The thing is, the two cats in the house followed me from room to room, Pig scentmarking everything about an inch away from where I was touching. It was - I don't know. An affirmation.

And all wrong. Her house, not mine. And the stupid heedless fool, who had everything I wanted, didn't treasure anything except the status and the visibility. And somehow or other, she got to keep it all.

This challenge is just about as hard for me to deal with as I suspected it would be when I suggested it.

edit: sorry. This is really kicking my ass. But if I get some decent writing out of it, well...

It is smaller now. She is bigger. The rooms can't swallow her up anymore, but she doesn't need to hide. Every wall feels within her reach. No monsters lurk around corners, chasing her behind the furniture.

They are smaller now. She is bigger. She won't be running now, or failing to run, and bruising and crying instead. Her arms reach further than theirs, faster than theirs, stronger than theirs. She doesn't flinch at the sound of her own footsteps.

"Carol?" The cry is querulous.

"What?"

"The water ... you said we could have water."

"For Christ's sake, mother, I'm coming."

ita just gave me grave-cold chills. Personal issues.

Ditto, but not personal issues - ita, you just brought back (in entirely different language) one of the bases of Jackson's "Haunting of Hill House", Eleanor with her invalid needy demanding mother, draining Eleanor's life away, making Eleanor susceptible...

Damn. Nice, nice, whoa and nice.

Wow, ita.

Limps into the thread after three days with no Internet connection (shakes fist at Comcast), with lots of catching up to do.

I swear, being suddenly Internet-less is like going cold turkey, with only slightly less shuddering and heaving.

So much to read! And new drabbles to do...

I just wrote about 700 words on "Cruel Sister", and am still working.

Nice to be able to focus, at all.

And shall be begging my usual beta readers later today, hopefully.

OK, request for help time, not yet beta-reading:

I've just reached a point in writing Cruel Sister where Ringan, dreaming, is seeing the murder of one sister by another. The historical scenario: the girls are of very good family, visiting the Palace of Placentia (or Pleasaunce) in Greenwich, for Henry VIII's wedding to Anne of Cleves.

What would the normal daywear be for teenaged girls of good family, visiting the royal court? The girls are sororal twins, not identical, aged nuble and just about old enough to marry in those days, say about 15-16.

And would their hair be up, or down, normally? I know flowing hair was the sign of a spinster, but did that apply to teenaged girls?

Hair would be down, I'm thinking. Elizabeth herself is sometimes shown with her hair down since, officially, she was a virgin.

I'm guessing you've checked places for basic clothing appearance. At court during the daytime, I'm thinking more ornamentation than a prosperous merchant's wife but not the profusion you see in Elizabeth's formal portraits. The stunning gowns would be reserved for the wedding itself.

Thanks, connie. I've looked at my source books and also checked some of the online sources. One of the problems I'm having is the colour schemes for the fabric. They're unmarried, gently-born Scots, there as part of the king's wedding party but it's days before the wedding. What was considered appropriate colours for girls under those circs? I don't just want to toss out kirtles and overskirts and whatnot with no backup.

The girls, BTW, have just clarified their names for me. As soon as I realised they had to be twins, they named themselves: Margaret and Cecily.