Fantasies of the Average New Yorker

Good news! I won third place in a poetry contest! Yay! Kind of sad that I didn't first place, but I am comforted by the fact that there were A LOT of home-schoolers participating in this, so I'm very fortunate to have gotten any recognition. And best part... the $100 prize is soon on its way!
This contest was by far the most fun to participate in because we had to write a poem after listening to a piece of music. We needed to capture whatever the music painted and write it up in a poem. So you can imagine how much I loved it. For me, music + poetry = divinity!
I had to write the poem after listening to Rhapsody in Blue. I never really liked that piece, but after listening to it like three-four times. (okay, maybe seven...) I actually began to realize it's quite a fun piece of music! Sort of.

I still prefer Beethoven and Chopin, people, so don't freak out!
Anyhow, this is the poem which was inspired by said piece:

Fantasies of the Average New Yorker

It really is a sorry situation

To live in New York without the means.

But if you’ve got the gift of an imagination…

By Jove, the luxuries swell and teem!

Once the night blinks open its eyes,

I sweep out the door with a swish and a bang.

I toss my head and clutch close my empty purse

With a smug sparkle and a saucy tang.

My Monday blues are dipped in weekend gold.

And my aching feet sprout shiny silver wings.

The air hums a jazzy, ragtime tune

And even the Empire Building dares to swing.

You call this thing a red carpet?

I’ve got the Milky Way spread under me!

They’re whispering, “She’s friends with Rockefeller!”

“No, I think she’s won the lottery!”

Some famous singer gave me tickets to Carnegie.

She’s won Grammys and stuff like that…

But Broadway’s playing a special just for me –

Evita or Les Mis … or was it Cats?

Times Square is a swarm of giant fireflies,

Hiccupping and flashing with all the colors in a crystal.

The flashing reminds me of those haunting paparazzi,

And I shudder, my fine coat beginning to bristle.

Speaking of fur coats, 5^th avenue has a sale –

Not that I need to be at all thrifty!

I might stop by Christian Dior’s for a visit

Or maybe even eat breakfast at Tiffany’s.

And, oh, there it is! I see it just ahead!

Home at last! My sweet Plaza suite!

With gold and glass galore, and Chanel and champagne,

And all the world right under my feet.

The windows gleam like the eyes of a bride,

But on the steps of the hotel I’m trapped in a clause.

And it’s then that reality comes creeping close

Like death on little cat paws.

My wings fall off and I take a step back,

My fantasy is a shattered sunray.

But I gaze up at the dream with a struggling smile

And whisper, “Someday…”

To tell you the truth, I didn't think it'd win ANYTHING. Because it's just so silly and... yeah, silly. But I'll take a 100 bucks any day, so thank you! :)

~Fiona

My Rubbish: Windfell Heath

Here are parts of my contemporary romance/drama novel Windfell Heath. They’re just my favorite parts of the story and thought I could share. And just so you have an idea of the characters:

Anne-Marie MacKeats  (Nan) is a homeschooled/unschooled girl whose mother died in a terrorist attack. She is abused by her alcoholic father and makes friends with the small town's beggar boy - Andro.

Andro Tehrani is an orphan surviving on his own. Most of Windfell Heath hates him because he is Arab and they are still recovering from the anger they experienced after the death of Nan's mother.

And as one might expect, they become friends, almost like siblings, and end up falling in love. Of course! :)

The quotes below are taken from the first part of the book, Nan. Which is (surprise!) narrated by Nan. I’ll be posting other snippets from the second part of the book Lorry which is narrated by the antagonist! (AKA villain of the story!)

But for now, here’re the snippets of Windfell Heath.

Oh, and please (please!) feel free to comment and tell me what you do/don’t like most. I’m an amateur writer, so I need all the help I can get!

~ Fiona

Now as I look back, I realize that I must have made him feel really uncomfortable. He’d never seen a girl cry before and the experience must have been disturbing. He probably felt like he should comfort me, but … what could he say? Instead, he just sat on the floor beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. But this action spoke all the words of love I hadn’t heard in years. And it was all spoken silently.

