Chapter Text
Autumn was a strange, beautiful time. Although everything was dying, Vivian had never felt more alive standing in front of the lecture hall.
She was beginning to become much too excited to do anything outside. It had been almost five years that she’d seen the Banks children, and she was beginning to wonder how they looked now as they’d grown up since she’d last seen them. It had been around a month that she’d been teaching, but she moved out of the Banks’ home- reluctantly- about five years ago.
She had seen Jack once or twice, but as she’d been busy all the time, she never really saw anyone familiar.
As she closed off the class and the loud bell rang, Vivian quickly grabbed her things and rushed out before anyone noticed she’d gone.
She soon arrived in front of her new home, with a painted pale blue door and beautiful jacaranda trees around the entrance. After paying the driver, she clambered out clumsily and gathered her belongings. Her hair was dishevelled and she could not wait to sit down, relax with a book and put on a record- she’d been collecting them ever since Mary’s leave- to listen to.
The small gravel steps made a small crunching noise every time she’d walk over them, and she loved it. As she opened the door, her cat- which she’d had for a year- began to circle around her feet and meowed happily.
“Gwendolyn, you silly cat,” She smiled, put down her heavy coat, and picked her up. “Why can’t you just stay in that comfortable wicker basket I paid so much for?” Vivian couldn’t help but laugh when she talked to her cat, as she knew she’d never get a response. Just as she put Gwendolyn down, the doorbell rang.
“Mr Eferium?” Vivian called out, wondering if her neighbour had decided to come for early tea and scones. She inched towards the door and opened it.
A man she knew well stood by it, along with a woman she knew.
“Jack! Whatever are you doing here?” She grinned widely. “Jane, how lovely to see you both.” She walked closer towards them and hugged them each.
“‘Ello, Miss Vivian. I just wanted to come to see your new household, but I thought I’d bring Jane along since we was around.”
Vivian smiled. “Of course. It’s nice to see some familiar faces.”
They walked inside and she shut the door behind them as they looked around in admiration. “Well, what are your thoughts?”
Jane grinned at Vivian. “On the house? I’d say it’s a perfect fit for you, and it’s spacious. No echo. Very cosy.” Jack nodded. “I quite agree,” Vivian said.
As Vivian walked towards the living room, Jack and Jane following close behind to sit down on her couch, Jane said, “I see your Tourette’s is improving,” She smiled, sitting down.
“Y-Yes. Sometimes things happen when I think about them too much, but it’s more,” She suddenly jutted her chin out. “Motor tics now.”
Jane smiled. “Well, Jack- I’m glad you brought me here.” Jack smiled.
Vivian pondered about the two, seeing as they still seemed to be coming to terms with what they were; a couple, friends? They both looked deeply infatuated with each other, but Vivian daren’t say anything to make the situation strange. She rather leave it up to them.
They spent around an hour catching up, eating and drinking, and then they took their leave.
Just as Vivian walked to close the door, Jane already far off, Jack stopped. “Vivian?”
She looked up. “Yes, Jack?”
He looked fairly troubled. “Well, you ‘aven’t had this…” He scratched his chin. “Feelin’, ‘ave you? Somethin’s going to be happenin’?” He was starting to sound a lot like Bert, which Vivian refrained to mention as it seemed too silly.
“A person, perhaps?”
“A person can’t happen, Vivian.” He laughed warmly.
She laughed, too. “I know that too well. But I’ll look out for that.” She pushed the door a little closed, indicating she was not in a talkative mood. “That feeling you’re describing.” Jack tipped his hat, and she closed the door. She sighed, turning her back to the blue door, and smiled at her small cat sitting in front of her.
“So, Gwendolyn? What record should I put on?”
Gwendolyn just meowed in response.
☂
It had begun to be a lot harder to talk to people nowadays. Vivian was struggling to form words, and it was bugging her. She’d known people who resorted to not-talking for a while, but she knew she couldn’t do that as she had to teach. So she consulted someone she doubted she’d ever see again.
A speech therapist named Madeline who had helped her as a child, who had long black curly hair and large eyes.
