this is my entry for the january competition for underdoggos oneshot competition.
┋┊prompt: open your eyes and look at me.┊┋
┋┊surnames and secrets┊┋
┊sybill trelawney┊
┊word count: about 2000┊
┊no tags whoops┊
┋┊is the s u r n a m e
worth the s e c r e t s ?┊┋
┋┊☆┊┋
When everything is right with the world, disaster is usually on its way. Lurking in the shadows, an unstoppable doom waits for a moment of pure bliss to destroy all that is good.
It is no wonder that Sybill Trelawney fell victim to the doom. Her life was finally going the way she'd dreamed—a house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and rivers, a man who loved her, and some joyful news to deliver to him upon his return from work. She beamed as the warm rays of morning sun made their way through the open windows of the kitchen and illuminated the room with a natural glow.
They said it couldn't be done for her; they told her she'd never live the life of paradise like any normal woman did. She'd never have anyone who would lover her or care for her due to her ability that was at times a curse, but her Sight didn't deter her any longer. She finally had everything under control, and she had the life she'd wished for all her life.
The morning went on as any normal morning would; Sybill made tea and drank it from the elegant tea cups her husband bought especially for her. She remembered the day he'd given them to her... a day not so long ago for their one year anniversary. He knew how much she loved making tea.
The morning went by with no signs of trouble, but at around one o'clock in the afternoon, Sybill's head began to ache as it did when a vision was on its way. It had been an entire year since her last vision, and at the mere sign of a new one, she went into a frenzy to keep her ability quelled. The Sight was a terrible disruption to her new life; it made the simple things complicated.
She was able to stop her headache, and she continued on with her afternoon as any normal woman would. When her husband stepped through the door after work, she greeted him with a kiss and a plate of his favorite dinner, spaghetti with meat sauce. It was the first meal they ever shared, and every Friday, she'd make it for him as a sort of remembrance to the early times.
Her husband was a round man with an unpleasant surname: Higglebottom. When they were married, she refused to take his name for reasons she didn't say, and every chance he could get, he'd ask her to take his last name and be a proper husband and wife.
"How was work today, darling?" she asked. "Is everything alright at the Ministry? Did they work out that owl incident?"
"Everything's great at work," he said cheerfully. "I got that promotion today along with a new office. Soon, I can start the renovations to the upstairs."
"That's amazing news!" she cheered. "It's high time the second floor was made suitable for living."
"Indeed," he agreed. "How was your day? Everything around here taken care of?"
"Yes, I tended the garden and hung the clothes out to dry... and there's something else... something we've been waiting for."
"What's the news?" he asked expectantly.
