Riding to Vanity Fair

Get Ready to Run

"Nancy, I got here as fast as I could." Mary called from behind me, where I was simply standing and staring at the ground.

"Yeah, and now that I'm available, we'll be even more likely to find Dad now." Stella beamed.

The two girls approached me carefully. "Nancy?" Mary asked, concerned.

I broke down in tears. "Paul's right beyond this hill...that's where Vanity Fair is. I'm sorry, it just...really hurts me from what he said."

Stella frowns. "Shh, Nancy...you need to calm down." I feel her hug me from behind. "I've been wanting to get in contact with Dad for days. Come on, girls, let's go rescue him! Pray that he's not in any harm..."

Paul's POV

This is it. It's over.

No longer being subjected to their so called "level 1" punishment, but now Rose and I are on our way to a pot of boiling oil, our deaths.

Rose is tied up in twine, with me being endured the same fate, carried in a wagon until the pot was visible.

My last, last little form of hope was to wiggle my way out of the wagon I was carried in, but it was no use. I was stuck.

The guard operating the wagon growled at us. "Hey! No escaping! Your fate is sealed, and it's too late now. We have arrived..."

They weren't lying. It truly was a pot of boiling oil.

Fiercely, the guards grabbed both me and Rose and hung us over thin sticks, as to cook us.

"Any last words, McCartney?" One smugly spoke.

"Yes, please, just, I'd do anything to see my family again. PLEASE, MY DAUGHTERS, EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY NANCY, WHO I DISRESPECTED AWFULLY IN THE PAST, PLEASE!!! I NEED YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL AND I CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN...EVER..."

I broke down, and Rose's whines only increased with the sound of my pleas.

"We heard everything, Dad."

I knew that voice anywhere. Mary. And Stella. And Nancy! They came back!

"My girls!" Was all I could manage, before becoming light headed, too much so to breathe or speak.

"That's the signal!" The guards laughed, slowly lowering the bar to push Rose and I into the oil. 

But even with my blurred vision I noticed...Rose was free.

"Rose...how did you free yourself?"

She bit a part of the twine rope, and bit mine, throwing me down to the girls, as I was increasingly becoming limp.

I unfortunately landed in no one's arms, and instead onto the rough grass. I was on my hands and knees, staying in this position for quite some time.

Mary looked up as Rose still wasn't out of the guards' grasp. "Is she ok? We can't let that poor thing suffer up there..."

Little did I know, Rose was kicking ass.

Her protective nature landed the guards into the oil themselves. She jumped off the pot knowing she had done a good job. Although I couldn't see it in action, I can imagine it was perfection for what they put us through, and her comforting lick on my hand made it all the better.

"What are we supposed to do now? We've got to get out of here, if they were about to boil you alive, Dad!" Stella feared.

For a split second, my eyes open. I cough, and speak the words of wisdom, the most important ones that they're not even aware of:

"When tomorrow comes around, you'll be looking at the future, so keep your feet up on the ground and get ready to run."

They all agreed. My eyes closed again, and someone scoops me up on their arms.

"I'm not letting you go on my watch..."

Wherever we were, I was terrified. I felt so sick and vulnerable. Suddenly, a howl of joy is heard, and that howl only comes from one pup.

Rose.

She was loyal as traveled with us, no leash, all the way out of Vanity Fair.

"We found him! We saved dad!"

That's where all was lost.

"Paul?"