew that she meant it quite literally.
"Because you never spoke with her." Tim replied. "The people in Solstice are mostly good people. You just have to be willing to know them."
But some in Solstice were not..