#### 15% beneficiary set to @colombiaoriginal. ***

Greetings dear friends and welcome to my participation post to the Steemit Engagement Challenge which is hosted in the Colombia-Original community and themed Create your own story. *** ![WhatsApp Image 2022-05-02 at 12.59.08 PM.jpeg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmaT48giKX3qc3yfJW5SfMcRDp6cHopyq2FnmYwnE8SeBX/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-05-02%20at%2012.59.08%20PM.jpeg) ![20211014_202335.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmed6CwetsrkmAfWevuDDLpKuKavXyTSeB6fyfESZ1EiF4/20211014_202335.png) My entry will be based on the painting below. The story commences immediately after the image. *** https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmfYdb34zh9mZEpta9D69YugDe1kBtSUoYH5JqKGB3jcxn/image.png ![20211014_202335.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmed6CwetsrkmAfWevuDDLpKuKavXyTSeB6fyfESZ1EiF4/20211014_202335.png) #### Characters. ![20211014_202335.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmed6CwetsrkmAfWevuDDLpKuKavXyTSeB6fyfESZ1EiF4/20211014_202335.png) - Thomas Mann - Elizabeth Storm - Sir Edward Mann - Lady Catherine Mann - Sir Frederick Mann - Henry - Sir Harold Storm - Lady Amelia Storm - Walter the driver. This tragedy tells of a forbidden romance which existed in the late 1800s between 2 siblings. But they don't know that at the time. ![20211014_202335.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmed6CwetsrkmAfWevuDDLpKuKavXyTSeB6fyfESZ1EiF4/20211014_202335.png) #### Story title : The Mann tragedy. ![20211014_202335.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmed6CwetsrkmAfWevuDDLpKuKavXyTSeB6fyfESZ1EiF4/20211014_202335.png) *Our story commences in the emerging city of Auburn, Alabama. The year is 1858. Sir Frederick Mann walks out of his office. Stepping out of the overly ornate door reading "Sir Frederick Mann, Rector of the East Alabama Male College", he is bumped by a hurrying muscly young man with brown hair and grey eyes.* ![nane line breaker.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZsCs3hxbFYfB1naY8BRycxss8bpjyDARDk4U3xuf5Dry/nane%20line%20breaker.png) ##### The Hallway of East Alabama Male College. *** "What is the meaning of this Henry!?" Sir Frederick asked. "I'm sorry Rector!" Henry replied, trying to pick up the fallen papers which Sir Frederick was carrying. "But there is a fight going on between the rich brats of the school, sir!" Henry continued. "You wouldn't be talking about my sons Tommy and Eddy, would you?" Sir Frederick replied. Stunned by the rector's reply, Henry froze from picking the documents and instead bowed his head to the floor and started apologizing "I'm sorry Sir Mann... sorry, Sir Rector... sorry, my Rector Mann sir! I forgot that you are the head of the Mann household sir! the founding family of Auburn city... the bringers of food and good fortune to the lower class people like myself SIR! Please forgive me!!" He was shivering on the ground and the other students realized the situation and immediately vacated the halls leaving a silent corridor with just the sound of a shivering peasant. At this time, Sir Frederick spoke up. "It is okay Henry my boy, I will let it slide this time. You just mind your words and I won't mind you tongue being in your mouth! NOW, tell me... Where are those foolish Mann boys?" Henry being terrified at Sir Frederick's words remained on the ground and sheepishly said, "Th..they aa..are in the courtyard sss..sir." "Very well then. Now quickly hand me those documents, they are very important and I don't want your dirty peasant eyes anywhere them!" Sir Frederick said. *Moving to the courtyard, Sir Frederick was stopped yet again by another unwelcome soul. But this time, they were both alpha at what they do. Belittle others.* "Fred! Fred!" a voice came from behind Sir Frederick. Upon turning, he saw the worst face he knew. "Harry. Not so nice to see you." Fred said. "The feeling is mutual" Harry replied. "Let us keep our controversy aside for now. There is a *situation* and it needs to be dealt with NOW!" Harry continued. "Don't tell me it concerns what happened in 1836!" Fred replied in a slightly shaken voice. "I told you told the boys already by now! They are already mature enough... Edward yes, but I'm not so sure of the *careless attitude* of the younger one Thomas." Harry said. "I told Edward 2 years ago, the day I opened this college and became its rector. As for Thomas, I'm working on it." Sir Frederick replied. "Well, you should have worked on it sooner because something just happened and we can not let it go on. It concerns Thomas and my daughter Elizabeth." Harry said. ![nane line breaker.