letters

Letter Five

Ella quietly entered the kitchen and curtsied, dark hair falling forwards as she bent her head. She clenched the tea platter tightly, terrified of dropping it.

"Hello, Ella," said Mrs. Greene kindly, turning to watch the girl as she hurried in.

"Mrs. Greene." Ella carefully set the platter atop the table before curtsying again. She quickly glanced at Mr. Greene, who was absorbed in a newspaper. Crumbs were caught in his mustache.
Ella turned away and took the teapot in her hands, gently turning it over to pour the tea. Steam escaped from the spout and warmly caressed her cheeks. Careful not to burn herself, she took the two now filled teacups and placed them in their rightful spots: one in front of the master, one in front of the mistress.

"Thank you," said Mrs. Greene. She noticed the crumbs stuck on her husband's face and laughed.
Ella curtsied once more and turned to leave. She was almost at the door when Mr. Greene began to speak.

"My god," he said.

"What is it?" asked his wife.

"Five children were killed in a factory incident last Tuesday."
Ella heard this and froze.

"How awful." Mrs. Greene's voice grew soft.

"Truly," replied Mr. Greene. "I know there's been much talk of putting a stop to child labor."
Ella began to inch closer to the doorway, unwilling to leave until she heard more of the conversation. She wrung her hands anxiously.

"I pray so," said Mrs. Greene. "I cannot believe what these poor children are... ah, Ella?"
Ella spun to face Mrs. Greene. "That will be all."
Ella's cheeks burned and she scurried from the room.
She had been caught eavesdropping.
But that wasn't her only reason for worry.
Her brother worked in a factory. He hadn't been able to find household work, unlike Ella, and deferred to working on hats in a factory.
The two were orphans. They took any job they could get, even if it meant risking everything.
Ella understood that he hadn't been harmed in the incident--she most likely would have been informed somehow.
But it could have been him.
Ella hurried down the stairs to the servants' quarters, cheeks still red and eyes burning. Before anyone could tell her otherwise she threw on a coat and ran out the back door. The hat factory wasn't too far from Greene Manor--running at this pace would get her there in about eight minutes.
She needed to speak with her brother. Just talk to him, make sure he was alright. Her coat billowed behind her and she pulled it tight around her small body. Her hair caught the wind, her shoes clacked and clattered against the pavement. Through the city she went, prompting cries of outrage and disgust and exclamation as she passed by.
It wasn't proper to run in such a fashion.
But it didn't really matter.
At last she arrived at the factory. It was dull and looming, casting a shadow over her face.
She didn't know how she was going to find her brother. But she would, somehow. She had to.
The entire atmosphere terrified her, gave her a chill down her spine. She didn't understand how anyone could live here, work here, even simply pass by without experiencing some sort of terror.
Ella circled to the back of the building, careful not to be seen. The sun was low in the sky. A gust of wind passed by and she put her hands in her pockets.

"Where are you, Dee?" She mumbled, craning her neck to study the windows. She could see nothing--they were encrusted with dirt and muck. More wind came her way and she burrowed further into her jacket. It wasn't the warmest, but it had to do.
The adrenaline coursing through her veins at last died out and she crouched down. "Dee?" She asked again.
A crunch echoed from nearby, almost answering her call. She immediately stood from her crouch. The sun was even lower, now, and she narrowed her eyes. "Dee?"
The crunch came again. Ella pressed her back up against the wall and scanned the grounds.
In alarm she realized someone was heading toward her. A boy. Dee? "Dee?"

"Who?" The boy replied.

"Are you Dee?"

"No. I'm Will."
Ella's shoulders sagged. She needed to find Dee. "Who are you?" The boy continued. He was close enough now that Ella could see him clearly. He was young, assumably around her age. An attractive hat rested atop his head, dark curly locks escaping from underneath. His eyes were dark, though kind.

"Ella." Ella looked at him, unsure of why he was here.

"Lovely to meet you, Ella." His voice was laced with a deep, foreign accent.

"Um, you too. What are you doing here?"

"I come from a tenement, just across the way." Will raised a slender finger to point. "And I just got this hat, see? I find lots of hats around here. I think they come from the factory."

"You steal?" Ella blinked.

"No, they're the ones that they don't want." Will took the hat off and mockingly bowed.
A sudden shout startled them both, and Ella thought Will was fooling with her until she caught sight of another figure heading towards them. She gasped.

"It's time to go." Will grabbed her hand and dragged her away before she could protest. They rounded the building and crossed the road, rapid footsteps falling in and out of sync upon the pavement. They could hear heavier footsteps following them, at first, but the footsteps grew clumsy and slow and at last they stopped entirely.
Will and Ella came to a rest after a few more minutes of running.
Ella was absolutely terrified. Will just laughed at her.

"I just wanted to see my brother. There's no way I can go back there now!" Ella didn't know how to feel. She was filled with such anxiety, yet exhilaration. Will kept laughing.

"Let me take you home, Ella. I'm sure today wasn't the only day you could see him."

"But-" Will didn't listen to her.
He just softly took her hand and began to walk again.

"Directions?" he asked her. It took her a few moments, but she finally gave in and guided them back to Greene Manor. "Why'd you want to see him so bad, anyhow?" Will wondered as they approached the manor grounds.

"I heard about a factory incident. I was worried for him."

"I see," said Will.
A few moments of silence passed. "Listen," he said. "I hang around that dump of a factory all the time. I'll check in from time to time and report to you, huh?"

"I'm perfectly capable of that," retorted Ella. "It's not like I haven't met him there before." She thought. "Well... He normally meets me here, really."

"I'll simply save you some time, then," said Will. "I'm doing you a favor. Say thank you."

"Thank you," blurted Ella without realizing. Will grinned and placed the hat atop her head. Ella almost tore it off, but realized she appreciated the gesture and left it alone.

"Bye bye," said Will. He disappeared before she could say another word.     Ella watched the darkness where he had been moments before, wearing her hat.
Will seemed so happy, so full of life. He obviously had a family, or a real home, or something. Ella envied him deeply.
She took the hat off and held it in her hands. Maybe her brother had made this hat. With quiet steps she headed to the back door, still studying the hat.
Her worry for Dee was still there, but Will had greatly calmed her. Will gave her hope, in a way. If he could be so happy, so gleeful, there was no reason why she and her brother couldn't be. They would find a way out, somehow. They could live the dreams that they once spoke of in the attic of their home before it burned down. They could do it together. And now with Will as a friend, there was even a greater hope that they could make it somehow.