***

I withdrew my hand from his to run along the pebbles.

“Watcha doing?” he called out after me and followed behind.

I bent to pick up a seashell, the type you can hold to your ear and listen to the echo of the waves. I held it to my lips instead and eyed my friend with a smile. “Hello?” I whispered. “Tell my friend Digger a secret.”

He grinned and played along, picking up a seashell for himself. He pressed it to his ear to listen.

Like a telephone, I spoke the message through the shell: “I’m going to be your best friend.”

Digger blushed and whispered into his shell. “I’ll be yours too.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

***

You know how you can just feel someone staring at you? Well, I got that feeling that Sunday and glanced towards the church window. There they were – the big blue eyes and mass of dark curls peeping over the edge of the window. I twisted a rising smile – it’s a good feeling when the other part of your soul decides to show up. And although I couldn’t see his mouth, I knew he was smiling too.

***

The following nine years were a blur of colors and happiness. And Time, being the mean thing that he is, stole those days from under our feet way too soon. He and his friend Fate seem to have a nasty habit of cutting short anything beautiful and peaceful. Kind of like a two-year-old who laughs as he greedily tears apart a rose and finds pleasure in destroying something so delicate.

            Those days were passed in all the sweet and fun pastimes you could think of. From playing hide-in-seek in the grocery store to borrowing – *ahem* stealing *ahem* - the neighbor’s sailboat to even writing anonymous love-letters to Isobel as a joke.

            But we also had an intellectual and calm side to complement our wild adventures.

            We read and read and read. We read late into the night until our eyes burned and gave out with the strain. What did we read? – Oh, all sorts of things. Poetry by Angelou, Dickenson, Frost, Milton, and Shakespeare. And novels like Les Miserables, The Great Gatsby, Robinson Crusoe, Dracula, and Wuthering Heights. We would even read theological stuff – the Bible, Koran, and Jewish lore. And philosophy? – Ha, like you wouldn’t know! We created a world around ourselves, especially as we grew older. It was a web woven of the entire world – or at least all the things we loved about the world.

            Maybe that’s why we came to a tragic end. We entered the real world and just couldn’t handle it.

            Or maybe the world couldn’t handle us.

***

We laid on our backs laughing so vehemently that our stomachs trembled and cramped with our joyous noise. It was that kind of laughter that comes without the prompt of something funny. It’s the kind of laughter that you create when you’re with the person you love most just because you’re so deliriously happy.

***

I slipped my hand into Andro’s and smiled up to his face. In the past nine years I’d known him, he’d transformed from a scrawny little boy to a tall sinewy man. Long, tangled black hair fell to his wide shoulders which were thick with the mark of hard labor. His jaw was defined almost as if shaped perfectly with a ruler. And out of the darkness of the skin of his face, his blue-green eyes shone like small oceans in a sandy desert. He probably sounds like a stunning guy. But if you actually saw him, you probably wouldn’t be impressed. Because, you see, I didn’t notice the oily face, the prickly scruff, the torn jeans, and the stained T-shirt. Nor did I notice his terrible smell or yellowish teeth.

Maybe that’s why I loved him – I couldn’t see anything but the good in him.

***

Our proximity and silence became too dangerous. Throughout the years, silence and proximity became a road paved with enchantments we were too afraid to admit. The air that was dead about us when we were children now tingled in space and burned our skin. It was all so confusing and yet so desirable. We had read about this in novels and laughed at it. “Corny romance,” we’d say.

But it wasn’t at all corny. It was real. And petrifying.

***

We drew close to the edge of the cliff. The entire world seemed laid at our feet: the rushing sea, the dancing grass, the soaring gulls. I felt heady as I stared down at the daring plunge of the cliff into the sea. Mist surrounded us in curtains of white, shedding rainbows in the air.

“Lay down,” said Andro, pulling me down to the ground with him.

I lay on my back, my eyes gazing into the dome of the sapphire sky.

“Close your eyes, but open your heart … and let your soul fly to heaven.”

