Chapter 3 – Ravenswood – Part 1
Having been informed by her aunt two days later, Judy found that she was to leave and live full-time at this so-called school called Ravenswood. Standing alone in the tiny foyer of her aunt's house, Judy watched quietly as the house staff moved about, giving no mind to her or the small, worn traveling case beside her. Following her meeting with Idris Bogo, word amongst the staff seemed to spread like fire one week later. Two small female doe's emerged nearby where Judy stood, dressed in fine clothing from off the main living room. Eyeing the pair, Judy turned away from her aunt's daughters, Agatha and Sarah Footerton. Judy, dressed in a simple burgundy long-sleeve dress with a white collar and cuffs, lowered herself onto a bench beside her.
"Look, the little freak is finally leaving." With the same golden fur color as her brother Johnathan, Agatha smiled and laughed at her sister. "I cannot remember a time mother was so happy."
Her sister, Sarah, whose fur was white with golden coloring on her ears, slid her paw around her sister's arms as she tilted her head. "Nor I, Aggie. But Mother and the rest of us shall toast her long-overdue absence tonight." The two laughed hysterically, disappearing through a passageway without a second glance at their cousin.
"Ms. Hopps," Bessie's kind voice called to Judy from a set of double doors leading outside. "Your taxi has arrived." The familiar young housemaid approached her and picked up the worn travel case. Dressed in her morning uniform, Bessie guided Judy through the house's main entrance toward a small 1909 green Landaulette taxi parked a short distance away. Judy clutched onto Bessie's paw as fear came over her. Bessie, feeling this, wordlessly squeezed the little doe's paw in her own.
A tall black panther, dressed in a tan suit, tipped a black driver's hat he was wearing at the two doe's as they approached. Bessie nodded politely to him as she brought Judy to the enclosed taxi's box seat. Opening the door, the driver motioned to the case Bessie held as he reached out to take it. "I'll take that, miss. You help the little one in and get her comfortable.
"Thank you, Mr.?" Bessie asked as she let go of the case.
"Manchas, miss," The taxi driver answered her with a smile. "Mr. Manchas." He touched the brim of his hat a second time in respect before walking around to the other side of the taxi. He placed the small case by the driver's seat and secured it with a small strap. "The little one will be my only passenger on this trip, so she is welcome to get comfortable any way she feels."
Helping Judy get up and inside the taxi's plush interior, Bessie struggled to maintain her composure as sadness filled her eyes. "Take care of yourself, young miss." As she said this, Judy glanced out of the taxi at what had been her only home since she could remember. Mrs. Footerton appeared by one of the windows along the second floor. Both adult and child's eyes meet one another as a foul grin materializes on her aunt's face. Turning her head back to observe her employer, Bessie turned and disappeared from view. The young maid looked over at Judy once again before taking both of her paws in her own. Rubbing their tips, Bessie brought them to her lips and kissed them. "Be free from this place, miss. I wish only happiness for you and your future." Bessie embraced Judy suddenly as if a mother to her own child. A few tears were visible around the young maid's eyes as the two embraced each other.
Judy, unable to think of words to describe this affection from Bessie, simply sat there, her bottom lip trembling as she began to cry. "Thank you, Bessie. I'll miss you most of all."
Bessie began to release her as she momentarily held one side of the tiny doe's face. Smiling still at Judy, she felt the car come alive as Mr. Manchas started the engine. The young doe, letting go of Judy, stepped down from the taxi and closed the door for the final time. She turned to look at the driver and asked, "Keep her safe," before instructing him to "Drive on." As the taxi's tires crunched along the gravel drive path. Bessie stood still and raised a farewell paw in the air. Judy, bursting into tears, fell along the large bench seat as the taxi continued to pick up speed.
Later that evening, hours after leaving what used to be her home, Judy felt a soft paw shake her gently. The young doe stretched out along the vehicle's bench seat. She noticed the dim light within the taxi's interior as she opened her eyes. Two oil lamps on either side of the driver's window illuminated the interior. Lifting herself up, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light. Turning her head to look out the taxi's window, Judy moved to a window on one side of the cab and lifted herself slightly to peer out. They had stopped along what seemed to be a deserted country lane. "Are we there yet?" She asked the driver, Mr. Manchas, as she lowered herself to the floor.
"Yes, young miss, we have." Manchas reached over to her with his paw outstretched. "Here, let me help you out. It is quite a jump for you, and I don't wish you to fall and hurt yourself."
