I woke to the sound of the town clock ringing. Slowly, I opened my eyes and rubbed them to clear my vision. Sunlight shafted in through the window above my bed, bathing my small room in a pleasant glow. I sat up and smiled, breathing in and exhaling loudly. I was afraid it was going to be rainy today. I can’t stand rainy days (though we certainly have a lot of them in England). I hopped out of bed and walked up to my wardrobe, glancing at the framed photo that sat on top.
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She was tall, almost a head taller than I. A plain white dress with a golden trim gracefully outlined her delicate form. Her thick, reddish-orange hair was gathered loosely into a plait, an arched fringe framing her pale, freckled face; though once soft and round, it had grown to be well-defined, with high cheekbones. Underneath a prominent brow hid two bright green eyes that betrayed the excitement in her otherwise calm demeanor. A gentle smile formed on her thin lips as I approached her.
Read moreChapter 3
“Mary! Mary, wake up!” Distantly, I heard someone calling me. I rolled over, my eyes still shut. “Mary!”
More silence.
“… There’s cake!”
My eyes shot open. Somewhat blinded by the morning light, I stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen. Upon entering, I saw Alice at the stove. She heard me and turned round, greeting me with a smile.
Read moreChapter 4
We arrived at a quarter past three and began making preparations. Alice took an old book off of a shelf and opened it up.
“This is my grandfather’s cookbook,” she said, smiling as she looked over the scrawled instructions.
I looked over the book. It was quite thick, and the pages were filled with notes and scribbled illustrations. It made me think of the sorts of books that you hear wizards use. I supposed cooking was a sort of wizardry…
“What was he like?” I asked. “Your grandfather?”
Read moreChapter 5
I awoke to the crash of thunder. I looked round. I was in the guest room. I didn’t remember falling asleep. I crawled out of bed and pulled back one of the curtains, peeking outside. The sky was dark, and the rain poured down heavily, so thick that you could only see a few hundred metres in any direction.
Read moreChapter 6
Alice and I went downstairs to prepare lunch. Sebastian offered to make something for us, but Alice declined, and we made sandwiches for ourselves. As we ate, I looked out the window and saw that the rain had stopped.
Read moreChapter 7
The clouds were beginning to thin out, evidenced by the patches of sunlight dancing on the ground. The returning light combined with the slowly growing excitement of playing tennis made my heart lighten, and I began skipping down the dirt path, wobbling as I attempted to keep my feet on the lit patches of ground.
Read moreChapter 8
I woke up early with anticipation. After using the washroom, I opened my wardrobe and found the clothes that I had picked out the night before. I began to dress myself with some deliberation, making certain that each button and tie was in place, and any wrinkles smoothened out. I wore a white buttoned blouse, with long sleeves that were cuffed neatly. I pulled it tight and tucked it into my skirt.
Read moreChapter 9
On Sunday, I attended church with Alice’s family. Once we returned to the villa, I ran to my room and changed immediately out of my stiff dress into something more comfortable. I looked in the mirror as I tied my hair back into a ponytail, using the ribbon Elli had given me.
Read moreChapter 10
After dessert, Elli and I left the café and set out for her house. It was a long walk, but it was a pleasant day, so I didn’t mind. The air became quieter as we got further from town and entered the countryside. Cottages of varying sizes lined the dirt path, bordered by short wooden fences. I watched butterflies flutter about from flower to flower.
Read moreChapter 11
Alice tapped her pen repeatedly against the book that lay open in front of her. Her other hand was pressed to her cheek, supporting her head as she stared down at the endless stream of words and numbers. She glanced at the upper bit of one page, where the title was inscribed: Principles of Economics.
Read moreChapter 12
Elli and I arrived at Alice’s late in the afternoon. Clouds had begun rolling in, but the low-hanging sun’s light still peeked through, turning the bottoms of the clouds a bright red.
“I enjoyed the tea, darling,” said Elli, removing her hat and placing it on the hatrack just inside the parlour. “It’s too bad Alice couldn’t come.”
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