A sudden feeling rushed through me. It was as if I were soaring and falling at the same time. In that moment, I could feel every breath of the wind, every heartbeat of the earth. Joy poured into me like a burning liquor being poured silkily into a glass. Gone was the world and its cares, gone was Mom and Dad and Winter. All was empty and clear space – and peace.

I gazed into Andro’s inquisitive eyes which hovered over me. Tears slid down my cheeks and the smile on my lips trembled. “I feel free.”

Andro smiled. “That’s God.”

***

“Too bad you’re stuck with an out-cast. I still don’t understand why you don’t just break-up with him. If you clean yourself up, you can find someone way better than”-

I felt my face burn as I cried, “Andro is an outcast because of ignorant, hateful people like you. And I won’t stand by and watch someone being treated like that alone.”

“So you have no problem with being friends with the kind of people who murdered your mother?”

“Funny you’d ask that when no one has a problem with Germans even after they murdered six million Jews.”

That seemed to shut her up.

***

I was sitting on the washing machine with my eyes closed. But my mind was open wide.

I thought about how perfect the world would be if people didn’t see people for what they are but who there are – if people wouldn’t see Andro as a threat but as a friend, if people wouldn’t see me as a freak but as a person… if only, if only.

You’d think that people in the twenty-first century would realize this world was a weird place filled with weird people – and learn that weird is a norm. But no. Maybe the twenty-second century will be different.

***

My cheeks were flaming and my eyes burned with a light that wasn’t there before. I was constantly filled with this feeling somewhere between agony and joy. Everything had changed. And yet everything was in its place. It felt like the world had been dipped in liquid sunshine and now everything burned and glowed with the power of the sun.

***

A calm silence settled before Andro whispered, “Do you hear that?”

“What?”

“God’s voice.”

“You must hear better than me,” I said quietly, nestling my head into his shoulder.

“He says that our souls are so alike, He can’t tell us apart.”

I giggled. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not if we stay like this – together, like this.” He buried his face in my hair.

Tears misted my eyes and I whispered, “What if we separate?”

“We can’t.”

“Then what’ll we do?”

“We’ll just have to stay like this, grow old like this, and die like this.”

“It sounds so simple.”

“It is simple.”

I held his hand and gazed far into the depths of the starry sky. “Everything seems so clear now, like the world is a picture.”

I turned in his arms to raise my face up to his. The entire world seemed to be a delicate floating disk, and the air seemed so tenuous, it could shatter at any moment. I leaned my cheek to his and whispered, “Andro. I love you.”

“Then that’s it.”

***

“You talk about Nan having a choice, but I know your kind!” Cynthia stepped forward daringly with glittering eyes of fury. “You sick, controlling men that think you own the world.”

“If anyone is sick and controlling, it’s you!” he cried.

She rushed to me and took my hands with wild eyes. “Nan, listen to me. Did you just see his reaction? That’s a controlling man. There’s this thing called Feminism that rose in the Seventies which means you now can be whatever you want to be! You don’t have be imprisoned to a life in a cottage with a controlling husband and a bunch of kids!”

“Aunt, you’re being ridiculous!” I cried furiously, pushing her away. “If Feminism is supposed to liberate women, why aren’t I free to make the choice to marry?”

“Because this is wrong, sweetheart,” she cried, grabbing me by the shoulders. “Very, very wrong! I will not let you make the same mistake my sister did! I can’t!”

            “I am not my mother!” I shouted. I wriggled out of my aunt’s hands and ran out of the house.

***

“No, Nan. Look. We have nothing to worry or cry about.” He touched his forehead to mine and whispered, “Don’t look back. There’s no reason to. As long as I am me and you are you, we have no hope of ever escaping each other.”

“I’ll always look back,” I said. “I’m so scared, Andro. I’m so scared.”

 He smiled a wavering smile and lifted my face to his. “Come on, Nan. The world can’t spin until you smile.”

            I gave a tear-drowned chuckle and mustered a trembling smile. “There.”

