The dollhouse is a safe space.
It has been a safe space since its beginning and will always remain a safe space.
Some of the souls that found protection at the dollhouse during their physical life have
chosen to return here in their afterlife.
Octavia's journey to New Brighton broke her heart
and killed her mother.
Her time on the plantation was not a happy time but at least she had her mother and father, she thought. Memories of the flower fields flash by as tears fill her eyes.
The plantation and the family who lived there were horrible. Octavia slept with bugs. The thick, hot heat made it difficult to breathe and the swamp creatures terrified her.
She left one day with her mother.
Wearing her only dress and mismatched shoes, she climbed into a dark crate and prayed.
Mother said trust.
Trust every moment from now on and trust every stranger from now on for we are blessed.
Her mother climbed into another crate beside her.
Father stayed at the plantation.
Dirty socks.
Octavia could not keep her socks clean.
This bothered her more than having no food.
She has not seen water in a long while.
She wished to clean her socks.
The tears let loose streaming like rivers down her cheeks.
The strangers along the way tried to comfort her.
She did not feel blessed.
She felt damned.
Her mother was gone.
Mother's lifeless body, was buried in a shallow grave.
A small service was held by those who traveled with them.
No mother. No father. She found herself surrounded by unfamiliar faces wanting to protect her.
So she trusted. No one knew her and she knew no one as she arrived in New Brighton.
The tunnels were hot and dark and creepy. Octavia traveled them during the night. All throughout New Brighton, an intricate tunnel system linked the homes and businesses. Each stop had hidden rooms with fresh water, food, clothing and linens. They were safe places to rest.
Octavia's physical wounds were lovingly tended to. Her elbow was broken.
Cautious of this new town, she rarely spoke. Instead she nodded and hugged to communicate her appreciation at each stop.
Her last stop through the tunnels brought her to her new home, the dollhouse. Its beauty made Octavia's stomach queasy.
The dollhouse's architecture is a Georgian English Colonial. The style of this home was a popular build in the mid seventeen hundreds to the mid eighteen hundreds.
Octavia thought of the plantation and how it looked very similar to the dollhouse. Chills covered her body.
Octavia heard her mother's voice say trust.
In the great room, Octavia met her new family. Samuel spoke first, explaining the intention of the household and how she is free, but for now will be hidden and protected within the walls of the house.
When asked her name, she screeched out Octavia Rose. Rose was her mother's name.
Emily and Elizabeth took Octavia to her bedroom.
She would share a room with them.
She was surprised to find a beautiful, large bedroom with four wooden beds. Beautiful linens and fancy furniture decorated the room. Octavia found herself in a room for princesses. Two large windows with lace and satin drapes let the sunshine in. It hurt her eyes. It had been so long since she had seen daylight.
On her bed, she found a doll that looked like her, three pajama dresses and five dresses with matching hair ribbons. Three pairs of shoes, too!
Elizabeth and Emily showed Octavia around the room. A large fireplace warmed the room.
This was her new life.
She missed her mother and her father.
In that moment, she missed her life at the plantation. But her mother's words allowed her to open up to her new sisters and trust.
That first night, Emily rebraided Octavia's hair, explaining her journey to New Brighton. She came from a similar world and she was happy here, easing Octavia's worries.
Before bed, Octavia lifted up a floorboard under her bed and hid her few belongings from her journey, including her stained socks.
The sound of the trains screamed through the night as the full moon lit up the sky.
Emily and Elizabeth stayed awake the entire night, so Octavia would feel safe enough to go to sleep.
The next morning, Octavia ate breakfast at the same table as the entire household. Every meal was eaten together at a long wooden table with big chairs. Her new family included a mother and father and siblings and an entire household filled with loving staff.
Everyone works together here. They all farm the land together and tend to the house together. They sing and dance and play games together each evening.
That following May, Octavia's ninth birthday came and her family baked her the biggest chocolate cake.
They threw her a party! They sang songs to her around the piano and gave her fancy gifts. She loved them,
but the pain still lingered. Elizabeth and Emily always saw the pain in her eyes, while Hugh and William always felt her pain in their hearts. They protected her fiercely!
Octavia was always tormented by the death of her mother, and spent her life wondering why she lived and her mother had not. So many thoughts about her father over the years. Had he escaped? She would daydream of being with them in the lavender fields as she would touch the rose wallpaper in her room.
Why did she live?
Was she blessed or damned?
As the years went on, Octavia took the role of maid in the dollhouse so no questions were asked to outsiders, as the war broke out. She enjoyed living with her family, experiencing a better life here in New Brighton.
After the war, Octavia fell in love, married and became a mother herself.
She lived a beautiful life with her husband and children.
But when she died, her soul returned to the dollhouse.
Octavia Rose continues to be protected here at the dollhouse for as long as she wishes to stay. Lavender and roses are in each room to honor her and her mother.
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