By The Sea

Chapter One: Arrival

Winnie MacFarlan sat still as the rickety carriage bumped along the rutted road. A strand of her light brown hair fell out from her braids, and she lifted her hand to tuck it behind her ear. Her bright violet eyes stared straight ahead, watching blissfully as birds swooped through the blue summer sky. A large field lay off to her right, bushels of wheat scattered everywhere. A small house lay in the distance, a lone tree standing by it. The salty smell of the ocean weaved through the breezy air. A deep, lush forest was to her left, animals roamed through it, cool under the shade. The big gray Shire horse trotted, harnessed to the carriage. An old woman of about 50 sat in the driver's seat, her hands brown and callused with many years of hard work. Winnie tilted her head sideways. It was quiet in the carriage except for the clip clopping of hooves and the chirping of birds. The carriage turned into a little side road weaving into the forest, and they passed a cute little cottage, shaded by trees, bees buzzing around dozens of flowers surrounding the house. They passed several more houses scattered around, each shaded by trees. Eventually, the carriage rounded a corner, and a small glint of blue caught Winnie’s eye. She turned her head right, and looked at the vast expanse of water before her eyes. Bright blue water glittered in the sunlight, waves glistening. A little town lay on a bluff, overlooking the water. Small houses were distributed among small fields of wheat and grain. A large farm covered with apple and pear trees lay by a large hill covered with a few small bushes. The carriage turned onto the road leading up to the orchard. 

“ Welcome to your new home.” Said the old woman, the first sentence that Winnie had heard from her beside 

‘ good day’. The carriage pulled up to the house, and the woman slid off the seat. Winnie silently stepped down, taking her small trunk off the floor, filled with her only possessions. The woman's name was Eleanor, and her husband, who lived in the house with her, was named Arthur. Their last name was Abernathy. The door opened to the house, and the Arthur man came out. He had a grayish mustache and beard, and his gray hair was combed back, and parted on the side. Eleanor’s hair was brownish gray, and tied up in a simple bun in the back of her head. The house was large, two stories in the main part, and a little one story cut out to the side. An old shed leaned against the side of the main house and a small stable held a few goats and cattle, along with another horse. Eleanor led Winnie inside the house, and Winnie’s eyes eagerly flitted throughout the many nooks and crannies of the house. She was led up to her bedroom, which was on the second floor. The room was small and square. A tiny desk sat in one corner, a squeaky cot in another, a small dresser in the other, and a window facing towards the ocean. Eleanor and Arthur left her to unpack her belongings. 

Winnie neatly folded her clothes and put them inside the drawers of the dresser, and then stowed her trunk under the cot. She sat down on the cot, and watched the glittery ocean. A bit later, Eleanor knocked on the door and peeked inside.

“ Dinner is ready, come down when you're ready.” Winnie glanced at the ocean for a minute, and shyly went downstairs. 

The dinner consisted of meat and potatoes, and then dessert was a delicious apple pie with a small glass of milk from the cow. There was hardly any conversation while they were eating, an occasional ‘ mm’ from Arthur, and a shy ‘ thank you’ from Winnie. 

Winnie helped clear the dishes and wash them, and then Eleanor suggested,

“ Winnie, why don’t you put your nightgown on and go to bed, you must be tired.”

“ Okay.” She headed towards the stairs. “ Thank you.” She added on the bottom step.

The next few days flew by, until one night, Eleanor blurted out,

“ Winnie, what would you think of going to school?”

“ W-what?” Arthur choked on his food.

“ She needs an education, she can’t just go on and marry a man, what if she has a child that needs to be homeschooled? She wouldn’t know how.”

“ Yes, but—” 

“ I think it would be nice to go to school.” Winnie said, one of the first actual sentences she had said in the time she had been there. 

“ See, she agrees!” Eleanor said. “ She would be able to meet new people. She needs a friend, and some of the schoolgirls are very nice and polite.”

“ I guess it would be okay.” It was decided then. Winnie would go to school on the first day after summer the next week.

The next week went by quickly again, and Winnie became more and more talkative. Eleanor went into town with Winnie, and they picked out some fabric for a dress, which Eleanor and Winnie worked on every night. Finally, Monday came, and Winnie was all set to go to school, she had a lunchbox, a slate, and a textbook.

This is a short chapter, and a not that exciting one, I'm going to make the next one longer, and more exciting. Next chapter will be about school, and meeting new people.
— chaoselephant