***

I can’t say anymore now. Because... Well, I just don’t have to. What I’ve told is really all that matters. My life in California, my separation from Andro, the accident, the baby, my death… None of that really matters. All that matters is that Andro and I lived and loved more than anyone could understand. We were dangerous together – like dynamite and lighter-fluid. When a spark happened, it all went up in flames and smoke.

            But that’s okay. I’m spending my Eternity waiting patiently. He’s coming soon. I just know it. And I’ll be ready to meet him here when he arrives in our land beyond the sun.

You Are Not Here And Yet You Are

Here is a short  post for my dear friend and cousin Aradhika. 

She is a beautiful vegan who practices Sikhism and loves to read, design clothes, and play sitar. And although she lives way up in a tiny remote island off the coast of B.C. Canada, letters and phone calls have bound us in this wonderful friendship almost like a sisterhood. She is my Diana, my "kindred spirit"! And I miss her so much since her last visit in December! It was such a fun time... We went to the beach, had tea at the Biltmore Hotel, and hosted an Indian/Middle-Eastern themed party... (in honor of her ethnic background!) I'll post photos of that party sometime, but for now here are some photos of the Biltmore Tea and my poem...

You Are Not Here And Yet You Are

You are not here, and yet you are,

For I see your eyes in every star,

I feel your smile in the warmth of the sun,

In all things bright which the darkness shuns;

When the wind whispers secrets in the air

I know that you are speaking to me there;

When every tear falls, I feel you dry it,

And give me back heart, soul, and spirit;

You are not here, and yet you are,

No matter how near, no matter how far.

I miss her so much - So sad... Yet good news! She is coming to visit yet again and her family may even move here! So happy! (Like in this photo...)

"God's in heaven and all is right with the world!"

Shalom,

Fiona

Paper Hearts

Hello again...

Just wanted to update whoever is out there on my publishing status. (Because I guess that's what these young blogging girls do when they're publishing...) I have sent Windfell Heath to several literary agents (And have already been turned down by one!) and am experimenting with self-publishing for my poetry. I compiled my poetry into a book and designed and cover and... well, I'm self-publishing. I don't expect to make a lot of money off of it or anything. I'm just publishing to publish. :)
Paper Hearts is presently being printed so I can make sure that everything is to my liking. Once I proof it, it is going up on Amazon, Kindle, and a few bookstores/libraries. Yay!

Here's the official book cover:

I'll keep you posted so you can get a copy when it comes out!

~ Fiona

Beautiful People: Anne-Marie MacKeats

So here goes another Beautiful People Q&A! Yay! 

I've decided to do Anne-Marie MacKeats. Also known as Nan. She's the heroine of my contemporary drama/romance Windfell Heath.

And she lives in Land's End, England

In this tiny town that looks kind of like this...

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Anne-Marie.

1)      What’s their favorite food? (Bonus: favorite flavor of chocolate!)

Well, when she lived in England, her favorite food was Oreos. She and Andro loved to curl up by the fireside, read, and eat Oreos. But when she moved to the States, she was introduced to tacos, and she absolutely loves fish tacos! Her favorite flavor of chocolate…? Milk chocolate – just plain old milk chocolate.

2)      What do they absolutely hate?

She hates prejudice – the way people whisper behind other peoples backs just because they’re different, are of a different race, or are not as privileged as most.

3)      What do they enjoy learning about?

Literature – whether it be philosophy, poetry, or novels. She loves learning about different views written via literature.

4)      Who is the most influential person in their life?

Hmmm… I’m going with her mother. Her mother taught her to read, gave her love of learning, and also taught her open-mindedness. It was probably this which brought her to her friendship with Andro who then became her next most influential person. But that’s because they were in love, so duh!

5)      What is their childhood fear?

Her father. She was afraid of him as he was often drunk and would beat her. She was also afraid of the insecurity she caused him. It was because of her mother’s death that her father became like that – and as the story goes, Nan blames her mother’s death on herself.

6)      What is something they have always secretly dreamed of doing, but thought impossible?

Traveling the world. She secretly longed to travel the world, but often reminded herself that nothing could be better than Windfell Heath, so she never really encouraged the idea.

