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Addie was walking back to her house with Keedie and Audrey. They were on their way back from the town meeting and she was ecstatic because the town folks approved her memorial. Nina and Frank walked few steps ahead of them and their parents went home to make dinner to celebrate the memorial. "I just realised something, Elinor probably always thought she was weird and different and back then there wasn't even a name to give what she had. She might even thought she was some kind of a witch, which was horrified for her. It so sad to imagine how autistics needed to deal with the world without been understood." Addie mentioned.
'Yeah, but it's fascinating to think about it. How they needed to adept and mask all their life or someone could have tried to get rid of them.' Keedie said.
'I wonder if they planned the whole thing together to protect Elinor. Or if Elinor was so afraid, they were there for her she couldn't protect Maggie. Or maybe even Maggie took the blame so they won't target Elinor.' Audrey offered some ideas.
'I want to tell her she is not alone; I think I should tell her about autism and about what we achieved.' Addie decided.
'I know she is my ancestor but I don't have a magical connection to her,' Audrey chuckled, and then added, 'it was a joke.' Remembering that near two autistic girls she needs to clarify that.
'Please tell me we are not planning Seance or something because I don't think mum and dad will like it.' Keedie told Addie.
'No, no I'm just going to write a letter and put it in the old house, I only do it for symbolism, nothing else, I know she can't read it. But I want to feel like I'm talking to her.' Addie smiled.
Dear Elinor Fraser
I know you doesn't know me, but I think I know you, or at least I think I know your sister, Maggie. I read her diary, so I know what she thought back then and how you were from her point of view. You would probably think I'm really weird, writing a letter to someone who died few centuries ago, but I want to do it, I want to imagine that you would be proud of me if you could read it and maybe you could understand yourself better.
Yes, I'm weird, but there is a name for it: Autism. I'm autistic and I think you were autistic as well. You were Awkward, and you were worried about what people thought about you, and you felt you can't fit in. I'm going to assume you were sensitive to loud noises and you draw the spiral to calm yourself down. That's call stimming, it's an autistic thing, I'm doing this as well. It's not something bad, it's just part of the way we are.
By the way I'm sorry about my messy handwriting but I'm going to assume you'll forgive me because I noticed your handwriting is all over the place as well. Many autistics have a messy handwriting as well, It's because of our motor skills. It because of our unique processing, the hands are busy writing the words right so they can't get the letters perfect and pretty.
I'm sorry if you had a hard time with your autistic characteristics, and you might have thought something is wrong with you and felt like you might hurt people because you lived in the worst time at Juniper and it was probably very scary. Autism is not something bad, it's just a different way of thinking, we just see the world in a different way, it's not something to be afraid of or ashamed. It just part of what we are, it's cannot be cured, and there is no reason to want a cure, it's part of our personality that what make us the way we are. Being autistic is a beautiful thing and I hope you loved those part in yourself even if the environment wasn't supportive.
I hope Maggie was supportive and even if you were different, you back each other. I'm sorry for thinking you betrayed her, but I was really confused and I had a feeling it's not the whole story because you could never betray your sister. I'm glad you helped her run. I know you probably froze and you couldn't speak when they took Maggie, but you did everything you could to protect her. You might have been scared they came to take you, because you are different then everyone else. When I heard what had been done to you it hurt me. Women were been prosecuted and killed only because they were different or weird. But Different is good, and the world is starting to understands it now. I hope you didn't suffer to much from being different. I wish you could be here in our time so you could feel what it's like to be understood and meeting other autistics like you. I can't imagine what it was like for you masking all the time, being on a daily basis under the pressure of fitting in, it's sounds so exhausted.
You should know that I'm proud of you, Elinor, you won. Against all odds, in a time women were in danger and their voice was barely heard and with your difference you still won. You saved your sister and stopped and witch hunter and made Juniper a better place and here in the future we remember this. I thought the women who got prosecuted were different, even autistic like me, but you were the autistic one, and you succeed in hiding in the shadows better than anyone. But it was still wrong to accuse women for nothing and I wanted the people of Juniper to remember that. I decided that Juniper needs a witch memorial to remember whole the women who were killed for nothing. It's took time and effort but I succeeded, there is going to be a witch memorial in Juniper, and a display in the museum about you girls. I hope you are proud in what you achieved. I know it might be hard for you to realise what Maggie tried to do, but eventually you were part of this group as well, you are belonged, you had a place in the world, you still have a place in the world and also you have a place in my heart, because it's incredible what you did as autistic in a time you couldn't even know why you are different and lonely. You found your way and so do I and I hope you felt loved after your sister left, and you still have some support. But if not, know you are loved now in the future, it's a shame you probably didn't met others like you back then, because having a support system of other autistics is a great experience.
My friend, Audrey is a descendant of someone from your family I don't know who, but know that we still thinking about you and your family. You are part of the history, and having an autistic history figure is one of the best presents I could get, because I feel so inspired knowing you dealt with so much and I wish I could meet you.
I'm going to put this letter in your house, which is abandoned by now, and I know you are dead and never going to read it, but I want to believe that in the next world you can see me writing those words to you and they might find their way to you. This letter is for you, so I could give you the feeling of talking with another autistic person even if we are not actually talking and you won't actually read it. I want you to feel part of something part of a group, because I consider you in the same group as Sarah, Beth and Maggie, but you might not even knew Sarah and you had a disagreements with Beth and Maggie, but I'm sure they loved you and consider you as a friend and I also considers you as a friend, and if you were live in our time I'm sure we could be great friends, Elinor!
Thanks for everything,
Addie Darrow.