𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴. ➪ 𝙴. 𝙿𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚎

𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

The weather had been nice on Tuesday, so Phillis took Enoch and Enid out to the park by their house. Enoch thought it to be terribly boring as it was just full of trees and flowers and ponds. But, Phillis told him of the beauty of each of these things and how one must learn to treasure the world's natural beauties. He'd thought about it for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that his mother was most probably right.

She found herself sat down on the bench overlooking the long stretch of pond she'd sat on all those years ago. Enid was fast asleep in her pram and Enoch had run off to entertain himself somehow. Phillis looked out at the sun, its tip touching the horizon. The skies were orange and pink and yellow and red. It took her by surprise when she realised that she was wearing an outfit terribly similar to that of the one she'd worn when Edmund proposed to her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes flicking down to Enid, who slept without a single worry in the world.

Enoch dashed back, a little pink flower in his small hands. "Mummy! I got you something," he held it out to her.
It was a cherry blossom.
"How kind," she smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. "You look so much like your father."
She kissed his forehead lightly and hugged him tightly. She never wanted to let him go. But the sound of someone clearing their throat tore Phillis away from her son. "Mrs. Pevensie," the man said. It was John Rovers. "Fancy seeing you here."
"I just live up the street, sir," she informed him.
"I see. These must be your children," he smiled down at Enoch. John's hands were tucked behind his back and he was wearing a crisp suit. Perhaps he was on his way home from work.
"Yes, this is Enoch and Enid," she replied.
"I was saddened to see that I did not hear from you after you fled from my office a few weeks ago," John said.
"I apologise. My husband, my siblings-in-law, my parents-in-law, my mother, my cousin and my friends, they died in the wreck, sir," Phillis explained.
"I see. Well, I'm terribly sorry to hear that," he lowered his head, as if paying respects to Phillis' family. "I'm still interested in your book, Mrs. Pevensie."
Phillis was about to say something, when she remembered that she'd burnt it. There was no living evidence that such book had ever been finished.
"Would you mind if I made some changes? I've had a sudden stroke of inspiration," Phillis told him.
"It's your book. Do what you think is best. Good day, Mrs. Pevensie, I hope to be seeing you soon," he smiled.
"Goodbye, Mr. Rovers," she bowed her head at the tall man.

It was about eight o'clock when Phillis had put Enoch and Enid to bed. She kissed their foreheads after she'd finished a chapter of a book. She made her way downstairs and opened the door to her study. It hadn't been opened in weeks. The study was small, but it had a desk in the centre and was surrounded by bookshelves. On the desk, her mother's typewriter sat just where she'd left it. In one of the drawers, all of Phillis' notes for her book resided. She pulled the chair out and sat down. Getting comfortable and taking a deep breath, she retrieved the notes. Placed on the top of the pile, she found a small piece of paper that looked to be torn from some sort of notebook. On it, was scruffy writing.

To your next book, my darling.

- E.P

Her vision blurred at the little letter. He must have left it on the morning she was to have her meeting with the publishing company. Her next book. She wasn't even sure if there was to be a first. She felt Rum curl up by her feet. Inhaling sharply, her fingers grazed against the letters on the typewriter. Phillis typed. She typed until she felt as though she could have broken a finger or two. It was nowhere near finished, but she was more sure than she ever had been before that she was going to finish this damn book.