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lore:items:elisabethsdiary [2023/08/14 14:45] – created pcarolilore:items:elisabethsdiary [2023/08/14 14:46] (current) – pcaroli
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-====== Diary of Elisabeth Hastings (1910 -  ======+====== Diary of Elisabeth Hastings (1910 - ======
  
 === 21st December 1910 === === 21st December 1910 ===
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 === Continuing === === Continuing ===
  
-The journal pages continue, detailing Elizabeth and Sarah’s budding relationship, born of mutual respect, over the course of the next ten years. They seemed very happy and delighted in spending time together, discussing pastimes and interests, including a shared love of the Jane Eyre novel. Reading between the lines, it seems obvious that the children were aware of their mother’s relationship. It details Gunther’s early marriage, Rosie’s interest in teaching (inspired by Sarah) and William’s wild child behaviours whilst attending university in Brighton, although it seems to stop after he drops out for reasons he refused to explain. In fact, afterwards, he seemed to avoid Brighton altogether. \\+The journal pages continue, detailing Elizabeth and Sarah’s budding relationship, born of mutual respect, over the course of the next ten years. They seemed very happy and delighted in spending time together, discussing pastimes and interests, including a shared love of the Jane Eyre novel. Reading between the lines, it seems obvious that the children were aware of their mother’s relationship. It details Gunther’s early marriage, Rosie’s interest in teaching (inspired by Sarah) and William’s wild child behaviours whilst attending university in Brighton, although it seems to stop after he drops out for reasons he refused to explain. In fact, afterwards, he seemed to avoid Brighton altogether.\\
 At one point in the diary, Elizabeth mentions finally receiving the finished locks from its creator. While she doesn’t mention any names in regards to its creator, nor how she came into contact with them, she does mention its expensiveness, considering its components were supposedly ‘gathered from a market’. With the locks in place, she set about preparing the panic rooms. She mentions finding it odd that one of the dust curtains was still up in the basement from the builders and notes to take it down but there are no further entries mentioning it. At one point in the diary, Elizabeth mentions finally receiving the finished locks from its creator. While she doesn’t mention any names in regards to its creator, nor how she came into contact with them, she does mention its expensiveness, considering its components were supposedly ‘gathered from a market’. With the locks in place, she set about preparing the panic rooms. She mentions finding it odd that one of the dust curtains was still up in the basement from the builders and notes to take it down but there are no further entries mentioning it.
  
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 A few months before Elizabeth’s murder, the journal pages begin to detail events that start happening in the house, including strange knocking, objects disappearing and reappearing elsewhere, cold spots and moving shadows. It is around this time that Elizabeth writes that Sarah has begun to act strangely, becoming withdrawn and sickly. She explains that Sarah has been having nightmares and not sleeping well and has taken to drawing what she sees so ‘they won’t scare her as much’. When she does manage to sleep, Elizabeth often finds Sarah sleepwalking. Sometimes she would find her with objects in hand, like paperweights, letter openers and even knives. Elizabeth worried that Sarah may hurt herself and anonymously sought advice from doctors, causing her to travel to London relatively often, under the guise of visiting Rosie. Sarah would remember nothing but would often ask Elizabeth if she loved her, would she leave her behind, is she planning to leave her and similar questions. Elizabeth would always reassure her but began to worry, especially when she would turn around and find Sarah standing there, silent and staring at her. A few months before Elizabeth’s murder, the journal pages begin to detail events that start happening in the house, including strange knocking, objects disappearing and reappearing elsewhere, cold spots and moving shadows. It is around this time that Elizabeth writes that Sarah has begun to act strangely, becoming withdrawn and sickly. She explains that Sarah has been having nightmares and not sleeping well and has taken to drawing what she sees so ‘they won’t scare her as much’. When she does manage to sleep, Elizabeth often finds Sarah sleepwalking. Sometimes she would find her with objects in hand, like paperweights, letter openers and even knives. Elizabeth worried that Sarah may hurt herself and anonymously sought advice from doctors, causing her to travel to London relatively often, under the guise of visiting Rosie. Sarah would remember nothing but would often ask Elizabeth if she loved her, would she leave her behind, is she planning to leave her and similar questions. Elizabeth would always reassure her but began to worry, especially when she would turn around and find Sarah standing there, silent and staring at her.
 +
 +=== the last dream ===
  
