InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "White walls are scary..."

Millie sat at her desk, papers scattered in every direction, the soft glow of the lamp barely cutting through the gloom of the late afternoon. Her fingers drummed absentmindedly against the surface as she glanced down at the financial reports, invoices, and event planning notes that seemed to multiply by the second. The never-ending flow of paperwork was starting to wear on her.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned back in her chair, eyes flicking to the window. Outside, the farm stretched out in all its autumn glory - the fields, the barns, the horses lazily grazing in the distance. It was the kind of day that begged to be spent outdoors, hands deep in the earth, feeling the cool breeze on her skin. Instead, she was stuck here, poring over spreadsheets and trying to make sure the Grange's next big event would come together smoothly.

For just a moment, she closed her eyes and imagined being out there, working the land, feeling the satisfying pull of a rake or the solid thud of a shovel in her hands. The smell of fresh hay, the rhythmic sound of hooves in the barn - it was a simple, honest kind of work, and God, did she miss it. There was something so freeing about being physically exhausted at the end of the day, dirt under her fingernails and the sunburn on her arms, instead of this bone-deep mental fatigue that came from staring at columns of numbers for hours on end.

"Maybe just for a day," she muttered to herself, wishing she could swap places with one of the farmhands. Let someone else worry about balancing the books and organizing events, while she took a day to reconnect with the land - the very thing that made the Grange feel like home.

She rubbed her temples, glancing at the towering stack of paperwork still waiting for her attention. "Yeah," she said with a rueful smile. "Maybe someday." But not today.

With a sigh, Millie picked up her pen and forced herself to dive back into the reports, the comforting noise of the farm outside offering her the only solace she would get today. © tessisamess