ashes
/aʃ/
the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
•✽•
How dare you.
How dare you show me the edge of the universe and then drop me back where you found me.
Was I just a placeholder? Something to talk to instead of yourself.
What...
John waited patiently as Penelope changed in the bathroom adjacent to his study. He was flipping through his journal. Recently he had dreamt of Penelope, but not in the way she was now. Far off in the distant future. But he daren't bring it up in case it scares her off. As the door opens he throws it onto the bed. Although it was quickly forgotten as she stepped out in a deep blue dress.
She had spent almost two salaries worth of payments that she had saved on this dress, and she hardly felt bad about that at all. The way he was looking at her right now had no price, but at this moment she knows that she'll be chasing this feeling for the rest of her life.
"You look beautiful Penelope."
"I feel like I need a warning, can you actually dance John?" He looks up for a moment, before grinning guiltily at her.
"I'm not completely certain."
"Well I wish that were a surprise. Anything you are certain about?" Her heart jumps in her chest as he walks towards her, softly taking her hands into his own.
"Yes, I think there is." If it were possible Penelope was sure that she would've melted right there. It wasn't until she looked away from his adoring gaze that she realised she didn't have her bag with her. Cursing a little under her breath, she smiles apologetically, stepping back.
"I'll meet you at the hall John, I need to go and get my bag. I left it in the library by mistake." Leaning up again, she kissed his cheek and left the room, racing through the empty halls to get her bag and meet up with him later. Bursting into the library the giddiness seemed to spur the bag into plain view and she tried to leave in that moment.
But she couldn't.
There was a scarecrow outside in the field. It was the same one up by her cottage, the exact same, she was sure of it. It had the patches of her old curtains on the sleeves from when the neighbour's boys used it at target practice. She offered up the fabric. Although maybe it was dark, maybe she was wrong. Some of the boys just put up a similar scarecrow.
With no crops nearby..
Sure.
But just in case Penelope turned back to her desk, unlocking the bottom drawer and pulling it all the way out. Flipping it over and opening the false bottom, there sat a small handgun, the Colt Model 1903. It was stupid but once she realised the year and the realistic view of women, she bought a gun.
Hoping to never have to use it, it comforted her on the long nights and early mornings she found herself in this room.
She hadn't told John about it, but she's sure there are things he hasn't told her, it's not been that long for the both of them.
Regardless, she put it in her bag, ensuring that it was actually loaded, and locked up the library. Making her way through the quiet halls, it unnerved her. It was just a stupid scarecrow, she had been completely safe here for months, why would something suddenly happen. Surely she would have seen it.
Shaking off the strange paranoia she exited the school, making her way down to the village hall. Ignoring the eyes she felt following her and the panic in her chest.
It was just a damn scarecrow, it's a random night 1913, what the hell could happen?
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