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rainbowfic2019-05-13 09:04 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2019-05-13 09:04 pm
Entry tags:
Snow White #12 [Divide and Rule]
Name: Shadows
Story: Divide & Rule
Colors: Snow White #12 (bridge of birds)
Supplies and Styles: None.
Word Count: 835 words.
Rating: PG
Warnings: (Mentions of character death/grief, imprisonment.)
Notes: 1964: Julia Graves, Caroline Sheldon.
Summary Julia has to relearn the art of living. It isn’t easy.
***
“Why don’t you go and sit out in the garden for a bit?” said Caroline. Her tone was bright, but concern lined her face.
Julia didn’t argue. She was beginning to recover, perhaps, but she didn’t have the energy for arguing even with Caroline. Besides, she’d been locked away for so long that she had no mind to pass up an opportunity to appreciate being out in the sunlight again.
She’d grown used to letting the world move on without her; had merely tried not to think about it. What good would it have done to dwell on what she had lost and what she was cut off from? It would only have destroyed her, and left her even more of a ruin of herself.
Sunlight played in her hair as she walked across the lawn, gold threads still gleaming amidst the grey. The grass was too long. Caroline wasn’t good with the mower, and it wasn’t easy to get someone else in to do it these days. Julia didn’t have the strength yet.
In the far corner, shadowed by the wall, there was a shed and a small patio, with a rose trellis. Julia turned her head, glimpsing it only out of the side of her eyes, and for a moment, the shadows played tricks on her, causing her to fancy a tall figure was standing there, close against the wall.
She didn’t stride forward or look straight at it, happy to play along with the illusion for a moment. It was so easy to tell herself it was Edward. The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she took one careful step forward.
She’d often talked to him in her cell, of course. She’d talked to all sorts of people who weren’t there because, to be honest, it seemed far more rational than to be always talking to herself, and the only other alternative would have been to fade away into silence. She hadn’t been mad, though; she hadn’t ever truly thought she saw any of them there, even Edward, not after the first week or so, when she’d been feverish. It was safe now to play games again and let her imagination run away with itself.
“Julia,” he'd say, if this was real, and he’d hold out his hand.
Julia walked forwards in a line across the unkempt stretch of grass and daisies, as if walking a narrow bridge or causeway, something that might link the worlds of the living and the dead, just this once. An impossible bridge, of birds, or clouds, or shadows, that could disperse again in an instant. She held her breath and moved forward.
She wanted to say something – tell him that she had failed to kill Mr Hallam when she’d had the chance, or that Emily was safe (so safe she couldn’t find her), or that she was still so furious with him that if he were alive she would murder him herself.
“Ned,” she said, under her breath, because she might understand what she was doing, but Caroline most certainly would not, and she found she actually tears left to blink away. “I told you I don’t like being left alone in the dark.”
She took another step, and wondered for a moment, if perhaps she would look up and it find it was true, that it was his shade their, not merely the shadow of the wall. She wasn’t afraid of that; she would never be afraid of Edward.
“Julia?” Caroline called from somewhere behind her, and the illusion was shattered: all the birds flew away, the clouds melted, and the shadows were gone. There was no lane here to the land of the dead. It was probably as well. It would be an uncanny sort of thing to have in the back garden.
Julia stumbled, and fell to her knees.
“My dear,” said Caroline, hurrying over to her. “I told you to go and sit in the garden.” She surveyed Julia with still-worried blue eyes. “We need to build you up yet.”
Julia sat down on the grass and put a hand to her head. “Oh, it’s my own fault. I was being foolish – thinking of Edward.”
“Oh,” said Caroline. “I see.” She reached out and patted Julia’s arm, and Julia avoided looking at her, because she knew Caroline would be wearing that sympathetic-yet-slightly mystified expression and while Julia had grown used to people over the years being rather puzzled as to what she saw in Edward (more fool them) as far as she was concerned, she couldn’t bear it from Caroline. Caroline had also once been married to Edward and it made Julia feel small and lacking in judgement.
Julia shook herself. “I won’t do it again, you needn’t worry.”
“It’s not that,” said Caroline. “We do need to build you up, before you’re called for an examination. If you’re unfit, they’ll probably take you away.”
“Again?” Julia said, and finally laughed.
