The Old Mansion by the Pool

Henry stared out at the great oak trees swaying in the breeze, their leaves gold and crimson with the arrival of autumn. This estate had been his home his entire life, yet somehow it felt smaller now, its aging walls closing in as the days grew shorter.

Behind him, the pool shimmered azure blue, its surface placid. Henry remembered summers past when this water had been alive with laughter and activity. Now, its stillness seemed to match the quiet that had fallen over the once lively house.

"Henry, supper's ready darling."

His mother's familiar voice roused him from his thoughts. He turned to see her figure silhouetted in the doorway, as slim and delicate as one of the roses that clung to the trellis beside her. Once as deep a red as the foliage surrounding them, her hair was silver now, and lines framed eyes that still held only kindness when regarding her son.

At the table, Henry watched his mother covertly, every movement and expression mapped from years of devotion. But where there had always been smiles and joy before, now came only pained smiles and sighs, as if even drawing breath had become too taxing an effort. The light was fading from her, he realized, and with it, his anchor in this place.

Later, as they sat by the fire with warm cider, his mother broached the reason for her evident fatigue. "I've arranged for you to marry, Henry. Caroline Simpson — she'll be a good partner and her family can help watch over you when I'm gone.”

Stunned, Henry could hardly find words. Marriage had been the last thing on his mind, and to a stranger no less! Panic and confusion gripped him — his orderly life was unraveling faster than the fall of dusk. How could he refuse his mother's wish in her last days, but accept a fate that would imprison him here forever?

The yellow harvest moon rose over the estate as Henry continued grappling for an answer, though with his future now as hazy as the mist swirling across the grounds, none was forthcoming. All he knew was that dawn would bring changes, for better or worse, that he felt ill-prepared to face.

One path might have Henry struggling with feelings of obligation towards his ailing mother versus his own desires for independence. As her health declines, he cares for her devotedly but grows more anxious about the arranged marriage. Perhaps he encounters Caroline and finds her nice enough but knows in his heart it isn't right.

As Henry tended to his frail mother by the fire, her mind wandered back through the years. "Your father was a good man, even if he did leave us." She sighed. "I always hoped he would return, and that you wouldn't grow up without a father's influence. But this estate, and your care of it, shows me I needn't have worried."

Henry wasn't sure how to feel about the father he barely remembered. But he listened intently as his mother spoke of happier times, and of the promise he'd made long ago to a little girl named Caroline.

"Her family had fallen on hard times. Her parents were gone, and the Simpsons couldn't afford to keep her. You were so kind, Henry. You told Caroline you'd be her family someday." His mother smiled weakly. "I'm thankful every day that you've grown into such a caring, responsible man."

That night, Henry walked the quiet halls mulling over his promise from youth. Had he really intended to follow through with marriage? Yet how could he break his word to a vulnerable girl, and dash his mother's hopes on her deathbed?

Resolved to find answers, the next morning Henry set out across the misty fields. At the edge of the Simpson's land stood Caroline, as lively and warm as he remembered from childhood. Their talk rekindled flickers of affection from long ago. And might keeping his promise prove easier than Henry had feared?