She arrived at her office at 1 pm sharp, just as Big Ben sounded to notify London it was now that particular time.
The wind stirred the autumn leaves around her, making little tornadoes that came to a stop as quickly as they’d started.
Vivian, with a fierce grin- she’d read somewhere that smiling made one happier just by doing the action, even if one was not happy- knocked on the door of Madeline Yousef’s office.
The door opened with a light click and Vivian went inside.
Madeline, first of all, was a very Arabic woman. She embraced every part of her culture as if she was still in her home country- colour, music, you name it. She enjoyed the homely aspect of the villa she owned, and it was very interesting to own a villa in downtown London; very similar to the person who owned it.
“So, Vivian- I think you’ve come for your talking, is that right?” Vivian nodded. “Do you not enjoy talking anymore or is it…” She put her hand on Vivian, warmth colliding with a freezing hand. “More personal?”
“I-It’s just i-i-i-it b-b-b-b-bugs…” She threw her hands in the air in frustration. “I-It’s hard.” She began to speak slower. “It’s a tad annoying.”
Madeline smiled. “Do you know my name’s origin?” She glanced at Vivian, grabbing her cup of tea from the coffee table. “It’s related to Magdala- tower, elevated. Now how’s that for putting things into perspective?” She grinned.
“Does that mean you ever feel like you’re high up? On the outside looking in?”
Madeline glanced at Vivian. “Is that not a question I should be asking you?”
Vivian looked down. “Perhaps. But I haven’t even begun to think of the answer.”
“Are you lost, Vivian? Was there anything particular that may have caused you to… drift away?” Her eyes focused on Vivian’s hands, that were shaking a little bit- she was cold, as her hands had told earlier.
“I don’t know,” said Vivian, wringing her hands. “I think I’m too lost in myself.”
Madeline smiled. “You’re talking well.”
“Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t.”
Madeline gave her a side glance. “Don’t we all?”
☂
Vivian sat alone for the umpteenth time on a park bench. She was beginning to wonder what it would be like to not talk at all.
Perhaps I’d be unnoticeable, she thought, but then I couldn’t teach. I could just sign.
Her mind began to overthink when suddenly a small voice broke through her daydreams.
“Excuse me, Miss?”
She looked down to see a young boy and girl standing side by side, looking almost identical.
“Do you know how to play the violin?”
They held a violin in their hands, its varnish looking worn down, but functional strings by the looks of it- and she did indeed know how to play, since she’d taken lessons at the orphanage as it was required.
“Yes, I do. Would you like me to play it for you?”
They nodded eagerly. “But, first, what are your names?”
The boy looked at the girl. “I’m Rosie,” she said with a smile. “And this is Jack.”
Vivian smiled. “I know a Jack, too.”
She adjusted the shoulder rest, tightened the bow, and smiled. “The lamplighter. Do you know him?”
Rosie, the girl, smiled. “Who doesn’t, Miss?” Vivian smiled too.
“Alright, two choices; something I wrote or something I know.”
Jack cut off Rosie, ignoring the frown on her face. “Something you know!”
Rosie scoffed. “Well, that was what I was going to suggest.”
Vivian chuckled. “Alright then.”
She plucked over the notes twice, played a scale to check the sound, and then steadied the bow over the strings.
She began to play a song she’d adored when she took lessons- it was something along the lines of ‘Bach Chaconne’. She closed her eyes as she played.
Jack and Rosie stared in awe and listened. Gradually, the park goers stopped and stared, too. They watched and listened with a keen ear. When Vivian stopped, opening her eyes lightly, she paused. The park seemed to be completely still.
With all eyes on her, Vivian couldn’t move. And then, suddenly, applause struck the park. Smiles painted across the park goers’ faces, they quickly advanced towards her, including Jack and Rosie.
A chorus of ‘Bravo!’ and ‘Well done!’ resonated through the air. Vivian smiled, taking a small bow.
And as all of them returned to their activities, Jack and Rosie said a goodbye to Vivian, leaving the violin with her.
Then she slipped away as if nothing extraordinary had happened at all.