Emily Richards travels far from her home of Finchley to stay with her grandmother during the war, wanting more than how far her daydreams reach. With the help of a friend named Lucas, she opens a locked door in the house and finds a chest that takes...
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"It's quiet." Emily Richards thought to herself. She could perhaps have the wrong address. Or maybe her grandmother wasn't home. Emily stood in front of a tall, two story, brick house. The windows, surprisingly, were clean. Some were open to let air in. Vines and plants of different varieties and colors could soon overtake the old home. Emily held two suitcases in either hand, looking around for any sign of her grandmother.
Emily was 16. 15 years too many. She liked to think that she was bright, but to anyone who met her, she was very headstrong and opinionated. When asked to, of course by her mother, she played the polite game. But the girl's head always swarmed with curious and wondrous thoughts. While school provided her with facts, knowledge, and intellectual thoughts to swarm her brain, Emily often daydreamed. She could hear the blue birds singing as she moved aside some strands of her long, auburn hair to listen. Soft, ocean eyes continuing to scan every area of the estate in the old countryside of England.
She was sent away from Finchley to live with her grandmother. Her grandmother that she hadn't seen since she was no older than the age of three. Only visiting the old home once. A war was brewing in England, and as other children were sent off to stay with complete strangers, Emily was lucky that the person she would reside with for the Spring and Summer, was her grandmother.
"Emily! My darling!" A voice called out, while Emily turned to see an old woman walking towards her with a bright smile. The woman's arms were extended outward for a large bear hug from her granddaughter. A green dress hugged the woman's curves, almost as much as the arms of Emily and her in a hug. Despite her age, she wore black heels with ankle socks. A red shawl stood out against the green silk, resting on her shoulders. But the hat, was what pulled it all together. A small one that sat on the top of her head, matching the red shawl. A few large, dark feathers sticking out of the top. Her Grammy Phoebe hadn't changed one bit.
"Hi Grammy." Emily let her bags sit on the ground as the two embraced. Her grandmother's scent reminded her of the times her grammy used to visit her in London. Peppermint. A jar of the peppermint perfume was once spilled on her mother's old rug, and as Emily grew up, it was one of the things that reminded her of her distant Grammy.
"Oh, how I've waited and waited for you to get here and just as I let my guard down for a stroll in the garden I'm told you've arrived. Cheeky little girl." She placed a hand to Emily's cheek, pinching it, causing some pink to rise to her face.
"Grammy, I've always been cheeky. You know this" She replied with a wink. Her grandmother grabbed a suitcase as she gestured within the house hold. "It's just like I remember." Emily commented.
The house, on the inside, lived up to Emily's statement. Almost everywhere she went, her nose picked up the smell of peppermint. Antiques and valuables filled the shelves, some starting to gather dust. The rugs on the hardware floors were all different colors and patterns. It felt good to be in a new environment, even with the current violence of the world. A large and open spiral staircase carried Emily and her grandmother up the stairs to find her room.
