8. The View from Sailor's Peril

It was raining. It lashed at the windows of the carriage, obscuring the view of the outside. The wind howled.

“What a day.” Sarah remarked, not for the first time.

“Yes.” Eliza replied. The carriage rocked as it lurched over the bumpy road. Eliza nearly fell off her seat.

Sarah grabbed her arm and laughed. “Careful or you’ll be riding on the floor.”

Eliza didn’t say anything. It was just like Sarah to make light of things. It was what she always did, no matter how terrible the situation.

Sarah nudged her. “Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not.” Eliza huffed.

“Yes, you are.”

“Well I can’t help it. This is awful.” Eliza’s parents were sending her to a place they called a rest home. They thought something was wrong with her. It wasn’t true. She just thought different than the rest of her family.

Sarah patted her knee. “At least we can go together.”

Eliza knew she was right. She wasn’t alone. She and Sarah had been friends since before they could walk. They did everything together, shared every secret, and now, even at the worst of times Sarah was there for her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. I know it’s scary. But it will be all right.” Sarah said. “I told you, I’ve already written to them, I’ll have a room right next to yours.”

“I hope so.”

“It will be an adventure!” Sarah lowered the window of the carriage, rain splashed her face. “I think I can see it! Look.”

Eliza leaned towards the open window. It wasn’t easy to see anything through the storm, but there did appear to be a long dark roof in the distance. At one end were three circular towers. Her stomach soured. She turned away and stared at the handbag in her lap. “Father said it might only be for a few months.”

Sarah closed the window. “Maybe we won’t want to come back. Maybe this place will be better. Maybe they’ll understand you here.”

The carriage continued bouncing along for nearly an hour. Finally, it came to a stop. The driver opened the door. “We’re here.” he said gruffly.

Eliza supposed she couldn’t put it off any longer. She stepped out of the carriage and onto a muddy patch of ground. Sarah followed. The driver busied himself getting her trunk from the carriage roof.

“It’s lovely.” Sarah admired.

Eliza’s new home stood in front of her. Four stories high, painted white, and built on the rocky seashore. Behind her she could hear the waves rolling onto the shore.

A woman came towards her carrying a black umbrella. “You must be Eliza. We’ve been expecting you.”

Eliza timidly shook the woman’s hand. Her legs felt like jelly. She didn’t want to go into this place. She felt like she might never come back out. Sarah put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “This is my friend Sarah, my father told you she would be coming with me.”

The woman smiled. “Let’s get inside. I don’t know when we’ve had such a terrible day.”

They followed the woman into the massive building, dodging puddles as they went. Sarah was laughing as usual. They went through a pair of double doors into a foyer decorated in dark wood. An impressive staircase was nearby. A chandelier hung above them. Several other people mingled about, all dressed in white.

“There we are.” said the woman. She shook off her long black raincoat, underneath she was wearing a crisp white dress. She folded her umbrella and handed it and her coat to a young woman standing nearby. “I’m Mrs. Stenton.”

“This is a lovely place.” Sarah said. “And right on the ocean too. Can we go swimming?”

Mrs. Stenton smoothed the front of her dress. “Now, let me show you where you’ll be staying. One of the orderlies will bring up your things.”

They followed her up the staircase and down a long wood paneled hallway. The air smelled like the library at home. Eliza found it comforting, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. The hallway cut through the building like a maze. Eventually, Mrs. Stenton stopped at a door with three brass numbers on them, 156. Mrs. Stenton took a key from her pocket and opened the door. It swung open with a squeak.

“Here we are.” she said.

Eliza stepped into the room. The walls were painted blue. The curtains were white and filmy. Dominating the room was a canopy bed with a blue and white bedspread. A vanity and dresser were nearby. The wood floor was mostly covered with an oval shaped braided rug.

Sarah flopped onto the end of the bed. “This is nice.”

“I hope you’ll think of this as your home.” Mrs. Stenton told her. She put her hand on Eliza’s shoulder. “We are so happy to have you hear.”

“What about Sarah’s room?” Eliza asked. “We were told that she would have a room next to mine.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out.” Sarah said. She jumped up from the bed and looked out the window. “What a view.”

Eliza went to the window. The rain had let up a little, affording them a stunning vista of the ocean. A rocky outcropping jutted up from the water about half a mile offshore.

Mrs. Stenton came up beside Eliza. “The locals call that Sailor’s Peril. When the water is calm people swim out to it.”

“Let’s do that tomorrow.” Sarah said.

They heard a grunting noise coming from the hallway. Two men dressed in white uniforms came inside with Eliza’s trunk, along with the carriage driver.

“And here are your things.” Mrs. Stenton said. “I will let you get settled and then I’ll come get you for dinner, all right?”

“What about Sarah? She has to know where she is staying.” Eliza said. She took Sarah’s hand. “Can she stay in here with me tonight?”

Mrs. Stenton smiled. “Don’t worry about Sarah. We’ll take care of her later.”

“Who is Sarah?” the driver asked.

“My friend. The girl who came with me.” Eliza said.

The driver shook his head. “You came by yourself. What’s wrong with you?”

“Everyone out, now.” Mrs. Stenton said crossly. She looked at Eliza. “Get your things unpacked dear, I’ll be back in a little while.” She herded the men out of the room and then left herself, closing the door behind her.

“What did he mean? I came alone?” Eliza asked. “Why do people always ignore you?”

Sarah put her arm around her. “Don’t worry about them. They don’t know anything. I’m the only one you need to listen to. Let’s go swimming tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to.”

“I’m allowing it. Let’s go out to that rock.”

“Sailor’s Peril?”

“Yes.”

“And do what?”

Sarah smiled. “Whatever I say.”