The Watson House
Originally their little vacation home, this cabin at the edge of the forest is where the Watson sisters and their father move to when their mother leaves and they fall on hard times. Lily does her best to make it cute and homey with bright paint and vintage charm.
From The Books:
The Rose Gate:
Lily and I shared a bedroom at the top of the stairs. Amber had claimed the master bedroom on the other half of the small loft for herself. Apparently, she needed the bigger closet. Whatever. Dad had a small room off the kitchen that I suspected was supposed to be a pantry, but I think he was happy to let the upstairs be a feminine domain. Lily had painted our room a cheery robin’s egg blue when we moved in and found bright vintage floral blankets and curtains. My contributions were the strings of white Christmas lights I had brought from my old room and the bookcase bursting with all the books I could fit into my share of the moving boxes. It was cute, which was about as good as it was going to get in here.
I shuddered. “Please don’t even joke about that. This house was cute when it was our vacation home, but it’s lacking some important things. Like insulation. And breathing room.”
I escaped through the bright red front door—Lily’s work, of course—and breathed in the smell of pine trees in the sun.
The rain tapped on the cabin’s tin roof, each drip reminding me that I was trapped inside, the silence of the forest out of reach.
“You were supposed to drink the latte, not wear it.” Amber peeked through the little window in the red front door. “Perfect, they’re gone already.”
“Who?”
“Isobel and her fiancé. Come on upstairs.” Amber led me inside, and we both kicked off our shoes by the door.
I followed Amber through the living room toward the stairs. The room was decorated in a mishmash of vintage furnishings with silky pillows and throws that wouldn’t have been out of place in a fairytale castle. A striped gray cat opened one eye to observe us before settling back down to sleep on the couch.
Mess was an understatement.
“Is there a floor in here?” I tripped over clothes and textbooks as I attempted to find a place to sit.
“Who knows?” Amber pulled a dark red rose out of her purse and tossed it in a jar of makeup brushes on her vanity. Odd. Then she opened her closet, and all my objections were forgotten while I took in the explosion of dresses. Silks, velvets, lace, and twinkling crystals spilled out in a heap of rainbow pastels.
From The Books:
The Rose Gate:
Lily and I shared a bedroom at the top of the stairs. Amber had claimed the master bedroom on the other half of the small loft for herself. Apparently, she needed the bigger closet. Whatever. Dad had a small room off the kitchen that I suspected was supposed to be a pantry, but I think he was happy to let the upstairs be a feminine domain. Lily had painted our room a cheery robin’s egg blue when we moved in and found bright vintage floral blankets and curtains. My contributions were the strings of white Christmas lights I had brought from my old room and the bookcase bursting with all the books I could fit into my share of the moving boxes. It was cute, which was about as good as it was going to get in here.
***
I shuddered. “Please don’t even joke about that. This house was cute when it was our vacation home, but it’s lacking some important things. Like insulation. And breathing room.”
***
I escaped through the bright red front door—Lily’s work, of course—and breathed in the smell of pine trees in the sun.
***
The rain tapped on the cabin’s tin roof, each drip reminding me that I was trapped inside, the silence of the forest out of reach.
The Glass Gate:
“Where are we going? I do have nicer clothes than this if we’re going to a party.” I followed Amber to the little cabin on the edge of town where she lived with her sisters. The towering trees of the forest behind dwarfed the cozy house nestled up against the mountains.
“Where are we going? I do have nicer clothes than this if we’re going to a party.” I followed Amber to the little cabin on the edge of town where she lived with her sisters. The towering trees of the forest behind dwarfed the cozy house nestled up against the mountains.
“Who?”
“Isobel and her fiancé. Come on upstairs.” Amber led me inside, and we both kicked off our shoes by the door.
I followed Amber through the living room toward the stairs. The room was decorated in a mishmash of vintage furnishings with silky pillows and throws that wouldn’t have been out of place in a fairytale castle. A striped gray cat opened one eye to observe us before settling back down to sleep on the couch.
***
“Oh, he’s fine, they’re just so disgustingly in love.” We climbed the narrow wooden stairs and Amber opened the door to her room with a little shove. “Don’t mind the mess.”
Mess was an understatement.
“Is there a floor in here?” I tripped over clothes and textbooks as I attempted to find a place to sit.
“Who knows?” Amber pulled a dark red rose out of her purse and tossed it in a jar of makeup brushes on her vanity. Odd. Then she opened her closet, and all my objections were forgotten while I took in the explosion of dresses. Silks, velvets, lace, and twinkling crystals spilled out in a heap of rainbow pastels.
Fun facts
Location: Pilot Bay
Residents: Lily, Amber, and Isobel (while Amber was in school). Their father lived with them during the events of The Rose Gate
Residents: Lily, Amber, and Isobel (while Amber was in school). Their father lived with them during the events of The Rose Gate
Article by Channon and Hanna