...
"Why? Oh why?" I hear Dorothy cry, late one night. "Why does he have to go to war?" She sobs dramatically. She sits down on the snowy, white plush arm chair and buries her face into the cushion. "It's not fair." She continues "Why can't he just stay at home and help father instead?" I notice her sadly staring at her silver tea set, sitting on the pretty white lace tablecloth. She takes a breath and stands up daintily. Following the green patterned carpet, she creeps into Edwards room. I watch her, wistfully looking at him as he sleeps peacefully. Her face crumples as he mumbles in his sleep.
I saw Edward slowly go to bed that night, thinking about Dorothy, Mother and Father. I can't believe that he is going to war next morning.
Edward tosses and turns slowly in his bed, trying to get some sleep. But I know that all he can think about is war and leaving his family behind. I watch his eyes flutter closed, softly like butterfly's wings. His breathing, collapses into a steady rhythm.
The solid, wooden grandfather clock chimes one o'clock, waking Edward from his sleep. He groggily sits up, and yawning slowly, makes his way over to his packed bag ready for him to leave, off to war. Quietly changing into his uniform he follows the green patterned carpet, that leads to Dorothy's room. He gazes over at her sleeping peacefully in the snowy white blankets. Sighing sadly he turns around, picks up his bag and silently walks out of the door, without making a sound.
...
I have heard tears, laughter and arguing. Parts of me have come from many places.
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The next crisp, spring morning, Dorothy hurries to Edwards bedroom. She suddenly comes to an abrupt stop. "Edward..." I hear her gasp softly. She looks at the white, freshly made bed. The glass of water, left with jug. The little mirror on the bedside table, and the cleanly picked flowers, sitting in the vase on the windowsill. " He's gone.." Dorothy stutters, crying softly, as she runs back into her bedroom.
"Dorothy, Edward!" the maid calls briskly from downstairs. " Breakfast!" Dorothy hurries upstairs and meets the maid at the top. She collapses into the maid's arms. "Edward, Edwards gone.." She sobs quietly. " Where? What do you mean he's gone?" the maid snaps angrily, thinking this was one of Dorothy and Edwards tricks. "Edward has left to go to war.."
As Dorothy joins her parents at the drawing room table for breakfast she tells them about Edward, crying dolefully. " It's alright Dorothy, he will come back." Father reassures her gently.
...
I have wondered many things, learnt many things and felt many things.
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Dorothy sits back daintily on her bed, thinking about the one thing that her father had said. " It's alright Dorothy, he will come back." I watch her take a long breath in, as she tries to recover. She carries on her life, like nothing has ever happened. But I can see that in her heart, there is pain for Edward. Thinking of all of the fun times that they had together, makes me feel like Dorothy's been torn apart from him forever.
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Fifty years later I still stand here, I see Dorothy, crying sorrowfully. "Edward? why oh why? Why did you have to leave me?" She sobs. I feel old, stiff and crumpled and I can barely hold my own weight. I feel so down, Mother and Father died years ago, and Edward has still not returned.
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It has been horrible watching Dorothy growing old, sick and lonely. Now Dorothy lies in her bed untouched, with a dull expression on her face. The stillness around her is deadly as she lies peacefully on the white blankets. Her heart has stopped stone cold.
...
Oh I have seen many things in my life, I have heard ghastly, spine shivering, secrets. I belonged to a loving family who looked after me well. I just hope that the next family do as well.
Yours forever,
The Theoman's House