Darktober 6

Darktober 6

"... Bridget led me away from the big grand entry at the front of the mansion, to a smaller section around the back by the garage, with a very nice but significantly less grandiose entry door. "Guest house, originally," Bridget told me. "Mrs. Elizabeth likes it better here than in the main house. Can't say I blame her." She rang an old-fashioned bell by the doorway. I heard a distant "Come in!" from inside. Bridget obliged, and I followed.

We came into a little entry room (I think they call it a foyer?), paved with old tile covered with a large and covertly weatherproof rug. There was an old stairway on one side, and a large set of wooden double doors in the wall facing the entry. Lining the walls were portraits - portraits of the Collins family, I can only assume. Some were newer, clearly from the last century, and others were far, far older. They all shared the same dark hair and eyes (with only one or two exceptions), and a general air of grave regality - like they were going off to war right after their portrait sitting or something. It was so strange to just casually walk near them like they were just everyday house decorations, and not original historical pieces of art that belonged at the Louvre.

Bridget left my suitcase at the stairway, going to knock on the double doors.

"For heaven's sake, Bridget, why are you being so polite? Come barge in like you always do, you're giving the poor girl strange ideas about us."

Bridget grinned, opening the door.

Behind them lay a disarmingly cozy living-room. It looked nothing like the rest of the house, except for the stonework floors. Plush rugs, old but cushy-looking furniture, modern family photos now occupying wall space instead of regally painted portraits. At the center of it all was a large fireplace with a carved mantle, and before the fireplace...

....stood a woman. A petite, dark-haired woman, wearing plain, comfortable clothes, holding a steaming mug of bergamot tea that filled the room with its bright scent. She looked to be somewhere in her mid-forties, lines creasing her tanned face, eyes a deep, cool green. She was a good foot shorter than me, but there was something in the way she held herself as she turned to look at me with those calm, cool eyes that made me immediately stand up as straight as I could, ready to obey orders, listen to every word she had to say.

She locked eyes with me, and her cool expression immediately cracked into the sweetest, warmest smile I had ever seen. "Welcome to Collinwood, Victoria." she said. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm Elizabeth Collins."

If you’re an adult, do the stuff you couldn’t as a kid.

Like, me and my sister went to a museum, and they had an extra exhibit of butterflies. But it cost £3. So we sighed, walked past, then stopped. We each had £3. We could see the butterflies. And we did it was great. We followed it up with an ice-cream as well because Mum and Dad weren’t there to say no.

I was driving back from a work trip with 2 other people in their early 20s, and we drove past a MacDonalds. One of the others went “Aww man, I’d love a McFlurry.” And the guy driving pulled in to the drive through. It was wild. But it was great.

I went to a park over the weekend and I was thinking “Man, I’d love to hire one of those bikes and cycle round the park.” It took me a few minutes to go “Wait, I can hire one of those bikes!”

I guess what I’m saying is, those impulsive things you wanted to do as a kid - see the dinosaur exhibit, play in the fountains with the other kids, lie in the shade for 2 hours - you can do when you’re an adult. You have to deal with a whole lot of other bull, but at least you can indulge your inner 8 year-old.

Darktober 9

"September 12, 2019

My name is Victoria Winters.

I don't usually remember any of my dreams. But I can't forget this one."

It was my birthday today! I turned 30. :) It was a very quiet day, but I think that's okay. Having a giant birthday bash would have felt like I was saying goodbye to something. When really, it's a day like any other, the only thing that's changed is the number on my government record, and I'm really very okay with closing the book on my 20s. I'm cool with being "old". "Old" in very heavy air quotes because actually I'm still ridiculously, painfully young. I just magically don't get hit on as often by creepy old dudes. I'd say that's a pretty big plus. My 20s were incredibly tough and weird, but I learned a lot and now I'm excited to start a new decade of my life where I'm still young but maybe slightly less stupid. ON TO 40!

Darktober 8

"... The attic room is, as Mz. Collins promised, very comfortable. It might just be the most comfortable room I've ever slept in, actually.

Granted, my basis for comparison is negligible, to say the least. But I dare anyone to say a big bed, fresh sheets and blankets, a clean new rug and a view of the ocean isn't cozy.

Of course, I'm writing all this as I'm struggling to fall asleep in this wonderfully comfy, fresh-smelling bed with the window looking out over the ocean beside me.

The attic doesn't scare me. Old rooms, new places, living with strangers, none of that has scared me since... I don't actually remember a time when I was ever scared of those things.

No, there's something else. I can't say what it is, exactly. It feels like... There's something waiting. A person, an event, I don't know. But there's a sense of hiding, waiting, in the air. And if I blink, much less fall asleep, I'm going to miss it.

Or it's going to get me."

There are a lot of posts about SoCal skater fashion, I figured it would be fun to show some Glasgow skater. Even though I'm from California. But like. I learned to skate in Glasgow. So.

Currently cold, windy, and alternating between wet or icy. Skating is fun, with an added thrill of serious bodily harm.