As We Draw Near the End

One summer afternoon Evan realized Ella was not her normal bright self, she seemed solemn. When he asked her what was wrong. she replied with the typical "Oh nothing." She stayed in this melancholy state for a week. So one evening during dinner he asked her again what was troubling her. Ella stared at the barely touched potato on her plate for a moment then answered "The other day, I looked at the calendar and saw that is is just over three weeks until the ring is suppose to work. So I have been thinking about what I should do." Evan was surprised that the day was so soon in coming, then he realized what Ella was saying, "What do you mean to do now, Ella?" Ella looked down at her potato again, poked it with her fork then said, like someone who has decided on doing what they know is the right thing. "I'm going to go back to my father's house. I was too quick to leave it. My stepmother was nervous and not sure of herself. I see now that I was wrong to leave as I did."

The following two weeks were a whirlwind of preparations getting the cottage ready for the bride and getting Ella ready to go back to her father's house. Early one morning Evan saw Ella off. She road on a coach which was headed towards her father's village.