𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, ʲᵒʰⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟎𝟓

Madeline groaned loudly and
forced a pillow over her face. She heard Esme hush her quietly.

"I'm trying to sleep!" The older girl scolded. Maddie opened her eyes and looked up at the top of the wagon despite being unable to see in the darkness. "Esme, i can't bloody sleep with that crying!" She complained.

Esme, clearly too tired to understand what the girl was on about, blindly reached for a small teddy on the bed and launched it across the wagon.

Maddie huffed in frustration and sat up, throwing it back at her. "Can you not hear it?"

"No, go to sleep!" Esme whisper-shouted. Maddie rolled her eyes and flopped back down onto her back. She had no clue where the crying was coming from, or who the cries belonged to.

All she knew was that it was keeping her up.

-

"Morning!" Maddie beamed happily as she walked through the camp. Johnny sent the girl a half-hearted smile and continued running a hand over the horse beside him. "It's the evening," he corrected.

"Where's mum?" She asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

Johnny's face changed slightly and he avoided her eyes. "Sleeping. She had a rough night." He mumbled. Maddie raised her eyebrows and looked around at the camp that seemed almost empty.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph- do you ever stop asking questions?" He snapped. She blew air into her cheeks, making her look like a chipmunk. "I asked two questions, Johnny," She retorted.

Johnny hummed. "That's too many."

"God what is with men these days, you're all very odd." She shrugged. "But seriously, where is everybody?"

"Some of the lads have gone to the fair." He said bluntly.

It was all very strange.

-

𝐌adeline stood barefoot in the cold mud, her face stained with tears. "Did I miss it?" the five year old asked, looking around the camp. Johnny Dogs emerged from the wagon where her mother had been. "Madeline, i'm so terribly sorry," he spoke, his accent thick.

She looked around, frowning at the different members of the Lee family that stared at her.

How could she have missed it? It was only moments ago that a Lee boy had fetched her from the woods.

"Madeline, ya mother..she er..she's died. Whilst she was having the baby-" He struggled to break the news to the young girl. Madeline dropped her arms to her sides before barging past him. "Mum?" she asked.

Esmeralda Lee peered over her shoulder at the young girl.

"No, Madeline, go out to Johnny. You're too young to be in here," The dark haired woman tried to usher her out of the wagon. "What's happened?" she asked, her eyes wide at the sight of the blood soaked bedsheets. "Madeline, out." Esmeralda said softly.