Past Regrets: Part 1

Her amber eyes inched open allowing piercing rays of sunlight to alert the young French girl’s senses.  Adrienne stretched out her limbs and in result, her blanket fell to the wooden floor.  She swung her legs over the bedframe and pointed her toes as she lifted herself from sleeping position.  The white nightgown laced around her ankles brushed back and forth as she made her way across her room and through the house.  The house itself was nothing incredibly special and was a bit run down.  But Adrienne couldn't ask for a better one.  On the outskirts of the village, her tiny house with a big yard stood proudly.  She was particularly proud of her garden.  Though considerably small, it grew a lot of produce that helped benefit the village. She did everything she could to help the people who lived here.  Everyone was like a closely woven family, it was a wonderful community.  And to help keep that in check and even contribute, she helped with basic necessities.  Every two days or so Adrienne would take some of her produce from the garden and make a round trip through the houses and shops, dropping off what each individual needed.  

Today was one of those pre scheduled days.  She promptly changed into more appropriate attire and shoes.  Soft, brown flats that barely covered the top of her foot and a simple green dress.  Her long, caramel hair was promptly brushed out by her fingers and pulled back into a quick braid.  She passed by the kitchen only stopping to grab the basket she had prepared the previous night.  She didn’t eat breakfast, she usually didn’t.  Unlike most of her acquaintances it was rare that Adrienne was hungry after she woke up.    

Adrienne was happy to see a few clouds in the sky and feel a cool breeze whip her hair back.  This usually meant that a storm was likely to come.  And with a storm came rain.  She hoped that it wouldn't be too hard of a downpour, but she wanted some moisture for her plants.  It was a considerably dry summer and it would benefit her greatly.  The trail into the village was made of cobblestone.  When one followed it, they were lead straight into the main street.  There were multiple different shops, stalls, and products displayed.  It would attract tourists if it wasn't so hidden.  

The villagers had not intended for their village to be overlooked, but it had served for protection during the war.  Many people had fled the main areas of France during German invasions, Adrienne being one of them.  But their small little homes were seen as so insignificant, they weren’t even worth burning down.  There was nothing here for the Nazi’s so they rarely came.  If and when they did, they didn't stay for more then a day.  Maybe it was this way since the village was simply, The Village.  As much as Adrienne would like to name her home, there was no official label of the location.  And the residents were fine with that.  

It seemed it wasn't only Adrienne who thought it was a beautiful day.  Children ran past her with handmade toys in their clutches.  She laughed.  From her experiences as a child, she knew that they were no longer in this world and somewhere far away that no one else could reach.  A child's imagination was a powerful thing one that someone should never take lightly.  

“Bonjour, comment allez-vous?” A warm voice asked for her wellbeing.

Adrienne turned to meet the electric green eyes of her best friend.  Bella Janson, a beautiful Belgian woman that had crossed the border for unclear reasons.  Her curly blonde hair fell around her shoulders.  Adrienne was sure that if she were to straighten it the locks would be longer then her own, reaching down past her lower back.  

“Feeling French today?” Adrienne asked

“A bit.  Are you feeling English?” She replied wistfully

“It’s strange not to talk to you in English.  You usually avoid French.”

“I suppose.”

“I wish that you would reveal your reasons.”

“No thanks.  Anyway, why don’t you answer the question?”

Adrienne put on a silly smile and walked in sequence with her friend, “Fantastique.”

Bella grinned in response to the vague answer.  There wasn't ever much time that Adrienne wasn’t in a good mood.  After a month or so of residing here, she had adapted to a normal living style.  It was when she first moved to the village that she had a problem.  She had always carried a high and mighty attitude and rarely talked to others.  There was something that made her snap and go through a mood swing.  But she had soon calmed down afterwards.  Not even Bella, her sister and friend figure, could determine what had happened.  But no one complained.   Afterall she was pleasant to be around.   As she continued to reflect, Adrienne’s basket caught her eye.

“What do you have for me?” Bella asked

“Who says I have anything for you?” She questioned

“You always do.”

“Well, you’re wrong.  But I do have some wheat for Over De Grens.”

Bella pouted, “We’ll just wait until we get there then.”

Over De Grens was a bakery that Bella and her fiance, Paul, owned together.  It had only been two months since they had gotten engaged.  It was the point of conversation everywhere.  Paul had left his family and moved in with Bella since she had been previously been living independently.  They now worked there together and it was very successful.  The name itself was a clever play on her situation.  Over The Border.

The bakery soon came into view.  The wooden building was polished to bring out its natural color, it was one of the better looking buildings in the area.  Bella opened the door for Adrienne and they both stepped inside.  The aroma of fresh baked bread crept silently into their noses.  

“Paul, we’re back.” Bella sang

“I was never here in the first place.” Adrienne argued

“Hush, that doesn’t matter.”

