The Story So Far In The Beginning Novels & Stories

It wasn’t the ending of our story. It was the beginning of a different one. And for now… That was enough.

Predictably, she snatched it up as soon as she settled into a sofa and began munching. “This is really good,” she said with a nod. “Now speak.” Slowly, I took the seat across from hers, and began to wrack my brains on where to begin. So much had happened in the last couple of weeks that it was hard to even pick out a starting point. In the end, I chose to start from the beginning, and so I told her everything starting from the night of my escape. Anya did not interrupt me. Even when she finished her sandwich, she simply dusted the crumbs off her fingers into the plate and sat back to listen with rapt attention.

And that was our story. *** THE END ***

She refuses to let any of us go there, though every time it came up, she'd give me a look—something between dread and hope. I think she'd come to regret telling me her life story once she saw the changes in me over the years. Not that I've given away anything with my actions, I haven't, and maybe that's why she's grown afraid somewhat. We never talk about it, not since that first week when she sprung it on me.

Everything was moving in a beautiful direction, and their story continued to unfold day by day. ***END***

Conrad barked in the yard, "Shirley, I think you've gone insane! I'm here trying to warn you—Horace is just a useless man! If you know what's good for you, you'd better find a way to break off the engagement. Otherwise, you'll regret it!" I couldn't be bothered to raise an eyebrow at him. I just slowly opened my WhatsApp. [When do we make the next move?] My current teammate was clearly more proactive than the one outside. I typed, [No rush. Let's watch the show unfold.]

I don’t think so. And this was how our real story begins.

From the particular alertness of someone standing at the edge of something that was about to change shape permanently. Tomorrow we'll tell the truth. The whole thing, from the beginning. And the beginning, I realized, was the least interesting part of the story.

My future had just begun. To be continued...

With the family they had already begun… and the ones still waiting to come. ****tbc****