Elizabeth (Currently Editing)

A Story Begins (Edited)

This story begins like many others, on a dark and stormy night. 

I sat in front of my desk, unable to conjure any thoughts, for the loud patter of the rain against the old house battered loudly in my ears. The heavy droplets trickled against the large, looming windows and stole my ability to think. Lightning shook the house, rattling the very bones of the building itself, and streaked across the night sky; only giving small glimpses of the forest that surrounded before once more plunging the land into darkness. The rain seemed to never end, and I was afraid that the old house would come down on me in my sleep.

I was in my home: a large manor that has been in the family for generations. It creaked and moaned against the wind and rain, showing that the house did not age with the grace and beauty it once had. It saddened me that my childhood home was riddled with such extreme aging. I remember when I used to play in this house as a child, running from hall to hall looking for any kind of trouble I could make, and fighting grand battles against evil monsters in the back garden. But, even with all those lovely memories this old house still held the many secrets of my family, and it's aging brought me some peace in my old age.  

Currently I was in the library, one of my favorite places in the house. As a child this place was where I sent to learn, and it had terrified me. The large room was filled top to bottom with book lined neatly in bookcases that seemingly towered over me, making me feel a little bit smaller in the large house. Now, this place holds the stories that can take me to other lands with great adventures and help me escape from the dread of the real world. And it is here I sat, only a small candle keeping the top of the desk visible, reading a letter.

My Dearest Theadosa,
It has been hard without you. I can't seem to sleep without you beside me. My heart aches without seeing you every day. I'm unable to think without you near me every day.
How is your mother? You said that she had fallen ill since the last time we spoke. Has she gotten any better? I hope so, for I saw what you looked like with the passing of your father, but besides that, how is my little Elizabeth? I know she has probably grown since I last saw you., but I must leave now love.
With Great Sincerity and Love,
Your Husband Thomas.

A smile crept on to my lips as I read the letter, I missed my Thomas very much. He was an artist, and he could create the most beautiful things with canvas and paint. That is one of the reasons I had fallen for him so long ago, his wonderful imagination that brought me back to the days of my childhood, he made me feel like a young girl again. He made me feel alive after what had happened with my first husband Montgomery, who was a cruel man that had expected to much of me at such a young age when I was forced to marry him. 

Thomas had filled my days with laughter and joy, and when I had fell pregnant with our Elizabeth it brought so much more. Elizabeth had brought new life into this large manor, and I will forever be grateful for those days. She brought a warmth to me and Thomas, and made this house feel more like a home for us. I remember how we would sit together in front of the fireplace and read together with Elizabeth; those days brought much happiness to all of us. 

But that happiness was short-lived.

One night Thomas was coming home from an art gallery he was hosting. A man walked up to him and shot him, and for what reasons but only the money in his wallet. That was the day my heart broke. 

In my age is see the world differently, it is dark and evil, and I want nothing of it. I used to be an adventurous person, now I hide away in my books and old letters hoping that I may find some peace. Elizabeth tries to help me see the beauty in the world but without Thomas, I see none. I am lost, I have been since his death, and this house doesn't help. In every hall and room, I see him; I see his smile, his laugh. I can no longer stay in this house. So, I will be traveling to my sister's home, and I will leave this place behind, along with the memories it holds. 

I can only hope that Elizabeth can also leave this place soon.