Hello all! I'm so sorry that we have been absent for a good bit of time--Bree and I were out of town with our family for a week, and the little time we had on the Internet while we were away was needed to answer the most pressing of e-mails, nothing else. But, we are back, and ready to continue this event. :)
And yes, oh yes, 'tis time for yet another excerpt of Violets Are Blue! I will give you fair warning, though--this one is somewhat sad.
“Violet, Emma, wake up.”
Mum’s voice roused me from my sleep. Opening my eyes sleepily, I yawned and looked around. Our room was still dark. It must be very early in the morning, I thought. Mum shook Emma one last time to wake her, then left to awaken the other children.
“Come, Vi,” Emma said sleepily, sitting up and stretching. “We mustn’t be late for the train.” She nudged me gently, then slipped out of bed to get dressed.
I yawned once more, savoring my last moments in my own bed. Mum had lit a single candle in our room, and I watched it flicker and dance. Our curtains had been drawn for the night, and remained drawn now, since we would not be returning to our home. Still, I knew behind the folds of cloth the sky was as dark as night. I had never been up this early before. There was a quiet stillness to the house—and, I sensed, to all of Eastbourne—that only occurred in the very early hours of the morning. I wanted to snuggle back down under my covers and sleep for several more hours, until I would be awoken naturally by the golden sunlight streaming through the curtains Mum always opened right before we woke. I wanted to wake to Emma singing as she dressed. I wanted to smell the delicious scent of pancakes frying as Mum made breakfast. I wanted everything to be normal, as it had always been every day of my life. But it wasn’t. I was waking to a dark morning—the morning I would leave my home for good—and I needed to get up quickly and get dressed, lest we miss the train that was to take all of us to Southampton.
Finally, with a resigned sigh, I got out of bed. We had each laid out our clothes on the ends of our beds the night before, and now I reached for my plain grey skirt and white blouse. Already dressed, Emma was twisting her long dark hair into a simple bun.
When I had finished dressing and braiding my hair, we slowly took the sheets off of our bed. I tried to make the task last as long as it could, for the longer it took, the longer until I had to leave. Emma took extra care folding the sheets, and I smoothed the quilt until nary a wrinkle could be found, but we could delay no longer. Already, Father was calling that it was time to leave. I glanced mournfully around the small room I had shared with my sister for as long as I could remember, Emma blew out the candle, and we left the room, closing the door behind us.
The rest of the family was gathered in the sitting room, waiting for us. Helen opened her mouth to complain about how long Emma and I had been, but Father shushed her quickly. I handed the folded bedclothes to Mum without a word, and she quietly placed them in the last trunk, closing the lid over our belongings.
A soft drizzle was falling outside as we all stepped into the waiting automobile that would take us to the train station. I paused before climbing in to look one last time at my dearly beloved home.
“Come, Violet,” Father said gently.
Reluctantly, I climbed into the automobile. Father was the last to get in, and he closed the door behind himself. Slowly, the car made its way down the streets, and our house disappeared from view in the rain.
Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions you would care to share?
