Behind The Scenes(ON HOLD)

chapter 10 - Mark

Quick note for those of you who haven't read Gone With The Wind: The person in this chapter (and the rest of the book) who is being referred to as 'mammy' is Scarlet's nanny who is one of the servants and is really close to the family. Also, in this chapter I mention a few historical facts, so I've included explanations of them at the end. Enjoy!

The room was quite dark, to say the least. At first, I could barely see the silhouttes of the objects and the people in it. That was probably due to my terrible eye-sight, that I sadly continued to have inside the book. Literally everything about me changed when I was in 'Gone With The Wind', except for the fact that I desperately needed glasses. 

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I managed to see the large table which stood grandly, in the middle of the room. A few people of different ages who were seated around it, were silently eating what appeared to be their dinner.

A middle-aged man with a strong build sat at the head of the table. His furrowed face was a sign that he had probably been working outdoors for most of his life. 

To be honest, this all still felt so strange to me. That morning, back at home, I had decided to tell my mum I was sick, so as to escape from going to school. She allowed me to stay home and once I heard the front door close behind her on her way to work, I rushed up to my bedroom and picked up the old manual I had previously found at my cousin's house. I quickly read through the page of rules, as I had done the night before. It said that a tear needed to drop onto the cover or a page of the book in order for me to teleport into it. 

I didn't really have any spare tears lying around and I also didn't expect to start crying any time soon, so I decided to use tap water instead. After a while of waiting, I finally found myself standing in the corner of that very room. A wave of simultaneous fear and excitement had washed over me. 

I was back in the book.

Staring around at the rest of the characters in front of me, who seemed unaware of my presence, I started to wonder who they were. I assumed I was once again in 'Tara', the mansion, so these people must have been the O'Hara family. 

The older man definitely had to be Gerald O'Hara. Beside him, on the left side must have been his wife Ellen, since she looked older than the other girls who were probably his daughters, Suellen, Carreen and of course, Scarlet. She was Gerald's eldest daughter and she really did look different from what I had imagined. It was safe to say that she even looked prettier than Vivian Leigh who had played her part in the film. 

Her beautiful, auburn curls were a perfect contrast to to her emerald eyes. She probably caught me watching her, because she looked up from her meal and towards my direction. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, at her gaze.

In situations like this at home, I would always look away or even run away if it were possible, but this time I realized that I just couldn't take my eyes off her. I really wished I didn't look too lost, because I definitely felt that way. In all fairness, she looked a bit lost too.

To my great surprise she slowly smiled. The rest of the family continued with their conversation. I reluctantly smiled back to her. 

"John Wilkes has invited us all over for a dance this Saturday, at Twelve Oaks," said Ellen, after finishing her mouthful of chicken. "Scarlet, mammy and I have sown you a new dress for the occasion. You've worn your green one too many times already. After dinner, I'd like you to try it on, so we can make all the last minute alterations," she added.

"Yes, of course!" Scarlet said, her whole face brightening up. 

"It's really unfair that Scarlet always gets the new gowns and we never get anything," said Suellen miserably.