The stairs that were located in the back of the bakery soon had a pair of boots running down them.  Messy brown hair lazily covered curious hazel eyes.  Said eyes lit up when they laid upon Bella.  Paul came fully into view and rushed to his fiance.  They embraced for a short amount of time.  Adrienne couldn’t help but smile at the sight of fresh and exciting love.  It was a sight that wasn’t seen to often during the war.  The young couple soon separated and Paul kissed Adrienne on the cheek as a gesture of goodwill.

“And how are you?” He asked

“I’m doing just fine, how do you fare?” She responded

“I was a bit lonely,” He stole a glance at the Belgian girl, “but I’m better now.”

He went back to teasing Bella who not only took it, but also dished it back out in a playful manner.  Adrienne set her basket down and folded through the many different produce items.  After finding the two bundles of wheat she pulled them out and laid them on the wooden counter.  An arm rested over her shoulder and wrapped around her neck.  

“You’re always so helpful.” Bella explained, “We really appreciate it.”

“I’ve told you many times that it’s not an inconvenience.  I like doing it.” She replied, “I might as well help provide for everyone since I live here.”

“I like that way of thinking.” Paul interviened, “But today we have a little thank you gift.”

“Really?  But I just said that it was fine.  In fact, I say that every time.” Adrienne countered

Paul ignored her and went behind the counter to grab something.  The young French girl turned to her friend who held a grateful and giving smile on her face.  Adrienne shyly returned it.  If they really insisted on giving her something in return for her wheat, it would be rude to turn it down.  Besides, she couldn’t help but feel excited.  The last gift she had gotten was a music box from her mother in her younger years that now sat on the mantel of her main fireplace.  

“Here it is!” Paul announced

He walked back out from behind the counter with a small cloth pack in his hand.  The fabric looked smooth from a distance and rather high in price.  It wasn't likely that it was easy to get.  Paul handed her the bag and she carefully undid the strings.  What was inside brought a gleeful smile to her face.

“Seeds?” She clarified

Bella nodded, “Cucumber seeds.”

Adrienne could barely contain the excitement from leaking into her expression.  Her garden was very limited on what it held since the trade for the village had become very difficult.  This was an opportunity to add something new to her small bit of land.  Not to mention that she loved cucumbers.  Back in her hometown, the maids would always put them in her and her sisters salads.  Her mother hated them, but that didn’t stop the high amount of consumption from taking place.  Adrienne closed the seed bag and placed it in her basket.  

“Thank you so much.” She said, “It means a lot.”

“We better get some of those when the season comes, understand?” Bella asked

Adrienne nodded, “I have to go plant these now if I want them to grow this season.”

She waved to her friends and left the bakery.  But as much as she wanted to rush home immediately, she had one more stop before she could.  Not that it was an inconvenience, she still had the majority of the day to do what she pleased.  Adrienne walked with a bit of a skip in her step.  It may have been childlike happiness, but it was enough to keep her head up throughout the walk.  The village wasn’t particularly busy, but it wasn’t dead silent either.  As she passed through, she got multiple waves from people that she had associated with in the past.  

Besides Over De Grens, there was only one regular stop in Adrienne’s route.   And that was Claire DeGaulle.  The widow of a soldier that was killed in an attempt to protect the border between France and Germany.  Though his cause of death was never heard by anyone except for Claire herself, everyone in the village knew that it was horrific from the facial expression she wore around town for a month.  Personally, Adrienne was curious.  But her concern for the widow’s daughter kept her from asked in fear that she would snap under remembrance.  Poppy DeGaulle, a young girl at the age of six.  Unfortunately she is unable to experience a normal childhood.  Due to the low income and the very unlucky instance of her catching an illness, she is unable to recover and move outside of the house.  After Claire’s husband died, things took a turn for the worse.  And that’s when Adrienne came into the picture.  

The house soon came into view.  A window that granted a small peak into the attic had the curtain pulled to the side, informing Adrienne that Claire and Poppy were awake and functioning.  Since her husband's death, they had been unable to provide the income necessary for their old house.  They now lived above a bookshop where Claire also worked.  The owner of the shop was a kind older woman who was willing to help out at the time.  No one knows her full name and no one questions her past.  So everyone resorted to calling her Mamie Jane.  Adrienne opened the door and smiled at the cantabile bell chime that signalled her arrival.  Mamie Jane was no where in sight, probably in the back room, Claire was at the front desk.  

“Good morning Ms. Claire.” Adrienne greeted

She looked up from her busywork, “Good morning Adrienne, nice to see you so early in the morning.”

“I brought some carrots and leeks.”

“That’s so kind of you, I can make Poppy some soup with this.”

“Speaking of Poppy, where is she?”

Claire motioned to the back of the store where the staircase was hidden behind a curtain.  