With Mancha's help, Judy was quickly down and out of the taxi as she continued to take in her unknown surroundings. She noticed what appeared to be a high, neglected stone wall positioned next to them. She then glimpsed a large wooden inscription hanging from iron hangers on the wall before taking a few steps along the country lane. Tilting her head ever so slightly, Judy moved clear to read the words upon it. "Ravenswood Institute for Young Female Mammals.", she spoke in a soft voice. A feeling of hesitation coming over her, Judy turned back to her driver and asked, "Mr. Manchas, where are we?"
Manchas, who at that moment was removing Judy's bag from its straps, turned to look over at the young doe. "If I'm correct, young miss, we are in the far northern part of the meadowland district. The great ice walls of the Tundra district are no more than ten miles from here." He walked over and set her case next to her. "The weather up here can be hard sometimes, even for young mammals like yourself, so you must be sure to take good care of yourself."
"Ms. Judith Hopps?" A slightly high, stern voice spoke suddenly, causing both mammals to turn and look behind them.
"Yes," Judy replied, a nervous sound in her voice as she looked at the mammal who had spoken.
Standing beside an open wrought-iron gate, a short white ewe, covered in a black cloak, stood before Manchas and Judy. "You can leave now, sir. I will take charge of this little one now." The ewe, showing no emotions, not taking her eyes off Judy, spoke heartlessly toward Manchas. Manchas, hesitating for a moment, was about to reply before the ewe quickly cut him off. "Sir, as per your contract, you were hired to transport the young doe to this institute. Therefore, unless you have further business here, I would ask you to immediately remove yourself from this property. Or you may stay, in which the police shall be called, and you will find yourself arrested and your vehicle confiscated." The ewe raised her eyes and glared at the panther before returning to Judy. "You, Ms. Hopps, will come here." She withdrew a paw under her cloak and pointed to a spot before her. Judy, trembling, slowly stepped toward the ewe, her case held tightly in her paw. The ewe shifted her gaze to Mr. Manchas as she observed him returning to his vehicle before returning to Judy. "I'm Ms. Bellwether, Deputy Headmistress here at Ravenswood." She gave Judy a look over before saying, "Follow me." Bellwether turned around and walked through the open gate. "Quickly," Bellwether called to Judy.
Judy, glancing back at Manchas as the taxi's engine started again, gave the driver a quick smile before disappearing through the gate and into the school grounds. She quickly thought the sight of the school grounds that greeted her looked like a picture taken during the Middle Ages. A large courtyard comprised most of the settings, flanked by two large stone buildings, forming an 'L' shape. The larger two were at least two floors, while the smaller size was a mere single-floor building. As she followed Bellwether, Judy observed the grounds around her, which seemed void of color or vegetation. Except for two or three stone benches in the cobblestone courtyard, the sight felt cold, like the weather blanketed about.
Bellwether turned her head back to Judy as the two approached the single-floor building, "Keep up." The ewe pushed open the door and walked in before stepping aside to allow Judy to enter behind her.
As Judy stepped through the doorway, dread hit her almost immediately. She looked over to where Bellwether stood by the door as she moved inside. Judy at once determined where she must have been led. The single-floor building she had entered appeared to be the school's only dormitory. A loud, heavy slam echoed behind her as Bellwether closed the door. At that moment, Judy felt like she had somehow become a prisoner, sealed within a massive cell. The open dormitory, undoubtedly once grand in its early years, now needed repair. Its high wooden rafters, dark and gloomy, seemed to creak as drops of water fell on the stone floor below. "Down here," Bellwether instructed her, brushing past her as she led Judy down a sizable gap between the dormitory exterior wall and a row of small to medium-sized beds. Judy looked around at the dormitory's size and layout as she followed the ewe.
The dormitory was arranged into three areas, two open to one another. The larger area consisted of three long rows of metal frame beds. Judy glanced behind her and found the rows of beds stretched from one end of the dormitory to the other. Four stone fireplaces evenly spaced along the other side of the dormitory provided heat to the building. She noticed a large number of female mammals gathered close to each other. A few tables and chairs spaced along with the remaining free space, Judy concluded, the building designers must have meant for the area to be used as a common area where everyone could congregate. The final area, Judy assumed, would be the bathroom and washrooms, eyeing two doors on the far end of the dormitory.
