The Way Back Home: A 1917 Fanfic

Chapter 33: Running Up That Hill

April 25th, 1917

William Schofield awoke in the living room of his sister Madeleine, the purple morning sky light streaming through the windows, the twittering of birds in flight gracing his ears. As he dressed for the morning, he exhaled a sigh of relief that he hadn't forced himself awake to free himself from another nightmare of losing those he cared for the most.

Instead, he had dreamt of the beautiful woman sleeping upstairs in the spare room...his beloved Amelia... alive and warm in his arms as they had waltzed in the parlor.

And yet he could never shake that image of her from his demonic dream whilst he had slept on the train. Cradling her lifeless, cold body as he tearfully begged her not to leave him after he had pulled her from the hourglass...and still, he had been too late...

But, that had only been a dream, not reality.

He tried to keep his shaking fingers steady had he laced up his boots and finished gathering up everything he needed for the day ahead. As much as Will didn't want to leave his family so soon after their reunion, duty still called at home and he was loath to disobey.

Will walked outside and took a deep breath of the outside air, looking out at the brilliant sunrise, the golden rays shining through the clouds as magenta and blue mixed into a lavender combination of God's watercolors painting His canvas of the atmosphere.

He strode to the small section of Madeleine's garden from the side of the house, where he knew Eleanor and Edith would pick flowers to decorate their dinner table, and selected a few freesias to leave as a token for his sweet Amelia...

As much as Will appreciated the gorgeous dawning of the morn, the only beauty he sought to view before his departure was the face of his true love. The sunrise borne on the horizon just didn't compare to her natural splendor...

Carefully holding the flowers in his hands, he walked back inside and quietly closed the door behind him. He looked around the parlor, looking for a pen and paper to write a note for her explaining his absence, hoping she would understand... just thinking of her inspired him to write entire manuscripts and poems in ways he had never felt before...

He found the set of stationary in the drawer of the mahogany table in the center of the living room and set the ink pen to paper, each word written with careful strokes so as not to splotch on the parchment, each letter dripping with adoration for the intended recipient.

His shattered watch was placed in the drawer of the parlor table, stuck at the same time of 5:00 in the morning...

Will made his way up the stairs, the weight of the steps causing the wood to creak beneath his boots as he winced, hoping he wouldn't awaken the girls up too early. The love letter was folded in half with the flowers secured in the crease.

He made his way to the top of the stairs and his vigilant gaze focused on Madeleine's bedroom door. He had recalled Amelia's words from last night and he knew he had to bridge the gap between his most loved sister and his paramour.

How Will hoped to convince Madeleine to give his beloved a chance to get to know her and he aimed to choose his words with care as he raised his hand and knocked on her bedroom door with his knuckles, knowing his sister would be awake by now.

"Madeleine, it's Will. I need to speak with you before I leave." He spoke just loud enough for her to hear, and he listened for the rustling of her dressing gown skirt as she walked to greet him.

The door creaked open slightly to reveal Madeleine, her sharp blue eyes much resembling to his own, meeting his in a tired yet alert gaze, her dark brown hair coiled in a single braid around her shoulder. "What is it, Will? What's wrong?"