7)      What is something he/she is impractically afraid of?

Nan is definitely not the kind of girl who screams over spiders/cockroaches. She’s way tougher than most girls probably because she’s had to live a rather… unsanitary lifestyle. So I don’t really think she’s impractically afraid of anything.

8)      Are they a night owl or morning person?

Night owl of course! She and Andro would stay up reading or adventuring late into the heath far after midnight.

9)      Do they say everything that pops into their head, or leave a lot unsaid?

Nan stays quiet around most people, but with Andro and Lorraine, she is definitely bubbly.

1)   What are their nervous habits?

She wipes her hands on her laps when she nervous and also looks to the floor quite often when she’s flustered or uncomfortable.

A Weird Interview With My Imaginary People

Here is a silly interview I had with all my characters from The Master. (Yeah, I know. I'm weird.) Anyone reading this without having read my novel will probably find it really boring. But I just posted it for myself. :)
It features...

Emily Smith

John Midroth

Charlie

Erin McSpear

Mr. Carlyle

Catherine Spire

Dr. Falk

James Hedrick

Angelica Doyle

Interview

with Emily Smith, John Midroth, Charlie, Erin McSpear, Mr. Carlyle, Catherine Spire, Dr. Falk, James Hedrick, and Angelica Doyle

Me: Good day, all of you, and thank you so very much for agreeing to participate in this interview! Such a pleasure! Now, let me start with very basic questions. Firstly, what are your names, ages, and occupation? Emily, you go first.

Emily: Oh, thank you, Miss Fiona. I am Emily Smith Midroth, I have just turned one and twenty, and I am the owner of orphanages as well as a humble artist.

John: I am John Andrew Midroth, I am four and twenty, and I manage the orphanages with my wife Emily.

Me: I never knew you had a middle name, John... Interesting … And you, Charlie?

Charlie: I’m Charlie.

Me: Charlie, what?

Charlie: Just Charlie.

Emily: Charlie Midroth now.

Me: How sweet... And you, Erin?

Erin: I’m Erin McSpear Carlyle, I’m one and twenty, and I am a happy housewife.

Theophilus: I’m Mr. Theophilus Carlyle and I’m eight and twenty. I work at Vista Orphanage where I teach Mathematics as well as History.

Catherine: I am Catherine Spire. I am just turned eighteen and I am an English teacher at Vista Orphanage.

Dr. Falk: I am Dr. Henry Falk. I am four and twenty and work as a doctor in Plymouth.

James: I am James Hedrick. The real James Hedrick. (chuckling) I am six and twenty and formerly worked at Wiltborn Manor as the bookkeeper. Now, I am employed at a law firm.

Me: So that’s where you found work…

John: I’m happy for you, James. I hope your employment goes well.

James: Indeed, of course, Master John. Thank you.

Angelica: Very well, now my turn! I am Angelica Doyle. I am two and twenty.

Me: And your employment?

Angelica: (scoffing) Why, of course I have no employment! I’m quite a lady, you know! Unlike others…

***

Me: What are your greatest flaws, whether you have overcome them or not?

Emily: I am very stubborn and prejudice. I draw conclusions about a person upon my first impressions. And I am often wrong, as I have learned by experience. Horrible experience.

James: (chuckling) Indeed. Well, I have a very short temper; I have a very passionate and violent nature. I’m slowly overcoming this. I hope.

Emily: You have improved greatly, John.

Me: Have you any flaws, Charlie? Anything that you do wrong?

Charlie: I run off too often. I disappear and it makes Mum and Daddy worry.

Me: Ah, yes, of course. I remember. And you, Erin?

Erin: I am a bit too weak-hearted and afraid to tell the truth, even when it is vital.

Theophilus: I am much too … quiet… timid.

Erin: Oh, I like you that way, Theophilus…

Catherine: I jump into things rashly, very impulsively.

Dr. Falk: I sometimes believe I know it all. But how wrong I am!

