Once Before

4 - I Really Must Go

"It was nice seeing you again miss," Vernon nodded, opening the front door for me.

"Thank you sir, please tell Arthur that I really am grateful for allowing me to stay," I told him, which owned a look of horror from the butler, though it was quickly switched back to the passive expression he had the whole time.  "Have a nice day."

The smell of grass and fresh air immediately filled my lungs as the familiar afternoon breeze greeted me like an old friend.

Otto and I walked further away from what appeared to be the house's driveway and on towards the dirt covered road ahead, laid out straight in front of the house. The lane was lined with tall trees that filtered the sunlight into small light beams, caressing my face and arms with its warmth. 

A slight tug at the bottom of my heart caused me to doubt my intentions of walking back home. Though logically, I knew that I couldn't stay, not for anything or anyone. I suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching me from the house, but I didn't turn around to confirm this suspicion. 

---

Dreadful realization filled my entire body when the scenery of a lush, green grassland slowly emerged from the end of the tree-lined path that led to Arthur's house. A grassland I've walked passed and looked over to from the safe comfort of my bedroom. 

It finally hit me that I was at the Myerscough Estate.

Ashford is by no means a big town, and none of its people could go on living here without knowing who the Myescoughs were and who they consist of. Which is why it baffled me to no end that I have never heard of an Arthur before.

And if what he claimed was the truth and I did stay there for a few days, how come Meryl wasn't around? Surely she would've known that her school friend was sleeping under her roof for days. 

When I woke up this morning, I was prepared to be informed that I had been drifted by the storm to Devon or even France, but the last thing I had expected was to have woken up at the Myerscough Estate. 

But alas, that means that I wasn't that far away from home. A walking distance away, in fact. 

"Come on Otto, let's go home. Mum and Dad are probably worried sick." I told him, "Though I am obviously going to tell them just how we ended up in the middle of the storm in the first place!"

Once I was close enough to see the outline of town, I could feel the hope I had in me slowly draining out. Everything looked the same as it's always been, but there's something that wasn't quite right. 

"Oi! out of the way lady!" A man brutally shouted from behind me, and I jumped out just in time for the big mass of blur to hurdle past me without injuring me in the process. "Are you trying to get yourself killed!"

It bothered me that someone would be driving at that speed without so much as slowing down, but I was more keen on going home rather than scolding someone on driving etiquettes. 

Avoiding the town square as I always do, I walked through the alleyway that lies just behind the main buildings of the square, a shortcut that have saved me so much time whenever I needed to go home quickly. As usual, the alley was abandoned, leaving no one but Otto and I to walk quietly past the narrow cobblestoned street.

When I had finally reached the street in front of my house, I realize that even my house seemed different. But it was only when I approached it that I noticed why it was different. It seemed as if someone had given the walls a good scrubbing and made it look new again. Although, the garden looked as if it hadn't been taken care of in months, with wildflowers and grass growing tall along the windows and stone fence. 

I lingered in front of the fence, finding myself feeling hesitant about going in. 

"Good afternoon miss," A curt voice pulled me out of my trance, "Can I help you?"

The lady who greeted me stood on the other side of the house, her full skirt grazes the grass that lined the pathway that leads to the front door as she walked towards me with suspicion in her eyes. Her tight bun and fine wrinkles reminded me of the strict matrons I used to read about in books. 

It felt as if I was caught doing something I shouldn't be doing. 

"Yes," I nodded slowly, "Do you happen to know where the owners of this house went? I need to find them immediately."

"Well, that happens to be me," She informed, "My brother owns this house, but he's currently away for business. Can I help you with anything?"

"What," I spoke softly, "That can't be because I-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the sound of hooves against the ground caused me to turn around. There was an actual carriage being driven past my house,  pulled by a real living horse.

I slowly realized that the buildings - which have long been the pride of our town for its rich history and strong construction, despite the fact that it has aged gracefully overtime - seemed quite new. As if it was built not too long ago.

It took me a few more seconds to realize that no one was dressed normally. The few people who were walking around us were all dressed suits with tails, or full length skirt and sleeves, with bonnets on their heads and a basket hanging in their arm.

Paralyzing panic starts to settle in my chest as my mind tried to comprehend with everything that was slowly coming together.

"You were saying?" The lady who stood in front of my house asked, her eyebrows furrowed in deep confusion as I failed to finish my sentence.

"I have to go now," I told her.