Waterford

Chapter#1

            I became tired early on, I was a short and thin child, not sickly though- I fancied myself tough enough to care for myself even though I was starving and in need of a drink. It was in my delirious state that I tripped and fell into a mud puddle in the road (it had been raining at some point last night).

            Now covered in dirt and more messed up than I needed to be, I wished only to curl up into a ball and give up. After all, children never really stick to what they want to do. I got to my feet and removed my soaked shoes, opting to go barefoot instead. Soon my feet were covered in blisters and more mud than my shoes had been, and I was in distress for my appearance must have been ghastly.

            I tried to make myself feel better by thinking I was totally unrecognizable as Miss Emily Garnet from this point on, and this somehow calmed me.

            But far too soon for my liking, I heard hooves rapidly coming from the distance on that road and I knew my fun would come to an end if this person was sent from Springhedge, and I hastily scrambled off down the road, running like a mad man. I saw through a generous amount of trees, in the distance, not too far from the main road- another house. Yes, I knew there were plenty manors all about the area, and decided I should hide near this one.

            I was about to gather my skirts and make a bolt for the manor when I realized I didn't have any skirts, and gratefully sprinted across the fields to the gardens of whomever's manor this happened to be. My feet welcomed the soft grass, and I laughed for the first time, I had won the first part of this battle.

            From far away I could discern the rider of the horse, a stable boy from Springhedge named Jim. I waited till he was out of sight before looking at my new surroundings.

            The garden here was small and seemed uncared for. This led me to believe that there was little female presence in the place, because females are the ones who usually uphold the beauty of nature in quaint things such as gardens. I felt offended at the state of this dying, neglected garden, because I rather liked the gardens of Springhedge.

            Shaking my head, I told myself to forget the things I liked about Springhedge, because that would just send me back there, and for the moment I was content with exploring this strange new place.

            It was then that I felt I was watched. Turning around fast, I saw a young yet tall boy standing a few feet away. He seemed wiser than a child of eleven ought to be, indeed, he looked much older because of his height and well-built frame. Something about his facial expression seemed to say that he saw himself as a human in a world of goldfish, that every other person bored him. But I seemed to intrigue him.

            Of course, I was a little girl dressed as a boy with no shoes and covered in mud... I'm sure anyone would be interested by this.

            "Who are you?" he asked in a quiet but confident voice, for he knew this place was his own and not mine.

            I ventured to respond, but before I could I had fainted from the heat and my dehydration.

            When I finally woke, I found myself laid on a couch in a strange parlor room I had never seen before. I felt tired and faint still, turning my head slowly, I saw before me Mr. Garnet, a mysterious man I did not know and the boy from the garden.

            I kept my eyes half shut, trying to stay as still as possible as I listened to the conversation of Mr. Garnet and the other man.

            "I apologize again, Mr. Caldwell, for intruding upon your home," that was Mr. Garnet who spoke, "It must have been so inconvenient for you to have to take her on like this."