The Brooch

She Fell To Her Death

Scarlet fell to her death!

"What do you mean she fell to her death? That's not possible! My mumma is alive! She's in that kitchen right now!!"  Maple blurted out!

Your mumma died Maple!" Grandmama exclaimed! "She was dead!"

"No. That's not possible!" Maple screeched!

"Baby... by the time Mrs. Lexington and Magnus scurried down those stairs... yo Mumma was all bloody and she wasn't breathing..."

"But how? You don't think the wind was just knocked out of her? I can't believe she was dead!" Maple cried!"

"All could see she had no breath in her lungs... Grandmama spoke. "Her soul was not on this earth."

Maple could feel an ache in her heart at just from the unfathomable words her grandmama spoke.

"It's true when they say, you know that feeling when something is wrong... Because in that very second, it was as if my heart had stopped. Instantaneously, it felt as if I could hear the terror cry of my son echoing... shuttering down to my very soul. Almost as if he were right beside me."

Maple listened on bewildered and trembling at just the thought as her grandmama carried on in such a somber tone. A tone she had never heard. And never wanted to hear again...

"I shall neva forget that feelin till this day. The hairs, on the back my neck, stood straight up! It was like I couldn't catch my breath! I just remember lookin at Matthew with the eyes of terror and cryin somethin is wrong! Before yo granddaddy could even ask whut it was... I ran! I raced down that isle. As if my life depended on it! In that moment, it felt like that isle would never end. Even like the winter wind was against me! And my legs were like logs buried in a sinkin sand of nothingness! I just knew somethin was wrong with my babies. And dam the man ,that would try to hold me back from rushin to them!!!" The whole time the only thang that was runnin in my mind, wuz get to Scarlet!"

"Where were they?" Maple asked.

"On the other side of the estate. Far from the weddin."

"Whut did Mrs. Crowder do?" Maple whimpered.

"I don't know.." Grandmama cried. "Mrs. Lexington said in that moment, she gazed at her panic stricken daughter.

MAGNUS: "I didn't do it! I didn't mean it! She__"

Right then, Miss Lydia said she stared at her daughter and saw the horror of what had just happened in her eyes...Magnus panicked."

MAGNUS: Oh Momma__"

Just then without not even an ounce of fair warning, Scarlet gasped and sat straight up! You would have thought it was Lazarus coming back from the dead the way both Magnus and Mrs. Lexington screamed in wild terror!!

"She just sat straight up?" Maple gasped.

"Not before grabbing a petrified out of her mind Magnus by the veil! Oh Mrs. Lexington said Magnus screamed bloody murder something frightful indeed! Almost like she was a victim in a Vincent Price horror show! Even one of the servants passed out in fright from the sight!"

"Whut did mumma do?"

"She came too... For just a moment. And it was long enough. But before Magnus and Mrs. Lexington could even catch their thoughts, she collapsed. But she was still breathin. I don't know how... I will never be able to explain, but The Lawd saved my child! There was nuthin but angels on assignment that day with her. Because there was no way, she shoulda survived that fall." Grandmama cried.

"Whut did Mrs. Crowder and Mrs. Lexington do?"

"Well you thank, Magnus would've been relieved. But Miss Lydia said she saw some em very different in her daughter's eyes. She said it was almost as if she had a look of disappointment when she saw Scarlet rise. And in that instant her eyes changed. Miss Lexington looked on in unbelief. She said to me...

MRS. LEXINGTON: "Olivia... I didn't see, her... My Magnus. When I gazed into her crying eyes, I saw Hal. And not the Hal that I had so desperately loved... But the one that was obsessed with that brooch."

"She said it was almost as if somethin had switched in her daughter. She said Magnus immediately dried her tears. She just stood straight and left..."

"Where did she go?" Maple asked.

"Without no so much a word to her mother, she just began to babble on and started to frantically look for that brooch! She began diggin into that hay nearby, like an untamed savage!"

MRS LEXINGTON: "I just remember I grabbed her so tight to cease her from whut she was doing. And to my sadness, I could see, She appeared not one bit phased from whut  had just happened."

MAGNUS: "You know it wasn't my fault, Mother! Sides Serves her rat!" She growled forcibly yanking herself from her mother's grip. "You saw it! She stole from me! She is a thief! And I want her apprehended! Immediately!"

Miss Lydia couldn't believe her ears. Or whut she saw happenin before her...

MRS. LEXINGTON: "It was almost as if my own child had not one inkling of remorse for what had happened to that poor, young, Scarlet, as good as if she had lost her mind. I am not making any excuses for my child, but I fear in that moment, she became a little traumatized. It was evident she was not the child I raised or even knew for that matter. And I knew what I needed to do right then and there.. I tried to talk to her and have her come back to reality. I really did. But she was gone. I did only whut I knew to do at that time. In her delirium state of mind, I slapped her. So hard I'm afraid. I could still feel the ringing in my hands... and my hand print on her red cheek. She looked at me in shock."

MAGNUS: you're right Mother." She calmly uttered.

She cleaned herself off. Miss Lydia said she thought for a moment, she was gonna do the right thang. Instead she stood up. She gawked at the very stunned servants who had been standin nearby and demanded them to find that brooch. Miss Lydia mournfully said ...

MRS. LEXINGTON: "my daughter just walked off."

"Where did she go?" Maple asked.

"Nowhere, but down the isle! And at same moment, it was when we almost collided as Matthew and I were rushing off. I will never forget till this day.. for a second our eyes met. She gazed at me. Almost as if she wanted to say somethin... but she didn't.. She said not one word. Her expression was utterly priceless. And I did not know at the time why.. In that instant, the music started... and Magnus just turned and walked down that isle to her Rusty. Never turning back...