A/N ESME: The Definitive Years - A few notes
Let me first say that this is not a story. This is a short series of events that define Esme's life.
What I hope to achieve with this series is to show you the events that help shape Esme and her life. Giving her a more fuller and detailed background, and you a deeper understanding of the person she is. Well, that is my hope, only you will know if I do it justice. So please review and let me know how I'm doing. Instead of re reading the books to obtain Esme's history (I really do prefer reading ff) I've taken it from Twilight Lexicon. If you want to read it: http://www(.)twilightlexicon(.)com/?p=22
There will be a total of nine parts to this series:
The Fragile Egg
The Marriage
Fear and Violence
The Hero's Return
My Own Fragile Egg
The Escape
Birth
Death and Sacrifice
Second chance
This format has been inspired unknowingly by istandcorrected and sshg316. istandcorrected for her obsession with segments of life and sshg316 for giving me the idea of writing it in a series (Obviously I know she didn't invent the concept, but it is from her stories that I got the idea of a series).
I was lead down this path by MissAlex and Larin20, who held a contest, which involved Carlisle and he lead me to Esme. My head is now filled with only her. This is me getting her out.
I dedicate this series to them, MissAlex and Larin20 :) Enjoy
Thank you to my wonderful beta MissAlex
Esme: The Definitive Years
1911 -The Fragile Egg
The small, brown spotted egg balanced precariously in the centre of my sweaty palm while I held it out carefully in front of me. I reached out with my free hand and gripped the highest branch I could. Cramming my bare, dirty foot into a hole at the base of the tree, I hauled my body upwards, stretching until my other foot found another hole. I leaned into the tree to hold myself still while I searched for another thick branch that could handle my weight.
Higher and higher I climbed. Slowly at first, then faster as I gained more confidence in myself and the branches.
The nest, thick with twigs and dried, dead leaves, sat not far from where I was perched, but I still needed to go higher to accomplish my task. I strained my neck, looking for another handhold. Spotting one, I lunged upwards too fast, too soon, causing the delicate little egg to roll towards the edge of my hand, coming to rest in the folds of my fingers. I blew out a gust of air and waited until it settled itself before I continued my climb.
Once I knew it was safe again, I pulled myself higher, scraping my forearm against the stump of a broken branch in the process. It instantly smarted and bled. My hip rested awkwardly against the tree trunk. Looking down, I saw the ground far below me. The tree was higher than it seemed when I was stood on the ground. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. I only needed to climb a little higher before I could place the soon-to-be-chick back into its nest where its mother was surely waiting and fretting. So although I was nervous, I couldn't give up now.
It felt strange holding a life in my small hand. I wondered if this was how God felt when He created life. I knew this was different - I wasn't creating life, but I was saving it. I certainly wasn't a superior being, but I couldn't help but think I was doing some good here. If I hadn't found the egg lying in the grass and decided to return it to its nest, it would have froze overnight, been cracked open by a hungry stray cat and eaten, or stepped on by an unseeing and uncaring muddy boot.
With one last stretch, my leg to propelled me higher. I reached out my hand, my fingers ready to curl around the rough bark. But instead of feeling something solid in my hand, it held nothing but air. In slow motion three things happened all at once - my eyes widened, I screamed, and I fell out of the tree.
I floated, my arm acting as ores, as gravity pulled me down towards the ground below. I landed on the grass with a sickening thud, but I didn't feel anything. I stared towards the sky, my gaze focused on the tree and the nest. Everything around me felt hazy and dream-like. I couldn't move. I couldn't even blink, so I just lay there, watching the clouds glide across the sun.
Unsure of how long I lay there for, I felt hot and panicky. From amongst the leaves of the tree, I saw a bird. It was a warm chocolate brown color with white speckles. She was beautiful. Frantically, she fluttered around her nest. It was then I realised that she was the one - the Creator of that little spotted egg lying crushed in my hand.
My tears streamed down my face like raindrops rolling down a window pane as I watched the childless mother desperately search for her lost egg.
With a heavy heart, I slowly turned my throbbing head and looked at my hand. The crushed egg seeped a clear, yellowy mucus between my fingers. As I tilted my hand, the tiny, featherless, lifeless body of the dead baby bird rolled onto the grass.
As I made eye contact with the bird and her beady eyes pierced into mine, strange and surreal things happened. I assumed that I must have been dreaming.
"Murderer," the lifeless eyes silently screamed.
I sobbed, my tears soaking my face. She flew towards me, her wings flapping wildly, the tree's arms, heavy with leaves, following menacingly behind her. It seemed as though the sky was falling as the branches and leaves barrelled towards me.
She landed beside my cold, dirty hand, the same hand that had held the broken promise of life. My eyes drowned in pools of salty water as she pecked at my fingers. Her sharp, tiny beak stabbed into my skin and I screamed as the sky collapsed on top of me.
***
I awoke in a dimly lit room, in a freshly made bed, between sheets that were much too warm. My leg throbbed and my whole body ached, but my mind was surprisingly clear.
"Good morning, sleepy head," a cheerful voice announced. Slowly, I turned my head to the side to see who the voice belonged to.
"Hi," I replied to the blonde-haired man in a long white coat. "Where am I?"
He looked at me with kind eyes. "Well, you fell out of a tree not long ago and broke your leg, so you're in hospital, Esme," he informed me, handing me a glass of water. "And it's not really morning. Well, technically it is, but considering it's not long past midnight, I like to think of it as the middle of the night. You've had a rough journey."
The memory of the dead baby bird rushed back to me and I cried.
"Hey, what's this?" The kind man asked.
I explained the best I could about the egg, the bird, and the sky falling. Surprisingly, instead of laughing, he looked at me seriously.
After placing his cool hand upon mine, he spoke again. "At least you tried, Esme. You tried to save a life. It's more than what most people would have done.
Too shocked for words, I just lay there, my head propped up on a pillow, my leg in some funny contraption, and gawked at the kind man. I was certainly not a child, but my response mirrored that of one. My mouth hung open unattractively as I tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make me look stupid.
I couldn't think of anything so I said nothing.
"You were very brave to climb that tree, but promise me you won't do something like that again." He paused. "Or at least not without a ladder," he added with a smile and a wink.
I inspected his face, wanting to know more about this man. He was younger than I first thought. Early twenties, maybe. He was also amazingly attractive. He was not our regular local doctor so I wondered why he was here. Though I certainly wasn't complaining.
Hearing a small cough, I glanced over to the far corner of the room. I was relieved to see my mother and father. They looked pale and tired but I was glad they were here with me. The doctor granted them permission to come over and sit by my side, and then he quietly left the room.
I would never forget that day for many reasons - one of which being that it was my sixteenth birthday. Another being that I failed to return the egg back to its nest, therefore depriving some poor mother of her newborn. And, most importantly, because of that fair-haired doctor.
No, I would never forget that day.
A/N So, how did I do. Please let me know :)