"This must be where the world sends unwanted daughters." Judy thought to herself as she continued to follow behind Bellwether. Judy noticed one of the medium-sized beds as they walked along the second row. The pair soon stopped a little more than halfway through the row. Hanging from one of the countless metal bed frames, Judy read her name scrawled in cursive upon it. She continued looking around and noticed several fellow girls staring back at her. A few began to whisper to one another, their faces illuminated by the fire's flickering light. Judy moved over to her assigned bed and lowered herself on it.
"Up, Ms. Hopps!" Bellwether's voice echoed in a loud, harsh tone. "Pupils are not permitted to sit or lay on their beds during school hours." The ewe words caused a ripple effect as more faces turned to where she and Judy were. "Now, take off those clothes you are wearing immediately." Her voice turned normal as she moved around to the other side of the bed and opened a small storage chest. The ewe removed a plain brown dress, black foot wraps for Judy's feet, and a white nightgown. She placed each of them on the bed and looked at Judy. "This will be your school uniform. Put it now at once." Bellwether pointed to the dress and foot wraps. "You have been issued three of them. You can keep the undergarments and sanitary needs you brought with you. You have also been issued two nightgowns, one of which is here. All items are to be kept in this chest here." Bellwether pointed down at the chest alongside the bed as Judy began to remove her dress in full view of everyone.
"Laundry is picked up daily by the dormitory team. Your dress and other items you brought with you will be stored away. You will have no need of them while you are at school." Bellwether reached over and took the case Judy had with her and began going through it. Judy's belongings comprised only three dresses, her undergarments, and one book titled "The Tales of Rupert Cottontail." Each item was checked thoroughly by Bellwether, ensuring no contraband was present. The ewe removed a single faded picture of Judy's parents, placed by the young doe. "You may keep this with your belongings." Bellwether laid the photo on the bed. The book and the dresses she had brought were placed back in the travel case and closed.
"But my book?" Judy asked, seminude after taking off her burgundy dress.
"Will remain locked up with your other items, Ms. Hopps." The ewe replied. "Finish getting dressed, and I will take you to the main office to be processed.
Present day…
Judy shifted a little in an unfamiliar bed as a few last traces of sleep slowly faded. With her eyes still closed, she continued to lie there as her paw slid up and along her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes, allowing them to focus correctly. A sense of fear quickly overtook her as the realization came to her. She was lying in a bed that was not her own. Images from the night before seemed to race in her mind. Judy, her paws gripping the soft linen sheets on top of her, scanned around the unknown room she now found herself occupying. Rising from the bed, she pressed her body along the bed's wooden headboard, causing a small cup beside the bed to fall to the floor. As the breaking cup broke the silence, Judy's ears rose to the sudden sound of footsteps outside the room. Hearing whispers from beyond the door, Judy listened to a few gentle knocks on the bedroom door.
As the bedroom door slowly began to open, Mary, followed by Diana, both still in their nightclothes, entered the room. Mary, noticing the look of fear in Judy's eyes, quickly raised a paw to the doe. "We mean you no harm. My name is Mary, Mary Burrows." She then motioned to her sister. "This is my sister Diana." They stood a little away from Judy, not wishing to further alarm her. "Our older brother found you out in the storm and brought you to our home. While we were attending you, you said your name was Judith. Is that correct?"
"It is," Judy replied in a soft voice.
The two sisters looked at one another before Diana stepped closer to Judy. "Is there someone you would like us to contact?" Diana paused for a second. "Family or friend, anyone?" The two sisters gave Judy a friendly smile as she relaxed slightly on the bed.
Judy, lowering her eyes, turned her face away as she said, "No. I have no one."
"No one?" Stunned by this answer, Mary moved closer to her sister and Judy. "But my dear, Judith, are you sure?" Taking a seat on a small stool by the room's washstand, she brushed the back of her head as a second knock was heard on the door.
"Mary, Diana, is our guest awake?" John's voice spoke from the hallway as all three doe's faces turned to the door.
"She is John," Mary replied. A few seconds later, John slowly took a step into the bedroom. "Ms. Judith, this is our older brother, John. He was the one who found you last night."
Dressed in a grey suit and frock coat, John stood close to the doorway, not wishing to make Judy uncomfortable. He bowed his head toward Judy, "Good morning, miss. I hope my sisters are not bothering you too much this morning." Eyeing Diana, he spoke to his other sister, Mary. "Mary, I'm sorry, I must walk into the village. I realized I had left some notes in my office. Hannah has breakfast ready for you both when you are ready." He turned to look at Judy and smiled. "Now that we know you are awake, I will have Hannah bring a tray up for you, miss, before I leave." Bowing his head again, John stepped back and left the room.
