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Silas Marner a Modern Day Story

When Silas Marner moved away from Lantern Yard, it was with a heavy heart. He was wrongfully accused of robbing the town market. Thankfully, the lack of evidence left him free of charges, but no one believed his story. Everyone in town thought it was clever of him to blame his epilepsy on the loss of time between arriving to his home and when he left the store. The cameras in the store and the one outside his apartment building had him at both the perfect times to have been that man in the mask. When the police investigated though, they could not find any of the stolen money or fingerprints to identify that he was there.

His best friend however, had shown up at his house hours later and convinced Sarah, Silas's fiancé not to believe him; That Silas was dangerous and couldn't be trusted. She threw Silas out of the house and told him she never wanted to see him again. Without the support of his best friend and the love of his life, he knew the town wouldn't be any kinder. He packed his things got in his car and drove off.

Silas began a new life in the town of Raveloe, it was near a large city that couldn't be more opposite. Unlike the city nearby, Raveloe wasn't as busy or crowded. There was lots of farmland and the people who lived there were happy. On the flattest of farm lands, one could look out and see the skyscrapers looming in the distance, reminding the citizens of Ravaloe of the other people, but the town was mostly secluded. Silas lived on the very edge of town, the farthest away from the city. He bought a small shop in town where he sold clothing. He rarely visited the store, but hired a manager who called him if anything went wrong. He had a mind for business that kept his employees happy, and the money coming in. The money that did come in was spent on small crystal trinkets that he decorated his small house in. The trinkets were like his children, and were worth a lot of money.

Meanwhile, a little while over in town lived Mr. Cass and his two sons Godfrey and Dunstan. Godfrey was a freshman at a nearby college in the city, and his brother was a junior in high school. Mr. Cass sent his son off to school, majoring him in business, grooming him to take over the family business. Mr. Cass owned half the town as well as many apartment buildings in the city. Mr. Cass highly doubted his second son would reach the same level of education his brother had. However he was unaware that the drug habit his son was developing was what was costing him his grades. Dustan's deep addiction was costing him though.

Godfrey had his secrets too. Shortly before he graduated high school, he got a girl in his class pregnant. Molly was known for partying and Godfrey wanted to show his friends that he wasn't uptight. He dated Molly very briefly. They went to parties, and wild events that he would never have done without her. After two months they broke up because Godfrey needed to focus on his grades. When they found out she was pregnant, she refused to tell her parents who the father was, but they eloped as soon as they were both eighteen. Godfrey sends the money his father gives him for expenses at school, to give Molly money for their baby. Because of this he works extensive hours at a job in the city, and struggles to pass school. The only one who knew about Molly and her baby was Dunstan who loved to threaten to tell on his brother. If Mr. Cass knew, he would pull the money for Godfrey's schooling and kick him out of the house.

When Godfrey went to visit Molly he was shocked. They met at a café between the town and the city. He was shocked to find that she was high while taking care of their baby. When they fought about using his money to buy drugs, she threatened to tell her parents who the father of the baby was, and they would get his father involved. This wasn't an issue as long as he could deny her claims and keep his brother quiet, something that he thought would be easy until his brother came to him for help.

"I'm out of money Godfrey," Dunstan pleaded, "you have to help me." He looked at his brother who found it hard to show remorse for his younger sibling who was wasting away his life.

"I have just as much as you Dunsey. You know that. If I asked dad for more money he would start to get suspicious, I can't risk it. You know I can't" He wanted so badly to help, but he really couldn't.

"What if you sold something valuable? I already sold all my stuff, I've got nothing left." Godfrey thought hard, but he only had one item worth anything.

"All I have is my car. It's a brand new Mustang." Dunstan took this statement out of context of course.

"Oh thank you so much Godfrey, this will never happen again." Godfrey didn't have the heart to let his brother down.

"You give me your car or no deal." Dunstan nodded agreeing quickly. "I'll go get it" He sighed dejectedly.

Godfrey was walking to the parking lot to get his car out for Dunstan when someone walked straight into him and fell over. He looked down and saw the prettiest girl he'd ever seen in his life.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry." She said as he gave her his hand to help her up.

