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The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09 http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=5776

Author:	KathrynW [ Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:	The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
This is going to be relatively short and it's a bit of a strange and somewhat disturbing idea. It is a sort of crossover with something but if I tell you want it is then it will be really obvious what is going to happen although you are, obviously, free to guess although please put it in white or a PM or something. Saying that it is a bit obscure so I will be very impressed if anyone does get it. Should probably get back to some proper work now... ********** Hilda Annersley waited nervously in front of her car. The building that loomed in front of her looked just like any other country house with its long gravel drive and acres of well-maintained grounds. Only the bars on the windows hinted at anything more sinister. She checked her watch again. The doctor’s letter had told her to be here at 10 o’clock and it was now a little before quarter past. Normally the drive filled her heart with a sense of dread but this time she had felt the stirrings of hope that the worst was now behind them. Maybe this would prove to be another wasted journey. There was a stirring at the door and a nurse emerged in her crisp white uniform. For a moment Hilda thought the nurse was alone but then she caught sight of the woman behind her; as tall and dignified as Hilda remembered with her grey hair still showing streaks of copper. Nell Wilson seemed composed as she put her belongings into the car and shook hands with the nurse. She got into the passenger seat without a word as Hilda said a few words of thanks to the nurse. Hilda got into the car and smiled at the other woman. ‘Ready to go?’ she asked. The doctors had all agreed that Nell was ready to leave but this silent woman still bore so little resemblance to her friend that Hilda felt a sudden desire to beg the nurse not to let them leave. Hilda started the engine and slowly began to drive away. ‘Isn’t it a lovely day?’ Hilda said, forcing her voice not to shake. Nell murmured something that Hilda took as agreement as the car turned out of the drive and onto the road. Behind her, with a rusty creak, the gates to the asylum swung shut.

Author:	snowmaiden [ Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
Oooooooh!! Brilliant start Kathryn. And just a little bit creepy....look forward to more. ETA I have no idea what the crossover is!

Author:	Alison H [ Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
I haven't a clue either, but am intrigued .

Author:	Emma A [ Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
Alison H wrote: I haven't a clue either, but am intrigued . Me too... Wonder what happened to Nell?

Author:	Abi [ Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:31 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
Also have no idea, but definitely sinister .

Author:	Cath V-P [ Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:29 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
I wonder what happened to cause this atmosphere of suspicion and foreboding?

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:23 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
Haven't a clue with the crossover but am intrigued as to where this is going to

Author:	Tara [ Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:22 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
Just found this - more, more, please, please, can't wait to know what has happened/is going to happen.

Author:	KathrynW [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 6:43 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes
Yup, so I'm a bit rubbish at updating. Especially when it was already written and just sitting on my computer...I'm not entirely sure where the last six months have disappeared to! Just a short update but I will try and finish it soon... Edited because I realised there was a slight continuity error... ******* The previous day Hilda looked round the cottage. The pair had lived here ever since it had become increasingly obvious that Nell was no longer sane. There had been no fuss or controversy; the pair had simply left the Chalet School and retired here. Madge hadn’t wanted Hilda to leave but understood that she wouldn’t let Nell face her demons alone. There had been a number on incidents in the village. The Nell that Hilda remembered from those first years at the Chalet School had long gone, replaced with wild eyes and ravings. Eventually it had all become too much for Hilda. There had been a girl, the doctor’s receptionist, who Nell had taken against. Her body had been found floating in the stream that ran through the village. Everyone said it was an accident. But Hilda didn’t think so. After that, it was clear that Nell had to be sent away for her own safety. Hilda had continued to visit every week, the visits giving her life some structure. She had rattled around in the cottage by herself. For a while, the rest of the village shunned her as if she had been contaminated by her friend’s madness but eventually she began to make friends again. And now Nell was coming back.

Author:	PaulineS [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 6:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Hope Nell is now stable and Hilda is able to cope with her.

Author:	shazwales [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Thankyou.this is very moving.

Author:	Mia [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Ooh this is ace. Very creepy!

Author:	Sarah_G-G [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:35 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Ooh, this is feeling a bit gothic! Interesting though!

Author:	Alison H [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Interesting!

Author:	ChubbyMonkey [ Thu Aug 27, 2009 9:19 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Yay, it's back! That sounds very creepy - I hope Hilda can cope!

Author:	JB [ Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:08 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Intrigued to see what this is a cross over with (sorry, bad sentence). It's very creepy.

Author:	Cath V-P [ Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:46 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Mmm, I'm wondering about that accident....

Author:	Abi [ Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
How awful. Hope Nell is really ok to come home and that Hilda can cope. Still no idea what the crossover is, though!

Author:	Tara [ Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
. Poor Hilda and poor Nell, what a ghastly thing to have to cope with. I've no clue about the crossover, either.

Author:	jmc [ Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:17 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
Very intriguing. Looking forward to reading more.

Author:	KathrynW [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:52 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 27/08
There are probably only a couple of parts left of this now so it should be finished soonish! Thank you for all the comments ******* Hilda had kept up the chatter of conversation for the whole of the drive back to the cottage. Although Nell remained silent, Hilda took every slight movement of her friend as an encouragement to continue. To Hilda, it felt like the longest drive of her life and as she drove up the familiar lane to their home, she realised that she could not remember a single thing that she had said. Their cottage was small but comfortably furnished. The ground floor held a sitting room and dining room with a kitchen tucked in the back. Upstairs were the two bedrooms and bathroom. A girl came in once a week to help Hilda keep the place clean. Nell’s bedroom was at the front of the cottage. Before she left, she had spent hours sitting at the window watching the road outside, convinced that someone was spying on the house. While Nell had been away, Hilda had spent hours slowly walking round the room, touching Nell’s dear possessions. The picture of Cherry that sat by the bed. The model of an Austrian chalet on the dressing table. The low bookcase filled with scientific volumes. Had science been able to help Nell were Hilda’s friendship had failed?