James: I do not speak up when I should. I am too easily swayed by materialism and at times forget what matters – my family and my word.

Me: Why, thank you for sharing, James. Very insightful… And you, Angelica?

Angelica: That’s Miss Doyle to you. I am still quite upset that Emily is the center of attention in this story, 

Miss Fiona. After all, she is so very strong-willed and prejudice and firm… Oh, she is a horrid heroine! Why, oh, why am I neglected?

Me: I am not going to discuss this with you again, Miss Doyle, we may speak of it another time. Simply answer the question: what is your flaw?

Angelica: I have none.

Me: None?

Angelica: I have spent hours and hours trying to find a single flaw in myself, but … in vain! Forgive me for disappointing you.

*** 

Me: What music do you sing or hum when no one else is around?

Emily: Hmm…that waltz they were playing aboard the Lusitania. The one we danced to, John.

John: I don’t often sing, but when I do, I usually sing that American song, “I wish I were in Dixie…”

Angelica: Oh, how revolting! Those Americans have no musical tastes whatsoever.

John: It’s a catching song, and I’ve taken a liking to it. I hum either that or Chopin nocturnes.

Charlie: I like to sing, “What shall we do with the drunken sailor early”-

Emily: Charlie, I told you not to sing such inappropriate jigs!

Charlie: People sing them often in the streets of London.

John: My boy, people sing and say many things they shouldn’t in the streets of London.

Charlie: Sorry…

Emily: Oh, that’s alright, little one. Simply remember that such songs are not fitting for company’s ears. Nor for little boy’s mouths.

Me: And what of you, Erin?

Erin: I truly don’t sing anything except this little tune my first master used to sing. It has no words, but it goes like this: Hmmm-hmmm-hm-hm-hmmmm! Hmmm-

Me: So that’s where you learned it! I’ve always wondered what tune you liked to hum while you worked. Well, your turn, Mr. Carlyle.

Theophilus: I enjoy humming Beethoven’s fifth.

Angelica: So startling!

Catherine: I enjoy humming Amazing Grace.

Dr. Falk: Difficult question … Hmm… I’d say Auld Lang Syne.

James: Well, recently, I’ve been humming that tune from the Egyptian ballet in that opera …

Angelica: Oh, yes! The Egyptian ballet in Samson and Delilah! How absolutely sensual!

James: Yes, I recall it being quite fascinating and-

Angelica: Are you married?

James: Uh …What?

Me: Angelica, do you mind answering the question?

Angelica: Oh, yes of course! I nearly forgot, for this young man was flustering me quite a bit! They are always so flattering you know! I really cannot peel their words of praise off of me!

Me: The question, Angelica?

Angelica: Ah, yes, well, I am forever humming the fantasia from Bizet’s opera. You know, my favorite, Carmen!

Me: Thank you, Angelica, and by the way, Mr. Hedrick is happily married.

James: Yes, indeed!

Angelica: Well, you should not lead me on so terribly, Mr. Hedrick! Oh, what a devil!

James: What am I doing?

John: You exist. Believe me, I spent an entire voyage with this girl, and she’s completely ballistic.

Angelica: I heard that, you ugly scoundrel!

***

Me: Do you have a favorite article of clothing or jewelry? Favorite shoes?

Emily: (giggling) I know it is very silly of me, but I do like that sophisticated visiting outfit, the ivory one Miss Picklesnopp designed! It was so very fun to wear!

John: Oh, yes a remember that. It looks so very nice on you, Emily; you ought to wear it ore often. As for me… I suppose my father’s gold watch is my favorite.

Charles: I like my pajamas!

Me: (laughing) Oh, well, to each his own!

Erin: I cherish my wedding dress most…

Theophilus: My spectacles; can’t do without them, you see…

Catherine: My favorite article of … well, I suppose I choose my engagement ring!

Dr. Falk: (chuckling) As you should. As for me… Well, I don’t quite know… I suppose my doctor’s bag. That counts – no? It is clothing paraphernalia!

James: I treasure my wedding band most; it reminds me to stay committed to honor as well as my family.

