Chapter Text
The gray Anglia sputtered to a stop at the beginning of the street, its undercarriage bowed from the many cases and boxes stacked in the boot and backseat. Lizzie sighed and put the car in park before getting out. Looks like I’m walking the rest of the way…
Glancing at the plaques on the houses, she started to walk down the street towards Pine Terrace. The summer humidity quickly made the brief walk unbearable, but it wasn’t long until she found the right building. The stairwell was pleasantly cool and she took her time getting to the second floor. She fished out the key that had been given to her the day before as she approached the door to her new flat. Opera could be faintly heard through the neighboring door.
A few jiggles of the lock and Lizzie got her first look at the flat as its new owner. It wasn’t much, but it’d be home. The door opened into what passed for a kitchen. The bathroom was straight across from the hallway entrance. A small fireplace was set into the wall with some room for a chair or two if she had one and across from it, there was an empty bed frame hidden behind a partition wall. The far wall had two windows that were covered in blinds.
She set her purse on the single counter and crossed the room to open the blinds. Some light would go a long way to make the room more lively. “Ought to get the boxes, shan’t I?”
A little smile made its way onto her face as she went back outside. Her pencil skirt prevented full mobility, but she managed to start pulling out boxes from the backseat. Unfortunately, one box was all she could carry at once. It was going to be a long day.
The first few trips went alright. Grab a box, carry it back down the street and up to the flat, all while making sure nothing fell out. After the second time, Lizzie decided to prop the door open. It was early afternoon and the sun was high, so not many people were around, not that there was anything worth taking. She had half a mind to remove her shoes. It was rather hard to keep going back and forth as one slipped around inside their footwear. A pounding headache had started by the time the backseat had been cleared out. She leaned against the open boot before grabbing a suitcase in each hand. By the time the next set was upstairs, she had become a bit light-headed.
There isn’t much left. It shouldn’t take much longer and then I can rest for a bit. The walk seemed much longer than it had before. Sweat was making everything cling to her figure and she couldn’t quite walk in a straight line. Although over half of the boot was full, she only took one box. This wasn’t a very good idea.
She was almost to the apartment gate when she dropped the box. The top split open and paintbrushes, palette knives, and small jars of paint spilled out onto the sidewalk. It took a moment for it to register that she was right behind the box as she fell to the ground. Not a good idea…