The Monocle's Eye

Chapter 14

 "Mother," I screamed into the thick plumes of gray fog around me, "Mother, where are you?" I cried. I sunk down onto my knees, hearing my voice echo off the distant walls of stone. The clouds were thick and choking like ash, and I could hardly breath any better than I could see.

"My child," I heard her soft singing voice in the distance, her soft tone echoing through. 
 "Mother," I cried in relief, standing up to stumbled forward into the now thinning clouds. They slipped away through my fingers as I scrutinized them, revealing the shaded silhouette of a woman in the distance.

"Elly," She called back, desperation wrought in her trembling voice. I saw the figure collapse and ran forward through the now sparce clouds, her figure coming into view fully now. Her long straight black hair tied in it's loose braid, her big blue eyes, and her smooth white skin, all of it was there, beneath a simple white death robe.

"Mother," I replied, throwing my arms around her. "I've come to get you mother, you won't be alone anymore, I know mother, I know who I am, I know who you are." She jolted up like a creature in pain, her desperate teary eyes focussed wholly on mine, her arms around my shoulder.

"Who told you?" She asked, "Oh Elly please don't forsaken me. Tell me you're safe, tell me you're well, tell me you're happy." She cried, burying her head in my shoulder. "Do that for you're selfish broken mother, won't you?"

"How could I forsaken you?" I asked, "I only love you more for it, mother, I swear to you, but now I'm not the child anymore, and you can't be either. Come to me mother, I need you, you'll do that for me, won't you, do even more than all you've already done. I'll make it worth it to you, I'll give you back your loss, please mother, please don't run." I felt her stiffen under my tight grasp.

"Of Elly, please don't leave me, don't leave me alone," She poured out, tightening her grip on me.

"I must Mother, for you must come to me now, and not I to you." I felt tears well up in my eyes, and lifted them to the ceiling, to see the stone carved ceiling of a small burial chamber, strune with a single bouquet of withered flowers, coated with dust and decay, besides a simple wood coffin, it's lid torn off at the seams. I heard Master's voice calling softly in the distance, and looked down to see faded hands and a porous figure around my mother's dusty death robe. "Find me in the marble walls of your false home Mother, and I promise I shall make it your real one." I said, the world dissolved to black, and my eyes shot open to see Master above me, shaking me.

"Ugh," I groaned, twisting my stiff body about beneath her.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes, I just had the strangest dream," I replied, "Why, was I talking, did I wake you?"

"No, nothing like that. You were too still, and your pallor was off, have you had any poison lately?" She asked.

"Plenty," I replied.

"Well, you look fine now but I suggest you have extra anyway, and it's the day of the ball too, go get dressed, it's early today."

"Alright," I said, slipping out of bed. As I walked past the closet door I heard chains clanking, as though Eleven was struggling, but as I had orders to undergo, I started out for my bedroom without giving it a second thought. I returned to my room to find my dress already laid out, as was usual. It was a blue satin dress, embellished with small silver and white roses around the neck, but otherwise it was simple and slipped on easily. I went to the mirror and combed out my short black hair so it lay flat, and started out the door only a couple minutes later after fixing on some jewelry.

Everyone but Ebony was in the parlor by the time I got there, and in a moment Ebony had tacked herself to the end of the line and we were off through the decaying walls of the back of the castle, towards the ballroom. Once the doors were open and guest began to pour in, that is before Master Clementia shot me the look of death as he walked past, and just after him I saw Count Clock and Clifford slip in, officially dashing my hopes of a calm and uneventful ball, though I was happy to see them, as I had much to ask them I figured no one else would answer.