FITCH MANSION
With the arrival of evening, the
July sun has weakened from its afternoon fury, but the air still carries
traces of today's 80 degree-plus weather. And as Katherine
approaches the
dusty shell of her longtime home, heat is the last thing of which she wants
to be reminded.
She shudders as she stops mere inches
before the yellow tape that is blocking off the remains of the house. Just
days ago, the mansion was beautiful, practically a museum of her adult
life. Sometimes she would spend afternoons just wandering from room to
room, taking in the carefully arranged art and furniture and photographs
that had accumulated over three decades. The house seemed almost without
boundaries on those days, as she would find thing after thing to pluck
a string of pride inside of her or draw her into a bittersweet memory.
It seems even bigger now, if that's
possible. Its skeleton is splayed out over the land, sullied by ash and
the offensive remains of the decor. Katherine is most horrified by the
glimpses of the mansion's former glory: Paintings and chairs and doorways
not ravaged completely by the blaze, resting among walls that she was never
intended to view from this perspective.
"My goodness," she says in a heavy
breath, raising a hand to her cheek.
"Do you want to go?"
Nick asks from
behind her. "I was worried this might be too much for you--"
"No, no," she says, her back still
to him as she stares into the destruction. "I--I need to do this. I needed
to see it."
"Thirty-three years," she mutters.
"Thirty-three years of life wiped out in one night." She feels a warm hand
come to rest on her shoulder and she reaches up to hold it.
"I can hardly imagine how devastating
this must be," Nick offers.
Katherine nods weakly. "It's unbelievable.
It's ... surreal." She continues to take in the devastation, but the sights
are growing no less painful to her eyes. "I want to know how this happened.
I hope they're able to find out what caused this."
Suddenly Nick is grateful they are
not facing one another, because he is certain that a flicker of terror
just danced over his face.
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