A Collection of Short Stories

Grave

(Written: 8-27-21. This takes place in the 17-1800s, haven't decided which yet)

Lovell sat with her legs crossed and her arms in her lap. She was nervous, to say the least, it's not every day that you get married. Her fiance hadn't seen her yet, due to it being bad luck to see the bride before your wedding.

She looked up when she heard the door to her small cabin open. Her mom stood wearing the nicest dress that she had bought just for the occasion. Her family never had much money which is why her getting married was a must.

"Lovell! Where's your veil?" Her mother asked in a frenzy. Before she could get a chance to answer, her mother cut her off. "And you haven't done your makeup?"

"Sorry, mother. I'm just... never mind" Lovell said with a sheepish smile. Her mother rolled her eyes as she dragged her to their wobbly table.

"Let me go grab your makeup" Lovell's mother left the room, leaving her to think about what the rest of her life would be like. This whole marriage was arranged, Lovell didn't want it to happen. She didn't even love him, she had never loved any man if she were being honest. But, she would never admit that. Lovell didn't want to die. It led her to think...did Fredrick love her? They had only met once, but that was normal for people in her day. Would she and Fredrick live a long, happy life together? Frederick had money and Lovell was beautiful. It was the perfect match, or at least that's what everyone told her.

"Lovell!" The young girl gasped as she looked up at her mother. "Where's your head, girl?" Lovell sighed as her mother began applying makeup to her face.

"Mother?" Lovell asked. "Is it normal to have second thoughts?" Lovell's mother furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Second thoughts? My dear, you're marrying a lord" Her mother stated in disbelief. "I wish I had the chance to do that, instead I got a farmer"

"But, you love father," Lovell pointed out.

"Yes, I do. What's your point?" Lovell's mother questioned as she gently applied some blush to her cheeks.

"I don't think I love Frederick," Lovell informed. Her mother clearly wasn't pleased with this answer, but she did her best to hide it.

"You will learn to love him, dear. You are a perfect match! He's wealthy and you're-" Lovell interrupted her mother.

"And I'm beautiful, I know," Lovell said with a disappointed sigh.

"If it helps, now you won't have to worry about going hungry anymore" Her mother tried to point out the bright side, but Lovell stayed upset. "It's your father and I's job to make sure you are cared for when we're no longer here. Trust me, this is for the best"

"I believe you, mother. You wouldn't ever steer me wrong" Lovell said. Her mother smiled and finished up her makeup. Lovell stood up as her mother adjusted the veil on her head. It was covering her face, but her mother was still fawning over how beautiful she looked. Her mother's eyes tear up, causing Lovell to chuckle.

"Mother, don't cry," Lovell said as she hugged her lovingly. Her mother sighed and fanned away her tears.

"You're so grown up," Her mother said. That statement made Lovell a bit sad, she didn't want to grow up. She missed her childhood, despite the immense amount of poverty they lived in. As a kid, Lovell didn't have to worry about marriage and it was normal for her to not be attracted to men because of how young she was. But, now she was expected to be. Which made her feel ten times worse when she found herself imagining what life would be like if Frederick...was a woman.

She couldn't tell anyone about these thoughts, she would definitely be hanged. She didn't understand what was so wrong with it, after all, it couldn't be that bad. If it truly was then why would she even have these feelings?

"Lovell," Her mother said, snapping her fingers. Lovell looked up and put on a smile to hide her feelings. "Come along, everyone's waiting"

Lovell took her mother's hand and they walked out of the rundown shack. Lovell turned her head to gaze at her childhood home, usually, you would be happy to no longer have to live in a place like that. But Lovell wasn't, she didn't want to leave and she didn't want to be a man's wife.

The house slowly faded from her view, becoming a small brown blob in the distance. Lovell looked in front of her and saw a trail of flower petals leading to the church. She walked along the path trying not to step on the pretty pink petals, but it was no use due to them being scattered everywhere. She tried to recall who the flower girl was but realized she had never been told. She hadn't been told much about her wedding day in fact. Lovell found it odd and unfair, I mean it was her wedding after all.

They arrived at the small church house and she saw her father standing in front of the doors. He looked annoyed and Lovell braced herself for a lecture.

"Where have you two been?" Her father asked. Lovell noticed he wore a suit that she had never seen before, which was most likely bought for this occasion.

"I..." Lovell trailed off, searching for some sort of answer that wouldn't result in her Dad telling her off for getting distracted.

"She couldn't find her veil, is all" Her mother chimed in. "You know how she can be, always so forgetful" Lovell sent her mother a grateful smile. "I'm going to go sit down. Lovell..."

"Yes?" She asked. Her mother placed her hands on Lovell's face and gave her a serious glance.

"Please, just listen to your husband" Her mother pleaded. Lovell was confused and her Mom could tell. "Don't make him angry, only speak when spoken too, and just...stop getting distracted so easily"

"I will..." Lovell began, she wasn't pleased by those words and didn't want to follow them. But, she knew she had to. "I promise"

Her mother walked into the church and Lovell locked arms with her father. Lovell took a deep breath as her father opened the door. Lovell's breath caught in her throat when she saw everything. There were so many people, some she didn't even think she knew. One side of the church had people wearing simple dresses that seemed fancy to them. She knew these people. The other side was filled with women wearing poofy dresses, and lavish scarves that hung off their shoulders. Their hair neatly in a bun, some with flowers sticking out. The men's suits made her fathers look like a pair of muddy overalls. She knew none of these people.

Lovell wasn't doing well at hiding her fear, but it didn't matter seeing as no one could see her face, thanks to the veil. The flower girl saw them and began walking down the aisle dropping the same pink petals she had seen outside. She had no idea who she was either. She wore a white dress and a pair of shoes that looked as if they cost more than Lovell's entire outfit. They probably did. Lovell wasn't processing anything as she got closer and closer to where Frederick was standing. It was a blur. She almost tripped over her dress but caught herself and thankfully no one had noticed.

They reached the end and Lovell's father unlinked their arms. She didn't feel safe anymore, she didn't want to be given away. She longed to just run back over to her father and ask him to take her home. But, she couldn't do that. It would make her family the laughing stock of the town. She could already hear the mocking headlines. "Farmgirl refuses to marry a lord" "Bohemia family brought to shame after daughter breaks down in tears on her wedding day".

Lovell swallowed her fear and stepped up in front of Fredrick. The pastor began to speak, but Lovell blocked all of it out. She looked into the crowd, to the side that she knew. She locked eyes with a familiar girl, someone she had known from school. Lovell's eyes pleaded to the girl, calling out to her. The girl bite her lip and shook her head. 

That wasn't the answer Lovell wanted. She and the girl were more than friends. They always had been but kept it secret. Oh, how she wanted to embrace the girl and marry her instead. But, both of them were too terrified to ever be open about it. And now it was too late because Fredrick was saying 'I do'.

(That's all I got)