Angelica: Well, in spite of my knowing that this is quite scandalous, I cannot help but believe that I cherish my corset most. It truly does bring out my womanly curves from … well, everywhere as you can see! – and gives me a 17 inch waist, you know … (smirking at James) Less is more…

James: (clearing his throat uncomfortably) Could we move on please?

***

Me: Who’s your favorite person, living or dead?

Emily: Oh, I’d say you, John, but I must honor my dear Grandmother in this one… Granny is my favorite person although she is dead because… well, she kept me hoping and striving for tomorrow during the times I thought dawn would never come.

Me: Oh, I wish I’d put her more in the story…

John: Don’t worry, Emily; I’ll forgive you this. I must say that … after you, of course, my father is my favorite person. He always encouraged me to be more than I thought I ever could be…

Me: Who’s your favorite person, Charlie?

Charlie: Can I pick two people?

Me: You may.

Charlie: I choose Mum and Daddy.

Emily: Aw…

Catherine: So sweet…

Erin: Oh, Charlie, how nice of you… Well, as for me, I must say Theophilus is my favorite. And then comes my dearest brother George.

Theophilus: Erin is my favorite of course. Before her… my professor was my favorite person. He helped me overcome my weaknesses in understanding Greek philosophy, my worst subject actually...

Me: Hmm… Never knew you studied philosophy.

Catherine: Dr. Falk is my favorite person, of course … since I love him. After him, comes Emily. Whether she were the main character or not, she’d still be my heroine.

Emily: Oh, Catherine… thank you.

Dr. Falk: Catherine is my very favorite person, and that is that.

James: My wife is dearest to me of all, she is my friend and soul mate, and I cannot ask for a better companion in life.

Me: How sweet, James…

Angelica: Well, I… Oh, I’m having such a difficult time on this one… Oh, I have so any friends and suitors… I cannot choose!

Me: Any, Angelica!

Angelica: Very well, then. You.

Me: Me?

Angelica: Yes, you!

Me: (laughing) Why me?

Angelica: You created me as a beautiful character, did you not? You should be my favorite person.

Me: (sighing) Very well, Angelica. Thank you.

***

Me: Now, next question – What is your greatest wish?

Emily: To help all those who suffer in life.

John: To live happily with my family.

Charlie: Coca-Cola!

John: (laughing) I’ll get you some when we’re finished, but really, Charlie, too much cannot be good for a little boy!

Erin: To have a large happy family!

Theophilus: To teach many children and inspire them to do great things.

Catherine: My greatest wish…? To marry Henry.

Dr. Falk: And mine is to marry Catherine.

Catherine: Oh, Henry…

James: My greatest wish has always been to live an upright life.

Angelica: To be young and happy and have any suitors, which I already have of course… but I wish to pick the wealthiest and handsomest and have it finished with already! This courtship is such a bore, and at times I wish I did not have to marry at all! If only one could remain happily single, skipping blithely from one suitor to the next! Oh, I want them all!

John: (scowling) Yes, we know.

***

Me: What is your proudest achievement?

Emily: Adopting Charlie… my sweet little one.

John: Hmmm… Overcoming the past.

Me: I’m so proud of you for that, John. Now, Charlie? What have you done that you are most proud of?

Charlie: Um… Daddy taught me a hymn on the piano.

Me: Excellent! Congratulations! And you, Erin?

Erin: Leaving Wiltborn. Forgive me, Master Midroth, but … leaving the place and being independent was something very special in my life.

John: Don’t worry about consternation from me, Erin. You were right to have left.

Theophilus: My proudest achievement is probably my overcoming my timidity. I’ve improved very much, I think.

Catherine: Leaving home, I’d say. Why, my leaving to start afresh with Ebony and working on my own was … it was a wonderful challenge, something that strengthened me!

Dr. Falk: I’d have to say I am most proud of my education, my work as a doctor.

James: I cannot help but be proud that I bombarded Master Midroth that evening while he was in the study with Emily. Telling him what I thought of his masquerade truly gave me a relief. I could bear it no more. Sorry to have brought that up, John.