“I’ll put the produce on your table.” Adrienne informed

She politely turned on her heel and made her way through the sea of books.  Most of the shelves were lined with dust and haven’t been touched by a human hand in years.  If Adrienne had any more time in her day then she normally did, she would help clean up.  But the store wasn’t her concern.  The villagers tended to treat the place more like a library then a store in the first place.  Since there wasn’t much trade, the village never got new books.  Most people have read all of the interesting pieces of literature by now and never came back.  It was almost sad that all of these books had been forgotten about, but that thought never lingered with Adrienne past the curtain.  

The stairs leading to the attic were well taken care of but it was obvious that they were constantly used from the center.  The paint and wood were chipped from the consistent and pattern like footsteps that always pointed in the same direction.  Adrienne stepped a bit to the left in attempt to give the steps a break.  She bounded up the stairs and into the attic.  A small room that consisted of two beds, a table, a desk, and a small couch.  It wasn’t much but it was enough.  Poppy had been in bed, staring at the pages of one of the tattered books from downstairs.  Her dirty blonde hair still managed to stick up in all directions despite her recent haircut that left it hanging by her ears.  She looked up with startled grey eyes, but they soon filled with joy when she realized there wasn’t an intruder and instead a friend.  

“Adrienne!” She cheered

Adrienne quickly made her way over to the bed that Poppy was laying on.  She sat on the side and playfully rubbed the young girl’s head in attempt to mess her hair up even more.  The six year old laughed in response, but it soon turned into a coughing fit.  Adrienne stopped at once.  

“How’s the asthma treating you?” She asked

Poppy finished up coughing, “Not so good.”

“Don’t worry, it will lighten up soon.”

“That’s what you and Mère always say.”

“So it must be true, right?”

Poppy looked down at her book with a saddened expression.  

“I guess.” She finished

Adrienne smiled at the girls acceptance and gazed over at the book she was reading.  The cover was brown with the exception of white lettering that laced the front of the hardcover.  She recognized that book, it held multiple small stories in it that represented her childhood.  But it probably did the same for multiple others, they were popular tales after all.

“How’s the book?” Adrienne asked

Poppy let a huge smile spread, “It’s great!”

“Really?  Do you want to read some to me?”

She nodded enthusiastically and opened the book once more.  Her mouth moved fluently with the words that escaped from her throat.  Her eyes told the story that she was reading, presenting many different emotions buried underneath grey.  Adrienne listened patiently as she continued.  She was happy that something so small could bring joy to the young child, especially taking in her situation.  Poppy had only a small taste of life.  She had only been able to dip her finger in a pool of sweet, soft semi-liquid surrounding the Crème Caramel.  She had yet to experience what she needed to.  Due to her asthma and low economy of the village and her family, she is constantly weak and unable to play with the other children.  And that was something that Adrienne wished upon no one.  Poppy looked up and closed her book, the last line of the story memorised and still rolling off of her tongue.  Adrienne brought her hands together and clapped lightly.

“That was lovely.” She complemented

“It’s my favorite.” Poppy responded

“It was mine too.”

Before the conversation could continued any further something hit the window that rested above her bed.  Poppy instantly flinched and covered her head from the sudden noise but Adrienne only stood up.  The window had not been broken or even cracked in that manner.  It was clear that whatever hit it had no ill intent.  

“Shh, it’s okay sweetie.” Adrienne comforted, “Nothing happened.”

As Poppy calmed back down, Adrienne looked out the window.  And to her surprise, someone stood beneath it with pebbles resting in their hands.  She squinted and waited for the person to look up at her.  They seemed incredible nervous and rushed, slightly bouncing on their toes and looking around impatiently.  She wasn’t sure why they were looking around, there was no one on the street.  After noticing that, Adrienne realized that something was wrong.  There was always someone on the streets, usually that included children.  After continuing to look over their shoulder, the person then looked up at the window again.  The green eyes pierced through the glass and sent Adrienne a message.  She left the window and sat down next to Poppy once more.  There had to be something going on, Bella rarely looked like that.  

“What’s wrong?” Poppy asked

“Nothing, but I have to leave now.” Adrienne did her best to be convincing.  

“Oh, okay.  Will you come back tomorrow?”

“Of course.  Have another story ready, I want to hear more.”

Poppy responded with a nod and a toothy grin.  Adrienne retrieved her basket and fled back down the stairs, this time not bothering to avoid the center of the steps.  As she weaved back through the maze of book shelves, Claire attempted to talk to her.

“Adrienne, what’s wrong?” She asked, concern laced her voice

“I have a friend waiting, that’s all.”

Claire wasn’t fooled, but made no further attempt to stop her.  Adrienne was aware of this and gave a smile as a thank you.  Bella met her outside the book shop.  Her expression displayed worry and her eyes held confusion.  The shoes that she had been wearing earlier were now tipped with dirt as was the bottom of her dress.  She had run here.  Adrienne put a hand on her shoulder and helped slow her breathing down.

“What’s wrong?” She asked

Bella looked up.  Still panting, she said desperately:

“They’re going to kill him.”