Mortality
Summary: One night in the dark of the attic, Sarah begins to doubt even her circle.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sarah, Becky, or any other recognizable characters and/or places
*****
Alone in the darkening night
Rafters creak and mouses squeak
And I cannot find the sleep
Repose will not release me tonight
No dreams come to take away reality
Sorely muscles ache, but this pain does not keep me awake
My broken and fragmented heart shatters again and again
Once I had pride
Not that I was proud
But once I could have been.
Now I have nothing but this black rag to hide behind
And it does not hide me
Does not hide my fears
Does not protect my flaws
Does not keep my secrets.
I am on display
For a cruel world
Maybe Miss Minchin is right
Maybe the world is too cruel
Maybe she is being kind to me.
Falling tears run
The floor is crooked
And my tears run like little rivers
And my little chalk circle is broken.
My protection is gone
The evil will get me now.
*****
"Papa," Sarah whispered. "Why did you have to send me here? I do not grudge you for it, but what if I had stayed in India? Oh, Papa. . ."
"Sarah?" Becky asked. She slid aside the loose board, and knelt by her friend's side. "Sarah, your circle. . .it's broken. Have you got chalk to fix it?"
Sarah sniffed and shook her head. "I think the mice ate it," she replied.
"Don't fret, I've got some here, I think." Becky searched the pockets of her apron, pulling out a small piece of classroom chalk. She colored thick whitish-yellow lines to complete Sarah's circle on the floor.
"That's school chalk, Becky! You could get in trouble if you got caught, Miss Minchin would have you arrested for stealing!"
"I didn't steal it, Sarah," Becky said, shaking her head from side to side. "It was in the trash can already. Even if Miss Minchin does notice, we can get rid of it quick. Should I put it back?"
"It wouldn't change much. You're right Becky, she won't notice."
"All right. I have to get back to bed." Becky rose and headed for the loose board.
"Goodnight, Becky," Sarah called.
"Goodnight, Princess," Becky replied.
"Please don't call me that," Sarah said.
"But Sarah, you are a princess. A princess who walks among her people, because she isn't afraid of helping them. That's a real princess."
Sarah turned to respond, but Becky had already gone back to her room. "Maybe you did right in sending me here, Papa," Sarah whispered. "Maybe here I can help people even more than back in India."
Summary: One night in the dark of the attic, Sarah begins to doubt even her circle.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sarah, Becky, or any other recognizable characters and/or places
*****
Alone in the darkening night
Rafters creak and mouses squeak
And I cannot find the sleep
Repose will not release me tonight
No dreams come to take away reality
Sorely muscles ache, but this pain does not keep me awake
My broken and fragmented heart shatters again and again
Once I had pride
Not that I was proud
But once I could have been.
Now I have nothing but this black rag to hide behind
And it does not hide me
Does not hide my fears
Does not protect my flaws
Does not keep my secrets.
I am on display
For a cruel world
Maybe Miss Minchin is right
Maybe the world is too cruel
Maybe she is being kind to me.
Falling tears run
The floor is crooked
And my tears run like little rivers
And my little chalk circle is broken.
My protection is gone
The evil will get me now.
*****
"Papa," Sarah whispered. "Why did you have to send me here? I do not grudge you for it, but what if I had stayed in India? Oh, Papa. . ."
"Sarah?" Becky asked. She slid aside the loose board, and knelt by her friend's side. "Sarah, your circle. . .it's broken. Have you got chalk to fix it?"
Sarah sniffed and shook her head. "I think the mice ate it," she replied.
"Don't fret, I've got some here, I think." Becky searched the pockets of her apron, pulling out a small piece of classroom chalk. She colored thick whitish-yellow lines to complete Sarah's circle on the floor.
"That's school chalk, Becky! You could get in trouble if you got caught, Miss Minchin would have you arrested for stealing!"
"I didn't steal it, Sarah," Becky said, shaking her head from side to side. "It was in the trash can already. Even if Miss Minchin does notice, we can get rid of it quick. Should I put it back?"
"It wouldn't change much. You're right Becky, she won't notice."
"All right. I have to get back to bed." Becky rose and headed for the loose board.
"Goodnight, Becky," Sarah called.
"Goodnight, Princess," Becky replied.
"Please don't call me that," Sarah said.
"But Sarah, you are a princess. A princess who walks among her people, because she isn't afraid of helping them. That's a real princess."
Sarah turned to respond, but Becky had already gone back to her room. "Maybe you did right in sending me here, Papa," Sarah whispered. "Maybe here I can help people even more than back in India."