John: I understand completely. You have the right to think the way you did.

Me: And you, Angelica?

Angelica: Me? My talent for singing, of course. My singing master tells me I am his best student in all respects. Of course I don’t believe him, because it was all mere flattery!

***

Me: Do you have an obsession? Name it.

Emily: Oh, I don’t know… My orphanages, I guess.

John: I think I might just be slightly obsessed with my art. I can go days without food or sleep just painting.

Charlie: Mum says I’m obsessed with Robin Hood.

Emily: That you are! (laughing)

Erin: An obsession…? Well, I don’t know. I think I’m obsessed with Theophilus actually. I simply adore him!

Theophilus: I adore you as well, dearest, but … obsession? No, I am truly obsessed with philosophy. It is my heart’s passion.

Erin: I never knew that…

Theophilus: But you’re still the love of my life, Erin.

Erin: I better be.

Me: And you, Catherine?

Catherine: Children. Oh, I’m simply obsessed with children!

Dr. Falk: Medicine. Everything in my life seems to reflect health and wellness.

James: I don’t truly think I’m obsessed with anything, but I am a man with a great passion for righteousness.

Angelica: Well, as for me, I was previously obsessed with peacock feathers. I wore them in everything, I swear it! But now… I am just obsessed with choosing which suitor I like best… I’m thinking of lining them all straight like an army of toy soldiers and go picking off which I don’t like until there is only one left. Now, there’s a genius solution!

***

Me: Hmm… Interesting, Angelica. Now, next question – What calms you when sad?

Emily: Um, I usually calm myself by admiring a landscape.

John: Painting. I lose myself and all my worries when painting.

Charlie: When Mum scratches my back. That always puts me to sleep.

Me: How sweet… And you, Erin?

Erin: Humming. Humming my untuned hum.

Theophilus: Standing on my head.

Erin: Really, Theo!

Theophilus: It’s the only thing that works for me!

Catherine: I pace to and fro.

Dr. Falk: I count to twelve.

Me: Why twelve?

Dr. Falk: I’ve never gone further.

Me: Interesting… And you, James?

James: I pray. I pray hard for peace and calm – and then it usually comes.

Angelica: I apply rouge. For some strange reason, it is so calming to watch the color fill my cheeks…

***

Me: I see… Now, how do you think a stranger would describe you?

Emily: They would most likely describe me as an average middle-class woman. There’s nothing extraordinary about me.

John: Only on the surface, my love. As for me – well, it’s no secret I’ve a ghastly face, so why bother? (chuckle)

Erin: They see a very plain maid, I suppose.

Theophilus: That’s not true!

Erin: Perhaps not the maid part, but I am plain, dearest. You just don’t have eyes to see my failings.

Theophilus: Well, when they see me, they see a scrawny book-worm. There.

Catherine: As for me, they see a typical London girl – poor and plain yet spirited.

Dr. Falk: They see a doctor – and I can ask no more.

Me: And you, James?

James: They’ll see a proper gentleman with a pleasant face – I hope.

Angelica: Strangers have told me on frequent occasions that I am quite a Venus - a goddess of love!

John: More like a goddess of war…

Angelica: Pardon me?

***

Me: Alright, last question – What do you plan to do after this interview?

Emily: I plan to see how the children’s’ studies are going.

John: I need frame this recent painting.

Erin: I plan to make a turnip soup – Theo’s favorite.

Theophilus: I’ll look over tomorrow’s lessons and grade a few essays from yesterday. 

Catherine: I promised the children I would take them for a walk.

Dr. Falk: I need to send a telegram to a patient in Plymouth. She forgot the name of the medicine she must 

take, poor old woman.

James: I’m going to buy my wife and children sweetmeats. They made me promise to, you see. They’ve all got quite a sweet tooth.

Angelica: Isn’t that sweet... Speaking of sweet, this darling beau of mine is taking me skating. Is this interview finished? He is waiting just outside for me.

Me: Yes, you have my leave. Goodbye, all of you! And thank you!

Love...
Fiona