Dubios Legacy, Generation One: Winter Chapter One

 

Generation One: Winter Dubois

 

 

Winter Dubois sighed as she surveyed the vast green land that was now hers. The last few weeks of her life had been a whirlwind. Winter dropped out of college after a horrible break up with her (now ex) boyfriend. After all she had given to him, he had the nerve to steal from her. Her spiral from the fall out had affected her grades and her mindset. She left college and tried to return home, but her family was not having it. In truth, Winter had always been a bit of a loser. She barely managed to graduate high school, never could hold a job for long, and was now a dropout. 

“You need to learn responsibility,” her father had raged. 

Her mother, a dreamer and eccentric, had a plan. They had inherited some land in Henford-on-Bagley, a quaint little village far, far away. Her mother’s great-aunt had left it to them, and the family had never really went out to look at it. Winter’s mother decided this would be the perfect opportunity, though Winter thought otherwise.

How would she, Winter Dubois, college dropout and all around failure, ever make it with the list her family gave her? She had to live off the land, start a venture of her own and stick to it, and find a way to thrive. If she was able to do all that, then maybe her family would take her back into their financially secure bosom and pamper her once more. 

“There’s no house,” Winter groaned. All that sat on the property was a run-down rest stop, a rusty grill, and a picnic table that had seen better days. A few bunnies merrily hopped over the green grass, oblivious to Winter’s world collapsing around her. There was barely $500 in her pocket, and nothing in her bank account. How could she live on so little?

“Fine,” she snarled. “I’ll figure this out. I just need to find a way to make money.” She turned and stormed all the way to town. Henford-on-Bagley was a beautiful place, full of rolling green hills, quaint little stone cottages, roving herds of sheep, ducks, and chickens, a small river that snaked its way through the town and countryside, and a small host of friendly folk. What it didn’t have was jobs, not expecting to have one ex-trust fund baby taking up residence. 

“If you can’t find anything now, you can always be more self-sufficiant.” Her new neighbor, Cecilia Kang offered this nugget of advice. Cecilia lived two properties over from Winter, and was excited to meet a new friend. The two women appeared different as night and day. Cecilia was a gorgeous young woman with short black hair and a colorful style that fit in with the slow, cottage life while Winter was a more statuesque woman with pale skin, white hair, and pale gray eyes. Cecilia had a very feminine voice, while Winter’s was always described as “husky” when people were being kind and “manish” by tormentors. Winter’s ex had cited her voice as one reason why he was glad she broke it off with him.

 

 

“You can garden for your own food and fish for some extra money,” Cecilia suggested. “There has to be something to open up soon. I get it’s not ideal, but I’m sure things will pick up soon.”

“How can I live off a few vegetables and fish,” asked Winter.

“It won’t be easy, but I’m sure you can make it. I mean, you have a temporary roof over your head. Right?”

Winter shrugged. Sleeping in the rest area was not comfortable. She mentally calculated how much she’d need to make in order to build a house. She swallowed as the possible amount entered her mind. It was too much for her to make from growing lettuce and tomatoes.

Yet, that was what Winter had to do. Before going back to her property, she bought a few packets of seeds with her meager savings. Once there, she picked a spot in the yard to plant them, and prayed that she was doing the right thing. Only time would tell.