Book: A Victorian novel about the unhappy Emilia

ANNABELLE: About fears? Of course. About the plan too. As I understood that it was necessary to wait out the night. Such a sweet one, he says, he tried to sleep, but it’s hard, everything hurts, then some sounds started. He got scared. I even thought about jumping into the sea right away - thank God I didn’t try my luck. He says you can’t speak the fear of the dark - it’s not rational. Not even fear, but horror. And then he sat on the edge, hung his legs over the abyss and sang songs. Lullabies. And psalms. Well, isn't it a bobblehead? And then he began to play with himself, he invented a mermaid for himself in a cave, he talked to her until the morning, he says, she answered him. She also sang lullabies. And her hair is pink. Funny paw, he says, he got out only after dinner because of her, so it would have been possible earlier, but she didn’t let him in. He persuaded her to support him on the rocks. Thank God, apparently, persuaded. Came back without a scratch, hare. And this year already, in the winter ...