DAWSON EVERLASTING
Chapter One
April, 1912
Treegap, Ohio
It was a bright, clear day in
Treegap, Ohio. The kind of day that makes one just want to be outside and
become one with nature. And that’s exactly what seventeen-year-old Rose DeWitt
Bukater was trying to do. Her green eyes sparkled with delight as she daydreamed
about a life full of love, freedom, and adventure. Things her life greatly
lacked at the moment.
The DeWitt Bukater family was an
extremely rich family. They owned most of the town and the forest surrounding
it. Their mansion was on the outskirts, right at the entrance to the woods. The
woods that were forbidden to Rose…just like everything else that was fun and
adventurous. Nonetheless, forbidden or not, they beckoned to the
seventeen-year-old, just as the witch beckoned to Snow White to eat the apple,
promising to make all her dreams come to life. To free her from the confines of
her pampered and sheltered life that she was so tired of. But she didn't dare
leave the confines of her yard. Her mother would kill her.
"Rose! Rose! It’s time for
tea! Come in this instant!" Ruth DeWitt Bukater’s voice interrupted the
silence of the afternoon.
Rose sat up, her daydreams now
over. Sitting in the parlor with her mother and her boring friend, Rachel
Rothes, was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had no choice. It was her
duty as a proper first class girl. Taking one last glance at the woods, she
went inside, longing for the freedom the forest had to offer.
*****
Mae Dawson stood outside the
train station, waiting for her two sons, Miles and Jack, to arrive from their
trip to Paris. It had been ten long years since she saw them last, and finally
they were coming home.
"Ma!" A jubilant shout
rang out through the station. Mae glanced up to see a blonde-haired boy happily
waving as an older man stepped up beside him.
"Boys!" Mae ran to meet
her sons, Jack and Miles. Jack, the youngest and most cheerful, threw his arms
around her, happy to be home. Miles, who was two years older than Jack and a
lot more subdued, just stood a few inches away and watched the reunion.
"Oh, it’s so good to have you home!"
"It’s good to be home."
Jack held up his portfolio, his eyes sparkling with pride. "I made you
some sketches of Paris. Do you want to see them?"
"That can wait ‘til we get
home, Jack. There’s more important things that we have to discuss. More
important than those cartoons of yours."
"They’re not cartoons."
Jack glared at his brother. "You’re just being rude."
"Boys, stop. Let’s not
fight. This is your first night home. Let’s make it a nice, quiet one. Jack,
you can show me your drawings later. Miles, we’ll discuss this business of
yours when we get to the cabin."
"Yes, Ma," both boys
said in unison, following their mother back to the cabin.