The Bride of Mr. Fox: Part One (special preview)

Strange that it is I wake up each morning to the scent of grave dirt these mornings. I half expect to find myself being buried, but that is not that case. I am in bed, like I should be, and there are no graves in sight. I only see my sister in her bed, pretending to still be asleep when I know she’s barely slept at all. Needless to say I don’t like waking much these days. I don’t care to get out of bed due to the injury to my foot. It is so embarrassing to hobble.

It isn’t until I see Mother standing in the doorway, glaring at us from the crack. Her green eyes seem illuminated, although I know that is impossible. But I cannot help but to think that they glow from the way she stares down upon us.

“It’s time to get up, you two.” She says this with a quiet voice, but the silence of the house turns it into a roaring boom. “You cannot be lazy. Get. Up.”

Heleen rises from bed, her complexion pale and clammy. Like me, she doesn’t wish to get out of bed because of the injury to her foot as well. She looks at me, both of us exchanging weary and exhausted glances.

I step out of bed, placing my good foot upon the ground while keeping the other tucked under the blankets. I don’t want to see it or the bandages covering it. I look away, taking hold of the cane I use to walk and proceed to get dressed.

“What do you think it will be today, Griet?” Heleen asks me.

I huff as I try to get dressed. It’s hard to balance on one foot. “The same as it is everyday I assume.”

“Not everyday,” Heleen mutters under her breath. She flops down into a chair in order to roll on her stockings. I see her hesitate, her eyes flickering down to her foot and then shuddering away. “It used to be different.”

“That’s why it’s different,” I snap at her. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why we have canes. That’s why Mother-” I look at the door and no longer see green eyes glowing. “We are lucky at least.”

“How are we lucky?” Heleen whines. “We used to be lucky. We used to be fine at our worst days! Now, everyday is misery.”

I open the curtains to let in some light. “One girl gone from our home cannot cause us this misery.”

“Liar,” Heleen chuffs. “We both know things are different. Mother is.”

I catch sight of my reflection in the glass and promptly turn away from it. “She’s disappointed in us. Of course she’s different.”

“What did we do so wrong? We did everything she told us and now look at us!” Heleen wobbles as she stands, grasping hold of the wardrobe to gain her footing back. “It’s her fault anyways! All of this is her fault!”

“Shut up!” I hiss at her. “Do you want her to hear you?”

Heleen is silent as she raises her hand and points at me. She nods her head, eyes widening ever so slightly. “See that! That! We never used to do that. It didn’t matter if we were loud. She never came to wake us up. The one who did that was-”

I throw my shoe at Heleen, but I miss. Heleen grows a smile that's mocking and she starts to laugh, throwing her head back and cackling.

“I told you to be quiet, Heleen.”

Heleen sits back down into her chair, holding her face in her palms as her laughter turns into sobs. Her shoulders shake, her back arches, and she heaves between guttural breaths. I sigh and step back, looking back towards the window.

“Just shut up, alright. None of us like this.” I spot someone at our gates but don’t care to see what they hurl towards us.

“We did everything she said!” Heleen whines. “We did!”

We did, I know we did. But still, what use was there in bemoaning our fates? The girl was in her castle, and we remained the same.

Heleen and I dress and go downstairs. Mother is waiting on us, but not at the same time. She drinks and gazes at her plate, barely acknowledging us as we take our places at the table. Food is waiting on plates, but the yellow of our eggs is hard, and the tea is barely steeped.