Dearest Diary,
Well, the witch made her appearance once again. Two days ago, Timothy Enwelche went missing. Seven years old, brunette and lathered in freckles. Apparently, I was seen playing with the little boy an hour before his disappearance, according to Mary-Jane, the snail who lives down Piturdowns Street. She had reported I allegedly 'enchanted' him in a manner only a witch could. Sure enough, an hour later, he was gone.
I gazed into my reflection in the steaming tea Lucy had prepared for me. The sky was a mix of onyx and delicate specks of light. Stars. The old oak tree swayed in the wind, that seemed to want to tear apart the settlement from the moment we arrived. Salty, sour tears blurred my vision. Truth was, I couldn't pin point exactly WHY I was crying. Sure, my world consisted of savages and trauma, but I had accepted that. Maybe it was guilt? I heard footsteps shuffle behind me, and I returned to my masked face, straightened my posture and wiped my tears away with my thumb. To survive this world, you have to mask everything. My mother had told me when I was young that I was a fragile raven. People would try and break me. I had to build up walls around me to protect myself. I sighed. 'Yes?' I called softly. 'S'cuse me M'am, but your bath is ready for ya. Your ma also ordered me to tell yous that yous leave for that poshy boarding school in thirty minutes. Arrangements 'ave already been made M'am. Now, please follow me to the bath'' Lucy whispered, lowering her head every so slightly. I stared at her. I was lost for words. Did I want to go? Was I being forced by the town? Why so soon with no warning? My eyes carefully examined the the old oak tree once more. My eyes softened. Anywhere... I tell myself.. Anywhere, is better then here. 'Thank you Lucy' I returned, turning my heel for the door. Her face remained solemn and cold. She reached for my hand. 'M'am..' she started, as I gasped from the coldness in her palms. 'M'am I'll.. I'll miss yous. Be careful out there. Do what Miss Duchess says for yous to do, okay? Promise me Adeline. You'll stay out of trouble?' She was scared. For me. I sighed quietly once more. I place my free hand over hers, squeezing it. 'Of course Lucy. Always' I even added a warm smile I didn't feel at the end, which made her beam back. 'Well, enough chitter-chatter then. Hop on this way child' She lead me towards and up the grand staircase, the velvet touch rustling under my feet. As we passed Fathers office, I could hear him speaking loudly to someone inside. I paused for a second. The woman inside the room looked frail, old, but intimidating. Her glare clearly made my father nervous. They were arranging plans about... Adeline. Me. The witch. The curse. The burden. I felt my leg joints become weak. Lucy realised I wasn't following her, and found me cradled on the floor in a corner. 'Yous okay M'am?' She asked concerned, patting down my back. She followed my eyeline towards Fathers room. 'Ah' she exclaimed, exhaling deeply. 'The Governess. She's here to collect yous after yous get cleaned up. Best hurry along M'am''. She helped to my feet, and hauled me up from the ground towards the bath that awaited me.
The bath wasn't nearly as comforting as I had hoped for it to be. My nerves were bouncing around inside me, butterflies conquered my stomach. Would I ever see this place again? Would I ever be able to come back? Did I want to come back... ? My time was up, and the carriage awaited me downstairs to escort me to the dystopian hellhole. I was torn, to say the least.
My flowing dress billowed in the late night breeze, hot air smothering me in a blanket of discomfort through my thick layers of fabric. I spied the Governess out of the corner of my eye, whom seemed quite amused with the whole event. My cheeks flushed red as I fumbled with my fingers, wishing I was a part of the great coast wind myself. Lucy appeared through the darkness of the courtyard with two large leather bags, which I wildly guessed were my language. She approached the carriage, shot me a quick look and loaded the bags into the back of the transport. I stared at the ground. I wanted to leave this place, I did, but going to a secluded finishing school run by a sociopath governess wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I despised etiquette, societies expectations of a young woman. What little we had. All of it was madness. Not to mention when your in a situation like mine... Maybe if I stared at the ground long enough, it would swallow me whole. Mother gave me a cold hug that felt more like a strangle, and father barely managed 'Goodbye'. Glares radiated off him, mother sobbing. God, how pathetic. As I stepped into the carriage, my dress caught on a loose screw. I toppled. No one caught me. No one tried to stop me from falling. It was here I realised how little these people cared for me, how much they wanted me out of their life. As I took a seat in the carriage, dusting myself off, I lost focus of the world around me. I thought for sure I was to cry. But I didn't. I just stared into the blackness, a lost raven. A fallen one.
- Adeline Murdoch
11:47pm
YOU ARE READING
YOU changed my story ...
RomanceConvinced she's troubled, Adeline Murdoch's parents ship her off to a prestigious boarding school for young ladies out in the country side of Australia, in the prime year of 1879. Women had nothing to protect their name but the terms of 'housewife'...