***
Story: Divide & Rule
Colors: Snow White #12 (bridge of birds)
Supplies and Styles: None.
Word Count: 835 words.
Rating: PG
Warnings: (Mentions of character death/grief, imprisonment.)
Notes: 1964: Julia Graves, Caroline Sheldon.
Summary Julia has to relearn the art of living. It isn’t easy.
***
“Why don’t you go and sit out in the garden for a bit?” said Caroline. Her tone was bright, but concern lined her face.
Julia didn’t argue. She was beginning to recover, perhaps, but she didn’t have the energy for arguing even with Caroline. Besides, she’d been locked away for so long that she had no mind to pass up an opportunity to appreciate being out in the sunlight again.
She’d grown used to letting the world move on without her; had merely tried not to think about it. What good would it have done to dwell on what she had lost and what she was cut off from? It would only have destroyed her, and left her even more of a ruin of herself.
Sunlight played in her hair as she walked across the lawn, gold threads still gleaming amidst the grey. The grass was too long. Caroline wasn’t good with the mower, and it wasn’t easy to get someone else in to do it these days. Julia didn’t have the strength yet.
In the far corner, shadowed by the wall, there was a shed and a small patio, with a rose trellis. Julia turned her head, glimpsing it only out of the side of her eyes, and for a moment, the shadows played tricks on her, causing her to fancy a tall figure was standing there, close against the wall.
She didn’t stride forward or look straight at it, happy to play along with the illusion for a moment. It was so easy to tell herself it was Edward. The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she took one careful step forward.
She’d often talked to him in her cell, of course. She’d talked to all sorts of people who weren’t there because, to be honest, it seemed far more rational than to be always talking to herself, and the only other alternative would have been to fade away into silence. She hadn’t been mad, though; she hadn’t ever truly thought she saw any of them there, even Edward, not after the first week or so, when she’d been feverish. It was safe now to play games again and let her imagination run away with itself.
“Julia,” he'd say, if this was real, and he’d hold out his hand.
Julia walked forwards in a line across the unkempt stretch of grass and daisies, as if walking a narrow bridge or causeway, something that might link the worlds of the living and the dead, just this once. An impossible bridge, of birds, or clouds, or shadows, that could disperse again in an instant. She held her breath and moved forward.
She wanted to say something – tell him that she had failed to kill Mr Hallam when she’d had the chance, or that Emily was safe (so safe she couldn’t find her), or that she was still so furious with him that if he were alive she would murder him herself.
“Ned,” she said, under her breath, because she might understand what she was doing, but Caroline most certainly would not, and she found she actually tears left to blink away. “I told you I don’t like being left alone in the dark.”
She took another step, and wondered for a moment, if perhaps she would look up and it find it was true, that it was his shade their, not merely the shadow of the wall. She wasn’t afraid of that; she would never be afraid of Edward.
“Julia?” Caroline called from somewhere behind her, and the illusion was shattered: all the birds flew away, the clouds melted, and the shadows were gone. There was no lane here to the land of the dead. It was probably as well. It would be an uncanny sort of thing to have in the back garden.
Julia stumbled, and fell to her knees.
“My dear,” said Caroline, hurrying over to her. “I told you to go and sit in the garden.” She surveyed Julia with still-worried blue eyes. “We need to build you up yet.”
Julia sat down on the grass and put a hand to her head. “Oh, it’s my own fault. I was being foolish – thinking of Edward.”
“Oh,” said Caroline. “I see.” She reached out and patted Julia’s arm, and Julia avoided looking at her, because she knew Caroline would be wearing that sympathetic-yet-slightly mystified expression and while Julia had grown used to people over the years being rather puzzled as to what she saw in Edward (more fool them) as far as she was concerned, she couldn’t bear it from Caroline. Caroline had also once been married to Edward and it made Julia feel small and lacking in judgement.
Julia shook herself. “I won’t do it again, you needn’t worry.”
“It’s not that,” said Caroline. “We do need to build you up, before you’re called for an examination. If you’re unfit, they’ll probably take you away.”
“Again?” Julia said, and finally laughed.
***
no subject
I love the characters, though! And that last line; what great black humor.
no subject
(Working on a new canon is slow, though...)
no subject
no subject