Flowers in the Attic Part 2

Part 1

To help pass the time, the kids begin decorating the attic. Soon they have a paper garden, filled with all sorts of paper creatures. They also have some live plants, including one from the Grandmother. They make sure to put these in the window of the schoolroom to get the sun. They also drag old mattresses up to the windows, and sunbathe nude. The Grandmother would lose her shit if she ever saw this, but fortunately she’s too claustrophobic to venture up the attic stairs. I’m giving them the side-eye, though.

The days turn to autumn, and so they change the garden, too. It starts to grow colder, but they can’t have a heater or anything in the attic, for fear of causing a fire. So Corrine brings them heavy coats and ski outfits, and they can continue to play up there. One game they play daily is Hide and Seek. One day, they can’t find Cory, and they start to panic. They finally find him locked in a trunk, and he’s freezing cold and blue. They get him into a warm bath, and finally bring him around. Cathy says she and Chris aged about ten years that day.

Thanksgiving comes, and Corinne manages to slip them some of the feast from downstairs, albeit cold. Carrie flips the fuck out over that, so of course Cory won’t touch it either. They settle for PB&J sandwiches from the picnic basket.

The next day, the twins get sick, with super high fevers. Corrine wants to take them to the hospital, but the Grandmother says that’s stupid, it’s just a cold, and they’ll get over it. They do… after nineteen days. They never really regain their strength after that.

On Christmas, Corrine, or Santa, brings the children everything they could want. Except their freedom, of course. The children attempt to give the Grandmother a present, a collage they made, but she just looks disdainfully at the package and leaves. Cathy throws a temper tantrum over it.

That night, Corrine lets Chris and Cathy hide in a table with a mesh backing, to watch the fabulous formal Christmas party. They get a glimpse of their grandfather in his wheelchair, and they watch their mother with a man, whom they learn from overhearing other guests, is named Bart Winslow.

They get back to their room without incident, but Chris thinks this is the perfect time to go out exploring. While he’s gone, Cathy falls asleep, but is awakened by Corrine shaking her, wanting to know where the hell Chris is. He sneaks back in then, and Corrine slaps him, twice. She threatens him that if he ever does that again, she’ll whip both him and Cathy. Chris apologizes, and Corrine calms down, apologizes herself, and leaves, locking them in again.

Curled up in bed together, Chris tells Cathy what he saw. While hiding behind a suit of armor, he heard and saw Corrine and Bart Winslow, passionately kissing. She’s been a widow for eight months at this point. Then Bart asks to see her room, and the swan bed. Chris stumbles into his grandfather’s trophy room, and finds all sorts of stuffed animals. Then he finds Corrine’s room for himself, and gets to see the famous swan bed. That’s all he tells Cathy, but she knows there’s more. She doesn’t push him, though.

Chris and Cathy begin to go through puberty, and Corrine and Cathy have a very nice woman-to-woman chat. Cathy pretty much thinks what’s going to happen sucks. But Corrine tells her there’s nothing she can do about it.

Winter turns to spring, and spring to summer, when Corrine brings the news that her father is failing. Cathy lets herself get her hopes up. But unfortunately, he recovers. And they’ve spent an entire year locked away.

The thrilling conclusion will be coming tomorrow, just in time for the movie tomorrow night. Don’t forget, I’ll be live tweeting it. So far, only The Bloggess is following me. I hope she enjoys her own personal show.