Have fun! I'm completely obsessed with Pride and Prejudice lately and thought I'd write something. As a side note, Their Eyes Were Watching God is an african american novel by Zora Neale Hurston. Janie's dialouge in the story isn't meant to offend, that's how the novel was written and I wanted to stay true to the story. This was an assignment for AP English.
I do not own Pride and Prejudice or Their Eyes Were Watching God, they belong to Jane Austen and Zora Neale Hurston respectively.
It is a universally acknowledged truth that reality is stranger than fiction. This is especially true in the case of a Elizabeth Bennet and a Janie Woods. In this particular case, both women have been plucked from their respective worlds and now find themselves in a room solely furnished with a modest table coupled with an equally modest pair of chairs. How both women found themselves in such a predicament should of course be explained.
Janie Woods had been the first one to arrive. What had happened to her before she was taken from her world was terribly complex and had left her with a host of questions. That, in itself, is a story for another time. Just before she had been brought here, she had sat in a cramped cell. Her mind struggled to comprehend her actions, Tea Cake's, and those of the universe.
Janie's sole reward was a headache that seemed to be growing in intensity. At precisely that moment, Janie Woods found herself making a wish that was at the same time naive and sincere.
Elizabeth Bennet had arrived moments after Janie had. Her experiences before being so rudely ripped from her world had been different from Janie's, in most details. At the core, however, their circumstances were quite similar. Minutes before, Elizabeth had found herself in the Collins' parlor, having just refused the marriage proposal of Mr. Darcy. The sudden outburst had left her mind reeling. Thus affected, Elizabeth Bennet could hardly be blamed for making a sincere and naive wish.
In a strange, inexplicable combination of various coincidences, the impossible happened. The two women were ripped from their respective worlds through what some would call a time warp- an abnormal fluke an the otherwise normal flow of time and space. And now, Elizabeth and Janie found themselves at opposite ends of a sparsely furnished room.
Both women were staring at the other with incredulity. Attempting to process the curious event that had just occurred, both were hardly capable of speech, much less rational thought. Thus, both spent a period of time simply staring in shocked silence. Janie was the first to come out of the spell and attempt to communicate.
Biting her lip, Janie searched for the appropriate words to address the white woman, who for all Janie knew, appeared to belong to some other time long gone. Giving up at last, ( her time with Nanny had not taught her any words as may have been applied to such ladies) Janie choose to address the strange woman as she might one of her own race. She began, " I don' know whut's jus happen'd, but...we need tuh fix this mess."
Elizabeth was released from her shocked state by the words spoken by the Negro woman. She attempted to gather her started nerves, in such a way that she may have responded with composure. Partially succeeding, she paused to scrutinize the woman before speaking. The woman was dressed quite strangely, her clothes were similar to those men wore. Nevertheless, the woman was quite strange. Even her speech was a broken and coarse version of the English Elizabeth spoke.
American, perhaps?, Elizabeth thought to herself inanely, before responding with, "I am inclined to agree with you, Miss...?"
Puzzled for a moment, Janie quickly replied, " Janie Woods, Miss...?"
" You must forgive me. My name is Elizabeth Bennet, of Hertfordshire in England. This whole circumstance has affected my nerves somewhat badly. I do agree that we must find a way to remedy the situation".
Taken aback by the formal speech coupled with the lady's British accent, Janie was even more at a loss as how to approach such a person. This Elizabeth reminded her of one of the rich white ladies she'd seen as a child with Nanny. Even so, Janie had always been quite good at moving forward. Pushing her thoughts away, she composed herself. With a curious look at Elizabeth, Janie began to trying to find a way out.
" As far as Ah can see, we ain't got no way of gettin' outta this room. Ah don' have no clue how you an' me got here in the firs' place", Janie observed as she paced around the room.
"Perhaps if we considered our circumstances before we came to be in this place, we might find a solution of sorts", Elizabeth suggested after some time.
Janie paused in her pacing and gestured towards the wooden set of chairs next to the table in the middle of the room. Nodding her approval, Elizabeth made her way toward one of the chairs as Janie took the other one.
Breathing deeply, Janie began, " Ah had jus' lost my husband, Tea Cake, lak every'un called 'im. He was sick for awhile...some craziness, they said.
