A Victorian Tale: A Puppet Masters' of Time Novel

1. Where our main character discovers a strange man...

Hampstead lay in the countryside not far from London, it was rumored that London began in Hampstead. Some of the older families that sat in the center of the city were voraciously loyal to such a "truth." It was their pride and joy. It held just enough of the country in its forests and ponds that to central Londoners, it was the country.

Some of the "nouveau riche" like Calliope's father always thought that it was foolish to have such loyalty, that land could quickly change over a short period, especially with the recent developments in the industry. But their neighbors preferred to be ignorant of that fact, rather staying in touch with the "golden days" of Queen Victoria's reign, rather than look forward to the bright new future that the merchant saw.

The young woman walked upon a road, gazing at the countryside's beauty around her. Her parasol twirling haphazardly in her hands as she skipped along the road. Her checkered muslin rustled as she happily skipped down the walkway. She was free at last. She had did her lessons for the day, and the walk back home was her time. Her special time that she believed no one could take away from her. The walk from her parents' dear friends, The Thompsons, a wealthy couple that seemed to have nothing better to do with their time than to train her to become the perfect lady.

If you were to take the path on one of the Hampstead streets, you would see cottages and small apartments, but Calliope never liked to stick to what conformity tried to press upon her and instead she skipped down through the forest route back home. Her father would have disapproved, worried about what could jump upon her in the forest, and her mother would be worried that the reputation she had built up for Calliope would disappear if anything unsavory would happen to her, thus stopping a prestigious match.

A groan came from her left, startling Calliope from her daydreams.

"Who's there?" Calliope looked around her nervously knowing she was faced with two decisions, her first overwhelming her she turned away afraid of the repercussions of looking out for the sound, but as she did out of the corner of her eye she was startled to see a figure hunched over in the water. Against her better judgment, she turned back to the water's edge, her guilt out-weighing her fear for the moment.

"Are you alright?" The fear still there became apparent in her voice as she called out. Her throat felt dry and suddenly hoarse as she tried to gulp down her fear. Her mother's voice in the back of her mind reprimanding her, "Gulping is unladylike..."

Instead of an answer, all she received was another groan, and a hitched breath answered her request. Despite everything else inside her telling her not to do so, Calliope crept closer to the water's edge. She squinted out towards the figure, noticing them closer than they had originally appeared. The shape seemed to try to lift itself up, but with another groan collapsed.

Calliope knew she should call for help, She was in no position to check on the person out there, not in the handpicked linens that The Thompsons had picked out for her, not even forgetting that she could indeed be in danger if she helped the person alone. But within, the part of her that had been suppressed deep within her since she was five years old urged her to wade through the water.

But not before she yelled out to anyone who may hear, "Is anyone around who can hear me? There's a person in the lake that needs help!"

No one answered her, so reluctantly she took off her boots. Knowing if she returned home with them damaged, her mother would have her head. She took in another deep breath before she stepped hesitantly into the lake, her stockinged feet sinking into the muddy earth below her. Calliope winced at the feeling of the soggy earth soaking into her stark white underthings, still she continued out to him.

"You need to help me...reach for me so I can help you...I can't go out that far in what I'm wearing...."

The figure raised their head and this time Calliope could see their face more clearly, a young man no more than five years her senior collapsed in the water gripping his side tightly.

"Here, let me see that." Calliope waded further out to the young man, finally reaching him and still ever cautious reached out to his side, only to fall back with a splash as soon as her hand touched his bloody and soaked side.

Calliope shivered as the water closed around her. For a moment absolute terror froze her heart, making her lash out as the young man grasped tightly around her arm and a shriek escaped her lips.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you silly girl. I was only trying to help you up." The young man had then sat up in the water, still gasping between breaths as he held his side in pain.

A strange fog had set around them out of nowhere. Fear seemed to seep into the young woman as the fog surrounded her and the wounded man.

Where did the sun go?

Calliope gazed up at the skies that had suddenly grown dark in just a few split moments in time, it seemed

"Well, are you going to help me up or are you just going to stare at me like a frightened child?"

"I am not a child." Calliope rose shakily up from the water, knowing that it was probably completely visible to the young man that she was shaking like a newborn calf, despite the heavy fog...still she raised her head high, trying to keep her chin up despite feeling what she hoped to be only moss drip off her soaked, ruined hair and create ripples around her.

Another pained chuckle said, "Well then, help me up, girl."

Calliope looked down at her ruined dress. Mother is going to have a fit once she sees me like this, and let out a long drawn-out sigh.

"If you so much as barely brush against an inappropriate place on my person, I will punch you."

Calliope wasn't so sure in her capabilities, but she knew if the occasion presented itself she would scream and fight her way out of it the best she could. So instead of worrying about if the situation was about to present itself, she marched over to him and knelt down in the murky water to lend him a soaked shoulder. She nearly fell as she heaved him up, as her corset bit into her skin, making her gasp as she helped him up.

"I should take you to my home..."

"I see..." He took a deep breath. "Your father is a doctor, then."

"No, but I'm sure he'd ride to get him for you."

As they got to dry land, the fog had thickened to such an intensity that we could barely see in front of our faces.

Where did this fog come from? It was only late afternoon. Calliope looked worriedly around herself as she took the young man by a nearby tree she could barely make out in whiteness. "I need to find my shoes."

She was wary to kneel down in the darkness, but she had to. She reached out blindly for her boots; she winced as she felt her hand snag on something sharp. No matter how much she searched, she could not find them, Calliope let out an aggravated sound.

"So be it. They will already chastise me when I get home. Might as well walk home without shoes as well."

The young man's voice made her jump. "I won't be able to last much longer without getting my wound stitched."

His voice seemed to come from a completely different direction than she had assumed she had come from... the fog was terribly disorienting. Confused, Calliope made her way toward his voice, bumping into the other side of the tree. That can't be right. But she had no choice but to go in the direction she thought was home.