conjoined twin story

[DrusillaDarling]

I just started this story about Pygopagus twins (joined at the hip) Ophelia and Hermione. Its from Ophelia point of view. The people at my writing class liked it, so I thought I would share it with you.

It takes place sometime in the late Victorian era in Minnesota


My dear sister Hermione is dead. It was not a surprise, we are of old age, and she had been unwell for some time. I have called my dear godchild, Doctor Cain; she says I have only two to four days to live. I have made my peace, written letters to my children and grandchildren, saying goodbye. On the desk near our bed I am writing my life story. I wish I was writing it because I thought I have something to offer the world with my auto-biography, but it is only because I am bored. Hermione was always one for writing, but I have always found it dull. I would have never thought that I, Ophelia, would spend my last hours being so vain.

From the moment my sister and I where born we were cursed to live a difficult life. We had grown connected at the hip. Our mother died in childbirth, and our father wanted nothing to do with us. He gave us to his father. Our Grandfather was a good and kind man, but not one many would let raise their children. He owned a tavern in a small town in Minnesota. We had one extra room that we rented out. Our father lived on a farm near by, but we only ever saw him once.

We always knew we were different, but we didn’t mind. We were never lonely, and we were always lonely. We spent the first few years of our lives blissfully unaware of the dangers of the world outside. As soon as we could walk we served costumers from all over the state. They all came to see the pretty grown together little girls. Every once and a while someone would come in and offer us a grander life. Promises of new dresses and dolls, enough money so that someday we could grow old in peace. Grandfather always kicked them out. Then he would hug us and kiss us. Looking into our eyes he would say, “I won’t make the mistake my son did, I won’t. The two of are angels and I’ll never anyone take you away.”

When we were nine years old a young man, no more than twenty five, came to talk to our grandfather. I had a bad feeling about him the moment I saw his face. He was a handsome man, but looked very cold. He had a sharp pointed face and looked like he hadn’t been outside for years. He walked into the tavern in the late morning; Ophelia and I were washing and drying plates in the back room. We could hear see through the half open door.

“Mister O’Neil I presume.”

“You presume correctly,” Grandfather answered, wiping down a table. “What the hell do you want?”

“I,” started the man, tugging nervously at his neck tie. “I am Wolfgang Cain.”

“So what?”

[DrusillaDarling]

“I am a doctor at Saint Mary’s Hospital for Incurables, in New York city.”

We tip toed out to behind the bar, and stood on an over turned crate. We had never seen such a look grandfather’s face. The young doctor continued talking. He said he was a lead doctor in experimental modern medicine. He claimed that he had cured Queen Victoria of her ills. Cain kept talking and talking until the few people in the bar were all listening to him. After a few minutes of this Grandfather could listen to no more.

He spoke slowing and quietly we all had to strain to hear him. “Ophelia and Hermione are not animals. You can’t lock them in a cage. They are not to be used for the profit of showmen and doctors.” The whole world was silent for a minute. Then Grandfather hit the doctor on the head with a near by beer bottle and threw him onto the street. Grandfather then looked at us with sad eyes, tears were being to form. “Do your chores,” he managed to choke out before running up stairs.

Later that day we sat in the room of the woman that rented the extra room, a middle aged lace maker. I cannot remember her name; though she was the closest thing we ever had to a mother. Her father was a slave before the war; she never told us anything else about her. She had the kindest eyes I ever did see. She would sit on a rug on the floor with us braiding our red hair with her overworked fingers. We told her of the events of that mourning. Hermione asked her in a soft voice what an incurable was.

The Lace Maker sighed and replied, “It means that there is something wrong with you that cannot be fixed.”

“But why,” asked the innocent little me, “There is nothing wrong with us.”

“Oh child,” she said looking me in the eye. “Of course there isn’t. If that doctor knows what is good for him, he’ll go back to New York and leave you be.

Then she stood up and got something out of dresser, and we learned something else about our replacement mother. She handed us two white dresses, sown together. They went down to our ankles and wear covered in her hand made lace. She gave Hermione a black bonnet, and me a straw hat. “You don’t have a proper church dress,” she said in a way of explanation for her actions, though she knew very well we never went to church. She sent us away with tears in her eyes.

That night we readied ourselves for bed, as our Grandfather was passed out on the floor. We brushed each others hair and washed our faces. As we climbed into bed we came to realize something. We were our replacement mother’s replacement children.

It was at this point that Hermione learned of her love to make up stories and I stopped sleeping at night. Lazy hot summer evenings were spent with Hermione making up stories about The Lace Makers children. We called them the little lost girls. As summer melted into fall, she grew unhappy with just telling the stories, she wanted to write them. Grandfather thought buying an empty book was a waste of money.

[DrusillaDarling]

That fall brought bigger issues to our life than we had ever had before. Grandfather became sick. I never knew what he had, but it was not something good to have at his age. He died in mid October. Hermione never cried so hard in her life as the morning we woke up and found our dear Grandfather dead. I did not cry I couldn’t feel anything except fear.

I don’t remember much of what happened next. I remember candles and tears. The Lace Maker had to find a new place to live. I didn’t know what would happen to us. We were as good as orphans now.

There was a funeral for Grandfather; it was the only time I ever willingly went to church. He was buried next to his wife. Our father came to pay his respects. He didn’t talk to us, or even look at us. He stood in the corner of the room, back at the tavern for the wake, talking to someone. His shoulders were scrunched up and he kept looking around as if he was guilty of something.

Hermione and I sat on two barstools playing cat’s cradle. The Lace Maker gave us a hand knit doll to remember her by. “I’m sorry I have to leave so soon,” she said as she hugged us. “My train is leaving awful soon.” We didn’t think to ask where she was going; sometimes I think she didn’t even know herself. Soon after we saw our father leaving as well. We looked back to the corner of the room he had been standing, trying to find out whom he had been talking to for so long. Hermione and I recognized him right away. Looking at us with a smile wider than one of a giggling school boy was one Doctor Wolfgang Cain.

end


so. love it? hate it? what could i have done better? any thoughts? leave a comment

Zoe

[DrusillaDarling]

anyone......

[Tracey]

i really enjoyed it, maybe a bit more fleshing out though? Surely in a life of isolation from the outside world would have left them feeling something other than apathy.
Other than that it was incredible, i look forward to more installments

[DrusillaDarling]

Originally Posted by Tracey

i really enjoyed it, maybe a bit more fleshing out though? Surely in a life of isolation from the outside world would have left them feeling something other than apathy.
Other than that it was incredible, i look forward to more installments

thank you for the feedback!
i'll see what i can do about fleshing it out more
i'm nearly done with the next part so that should be up soon

[Musical Nightmare]

That was a really good story! I really liked it... Please put up your next part soon! I would love to read it.