 The last entry is on the morning of her death, where Elizabeth recounts having terrible nightmares during the night. TRIGGER WARNING FOR BODY HORROR.\\ The last entry is on the morning of her death, where Elizabeth recounts having terrible nightmares during the night. TRIGGER WARNING FOR BODY HORROR.\\
 The nightmare begins in a meadow of flowers. The air is sweet, the breeze gentle. The flowers are pinkish white things, with five swirling petals and a small inner ring of petals surrounding its yellow centre. Elizabeth brushed her hand through the feather shaped leaves of one of the bushels. Turning, she saw a high throne of woven flowers, complete with steps. A woman sat regally on the throne, bearing a great crown of twigs, moss and dead flowers. Although she wore Rosalie’s face, golden hair burning in the sun, Elizabeth knew it was not. There was no kindness to be found in her eyes, as there had been in Rosalie’s. They were black like a void, hollow and empty. A queen of nothing, yet Elizabeth felt small under her idle gaze, like an ant thoughtlessly crushed underfoot on the path ahead. A chain of red metal extended from the woman’s hand, leading into Elizabeth’s chest. After noticing it, she could feel the heavy weight and cold metal tethered somewhere inside of her. A small hand slipped into hers and before she could stop it, the chain snaked out from her and wound around the tiny wrist. Rosie looked up at her blankly as the chain sought its place inside her too. As she aged before Elizabeth’s eyes, another small girl stepped out of the world and when she slipped her hand into Rosie’s, the chain found its place there too. Elizabeth knew then, everything had its price.\\ The nightmare begins in a meadow of flowers. The air is sweet, the breeze gentle. The flowers are pinkish white things, with five swirling petals and a small inner ring of petals surrounding its yellow centre. Elizabeth brushed her hand through the feather shaped leaves of one of the bushels. Turning, she saw a high throne of woven flowers, complete with steps. A woman sat regally on the throne, bearing a great crown of twigs, moss and dead flowers. Although she wore Rosalie’s face, golden hair burning in the sun, Elizabeth knew it was not. There was no kindness to be found in her eyes, as there had been in Rosalie’s. They were black like a void, hollow and empty. A queen of nothing, yet Elizabeth felt small under her idle gaze, like an ant thoughtlessly crushed underfoot on the path ahead. A chain of red metal extended from the woman’s hand, leading into Elizabeth’s chest. After noticing it, she could feel the heavy weight and cold metal tethered somewhere inside of her. A small hand slipped into hers and before she could stop it, the chain snaked out from her and wound around the tiny wrist. Rosie looked up at her blankly as the chain sought its place inside her too. As she aged before Elizabeth’s eyes, another small girl stepped out of the world and when she slipped her hand into Rosie’s, the chain found its place there too. Elizabeth knew then, everything had its price.\\
-Possessed by a mother’s protectiveness, Elizabeth turned to run, pulling the girls with her. Every step she took, the sky darkened into night and she could make no progress, as though she were running in place. Small fires sprang to life around her, and as they came closer, she saw people bearing torches. They were screaming unintelligibly at her. She tried to stop them as they grabbed for the child beside her. Her son was pulled from her hands and dragged away to where a great stone plate lay in the ground. Elizabeth fought wildly but it made no difference as the mob pinned Gunther to the ground and placed a wooden board across his chest. He screamed, ‘Mutter! Mutter! Hilf mir!’ as the faceless crowd began piling stones upon the board. He coughed as he tried to breathe, blood and phlegm flecking his lips. The choking sounds were deep and wet, like his lungs had filled with liquid. Elizabeth begged for them to not hurt him, he had nothing to do with this but her cries fell on deaf ears as they had before. She knew how this would end. She wailed into her hands, great sobs wrenching from her until the world quieted. \\ +Possessed by a mother’s protectiveness, Elizabeth turned to run, pulling the girls with her. Every step she took, the sky darkened into night and she could make no progress, as though she were running in place. Small fires sprang to life around her, and as they came closer, she saw people bearing torches. They were screaming unintelligibly at her. She tried to stop them as they grabbed for the child beside her. Her son was pulled from her hands and dragged away to where a great stone plate lay in the ground. Elizabeth fought wildly but it made no difference as the mob pinned Gunther to the ground and placed a wooden board across his chest. He screamed, ‘Mutter! Mutter! Hilf mir!’ as the faceless crowd began piling stones upon the board. He coughed as he tried to breathe, blood and phlegm flecking his lips. The choking sounds were deep and wet, like his lungs had filled with liquid. Elizabeth begged for them to not hurt him, he had nothing to do with this but her cries fell on deaf ears as they had before. She knew how this would end. She wailed into her hands, great sobs wrenching from her until the world quieted.\\ 
