after mill valley
A little snippet of Ephraim and Ethel post Mill Valley. Ethel works as the head nurse in a small children's ward, and Ephraim has positioned himself as a psychiatrist in the same institution. Slice of life with a reference to Emma Fultz my beloved.
Author's note: Yes, I finally figured out how to save Emma from a life of perpetual torture and loneliness in Pennhurst. This plot hole has been bugging me for over a year, so I'm happy to finally begin to wrap it up.
Ephraim and Ethel might adopt her, honestly.
- Boston, MA, mid 1899 -
“Ephraim, have you seen my hairbrush?”
Ephraim pokes his head out of the bathroom door and peers across the hallway at Ethel. She’s still wearing her dressing gown, and she frantically searches through the clutter on her vanity in search of the hairbrush. He smiles to himself and sets down his comb, placing his hands on her shoulders as he peers down at the vanity.
Ethel huffs in frustration, having found nothing in the drawers. Ephraim gazes at her in the mirror, smiling as he watches her.
“You know, I could just buy a new one.”
Ethel turns around to look at him, her hair falling into her face. “No,” she says, brushing the stray hair aside. “I’ll find it, eventually. It’s alright.”
She smirks, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. “But I might borrow your comb in the meantime.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Ephraim’s voice is serious, but Ethel knows he’s joking. She smiles, raising an eyebrow as she looks at him. “Oh yes I would, Dr. Bellows. I might even steal your pomade too.”
“And what are you going to do with that?”
She shrugs. “I’ll hold it hostage, naturally.”
Ephraim rolls his eyes lovingly, turning towards the bed to grab his vest and jacket. “What do you think we’ll have to deal with today?”
Ethel arranges her hair into a bun, pinning it into place as she speaks. “I don’t know. Maybe a stubbed toe or spilled juice?” She smiles, happy to finally be dealing with simple problems, for once. Working in a children’s ward had its challenges, of course, but most days were simple and quiet, due in no small part to the fact that the ward currently held only 3 inhabitants, a fact that she was endlessly grateful for.
She had seen enough children suffering to last a lifetime. Spilled juice and stubbed toes were a happy respite.
“What about you?” She asks, standing from the vanity to put on her corset. “How has it been? I haven’t had a chance to ask.”
Ephraim adjusts his collar, staring at his reflection in the dresser mirror. “It’s been usual. I sent a letter to Alan three weeks ago, so hopefully he can send the transfer papers soon.”
“Oh, I hope so!” Ethel smiles, her eyes gleaming with hope. “After everything she’s been through…..”
Ephraim nods, thinking of the poor girl left to rot in Pennhurst.
This is your fault! You did this to her! You did this-
SHUT UP!
He shakes his head, willing the thoughts away. They’ve lessened considerably since he left Mill Valley, but occasionally they still cling to him, refusing to leave.
“I just hope that she’s alright. Well….as well as she can be, considering.”
Ethel nods. “I hope so too. She took it so hard, after Sarah-”
She stops herself nearly instantly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.”
Ephraim shakes his head, walking closer to Ethel. “No, it’s alright. You shouldn’t have to censor yourself for my sake.”
“I don’t want to upset you.”
“Don’t worry, I manage that just fine on my own.”
The air hangs thick between the two of them, until Ephraim pats his pockets and continues on with his day, as if he hadn’t just been stricken with images of the horrors he had inflicted, the nightmares that he had only just escaped.
Ethel swallows, watching him closely. She steps forward, taking his hand into her own, mirroring the night Sarah had been found. “I’m always here.” She says gently.
Ephraim nods, his eyes closed, his mind whirring. “I know.” He opens his eyes, smiling stiffly, forcing his demons away. “You’re too kind to me, you know?”
Ethel shakes her head, smiling fondly. “I’m not kind enough.” She counters, breathing deeply.
“You aren’t a bad man, Ephraim. You have a good heart. Don’t forget that.”
Ephraim would beg to differ, considering everything that he had done, but she seemed so sincere, so certain, that he didn’t dare defy her.
After a moment of silence, he settles for a simple “If you say so.”
She squeezes his hand before releasing it. “I do.”
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Would you be willing to tell us more about your ghost characters? I keep going back to your art about them lately, they seem so fun! ^_^
Oh heck yeah!! Perfect month for it actually lolol
So all of my (current) ghost ocs haunt a manor called the Fultz house. I donr have some of these details super solidifed, but for some reason, anyone who dies on the grounds of the Fultz House ends up stuck there. And over the time of the property changing hands, it finally lands in the hands of a buisness man that wants to captilize on the haunted nature and past of the house. He opens up a haunted tour, where people can come in and look around. The history has been a bit exaggerated and outright untrue to make it more interesting. The ghosts are relatively welcoming to the tourists, but won't hesitate to mess with them occasionally. Making things move and float ect. Orrrr...yknow :3c
pls excuse old art ajdjajaj
This is Cassandra Fultz, she was a part of the original family who made the manor. Shes been in the house for....probably a few centuries at this point. Since shes been there so long she has a lot of control of the house. You know the movie monster house? She can basically do that. Morphing the house around and distoring it if she wants. Which majority of the time shes a really sweet lady and super welcoming to vistors. Just behave yourself and mind your manners. Don't give her a reason to get mean and you'll be fine lol
This is Marie, she used to be a maid to one of the past owners. She hasn't...really gotten over the whole being dead thing. She's a very sad lady and keeps to herself for the most part. Except for Cassandra, they're ghost wives and love each other very much ;w; Cassandra helps her a lot through her worse episodes. There are moments where she's more social with the other ghosts and even cracks a smile. She even has a bit of a mischievous side during these times.
Glenn also used to work with another family as a gardner. Hes a bit of a himbo. Hes not very scholarly but he knows practically everything about plants. He has such a big heart and is an absolute softie. He loves helping people and often got roped into other duties around the manor. He was good friends with practically everyone on staff. Even as a ghost he still tends to the garden. It still looks as nice as it did when he was alive. He can also control some of the plants and make them move around. Perfect for spooks and tickles uwu
And lastly my personal fave of the bunch Shade!! They died around the late 1980's - early 1990's. So its a bit of a culture shock between them and all of the other ghosts. They're the most recent spirit in the house since not long after their death, it was sold for the haunted tours. They're definitely the most mischevious of the bunch. They love messing with tourists and paranormal investigators. The personification of >:3c is the best way to describe them lolol
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