"… Specs."
"Are these the same friends that sent you to this retched place?" A new voice entered the trio's conversation. Specs turned his head towards the girl in front of the fire. She continued to write as she talked. "The same friends that have been there been there for you, would do anything for you, and now have betrayed you?"
"Clara, don't go scaring the poor boy on his first day here!" Ashley said, her eyes driving daggers threw the girl. "Just ignore her. She feels the only reason she came here is to die."
"And it is! Have you ever known anyone to ever live through consumption? They all come here, they all die. And soon you, your brother, me, and even this new boy will find ourselves covered with six feet of dirt." Clara stood up and slammed her journal closed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to dinner." She placed her dark blue journal on the night table next to her bed and left the humble cottage. The three newly acquainted people stood in silence not sure what to say after an outburst like that. Finally Eric spoke.
"So, shall we go to dinner?"
"Yes, I think we shall." Ashley reached out to take Specs' arm in order to lead him to the main cottage, but he pulled a way at her warm touch.
"Um… I not very hungry. I think I'll stay here and unpack." The fact was, Specs was famished, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. Something about the worn blue journal called for his attention.
"Do you want us to bring you back something?" Ashley smiled at the new boy.
"Sure. I guess." Specs' curiosity continued to nag at him.
"Alright. We'll see you after dinner." Eric said as he eagerly dragged his sister out of the cottage. Specs breathed a sigh of relief when the two finally left. He carefully began to pull a few things out of his bag and place them on his nightstand; a picture, a newspaper clipping, a book, a journal of his own, all mementos from his life in Manhattan. A life that he hoped to return to soon.
As Specs unpacked his things, he tried to ignore the curiosity tugging at the back of his mind. He was failing miserably at this. Finally, he gave into his curiosity. Carefully walking over to Clara's bed, Specs made sure no one was coming back from dinner. He picked up the worn blue object and opened to the first page. A worn picture fluttered down to the ground. Specs bent down and examined the black and white photo with three people in it. A man stood behind a girl seated in a chair. His hand lovingly placed on her shoulder. In the lap of the girl sat a baby in a white christening gown. As Specs looked at the picture, he came to realize that the girl in the picture was Clara and the other two had to be her family.
Specs became confused when he felt a twang of jealousy creep inside of him. He didn't even know Clara, yet he was jealous of her husband. Pushing the thought away, Specs placed the picture back into the journal and flipped back to the first entry. Sympathy for the girl gripped his soul as he read.
"Are these the same friends that sent you to this retched place?" A new voice entered the trio's conversation. Specs turned his head towards the girl in front of the fire. She continued to write as she talked. "The same friends that have been there been there for you, would do anything for you, and now have betrayed you?"
"Clara, don't go scaring the poor boy on his first day here!" Ashley said, her eyes driving daggers threw the girl. "Just ignore her. She feels the only reason she came here is to die."
"And it is! Have you ever known anyone to ever live through consumption? They all come here, they all die. And soon you, your brother, me, and even this new boy will find ourselves covered with six feet of dirt." Clara stood up and slammed her journal closed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to dinner." She placed her dark blue journal on the night table next to her bed and left the humble cottage. The three newly acquainted people stood in silence not sure what to say after an outburst like that. Finally Eric spoke.
"So, shall we go to dinner?"
"Yes, I think we shall." Ashley reached out to take Specs' arm in order to lead him to the main cottage, but he pulled a way at her warm touch.
"Um… I not very hungry. I think I'll stay here and unpack." The fact was, Specs was famished, but his curiosity was getting the best of him. Something about the worn blue journal called for his attention.
"Do you want us to bring you back something?" Ashley smiled at the new boy.
"Sure. I guess." Specs' curiosity continued to nag at him.
"Alright. We'll see you after dinner." Eric said as he eagerly dragged his sister out of the cottage. Specs breathed a sigh of relief when the two finally left. He carefully began to pull a few things out of his bag and place them on his nightstand; a picture, a newspaper clipping, a book, a journal of his own, all mementos from his life in Manhattan. A life that he hoped to return to soon.
As Specs unpacked his things, he tried to ignore the curiosity tugging at the back of his mind. He was failing miserably at this. Finally, he gave into his curiosity. Carefully walking over to Clara's bed, Specs made sure no one was coming back from dinner. He picked up the worn blue object and opened to the first page. A worn picture fluttered down to the ground. Specs bent down and examined the black and white photo with three people in it. A man stood behind a girl seated in a chair. His hand lovingly placed on her shoulder. In the lap of the girl sat a baby in a white christening gown. As Specs looked at the picture, he came to realize that the girl in the picture was Clara and the other two had to be her family.
Specs became confused when he felt a twang of jealousy creep inside of him. He didn't even know Clara, yet he was jealous of her husband. Pushing the thought away, Specs placed the picture back into the journal and flipped back to the first entry. Sympathy for the girl gripped his soul as he read.