"I'm so sorry to trouble you all. Thank you, all of you, but I don't wish to burden your family. It might be best for me to leave now." After removing the linen sheets, Judy struggled to lift her legs off the bed. "My dress..." Her words stopped as pain raced through her lower body before collapsing back along the bed, causing her to cry out.
"Oh! My dear, your legs are severely swollen. We insist you remain here until you are fully recovered." Mary, closer to Judy, rushed over to help the struggling doe.
"Last night, when we were cleaning you up," Diana spoke, "We discovered the bottom of your feet had several open cuts and sores." The doe moved around her sister. She reached down at Judy's feet, wrapped in bandages. Seeing her feet in such a way, Judy felt a heavy weight on her shoulders as Mary started to readjust her in the bed, helped along by Diana.
After a week of extraordinary care from her friendly hosts, Judy's strength improved significantly. Gazing out through the bedroom window, Judy watched happily as the morning sunlight rose over the picturesque valley and surrounding hillside. The bottoms of her feet, while no longer wrapped, were still tender in some places. She carefully began to dress, often holding the back of a chair as support. After brushing her fur, Judy took a few steps toward the bedroom door. Not putting more weight than needed, she could walk a little further daily on her feet. Today, she had decided to reach and walk along the stairs. Reaching her destination, Judy slowly descended the steps with her right paw held tight along the stair paw rail. Raising an ear, she listened to her gracious hosts' voices from one of the first-floor rooms. As she reached the bottom floor, a short gasp could be heard as Judy let go of the rail to balance herself.
"Oh my, Judy, look at you," Mary shouted as the doe pushed herself away from the dining table. "You made it downstairs all by yourself." Mary, her eyes appearing to water, ran up to Judy and embraced her.
"Careful, Mary," John, rising from his seat, observed his sister. "She is still fragile. Though by the color of her fur, she seems to be getting her strength back." He walked over to a serving table and removed a simple walking cane. "I think this might help her a little in her recovery." Before returning to his seat, John rounded the table and handed it to Judy.
"Oh, hush, John." Mary turned back to her brother, leading Judy to the table. "It's so wonderful seeing you are moving more about," Mary told Judy. "We were talking about you this morning, Diana and I, before she left for the village.
"Again, I'm sorry for all the trouble I'm causing you and your family," Judy glanced over at John and then Mary as she sat next to the doe.
"Nonsense," John answered with a warm smile. "I would have to say, your arrival at this house has been the most exciting thing for my two sisters since..." John began to rub the back of his head and down his ears, thinking for a moment. "I think it was last Christmas dinner when Mr. Gregson, my employer, had too much holiday punch." John began to laugh as Mary rolled her eyes and frowned. "Oh, Mary, the look on your face when he tried to corner you under the mistletoe, for the second time no less." John slapped the table with his paw a few times as he laughed.
Judy, unable to hide her smile, covered it for a moment before saying, "I don't wish to be an added burden to your expenses, Mr. Burrows."
"Please, Judith, call me John." John reached over to pick up the newspaper he had been reading. "I get enough of Mr. Burrows at work." He laughed. "Is our hospitality becoming that dull? Don't worry yourself, Judith. You are truly welcome to stay here as long as you wish."
"Thank you, John," Judy turned to look at Mary. "You all can call me Judy if you like. But if I were to do so, I would like to earn my keep, if I may. Is there any employment here in this area?"
"You can't be serious, Judy. Your feet still need more time to heal, my dear." Mary turned to face her brother. "She does not need to worry about finding employment now, John. Diana and I will be delighted to care for her for now."
Setting his newspaper back down, John glared at Mary. "Mary, must I remind you for about the fifth time now. On mother's orders, you and Diana are expected at the family warren in two weeks. You know she will have you two there for at least the remaining month if not more." He turned to Judy. "If you wish, Judy, I will be more than happy to make a few inquiries in the village about employment." He snapped his head back, hearing Mary clear her throat. "Once she has recovered fully, Mary." Leaning back in his chair, he withdrew again behind his newspaper.
"So, Judy," Mary, wishing a change in the subject, shifted her seat closer to her. "Last night, you talked a little about that school you attended as a child. Something about it being a charitable institution, if I'm right." Mary took a sip from a cup on the table. "What did it prepare you for precisely? Was it a thorough education?"
"Extremely thorough, you could say, Mary." Judy, her face quickly changing to disgust, lowered her head momentarily as the image of a thick, thin stick struck along a young mammal's flesh.