TWO SISTERS
Once upon a time, there are two sisters. The elder, Charlotte, is a real beautysuccessful and wealthy. The younger, Milly, is a hopeless alcoholic. Beauty isnt up for discussion by now; at thirty-two, Milly looks more like a weathered old woman. Gaunt and frail, her face is swollen and mottled to the point her eyes are nearly hidden, and her lifeless hair, unwashed and unbrushed for ages, sticks out in untidy tufts.
No one can blame Charlotteshes spent plenty of time and money trying to pull her sister out of alcoholism: private clinics, spiritual healers, even sessions with local wise womeneverything she could think of, all to no avail. She bought Milly a cosy little flat, but put it in her own name so Milly wouldnt trade it for a bottle. Six months later, all that remained of the furniture was a filthy mattress, and this is where Charlotte finds her dying sister when she comes to say farewell before moving abroad for good. By then, Milly cant even speakshe barely cracks her eyelids, just enough to see a vague silhouette against the dirty, long-unwashed window.
Empty bottles litter the floor. The local drunks have been generous, keeping Milly supplied. Charlotte simply cannot abandon her sisterhow could she live with herself? Her conscience wouldnt let her. For her own peace of mind, she decides to take Milly to their aunts cottage in the countryside. The sisters hardly know Aunt Olive, their late mothers sistershe only ever visited years ago, bringing homemade jams, fragrant apples, and dried mushrooms from her garden.
Charlotte only remembers the name of the villageLittle Willow. She reasons that Aunt Olive must still be alive; no one invited them to a funeral. With the help of a friend, they wrap Milly in a blanket, stretch her across the back seat, and set off. The village turns out to be tinyjust four homes. Aunt Olives cottage isnt hard to find. They lay Milly on the aunts bed, and Charlotte puts an envelope of notesabout a thousand poundson the table: Shes dying, Aunt Olive, and I have to go. This is for her burialso I can find her grave, at least, if I ever come back. She also hands over the key to Millys flat. Theres no one else to give it to. Charlotte refuses tea and leaves.
Aunt Olive, a sprightly 68-year-old widow, unwraps Milly and finds shes still breathing, barely. She sets the kettle on. While it boils, she stuffs a thermos with dried herbs from linen sacks and adds berries before pouring in the water, tightening the lid for good measure. For three days, she doses Milly every half-hour, even through the night, with honeyed herbal infusions, trickling each spoonful past her lips.
On the fourth day, she adds fresh goats milk from her own Matilda to the regimenstill spoon-fed. Later come vegetable broths and homemade chicken soup. Aunt Olive only has seven hens, but she doesnt hesitate to cull two for nourishing Milly. Its nearly a month before Milly can sit up unaided.
With winter deepening, Aunt Olive wraps Milly in a shawl and blanket, then trundles her to the local bathhouse on a sledge. There, she washes Milly with healing herbal infusions, massaging the scents of summer into her hair until it shines. Gradually, Olive pours all her pent-up love and care into her niece, bringing her back from the brink.
No pricey clinic or healer could save Milly, but her aunt did. Milly recovers. The sweet, clover-scented milk, the tender omelettes from Olives hensMilly grows stronger. Her hair, silky and glossy, and a rosy flush returns to her cheeks. It turns out Milly is beautiful, with striking blue eyes. She starts lending Aunt Olive a hand about the house, and soon, out in the byre: learning how to milk Matilda and gathering fresh eggs every sunrise. Their meals are simple, nearly everything grown from their own garden.
Milly doesnt yearn for her old life; she loves these unhurried days. She watches the sun rise, notices white clouds skipping across the sky, catches the first blossoms in spring. A duck appears by the river, leading her ducklings, and Milly takes to feeding them bits of bread.
Then she discovers a new talent. Aunt Olive teaches her to crochetMilly begins with doilies, but after a trip to town to buy a rainbow of yarn, shes soon crafting large, soft shawls in intricate patterns. Orders pour in for these one-of-a-kind wraps, and Milly finds herself earning good money.
Three years on, the beautiful Milly uses her savingstogether with Aunt Olives nest egg and the proceeds from selling her sought-after shawlsto move them both from remote Little Willow to a quiet seaside town. They buy a small, snug home with a little garden. In the mornings, Matildaher transport by special van a generous gift from Charlotteplucks an apple from the lower branches for her breakfast and gazes contemplatively at the sea. And there, just beyond the gentle surf, swim the two women she loves most dearly.
And the most wonderful part of all? This story is true.
