Louise

Chapter 9

Mary turned just as the frenzied horse reached her, its powerful body slamming into her with such force crushing her delicate body under its powerful hooves.

"No!" Louise wailed, hands flying to her face in horror. Mary's blood-curdling screams rang out as bones snapped like twigs. Louise screamed in horror, dropping the ribbon she'd chosen as she rushed toward them.

As the crazed horse stormed past, Louise fell to her knees beside Mary's motionless body. "Mary, please...no!" she begged through heaving sobs. She clutched Mary tight, stroking her blood-soaked curls. The ribbon, meant as a symbol of hope and affection, now seemed like a mockery of their fragile existence.

The market erupted in chaos. Shoppers screamed and scattered, and the stallion galloped wildly through the streets, its manic eyes searching for anything to destroy. Louise could only focus on Mary. Mary's chest heaved with ragged breaths as she clung to life by a thread. Her eyes, brimming with tears, found Louise's. "I don't want to leave you," she choked out.

"You can't go!" Louise cried. She rocked Mary's broken body like a child, keening with raw anguish. "I don't want to be alone! I can't do this without you! Please, Mary, please...stay with me...just a little longer...I need you...please...please don't leave me..." Her words tumbled out in a desperate plea, each one a prayer to God.

Mary lifted a trembling hand to Louise's cheek. "My sweet Louise...my dear sister..." Her voice faded to a whisper.

"Mary, stay with me!" Louise pleaded desperately. But the light in Mary's eyes was fading fast. As if sensing her time was running out, Mary summoned her last bit of strength and reached up to touch the ribbon around Louise's neck. "It's...beautiful..." she whispered. "I... I wish I could've given you something..."

Louise's heart shattered at the words. Tears streaming down her face, she held Mary tighter, refusing to let go. "You gave me everything, Mary. You gave me your friendship...your love...your courage. You showed me what it meant to be strong...to be brave...to be beautiful. I don't know what I'll do without you..."

The light went out...Her hand went limp in Louise's grasp. A gut-wrenching wail erupted from Louise's core. She pressed her cheek to Mary's, tears flowing together as one. Her body quaked with the force of her devastation. Around them, the market fell silent, as if nature herself had paused to take in the magnitude of their loss. Louise was deaf to the cries for help, lost in her all-consuming grief. Her soul cried out in protest as Mary's vibrant spirit slipped away forever. Clutching Mary's lifeless form, Louise unleashed a hurricane of sorrow. She keened and sobbed until she retched, her body wracked with the agony of loss. The unbreakable bond between them now felt like a gaping wound in Louise's heart that could never heal.

June 27th, 1845 - the day of Mary's funeral. Louise stood solemnly beside the open casket, grief sitting like a stone in her chest. Mary looked so peaceful lying there, her skin pale but her expression untroubled, as though she were merely sleeping. With slow steps Louise approached for a final goodbye. Each step felt like walking through mud, her body heavy, her heart leaden. She reached out a trembling hand and gently brushed a strand of hair from Mary's forehead, the gesture achingly familiar.

Gazing down at Mary's sweet face, Louise was overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotions - profound sadness, soul-deep regret, and above all, guilt...She had left Mary alone...She couldn't stop blaming herself, even though logically she knew the accident wasn't her fault. If only they had stayed at the school that day, Mary might still be alive, eyes bright and laugh ever ready. But her vibrant light had been extinguished far too soon; her dreams left unfulfilled.

As Louise gazed mournfully at Mary's still form, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Thomas standing there, head bowed and eyes downcast. Louise felt a swell of rage rise within her at the sight of him. She walked up to him, anger burning in her chest like a white-hot fire. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, nails digging into tender flesh. The pain in her heart was nothing compared to the rage that coursed through her veins. He looked so small, so pathetic, standing there before her.

Thomas lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. "Louise...I... I don't know what to say. I am so sorry..." His voice trailed off, the words seeming inadequate in the face of their shared loss.

"You killed her!" she cried, jabbing an accusing finger at him. "If you hadn't broken her heart, she never would have fallen into such despair!" Tears streamed down her face. "You left her...all alone..."

Thomas flinched at the words, his eyes darting away from her. He looked so lost, so broken. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he whispered hoarsely. "I never wanted to hurt her...I just wanted to..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"I hate you! And I will never forgive you!" she cried out, her face engulfed in tears. Her words seemed to strike him to the core, and he flinched, looking away. "You took her from me...You took her away from everyone who loved her!" she continued to cry. She longed to strike out at him, to make him hurt as much as Mary had. But instead, she found herself collapsing in on herself, her body racked with sobs.

"Just go!" she screamed, her voice raw with pain and tears as she collapsed to her knees on the chapel floor. The girls immediately rushed to her side, enveloping her in a circle of love and comfort. They held her as she wept, murmuring soothing words and rubbing her back. Though nothing could fill the aching void left by Mary's absence.

As tears blurred Louise's vision, she made a vow to Mary's body. She would live out her dear friend's aspiration, becoming a governess as Mary always longed to do. It was the only way Louise could honour Mary's memory...