The Story bellow, is an AU ending of the movie 'Guernsey Literally and the Potato Peel Pie Society, i watched on Netflix a few weeks ago. Not that i disliked the real ending, i really did, but as always, i decided to change things a bit, to make everything more dramatic. This way, this story started just after Juliet get back to London with Mark and after that, it´s everything part of this AU.
This story is written in two ways: the parts in italics is Juliet´s writting and the rest, is write in mine (the author´s) view, hope you don´t mind.
Other than that, what inspire me to write this story, was another war-movie named 'The Best Years of Our Lives'.
For those who got interested, i say thank you for your time and i hope you enjoy this story.
DSCWin, Loveispatientloveiskind and QueenSheridan, thanks for the help and support.
THE TRUTH IN MY HANDS
Juliet Ashton sat in front of her typewriter, she was nervous, as after a year, she thought she would never do that again. She took a deep breath, the teapot was boiling water and using what she called hands, with the help of her own teeth, she managed to steady the piece of paper at the machine.
Who knows however that a year ago, she was just a writer, going to the Guernsey Island, to meet members of a book club, who was hiding themselves from the Germans.
As soon as she got there, Juliet became friends with them, she helped protect them and refused to write about the society, to protect the daughter of the founder of the club, as she was half German and her paternal grandparents could be looking for her. Still, in return, the war had taken everything for her all over again.
The task was simple, all she needed to do, was write an article to the London Times, telling about the side-effects of the war on the society. At first of course, Juliet was frightened and insecure, as she has no desire to revive those horrible days. However, as her publisher and friend Sidney had said, she wasn´t alone this time, she had him and her friends to support her in every step of the way. Besides, the world need to know what the war done to everyone and who´s better to say this, if not someone who felt it in the flesh.
That´s why she was sitting there in front of her typewrite in that typical London day, ready to tell the word the truth about war and about the Nazis.
After a year and a half since then and still traumatized over what happened, I gather some courage to write again. Friends and relatives insisted that I tell the truth and that is what I will do, now that I have the truth in my hands.
It happened that night after they head back from Guernsey to London, neither Juliet, nor her fiancé at the time, Mark, knew they had been followed by German soldiers, probably someone had been spying on them and told the soldiers that they attitude seemed suspicious.
Been an officer himself, Mark soon tried to calm the situation, facing the soldiers and asked what they wanted, since being an officer, he did not admit being passed by a traitor or an outlaw. In response, they shot the man dead and took a hysterical Juliet away.
For interminable days, I was locked in that basement, being interrogated for my work and for what I used to write. I swore I had never dared to make jokes about his leader, that my books were only meant to entertain people.
Obviously, the Germans investigated my house and asked me about my recent visit to the English Channel. I denied it, I think that was my mistake…
They interrogated her about her activities in Guernsey, since the book club members were accused to hide food from the army during the German´s occupation there and they suspect Juliet were involved with them in the scheme.
''I seriously don´t know what you are talking about'' she said ''my travel to Guernsey was just to met with a literally society and learn with them, I'm a writer, I corresponded with some members of society and they invited me to meet them'' Juliet said
'' it was not what we knew, what we learned, was that you helped them to hide information from the government, that one of the members of society had become involved with one of our soldiers and so they did not want you to expose them to the world'' the man snapped, Juliet paled. She remembered the innkeeper, who told her, her soul was in mortal danger and for a second, she thought it was the innkeeper who handle her to the army, because of envy, judgments or pettiness, perhaps, she would never understand why.
''I will ask one more time, what these people are hiding, what´s your involvement with them?''
''they aren´t hiding anything'' Juliet swear ''they are just members of a book-club and as a writer, I just wanted to learn from them, as they could be a good story''
''a good story, huh?'' the soldier said ''well, maybe you can tell this story to us'' he said and the woman paled.
''what you´re going to do with me?'' she gulped
''it´s not of your business'' he said, grabbing her arm and dragging her away.
_/_
No doubts they used method of torture, to make Juliet talk about the society. To be a bit fair with the German soldiers, they told her that people of Guernsey had been breaking the law since the occupation; they knew that the club founder Elizabeth had been involved with a German soldier and they wanted to know what comes from that relationship.
Sure, Juliet knew what comes from that relationship, a cute little girl named Kit, who the society sworn to protect, otherwise, her German relatives, could take her away. Still, Juliet promise to be silent about that, she wasn´t going to betray her friends.
The soldiers got furious and treat to kill her if she didn´t talk. And when she refused to say what she was doing in Guernsey, they broked both her hands beyond repair, as if she doesn´t want to tell her story to them, she wont going to tell it to nobody else.
I woke up in the hospital a while later, thankfully with no memory of the in-between. When Sidney told me what happened, that the doctors had to amputate both my hands, the only thing I could do, was cry. This, the war, had took everything from me, my parents, my hands, everything, because it is what war does, they bring, humiliation, disgrace, poverty and take our dignity away. War destroy us, both in soul and in flesh. And the worst part of it, is that we can´t do nothing but pray, pray for it to end soon, while waiting for an absolution, that might never come.
From the days I stay at the hospital, I got visits every day, both from Mark´s family, my friends from Guernsey and Sidney, as well as letters from fans of my old books, who wanted to know how I was doing.
A month after staying at the hospital, a friend from Guernsey, give me the idea about using prosthesis in place of my hands, he said that veterans from war used it and it could help me as well, at least I could go back to writing. I must say however that, this hooks-like-hands aren´t that bad, they indeed helped a lot and I could pass the humiliation of been feed by somebody else.
So, when I got the task of writing this article you will read this week, I was afraid to face my fears and revive those horrible moments I spend in the German´s hands. Still, I decided to pass my judgments and decided to tell the world, the truth about the gruesome aftermath of the war and hope that one day, peace, rule over everyone…
Juliet was suddenly interrupted on her thoughts, by the sound of someone knocking her door. After been released from the hospital, the writer decided to move to Guernsey, but from time to time, she goes back to London, to met with Sidney and discuss topics for new books.
Confused, the woman gets up and went to answer the door, just to come face to face with Albans and Isola, her friends and two members of the book club.
''hey'' Juliet greet her friends and step aside for them to come.
''Juliet, it´s 6PM, you forgot about the meeting?'' Isola asked her and in response, the writer blush. Since that morning Juliet was so concentrated in her article, that she simply forgot about the meeting and the fact she was the one who was going to read for the night.
''I'm so sorry!'' she apologized ''please, could you help me with my coat, so we can hurry?''
''of course'' Isola said and rushed to grab Juliet´s coat for her.
''we must go, ladies'' Albans smiled ''otherwise the pie will get cold'' he said and with a laugh, the two women follow the old man toward Marian's house, to another evening of joy and reading time.
That night, as well as any other night on the club, no word about the war was spoken.
END