[Original: Drabble] "The Life and Death of Miss Cordelia" [G]
Title: The Life and Death of Miss Cordelia
Prompt: writerverse challenge #23 ‘things that go bump in the night’ (scary story)
Word Count: 441
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Pairings: none
Warnings: um, death?
Summary: Once upon a time, Cordelia Hamilton had been the luckiest girl in the world.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_bookclub
The Life and Death of Miss Cordelia
Once upon a time, Cordelia Hamilton had been the luckiest girl in the world.
She was the only child of a wealthy family, beautiful and smart in equal measure. For a girl at the turn of the century, she had been lucky enough to have a father who believed that daughters were just as good as sons, and who spared no expense for Cordelia’s education.
Unlike other young ladies, Cordelia wasn’t interested in finding a husband (although, she’d not have said no to the right man) but rather in taking over her father’s business when he retired.
Sadly, he never got the chance.
Cordelia had stayed late that night, going over the accounts, when she got the news- her parents’ new motorcar had been hit by an overturning wagon, and they had both been killed. After the funeral, she threw herself into running the business, hoping that if she stayed busy, the pain would ease. Finally, her father’s loyal secretary saw how exhausted she was becoming, and arranged for her to take some time at the family’s cabin in the north.
Really, it was more of a mansion than a cabin, but it was smaller than their primary home and Cordelia had always loved it. The long, winding driveway through the woods always seemed so romantic, and the large iron gates were always waiting to welcome her back. There, her parents brought no servants with them- her mother cooked, her father chopped wood for the fireplaces, and Cordelia had chores, but it made them feel like an ordinary family, if only for a short time.
But it seemed too empty to be there alone.
Thinking that a walk would clear her head, Cordelia took her coat from the peg beside the door and stepped outside. The nights were getting colder, but she kept going. She knew these woods well, but even she didn’t realize immediately how far she had gone, her thoughts floating miles away.
The wind picked up, swirling dry leaves and fallen pine needles. Cordelia held her coat more tightly closed and- Was that snow? It was, giant lacy flakes that flew faster and faster, covering the ground in a blanket of white.
Cordelia leaned against a tree. She was so tired. She would wait, just a few moments, until the snow had let up a little, then she’d go back to the house. Just a few more minutes…
When dawn broke the next morning, Cordelia came to slowly, stretching limbs that felt suddenly light. She looked down at the snow-covered ground- and saw her own body lying, half-covered in ice.
She had frozen to death during the night.
THE END
Current Mood:
clean
Prompt: writerverse challenge #23 ‘things that go bump in the night’ (scary story)
Word Count: 441
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Pairings: none
Warnings: um, death?
Summary: Once upon a time, Cordelia Hamilton had been the luckiest girl in the world.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_bookclub
The Life and Death of Miss Cordelia
Once upon a time, Cordelia Hamilton had been the luckiest girl in the world.
She was the only child of a wealthy family, beautiful and smart in equal measure. For a girl at the turn of the century, she had been lucky enough to have a father who believed that daughters were just as good as sons, and who spared no expense for Cordelia’s education.
Unlike other young ladies, Cordelia wasn’t interested in finding a husband (although, she’d not have said no to the right man) but rather in taking over her father’s business when he retired.
Sadly, he never got the chance.
Cordelia had stayed late that night, going over the accounts, when she got the news- her parents’ new motorcar had been hit by an overturning wagon, and they had both been killed. After the funeral, she threw herself into running the business, hoping that if she stayed busy, the pain would ease. Finally, her father’s loyal secretary saw how exhausted she was becoming, and arranged for her to take some time at the family’s cabin in the north.
Really, it was more of a mansion than a cabin, but it was smaller than their primary home and Cordelia had always loved it. The long, winding driveway through the woods always seemed so romantic, and the large iron gates were always waiting to welcome her back. There, her parents brought no servants with them- her mother cooked, her father chopped wood for the fireplaces, and Cordelia had chores, but it made them feel like an ordinary family, if only for a short time.
But it seemed too empty to be there alone.
Thinking that a walk would clear her head, Cordelia took her coat from the peg beside the door and stepped outside. The nights were getting colder, but she kept going. She knew these woods well, but even she didn’t realize immediately how far she had gone, her thoughts floating miles away.
The wind picked up, swirling dry leaves and fallen pine needles. Cordelia held her coat more tightly closed and- Was that snow? It was, giant lacy flakes that flew faster and faster, covering the ground in a blanket of white.
Cordelia leaned against a tree. She was so tired. She would wait, just a few moments, until the snow had let up a little, then she’d go back to the house. Just a few more minutes…
When dawn broke the next morning, Cordelia came to slowly, stretching limbs that felt suddenly light. She looked down at the snow-covered ground- and saw her own body lying, half-covered in ice.
She had frozen to death during the night.
THE END
Current Mood:
clean