April Entry - A Tale of Two Cities

         

A Tale of Two Cities

                   
Dearest Diary: It is with great expectations that I write this today. I received a letter from mama regarding sister Daffnee's upcoming marriage to Mr. Twist. I have not personally met him. I hear he came from an orphanage. How droll.

The reason for mama's letter was to get my approval of the wedding's location. Being the elder male, it is my responsibility to determine the suitable location. Two cities come to mind: Green Mountain, a scenic sounding pasture town surrounded by rolling hills and mountains, and Gladbrook, a quaint sounding hamlet for a joyous ceremony. I must do more research on both as I have only heard about each in the local tavern.

Dearest Diary: Today, I embarked on a sojourn to Green Mountain to survey their locale and amenities. Much more later, I am sure.

Dearest Diary: To say I am disappointed is an understatement. This town is surrounded by farmland and trees. Please don't misunderstand me, diary, the scene is attractive for a landscape painting; however, for the wedding I have pictured, it is severely lacking. The high point of the town, and I do not jest, is the town privy located in the exact center of the town right next to the town well. There are ten pubs in a town with that one privy.

The cemetery, located adjacent to the town, is in finer condition then the town itself. The graves are all taken well care of and the stones seem to be in good repair. I momentarily had the morbid thought of having the wedding amongst the plots, but sister would never speak to me again.

I am hoping Gladbrook is a better location.

Dearest Diary: The train will soon be at the next stop and then a short carriage ride to my destination, Gladbrook. I must say, my mood lightened considerably when I left Green Mountain. That is a place I would never wish to traverse again.

Dear Diary: Another failure! There was no brook. In fact, there was no water anywhere. This city was in the middle of a small desert. From what I gleaned from the locals, over fifty years ago, there once was an oasis with a substantial size pond of fresh water. Three men found it, claimed it, and built this town around it and started to charge everyone lots of money to use their hotels, eat their food, and especially drink their water. The well went dry and so did all their businesses'. The only thing open is a tavern, and it doesn't even sell water. I was robbed three times while there by the same gentleman who, I don't believe, remembered robbing me prior.

Diary: I shared my tale of two cities with mama and Daffnee. I advised them of the poor luck I had and of the disturbing locations I found. I then sent Daffnee the funds to elope and pick her own destination.

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