19th Century Girl

3rd of January 2015

3rd of January 2015

The tomb had served as a strong prison to Isabelle for the last 200 years.

Unmovimg, not aging, Isabelle had her thoughts alone to keep her company. Thoughts of what the future would hold, what the world would be like when she was finally granted leave from her prison.

Isabelle was completely unaware of the changes the world had undergone since 1815 and the thought of a new society terrified her. She had no idea what to expect.

Thoughts of Arthur also kept her mind busy. What had happened to him, how had his future panned out? Was he still alive? All she knew that he was cursed with a future of pining, of wondering what had happened to her, a future of loneliness. She had been cursed with the same fate.

Suddenly, the door to her jail cell burst open in a flash of light. If Isabelle could move, she would have jumped back in shock.

'Is this it?' She thought, 'am I finally free to go?'

She tested her hands, seeing if after 200 years of no movement, she could finally get up and move. Concentrating all of her effort into her left hand, she imagined what it would be like to move it. This was a technique she started doing in the beginning of her solitude, however, no amount of concentrating had permitted her to move.

Until now.

Subtly, her little pinky twitched.

This was the most exciting thing to happen to her in the last 200 years, something that made her realise how truly pitiful her existence had been. She would forever curse against the witch that had done this to her.

From here, the ability of her movements stretched on. Going from her fingers to her hand, her wrist to her arm. Until finally, she was free from her frozen state.

Isabelle could never properly describe how good it felt for her to stand, to walk. She stretched her hands high above her and then stretched them down to reach her toes, listening to her bones pop one by one. It was the most satisfying feeling.

Then, she looked tentatively towards the cell door as it hung from it's hinges.

Through that door, was a world she was not familiar with.

'How much could the world possibly change over 200 years anyway? Surely nothing too drastic has happened' she thought to herself, desperately trying to soothe her fears. She was not ready to be an outcast.

As royalty, she was brought up surrounded by people desperate to be her friend. She never had to work to get people to like her, they liked her before they even met her.

Now, she would have to work for the acceptance of others.

Looking down at her ballgown, the one she wore on her 18th birthday, she also wondered if fashion had changed. Would women still be walking around in extravagant dresses or would she simply be outdated? As someone that was constantly on the top of fashion, this thought unsettled her. She was not ready to be a fashion outcast.

Finally, deciding that she had spent too many years staring at these four walls, she took the first few steps into the new world.

When she emerged through the door, she found herself to be in a church, in fact, it was a church she recognised. This is where her family had come to pray during their reign. So this is where she had been hidden all these years. She wondered if her family knew of her location, or if the witch kept it a secret from everyone. Her money was on the latter. Even if she recognised the basics of the church, there were elements that were definitely new to her. The walls were lined with pictures she did not recognise. It seems that the Church must have been updated while she was kept captive below it. It was a wonder that no one had ever found her there, but then, maybe that was a part of the witches curse. Making sure that no one could rescue her.

The sun shone high in the sky when she finally emerged outside the church, something she hadn't realised she'd missed until now. Stretching her face towards the sky, she let the sun heat up her pale complexion and enjoyed the feeling of warmth that overtook her. It was amazing that something as little as sunlight could change her mood. Maybe it was the fact that even after all this time, it still looked and felt the same. In all the uncertainty that surrounded her, it was nice to see something she recognised.

It was then that she noticed her surroundings. Buildings surrounded her, piled higher than anything she'd ever seen. They seemed to be made in a different fashion to how her buildings were made, they looked unfamiliar to her. She wasn't off to a good start.

It was then that something went flying past her. With the similar concept of her horse and carriage that would transport her place to place, this unfamiliar mode of transport baffled her. It had four wheels and went so fast that if she blinked it had already moved on. What was this invention.

Then, she noticed the clothes that people were wearing. Her fears were right, she was outdated. Women were no longer wearing ball gowns or stylish head pieces, but were in trousers! Only men wore trousers. She was eager to know when this fashion style became acceptable.

Looking up to see someone walking her way, she thought she would be brave and speak for the first time in 200 years.

"Excuse me?" she says to the stranger, her voice cracking from the unfamiliar action.

The woman looks at her in confusion, taking in her dress before pulling something unfamiliar from her ears. From this, loud noise blares from them, before she presses them and they turn off.

'What are these?' Isabelle thought.

"Can I help you?" she asks, her tone sounding impatience.

"May I ask you what the year is?" Isabelle asks.

The woman looks at her in confusion, as if Isabelle has completely lost her marbles.

"Is this some kind of street theatre?" The woman asks, looking up and down the streets for hoards of actors dressed in a similar fashion to Isabelle.

"What's street theatre?" Isabelle asks, loving the sound of it since theatre had always been one of her favourite sources of entertainment.

"Hahaha, you're funny."

Isabelle just looks at her in confusion, unaware that she had made any sort of joke.

Before she can register, the woman is putting the unfamiliar noise makers into her ears and walking away from her.

So far, Isabelle is not enjoying the future.