Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter One

Just beyond our cottage sits a stream.

It twists and turns its way through the fields and beyond to a great unknown in the distance. Mother says it just goes on forever, stretches to the ends of the earth. One day, I'm going to follow it and find out whether Mother told me the truth all those years or if she only told me so I would stop asking her questions.

For now, I'm fine with dangling my legs over the edge of a small wooden bridge built over the stream and watching the water flow underneath it. Water droplets spray my ankles when it hits the bridge post, my shoes forgotten on the bridge beside me. Light dances on the water and I swing my legs back and forth, watching the water.

"Mind you don't fall in," a voice says behind me.

I turn and watch Levi Edgeworth walk along the bridge, pretending he's on a tightrope even though he stands no chance of falling into the stream. He smiles at me and pushes his sleeves up past his elbows, wobbling a little even though he's on a flat bridge. His dark hair lies on his forehead in loose curls and his cheeks have a slight red tinge to them, no doubt from running across the field to join me on the bridge.

"I should say the same to you. You are the one pretending to be at the circus," I say.

"A day at the circus sounds more riveting than an afternoon spent learning the intricacies of running a business." He shook his head and settled onto the bridge beside me, leaning back on his hands. "This is more my sort of activity."

"Your sort of activity is something that doesn't involve thinking."

"Exactly."

He grins at me, arching his neck to stare up at the pale blue sky above us. Wisps of white clouds roll by, a light breeze rustles the grass that surrounds us. Beneath us, the water slowly drifts down the stream, spraying my bare feet with water.

"What are you doing here, Mr Edgeworth? Surely there is something else that needs your attention."

"Most likely." He shrugs. "However, I saw you heading this way from my window and I thought to myself, 'what is Miss Grace Williams up to?' naturally, I had to follow you."

"You didn't have to do anything. You just wanted to get out of daily tasks and annoy me instead."

"I cannot deny it. You know me too well."

"An unfortunate truth for both of us, I am sure." I shook my head. "Your mother will not be too pleased to see us together, and she can probably see us from her window."

"Mother is never happy. Besides, she is far too busy to care where I am. She is determined to find someone appropriate for me."

He rolls his head to the side and looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. I shake my head and turn back to the water, staring out across the stream until it merges with the horizon and disappears entirely. In the trees around us, birds chirp and leaves rustle to fill the silence created by Levi's comment. Although he thinks he means well, I know that Mrs Edgeworth won't be happy if she sees the two of us together, regardless of what he thinks.

It's not as though Mrs Edgeworth is mean, in fact, she's the opposite, but she has standards and those standards need to be met. I'm not part of the circle she deems appropriate for her son, despite the two of us having grown up together for our entire lives. She made certain that when we reached the appropriate age that our time together would be limited and whilst I had expected it, Levi didn't want to accept it.

I know she is watching us from an upstairs window. The back of my neck twinges and a shiver goes down my spine as though she is staring straight through. There is nothing that Mrs Edgeworth doesn't know. She has eyes everywhere.

"The people Mother deems appropriate for me to spend half their time talking about the weather or interior design rather than anything interesting. I don't really care if the carpet matches the drapes, it's hardly riveting conversation," Levi says.

"She is just looking out for you, for your future."

"Only because she doesn't think I can think for myself or make my own mind up. It's my future and yet I have little to no control over any of it. It's all been written for me. You don't know how lucky you are, Grace, you get a choice."

"I would hardly call it a choice."

"I would. You can do anything. No one expects anything of you and your mother isn't pushing you to do something you hate. I wish I could be you." He huffs and rolls his head back to look at the sky.

"You wish you could be the child of a servant? Bound to go into service too because the prospects are rather limited? At least you have options, even if you don't like them."

"Perhaps you could have options too. Life isn't as restricting as you make it out to be, at least not in my experience."

Levi's experience is widely different from my own, and he knows it. We live two opposing lives and live on different sides of a widening social divide. He has the chance to travel, make something of himself, and explore the different roads that lie ahead. My life moves like the stream; one flowing movement with one direction in mind. It cannot be changed.

I stare out across the stream, watching the sunlight dance off the water as it flows slowly by. There is something comforting about it, a stillness that lifts the weight from my shoulders and allows me the chance to breathe. It is the only time I ever feel at peace with myself, away from the chaos of working and watching Mother work her fingers to the bone. If I had the freedom to choose my future, I would make it so she no longer has to work.

Beside me, Levi grabs a small stone from the wooden bridge and drops it into the stream. I watch the water ripple against the bright sunlight.

He looks at me. "What is one thing you have always wanted to do?"

~~~

The Book of Miranda by SmokeAndOranges

When a series of paranormal murders threaten the student population of Melliford Academy, aspiring dropout Des Winchester must team up with straight-laced (and unfairly attractive) top student Exie Quinnell to stop the murderer before it claims them all.

First Published - February 28th, 2023