"No it's totally fine, I should have been looking where I was going. I'm Godfrey." He stated, holding out his hand for her to shake. She smiled and shook his hand.

"Nancy." She said sweetly. "So I know I just met and you and this sounds crazy, but here's my number, so maybe call me? There's a huge New Year's Eve party at my dorm, the one over there," She pointed, "You should stop by." He almost said yes immediately but remembered his previous obligations.

"I would, but my dad has this big thing back home. I really want to, but we should hang out. Next week maybe?" She smiled. It was the beginning of the beautiful relationship.

On the ride home, Dunstan decided to take the more adventurous root. Off - roading in a convertible is not generally recommended. As he rounded the corner to Silas's house he slid off the road and into a tree. He let out a strain of curses as he climbed out of the totaled car. He then realized there was no way out of his massive debt so he went to a last resort. He walked over to Silas's house and knocked on the door. When no one answered he checked to see if the door was locked and it wasn't. He slid inside and started looking around. His eyes locked on the crystal figurines. Assuming they were worth a small fortune, he stuffed them in his pockets hoping they would be comparable to the debt he owed. As the front door began to open he ran out the back and into the woods. He ran through the woods for about ten minutes when he thought he heard someone behind him. He turned around slowing his pace but still walking in the same direction. He realized that no one was behind him but at the same time he slipped and hit his head on a rather precariously placed rock. It would be years before he was found.

When Silas arrived home his eyes immediately caught on the empty shelves where his beautiful treasures had once been. He fell on his knees and began to cry. What was left of his life, if the one good thing that no one had been able to take away from him, had been taken away? He ran to the phone and called 911.

When the police got there, they investigated the scene but found no conclusive evidence. No fingerprints on the door or shelves, nothing else was taken. There was nothing else to take. The Police Officers told Silas they would keep looking but left him disheveled and alone.

The week of Christmas was a happy one for the entire town. Much to his father's surprise, Godfrey brought home a girl he had known for about a month. Even in the short time, he could tell his son was serious about the girl. Despite his one son's happiness, he worried about his second son, who had not been seen in weeks. He figured his son, who had been getting in trouble and threatening to run away, actually had. He had put out a missing person's report but nothing had shown up. He felt there was nothing left he could do for his son. The car Dunstan was driving was found, but it was assumed that after he totaled the car, he left in fear of disappointing his father.

In the time Godfrey had begun to know Nancy, he grew distant from Molly. He lied and told her he wasn't coming home for the holidays. He no longer believed the threats from her that he now knew were empty. She couldn't tell her parents he was the father, because her parents kicked her out of the house. He just sent the normal amount of money with a small present for his daughter. However Molly had heard that Godfrey was in town. She made plans for her and her daughter to make an appearance at his family's annual New Year's Eve party.

Molly had to walk to the party, since she sold her car for money to buy drugs. Her drug of choice was becoming more expensive, and at the same time more dangerous. As she walked through the snowy blizzard she dropped to the ground releasing the small toddler in her arms. The small child began to cry loudly. In reaction to the cries the man living in the house nearby, the only house nearby, emerged to see what was causing the uproar. When he found the toddler and her unconscious mother, he ran inside and called the police.

The mother, whose parents would not even come to identify the poor girls body, died of a heroine overdose. With lots of heavy pleading, Silas convinced the police and child services to leave the little girl whose father did not seem to be present, with him. It became the talk of the town, and when Godfrey found out, he knew the little girl was his. He couldn't do anything to take the child as his, because if he did, he would lose everything else he had. Any hope he had to give her anything, if one day he could claim her, would be gone.

After time Godfrey eventually married Nancy. He graduated law school and took over the family business which, under his control, was at the best it ever was. He watched his daughter growing up from afar calling another man daddy. Silas was in all true sense of the word, a father to the child he named Eponine, and called Eppie for short. While most children were in daycare and barely got to see their parents, she was with her father every day with the occasional play group and often trips to the park. Sometimes Godfrey would walk past the park to see his daughter smile, knowing that at least she was happy.

When Godfrey learned of his wife's infertility, his hopes sank. How could he tell his father, desperate for a grandchild, and his wife desperate for a child of her own, that his very own child was living not far away at the house at the top of the hill?

