Sweet Emily. A 150-word story based on real facts.

 

The wind whistled wildly through the moor, making the few squalid  trees shiver.

 

In the village, the whispers were soft. Groups of old women huddled together, not to be heard.

'They say she's always been crazy.'

'She has to be. Wandering around on her own like that.'

'She's never talked to me, but if she did, I'd run away.That beast of hers is scary.'

'Keeper, his name is.'

While this uncharitable conversation was taking place on one of the  cobbled streets, a family was mourning once again.

Emily drew her last breath as silently as she had lived. She had always 'walked invisible'.

What nobody knew on that inhospitable day, is that the young mind they so carelessly dismissed had given birth to a unique literary miracle. A  love so fervent that it jumped out of the page, grabbed readers by the throat and tore out their bleeding hearts.

Written by Maria Garcia

Notes:

Emily Brontë occupies a special place in the English literary canon. And rightly so: the incomparable Wuthering Heights is a novel that has bewitched us for almost 200 years, and the character of Heathcliff is seen by some as the ultimate romantic heroóand villain. But Emily herself remains an enigmatic figure, often portrayed as awkward, volatile, as a misanthrope, as "no normal being." That's the conventional wisdom on Emily as a person, but is it accurate, is it fair? 

I found this on Amazon a moment ago. Personally, and I have no reason to say this, just what I have read, I think Emily might have been autistic. No judgement here.

Reverend Patrick Bronte survived his wife and his six children, all of whom died extremely young. 

If you ever have the chance to go to Yorkshire, I recommend you go to Haworth and visit the Parsonage where the family used to live.

Keeper was the name of Emily's dog, a bullmastiff crossbreed.

Anne, Charlotte and Emily Bronte published under male names and it wasn't till after her sisters had died that Charlotte revealed the truth, although she didn't like the limelight herself either. She enjoyed being able 'to walk invisible'.

If you want to learn more about the Brontes, an easy start is The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef. It is a book for middle-graders, but it is packed with interesting information.

I consider the above post a mixture of fiction and non-fiction. It's for you to decide. Thanks for reading.