I haven't done Character Letters for quite some time, and I thought I should perhaps do one now.
A bit of backstory:
Ina is a character in my newest Novel, "State Of Mind". The novel is set somewhere in the 1800s. She is insane, and is currently housed at Red Hill Insane Asylum after the murder of her family. While there was no sound proof that she committed the act, the fact that she was mentally unstable was evident, and so admitted she was. Her Aunt, Ruth Trotwood, had been trying to get Ina into an asylum for years so that the family inheritance would pass to her and her husband, and she eventually succeeded, but with her own death as well. While at Red Hill, Ina meets Gardner, another inmate, who has been there for fifteen years without any signs of getting 'better'. He takes her under his wing, and well...the rest is a jumbled mess of sweetness, danger, and running aways.
Hello Aunt Ruth-
Here I am, in an asylum, are you happy? Oh, of course, what a silly thing to ask a corpse. You wanted me here so you could own everything, thats the problem with riches, isn't it? They don't make you happy, they either make you dead or a killer. Well, despite your desire for me to live out my life in insane grief, I am rather happy. Happier than you, with your head severed from your body and rotting in a box under a thin layer of dirt.
I met someone, his name is Gardner, now lest you laugh, for laughing doesn't become corpses, I know how odd it is to 'meet someone' in an asylum. In fact, our account of meeting is quite hilarious, if I spend time to think on it. Which, I do. I think on the moment he knelt next to me, and smiled, he is always smiling, you see, and the moment I realized he was the most brilliant person I had ever met.
We were both wearing straight jackets, what a lovely pair we were. And I was a filthy mess, having spent the night screaming and crying, you see. And he came up to me, and
knelt, and just smiled.
Remember that character in that book, Alice in Wonderland? Remember the Chesire Cat, how he was always a-grinning? I suppose thats how Gardner is. He smiles even when he is sad, and is like a cheery light in this dark place. I suppose I am perhaps Alice, as it seems I have taken quite a tumble down a rabbit hole. Though, I am sorely disappointed if this is Wonderland.
I talk to him, Gardner, I mean, and he understands, we are both thinkers of insane thoughts.
I told him about what I had done, and all he did was shrug, and told me that "We all have our pasts, its just up to us to make our futures better"
Isn't he genius?
Oh look at me, asking a dead woman such things. A dead woman who hated me, at that.
I just thought I'd let you know, I am not broken like you wanted me to be, I am very much happy and whole.
which is more than you can say.
-Your Niece, Ina Roydson.
A bit of backstory:
Ina is a character in my newest Novel, "State Of Mind". The novel is set somewhere in the 1800s. She is insane, and is currently housed at Red Hill Insane Asylum after the murder of her family. While there was no sound proof that she committed the act, the fact that she was mentally unstable was evident, and so admitted she was. Her Aunt, Ruth Trotwood, had been trying to get Ina into an asylum for years so that the family inheritance would pass to her and her husband, and she eventually succeeded, but with her own death as well. While at Red Hill, Ina meets Gardner, another inmate, who has been there for fifteen years without any signs of getting 'better'. He takes her under his wing, and well...the rest is a jumbled mess of sweetness, danger, and running aways.
And happy endings.
Always happy endings.
Hello Aunt Ruth-
Here I am, in an asylum, are you happy? Oh, of course, what a silly thing to ask a corpse. You wanted me here so you could own everything, thats the problem with riches, isn't it? They don't make you happy, they either make you dead or a killer. Well, despite your desire for me to live out my life in insane grief, I am rather happy. Happier than you, with your head severed from your body and rotting in a box under a thin layer of dirt.
I met someone, his name is Gardner, now lest you laugh, for laughing doesn't become corpses, I know how odd it is to 'meet someone' in an asylum. In fact, our account of meeting is quite hilarious, if I spend time to think on it. Which, I do. I think on the moment he knelt next to me, and smiled, he is always smiling, you see, and the moment I realized he was the most brilliant person I had ever met.
We were both wearing straight jackets, what a lovely pair we were. And I was a filthy mess, having spent the night screaming and crying, you see. And he came up to me, and
knelt, and just smiled.
Remember that character in that book, Alice in Wonderland? Remember the Chesire Cat, how he was always a-grinning? I suppose thats how Gardner is. He smiles even when he is sad, and is like a cheery light in this dark place. I suppose I am perhaps Alice, as it seems I have taken quite a tumble down a rabbit hole. Though, I am sorely disappointed if this is Wonderland.
I talk to him, Gardner, I mean, and he understands, we are both thinkers of insane thoughts.
I told him about what I had done, and all he did was shrug, and told me that "We all have our pasts, its just up to us to make our futures better"
Isn't he genius?
Oh look at me, asking a dead woman such things. A dead woman who hated me, at that.
I just thought I'd let you know, I am not broken like you wanted me to be, I am very much happy and whole.
which is more than you can say.
-Your Niece, Ina Roydson.
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad."
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, or you wouldn’t have come here.”
-Lewis Carroll
This new book you are working on sounds terrifyingly fantastic. I cannot wait to read the finished product.
ReplyDeleteOh, and hey, when you get published, I'm going to every single one of your book signings, and I'll own copies of everything. In tenfold. ;)
Love,
Grace
Zounds. I must have it.
ReplyDelete