From there, Godfrey's life started going further downhill. They began to cut down trees to build an apartment complex in the forest near Silas's house, and a body was found that was identified as his brother. They mourned for weeks, but were still not surprised when they found Silas's precious figurines. The same figurines went on sale in the older man's clothing shop a week later. He no longer needed them in his life, and no longer found appeal in using them as decorations.

When his father died due to an unexpected heart attack, Godfrey knew nothing could make him more miserable, and it was time for him to come clean. He didn't want to uproot his daughter who was now sixteen years old. He was proud of the young woman his daughter had become. She was attending the same high school he had attended, and the talk around town was that she was the brightest in her grade. She balanced school clubs with a full social life, and much to Godfrey and Silass' dismay, she had been hanging out with a boy named Aaron from her class. Godfrey knew almost as much about Eppie as Silas, except for what she was like. He wanted to be in his daughter's life, but first he would have to tell Nancy.

"Nancy, I have something I need to talk to you about," He shifted nervously. For all he knew this could end his marriage. "Please try to forgive me, I know I probably don't deserve it, but I haven't been honest with you about something." His wife nodded and looked worried. Godfrey looked in her eyes and could see the possibilities of what he could have done run through her head. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes.

"When I was in high school, I made a huge mistake, one that I could never take back. I got a girl named Molly pregnant. When we were both eighteen we eloped. I thought it was the thing a man would do. She couldn't go to college, and even when I did, I sent her almost every penny my dad gave me. The arrangement was fine until I realized what she was spending the money on. She had become addicted to all different kinds of drugs. I wanted to help my kid, but if I did, my dad would've taken everything I had. Molly died of an overdose, and our child was adopted by Silas's Marner. I wanted to do something but I had no options. I couldn't give up everything I had worked so hard for, and now I just want to be in her life." By this point he was ranting, even more nervous due to the look of horror on his wife's face. After a while, he broke the silence that had begun to loom between the two of them.

"Nancy, say something."

"I can't say I'm happy that you didn't tell me, but I understand why you wouldn't want to. I'm angry, beyond belief that you didn't think you could trust me, but if what you want is to be in this person's life, then that's what we'll try to do." He looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you so much. Nancy, when I first met you it wasn't you that I noticed, it was the heads you turned when you walked in the door, and I couldn't believe that you didn't know how beautiful you were, and that you chose me, and I still can't believe that out of everyone in the world I got someone as special as you. If I could choose, I would marry you a million times over again." She smiled and they shared a kiss. They then discussed how they would handle the situation. The next day while Eppie was at school they would go speak to Silas.

Knocking on the door of Silas's home was one of the most horrifying experiences of Godfrey's life. The older man was surprised to see Mr. and Mrs. Cass, but gladly welcomed them in, thinking they were at his house to do some sort of business. After all, that's what Godfrey was known for.

To say he was shocked when he heard Godfrey's story would be an understatement. Luckily he had legal custody of Eppie because no one had claimed her as a toddler. Silas wouldn't have to worry about her being taken away. When he informed Godfrey of this, Godfrey interjected his assumptions.

"I don't want to take Eppie away," he informed Silas, "she has a life here, and she's happy. I just want to be a part of her life. I want to get to know her. I also want to help with anything financially. I owe both of you that much." Godfrey's eyes were pleading with Silas.

"It's up to Eppie. We'll talk to her when she gets home from school, it's her decision." His voice held no emotion. He didn't know what to make of Godfrey's sudden willingness to support his daughter.

When Eppie got home from school, she was surprised to find visitors at the house, and even more surprised when they told her their story, and what they were willing to offer her. When they asked her what she thought, she was silent for a long time.

"I love my father, the one who raised me. Nothing will ever change that, know that now. I think it'll be good for me to get to know you."

Godfrey and Eppie were never quite like the usual father and daughter, like Silas and Eppie, but after time they developed a very loving friendship. Nancy became the person to go to for advice, because let's face it, going to Silas or Godfrey about advice with boys was embarrassing. The relationship between Silas and Godfrey grew, and the two bonded over their shared love for Eppie. True to his word Godfrey helped financially, although Silas wouldn't let him pay for all her college. In the end, everyone was happy, and everything was exactly how it should've been.