“You must go now, child, for there is no time to waste. They come for me tonight.” Mary began placing Trinia’s meager belongings into a small sack. There was not much to pack for she had come to Mary as a babe with nothing more than what she had been wearing.
“I can’t leave you, Mary. Please come with me,” Trinia begged. “We can escape together if we go now.”
“I cannot. I must remain here to face them. If I go they will follow and I cannot take the chance that they will find you.” Mary took a small box from a trunk by the bed and placed it in Trinia’s hands. “Take this and keep it hidden well. No one must find it.”
The box was wrought of a strong dark wood and inlaid with an intricate design only understood by those who knew its meaning. Trinia took the gift and placed it beneath her kirtle in the pocket of her chemise.
“Please, Mary. I cannot do this alone. Where will I go? I know only you and this wood.” Horses drew near and the sound of their hooves caught the attention of the two women. They would soon find the little cottage though it was well hidden. Only those who knew of its existence could find it without looking. And these men were looking. They may not know the exact location, but find it they would. Mary gave Trinia the small sack and pushed her through a hidden portal to the left of the fireplace.
“You must do as you are bidden for much depends upon it. Remember all I have taught you and keep this box from any who would take it from you.” She quickly hugged Trinia and closed the door casting Trinia in darkness.
The sound of men’s voices raised in anger carried through the wooden opening and Trinia held her breath as Mary permitted them to escort her from the cottage. All she had known was now being taken from her. As the sounds inside the cottage faded and no one found her hidden in the passage, Trinia turned and slowly made her way along the path.
Her eyes soon became accustomed to the darkness and she was able to make out the way ahead. A slight curve to the left brought her into a chamber smaller in size than the cottage she shared with Mary. To the right was another, shorter passage where a thin stream of light could be seen at the end.
Pausing only long enough to assure herself the box was secure she cautiously made her way out of the tunnel. The wood was quiet now and only the creatures of the night and the full moon overhead were witness to her escape.
Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of Mary and the request she had been given. No matter the risk, she would fulfill her promise and assure that Mary’s work continued.
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This is a little something I started last week. Not sure where it'll go from here, but it was fun getting it started.
I remember well the day I died. The way the air smelled. The way the leaves blew in the wind outside my window. The way Rissa looked just before she pushed me over the railing.We’d had fights before, but for some reason that day was different. Rissa’s temper was legendary in Greenway. Most everyone had been on the receiving end of her anger at one time or another and so they all avoided her as much as possible. But I couldn’t avoid her. Besides I loved her. She was my twin after all.
That day started off like any other. I rose, dressed and ate the breakfast Lily, our housekeeper, had made for me. I had taken a job as a secretary at the bank a couple of days a week and was preparing to leave for the day.
My parents had died when Rissa and I were only eighteen and they had left us well off. I didn’t need to work , but I wasn’t a party girl like Rissa. So I took the job to have something to do with myself outside the house. And I enjoyed it.
That morning Rissa came in and it was obvious she’d been out all night again. She was still wearing the dress she’d put on the night before and her makeup wasn’t as flawless as it usually was. No matter how often this happened, I never said a word to her about it. I’d tried once or twice but it soon became quite obvious she would never listen. She was so headstrong and spoiled. She’d always gotten whatever she wanted from our parents and she knew exactly how to manipulate me into doing her bidding, too. So I finally gave up trying to curb her wild streak.
She was excited about something her newest boyfriend had given her and I apparently didn’t pay it the attention she thought it deserved. She pouted and stomped out of the room, mumbling under her breath about how no one loved her and everyone mistreated her. I can’t count how many times I’d heard the same thing over some slight infraction she thought I’d paid her, so I didn’t pay much attention.
After breakfast I went back up to my room to gather my things for work and was just about to close up the double, floor length windows off the hallway outside my room. I usually left them open when the weather was warm because I loved the breeze that blew through. I heard a soft sound behind me and I turned just before Rissa pushed. I was looking into her eyes when I went over the railing. Even now, being dead for almost seventy five years, I still can’t believe my own sister would want to kill me.