❝You have chosen your side by choosing
to remain quiet, and now she will suffer
at the hands of your selfishness.❞
In which Clara Prescott flees
to find that which will save her.
or
...
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨: i told you mushrooms would be the death of you!
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𝙰𝙻𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙽𝙰𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴𝙻𝚈: the treehouse attempt
Lunch has passed, and with my stomach full and my hunger satiated, I make a swift escape into the woods. It is my favourite place to go. Edinbury Hall has its colourful moments, but the opulence that paints the walls and carpets the floors can be overbearing at times.
As I walk across the lush grounds, I find myself pulled into a state of awe. Towering gentle giants anchor deep within the earth and spread their arms far into the sky. Everything is so soft, verdant, and aromatic.
However, it is not without shame what is happening. My family, for years, generations, have been locked in a rivalry with our neighbours, the Tewkesburys. Father has never given me the story in its entirety, just that there is a patch of land that is valuable to both of our families. Our differing political beliefs only fuel the enmity that brews between us.
My grandmother is even more reluctant to tell us. Archie, Josephine, and I have spent multiple nights reading our family history in a bid to understand our long-lasting feud with the Tewkesburys. We have collectively spent hours confined in the library, scouring over the mountain of books, but to no avail.
A stream comes up in my path. It winds through like a piece of turquoise ribbon. The cold water crashes against large fallen boughs and the jagged rocks that line the stream. A rickety bridge arcs over the water, leaving a path I can trail over. With each step I take, it creaks.
There is a large clearing that follows a line of shrubs, where a pool of warm, glistening sun ripples over the ground. The stretch of land is beyond magnificent that there are not enough words in the dictionary that can describe its splendour. This remains the most daunting part of my trek, however, since the clearing is an unowned plot of land located right at the heart of the woods, and it is the heart of my family's feud with the Tewkesburys.
Finally, I reach a tree. Thin branches stretch out protectively like it is hiding a secret worth keeping. I can hear a whispering voice that the breeze carries faintly alongside the melody of the wind chime swinging and the chirping of nearby birds. My lips curve into a soft smile.
A knotted rope greets me, swaying like a pendulum. I curl my hands around it and climb. Already, the untamed material burns against my palms with each tug that pulls me upwards. A ladder would suffice better than something that relies on my strength.
Before I reach the treehouse hidden within the awning of branches and leaves, the dark wooden hatch door swings open. I nearly lose my grip when a head pokes out, a cheeky grin stretching across their face. My heart stutters in shock briefly until I realise who hovers over me.