Author:	Alison H [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09
Still intrigued!

Author:	Abi [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:18 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09
That's sad. Thanks Kathryn, hope Nell is better.

Author:	KathrynW [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:36 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09
Know that I've finished it I realised that to make it fit into parts more sensibly, it really needs this paragraph too so I've added another update. ******* The first night was the worst. Nell had gone to bed early, firmly shutting the door behind her. Sitting downstairs, Hilda had tried to concentrate on her book but all she could hear was the sound of Nell pacing the room above her. In the days after, however, they settled into some sort of a routine. Hilda would make Nell accompany her into the village and the women could often be seen taking walks through the countryside. Nell was quieter than before but gradually she seemed to relax and life seemed almost normal. How she had always hated that word, Hilda thought one day as the friends sat reading in the afternoon sunshine but now she couldn’t wish for anymore.

Author:	ChubbyMonkey [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 4:48 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09 x 2
Thanks - am intrigued to know the ending.

Author:	PaulineS [ Sat Sep 12, 2009 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09 x 2
Understand Hilda's feeling towards "normal" as applied to human beings. Hoping \Nell has been helped by her time aeay.

Author:	Tara [ Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:03 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09 x 2
I am holding my breath, waiting for something cataclysmic to happen - and hoping against hope that it doesn't! Thanks, Kathryn.

Author:	shazwales [ Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09 x 2
Thanks Kathryn,looking forward to the next bit (sort of) maybe not Taras cataclysmic but inspirational?

Author:	Cath V-P [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:57 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09 x 2
The tension is palpable - and how interesting that they have both spent hours in that front room.

Author:	KathrynW [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - updated 12/09 x 2
Finally, I've finished! The paragraph in italics was the inspiration for this short drabble and is where the crossover comes in. It is quite obscure though so I'll be impressed if anyone gets it! Apols for taking so long to finish what is a very short drabble! ****** Dr Morgan’s telephone rang just as he was leaving his house. Most of his patients knew his number although he often cursed this practice when some old biddy roused him from his bed in the middle of the night complaining of yet another imaginary illness. Momentarily he considered letting it ring but he picked up the receiver with a sigh. ‘Doctor? It’s Nell Wilson here. I need you to come to the cottage.’ In the six months since Nell had returned home, Dr Morgan had made a number of visits to the cottage, always at the request of Hilda on the pretence of some small problem. After each visit, as he was leaving, she would shake his hand and then ask quietly, ‘Does she seem well to you?’ and he would try to nod as reassuringly as possible. This however was the first time that Nell Wilson had summoned him and he felt suddenly anxious, agreeing to visit the cottage first on his rounds. Nell had been watching for him and she opened the door as he walked up the path. She smiled and showed him into the sitting room. ‘I was just having a cup of tea, would you like one?’ she asked brightly. ‘I do think there’s nothing like a cup of tea,’ Dr Morgan nodded and Nell poured a cup and handed it to him. ‘I’m using the good china today.’ They drank and chattered about inconsequential village matters as the doctor grew more and more curious as to why she had called him. Eventually however she put down her cup and stood up calmly, ‘And now I must take you upstairs because you will be angry with me at what I have done, and you will have to send for the police, I am afraid. I know that must happen. But you see, I was commanded to do this. I saw the Devil looking out of Hilda’s eyes. I saw the Devil there so I knew what I had to do. I knew I had to kill her’.

Author:	ChubbyMonkey [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 4:51 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Oh no! What a horrible ending - and completely unexpected, too. I don't know the crossover, sorry. Thankyou for a brilliant drabble.

Author:	clair [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Brilliantly written - was hoping it wouldn't end like that but almost sure it would. If you don't want to post the crossover yet PLEASE pm me with it as I know it and can't place it and it's driving me mad!!!!!

Author:	KathrynW [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Crossover in white below because it would be driving me mad too! It's a paragraph from 'Elephants Can Remember' by Agatha Christie. It's an anecdote that's mentioned when talking about insanity and as soon as I read the name was Hilda, I knew I had to write the fic! ETA - if you want to read it in one go without any yibble, it's on LJ here

Author:	JB [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:05 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
It's driving me mad, too. I know I've read and the book is probably upstairs. I think I know who the author is .... Thanks, Kathryn ETA - we posted at the same time. I thought so but couldn't guess the book.

Author:	KathrynW [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
JB wrote: ETA - we posted at the same time. I thought so but couldn't guess the book. I think the author is probably easier to guess than the book because I think the style is quite characteristic.

Author:	clair [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Thank you! Now I know I can't understand why it didn't hit me straight away - read the book often enough!

Author:	Abi [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:37 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
That was really chilling . Have only read a few Agatha Christies so didn't recognise the quote. Great story, though, Kathryn. Thanks!

Author:	PaulineS [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Thanks for a disturbing drabble.

Author:	Elder in Ontario [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:11 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Hm - I was afraid that's how it would end as soon as Nell made that phone call, but you certainly kept us in suspense. Please PM me the name of the crossover - can never pick up the items 'in white' on the board pages. Thank you.

Author:	Alison H [ Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Hadn't expected that!

Author:	shazwales [ Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Thank you,brilliant but compelling to the end.

Author:	Smile :) [ Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:35 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
Thank you kathryn.

Author:	Fiona Mc [ Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:42 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Devil in her Eyes - completed 13/09
I must admit I did wonder when I read someone had died suspiciously, whether Hilda would be next.

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