Dickinson: continued

Chapter2:"One Sister have I in our house-"

At night, as per regular habit, Emily sat on her writing table with ideas filling her mind to the brim. She had to pour them out on paper- they couldn't be wasted. Just as her pencil was about to hit the paper, a voice called out to her:

"Emily?"

She knew who it was right away. She hurried to the door and swung it open.

"Sue! What are you doing up so late?"

Susan let herself in.

"I could ask you the same."

"I was trying to write down some poetry, as usual."

"I was trying to put Ned to sleep...as usual." Susan shrugged.

"Sometimes I completely forget that you are a mother now."

"You also seem to have forgotten that I am your friend, Emily."

"What? No!" Emily answered in disbelief.

"Yes! Ever since Ned, you have completely confined yourself to this room!"

"Well... ever since Ned, you've barely had time to talk to me!"

Susan fell silent, for she knew she was rightfully convicted. She knew that being a mother had taken away most of her time.

"I understand that you can't give me time anymore...I am aware of that," Emily continued. "That's why I don't bother you. But you can come to me when you have time...I am always free. We can catch up on lost time then."

"Oh, Emily! You've always been so understanding." You could see Susan's admiration for Emily in her eyes.

By now both the girls were sitting at the corner of Emily's bed. Emily cupped Susan's hands with her own- embracing them as if she were protecting something precious. All the poems about war and death were now replaced by Susan. She wished to carve all of the gently tucked away poems about her all over Susan, so that she would see them every time she looked at the mirror, every time she bathed, every time she plucked fruits from the orchard.

Emily observed that Susan was distressed. She lifted up Susan's face, traced her jaw and reached up to her lips.

"So...since you have time now, let's catch up on it?" Emily wasn't usually the one to make bold moves. Emily tried to hide her lack of confidence but it came through nonetheless.

Susan laughed and wasted no time in chitchat. She started kissing Emily's neck and whispered into it:

"Take your clothes off...please."

Emily did that and helped Susan take hers off too. They were grateful that they had been wearing their night gowns otherwise it would've taken them forever to get past this.

Emily crashed her lips into Susan's- licking her lower lips. She slowly moved on to her cheeks, her ears and so on. By the end of their endeavor Emily had covered every inch of Susan's body and vice-versa. As if they were inscribing their own lovely poem into each-others bones, so that when they are dead and when the maggots and worms are done with their flesh, they will find this poem and will wish to have loved the same way.