Weeping Willows

Isn't Hysteria Fun

Chapter 5

As the class wore on the atmosphere settled down until Elizabeth was sure all had been forgotten. Oddly enough it was the sister's brother, whom she learned was Kenneth, that came to her rescue. He had called her over directly to aid him with his sculpture. When she had gotten to his table, she found he had subtly put an end to them ostracizing her by conveniently 'needing her help'. She had given him a grateful smile as more of them began to call out to her.

She fluttered from table to table answering questions at each. Of course, most turned out to be non-art related. She found herself bombarded by questions about her life before moving. They made a not so subtle point to stay away from anything related to after she came to town. Any time her answers were veering to close to her arriving at Crystal Springs they would abruptly change the subject to something else. Elizabeth conceded and kept her answers to the past but still nothing too personal. On this she wouldn't budge. Eventually their curiosity had been sated enough to move on to other topics of conversation. She discovered her class was mostly filled with gossips as the subjects turned to life around town. Spy organizations had nothing on these old folks or maybe it's rag magazines. Some of the gossip seemed way too far fetched to even be remotely true. One thing was for sure she did not want to get on their radars. Their discussions ran from people's love lives to medical diagnosis at the local clinic. It was fascinating and slightly horrifying to hear just how much of everyone's lives they knew.

Elizabeth did her best to stay out of the chatter as she went from table to table trying to help where she could. Even though most seemed to be okay with her next to them now, they refused to show her their works. They were definitely up to something, but as long as all the infighting had ceased, she was willing to just let it go.

As the end of their time together drew near Elizabeth found herself listening more intently to them as many had begun talking about the past. She eavesdropped while halfheartedly starting her clean up. Most were antidotes of one's childhood but every now and again someone would say something about the Bennett family that once owned her house. It was never anything to revealing about them, but it piqued her curiosity further. Every mundane sentence about them seemed to whet her appetite for more.  Elizabeth was startled out of her inner musings when Bertha talked to her again for the first time since the sister's fight earlier. 

 "Are you sure you don't have family around here?"

"No, all my family is from up north. Why do you ask?"

"You look like someone I've seen before." Bertha answered squinting at her from behind her glasses as if trying to get a better look at her. Staying firmly where she was, Elizabeth refused to get to close to the sister's again. The two of them were like wild predators. You never knew when they would attack. She wanted to be at a safe distance just in case. Bertha leaned further in her direction as she strained her eyes enough to shoot an array of wrinkles from the corners of them. Agnes looked from her sister to Elizabeth clearly confused by Bertha as well.

"Have you been tipping the drink again?"  At her sister's question Bertha's anger was roused anew as she turned to scowl at her. 

 "That's for medical purposes only. You know I can't burp after meals if I don't have a small glass."

"You and I both know that's not the only time you indulge."

Bertha anxiously looked to the nurses wandering about while trying to get Agnes to shut up. Her sister however was not going to be detoured from over sharing.

"What, afraid I might tell the wardens how many bottles of spirits you have hidden away?"

Bertha was fanatically trying to hush her sister now as the two nurses from before descended upon the sister's table. As the nurses took the women away the male nurse was trying to coax the location of Bertha's stash of alcohol from her. Bertha sat rigidly in her chair looking like she was about to burst into tears while wringing her hands continually. Agnes followed along beaming up at the nurse as if she was waiting for her prize.