-As she opened her eyes once more, she was standing on a battlefield, surrounded by the dead as far as the eye could see. Soldiers and warriors from different eras lie bloating under a gloaming sky. Morning stars lie discarded beside artillery guns on flame scorched earth. Tattered flags whip about and the sounds of distant battles are carried with the rumbling thunder on rising winds as a great storm brews in the sky. There is an overwhelming stench of decay and cold blood-streaked mud mixed with voided bowels squished between her toes and soaked into her nightdress. Black carrion birds peck at the exposed flesh of the corpses around her, squawking with delight at the feast. A figure moves in the distance, dressed in shredded black rags, a noose swinging about its throat like a necklace. It walks barefoot through the bodies, as a horde of black birds circle above. Elizabeth knew its name, as one might know Death upon its pale horse. She tried to call out in warning but found she could not speak. The voice was not hers to use. It belonged to another. Still, she must try. \\ +As she opened her eyes once more, she was standing on a battlefield, surrounded by the dead as far as the eye could see. Soldiers and warriors from different eras lie bloating under a gloaming sky. Morning stars lie discarded beside artillery guns on flame scorched earth. Tattered flags whip about and the sounds of distant battles are carried with the rumbling thunder on rising winds as a great storm brews in the sky. There is an overwhelming stench of decay and cold blood-streaked mud mixed with voided bowels squished between her toes and soaked into her nightdress. Black carrion birds peck at the exposed flesh of the corpses around her, squawking with delight at the feast. A figure moves in the distance, dressed in shredded black rags, a noose swinging about its throat like a necklace. It walks barefoot through the bodies, as a horde of black birds circle above. Elizabeth knew its name, as one might know Death upon its pale horse. She tried to call out in warning but found she could not speak. The voice was not hers to use. It belonged to another. Still, she must try.\\ 
-She took a step, her foot landing on something soft that collapsed under the weight. She looked down. Her foot had entered the stomach cavity of a corpse. She heard the disturbed flies swarm around her leg and felt maggots move over her foot, bathed in rotten fluids. She screamed and fell backwards, landing against another corpse. The wings of birds, disturbed from their meal, batted loudly as they flew upwards and Elizabeth looked upon the face of the remains. The crows had made quick work of the eyes and lips but she still knew it to be that of her son, William. Horror stricken, Elizabeth dared not look at the face of the body she landed on, and yet still recognised the hand, remembering a time when they were paint-streaked, roaming furiously over a canvas. The glint of a wedding ring was just visible under the coating of mud. Father and son, together again in death. \\ +She took a step, her foot landing on something soft that collapsed under the weight. She looked down. Her foot had entered the stomach cavity of a corpse. She heard the disturbed flies swarm around her leg and felt maggots move over her foot, bathed in rotten fluids. She screamed and fell backwards, landing against another corpse. The wings of birds, disturbed from their meal, batted loudly as they flew upwards and Elizabeth looked upon the face of the remains. The crows had made quick work of the eyes and lips but she still knew it to be that of her son, William. Horror stricken, Elizabeth dared not look at the face of the body she landed on, and yet still recognised the hand, remembering a time when they were paint-streaked, roaming furiously over a canvas. The glint of a wedding ring was just visible under the coating of mud. Father and son, together again in death.\\ 
-Grief tore at her insides, yet she must get to the figure, who walks further with every moment. She tried to get to her feet when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder. She turned and realised she was in her bed, having just rolled over to face the person standing beside her. Sarah’s gentle face looked down on her as she opened her mouth, teeth glinting, to say ‘it’s time.’ \\+Grief tore at her insides, yet she must get to the figure, who walks further with every moment. She tried to get to her feet when a gentle hand landed on her shoulder. She turned and realised she was in her bed, having just rolled over to face the person standing beside her. Sarah’s gentle face looked down on her as she opened her mouth, teeth glinting, to say ‘it’s time.’\\
 Time?, Elizabeth had thought. Sarah’s image flickered, her brown hair oscillating between brown and grey. A smell like honey and flowers filled the air.\\ Time?, Elizabeth had thought. Sarah’s image flickered, her brown hair oscillating between brown and grey. A smell like honey and flowers filled the air.\\
-‘Yes, it’s time. After so long, I thought you might have forgotten all about me.’ Her accent lilted between educated and rural as she spoke. Wrinkles appeared and disappeared from her face as Sarah brushed Elizabeth’s hair back from her face. Her fingers trailed down the side of Elizabeth’s face, to her throat. A lover’s touch perhaps, had Sarah’s image not wavered so. \\+‘Yes, it’s time. After so long, I thought you might have forgotten all about me.’ Her accent lilted between educated and rural as she spoke. Wrinkles appeared and disappeared from her face as Sarah brushed Elizabeth’s hair back from her face. Her fingers trailed down the side of Elizabeth’s face, to her throat. A lover’s touch perhaps, had Sarah’s image not wavered so.\\
 ‘Because I have not forgotten about you. This was to be my house, after all’. And as the fingers tightened around her neck, Elizabeth looked into eyes that were not Sarah’s and knew them. ‘Because I have not forgotten about you. This was to be my house, after all’. And as the fingers tightened around her neck, Elizabeth looked into eyes that were not Sarah’s and knew them.
  
  
lore/items/elisabethsdiary.txt · Last modified: 2023/08/14 14:46 by pcaroli