Pausing briefly, Janie continued on, " My sweet Tea Cake was gone. He died...by my hands..."
" You...murdered your own husband? What could have prevailed upon you to commit such a crime?", Elizabeth spoke slowly, fear and disgust welling up within her. Having been raised in a fairly high middle class family, she had not felt the primitive fear that she felt at this very moment.
Upon noticing the shadow that seemed to pass over her companion's features, Janie felt bile rise in her throat. Equally disgusted by Elizabeth's accusations and feeling the need to defend herself, Janie cried, " Ah had no choice! If you had seen how he was! Some craziness took a hold of him and...he wasn't Tea Cake anymore! He was lak a wild beast...came after me tuh! Dun judge me...youse kind dun know a thing!"
Silenced, Elizabeth could do no more than attempt to see the injured woman in front of her behind the dark skin. As hard as she tried, Elizabeth could not banish that last particle of disgust at the woman in front of her. Even so, regaining her composure, she proceeded to speak, " I apologize for my lack of upsetting you in such a way. In my world, such happenings are so rarely spoken of...may your husband rest in peace."
Sighing, Janie glanced to the side. She noticed that one of Elizabeth's locks of chestnut colored hair had escaped the careful bun she had arranged them all in. This minor detail held her gaze as she, in turn, gathered her frayed nerves and composed herself.
After some time, she leaned toward her companion and spoke somewhat coldly, " Then, Ah want to know where you come from. You said you was from England, right?"
" Yes, I am from Hertfordshire. I suppose my family might be described as wealthy. Before I found myself here, I had been staying at the home of my cousins, the Collins family. I had scarcely refused the proposal of a gentleman before I found myself ripped from my world."
" A marriage proposal! Well, was the man a nasty one? Ah was married to un lak that once..."
Elizabeth thought back to Darcy. She pondered Janie's words carefully before responding. Was Darcy truly that terrible? After a moment she firmly decided that yes, he was horrible. Elizabeth looked back at Janie and responded and spoke, " He was truly a most horrible and prideful man! He could hardly stand to even converse with those beneath him. That Mr. Darcy actually had the nerve to ask for my hand in marriage for his domestic felicity. He asked for it only after making a mockery of my family, ruining the happiness of a beloved sister and injuring my personal pride!"
Janie listened carefully and thought of how luxurious it must be to be allowed to refuse all suitors until a woman found the one she loved truly! She then felt a burst of envy for her companion in this lonely room. She could not be blamed for this, as she had been forced into an unhappy marriage by her Nanny. Even so, she couldn't help but feel empathy for the other woman. This was again, because of her previous marriages.
After Elizabeth had finished speaking,Janie said, " It's strange...why would he ask someone lak you if youse family was beneath him, if he didn' feel something true for you?"
" That is utter nonsense. It's quite likely he enjoyed the activity as an opportunity to injure my pride. If you had met him, you'd agree that he is a horrible man!"
Janie sighed and tried to conjure the words she might use to explain the ways of men to the injured woman before her. Deciding to be frank, she said, " Ah think a woman lak youse self should try an' learn more about the man before you condemn him. Try an' understand."
Elizabeth pursed her lips and decided to follow the woman's advice. She had always prided herself on her ability to make wise decisions. In return for this advice, Elizabeth decided to share some of her own. Thus, she spoke, " Miss Woods, may i prevail upon you to cease carrying the burden of your husband's death? If all is as you say, then you must not condemn yourself in such a manner. The world and life are curious things, thus you must not try to make sense of them. Do not try to understand, simply live."
It was at this instance, that yet another perplexing and impossible event happened. These two women, who had made naive and sincere wishes were granted wise and sincere wishes. It felt as though their souls were being compressed into the tiniest of folds and then wonderfully freed. It is impossible to describe the utter peace and felicity both felt at that instant. What became of them later on is a tale for another time.
Gomen nasai! I feel horrid for not updating, but college applications are NOT kind to overworked seniors. I really miss writing as our dear Russia-san and translating Naruto BL fics. Hopefully I'll be able to post some more stuff soon! May the odds be ever in your favor!