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZsCs3hxbFYfB1naY8BRycxss8bpjyDARDk4U3xuf5Dry/nane%20line%20breaker.png) ##### The courtyard of East Alabama Male College. *** *Upon hearing this, Fred pushed Harry aside and rushed into the courtyard with Thomas following him. Upon getting there he found his elder son Edward on top of his younger son Thomas, launching blows at poor Thomas's face. Fred and Harry pulled Edward away from Thomas and held him down to the ground.* "Sir Harold Storm! Father! Let go of me at once! This foolish little boy has messed up again and has done an unbelievable and disgusting thing!" Edward said, trying to pull himself from the ground. "Quit this insolence boy!" Sir Frederick said. "What is going on here? And what are you going on about!?" Sir Fred continued. It was now when Thomas decided to grace them with his words. "I am nothing but a man in love who wishes to marry the woman of his dreams. I want nothing but happiness for my beautiful Beth! But this... this older nitwit hates her and wants to kill me for what I said!!" Thomas said angrily with tears flowing down his eyes, passing on his bruised faced making a reddish tear fall of his cheek. Thomas pulled his long black hair away from his face and stood up making his way towards the grown men holding down the angry looking older version of himself with a patchy moustache. He said to them "The only thing I can say I did wrong, was to impregnate the maiden without asking for her hand in marriage from her handsome and elegant father, which is you... Sir Harold Storm. Forgive me and know that I am willing to receive whatever punishment you bestow on me. But know this, I and your sweet daughter Beth are in love and we wish to start a family together. I will do whatever it takes to always make her happy and feel at home." After this speech, Sir Harold let go of Edward and sucker punched Thomas to the ground. Thomas replied, "I deserve that, but if it makes you feel any better, you can hit the other side." This drove Edward insane. He tried to continue punching his little brother but then his father spoke up. "End this madness at once! I knew this day would come and it is my fault and my brother, Harry's, for keeping you, Thomas and Elizabeth in the dark for this long. The truth is that, Elizabeth is your blood cousin because like I just said, Sir Harold Storm, is actually Sir Harold Mann." All the college boys watching the fight in the courtyard were stunned and started murmuring to themselves; "WHAT!" "Could it be really true?" "Are the Storms the real founding family of Auburn?" Sir Frederick spoke again, "Hush, the likes of you! This doesn't concern you students." He turned back to Thomas and started the tale of Auburn. "My family, the Manns moved here to Auburn 20 years ago and we decided that we will take this town and turn it into the most successful town in the whole continent. At that time, the only people that came to Auburn were me, your mother Catherine, Harry your uncle and his wife Amelia, and your brother Eddy over here, not to forget our trusted driver, Walter. Eddy was just 2 years old then, so he doesn't remember anything of that time. Though I told him 2 years ago. At the time, Harry and I were practically best friends. We laid the foundation to Mann mansion together. We shared the land amongst ourselves and with our inherited wealth from your Grand Papy, we started a town. People came from all over the continent to start families here because of the wealth of East Alabama (as it was spread). Sooner after we discovered gold under the Mann estate, my brother Harry tried to buy me off and send me away from our town Auburn. Since that day, we started the dispute. 2 years after that, you were born and a few months later, so was Elizabeth. So, my brother and I decided that the only way to live together, was to live apart. We hired lawyers and then Harold changed his name to Storm and gave it to his wife and daughter. These are all the papers here that a foolish boy nearly damaged in the hallway out of my office. We agreed to divide the properties between ourselves and act like we were not family. But we never imagined that you will fall in love with your cousin. So, this is why we think you should not marry her and the baby in her must die." He said all this trying to sound sincere and calm but his trembling hand gave it away. After hearing all this, Thomas stood up and ran away so fast that they couldn't find him anymore. ![nane line breaker.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZsCs3hxbFYfB1naY8BRycxss8bpjyDARDk4U3xuf5Dry/nane%20line%20breaker.png) ##### The Storm Estate. *** He arrived at the gate of the Storm estate and luckily for him, he saw his pal Walter. Walter always offered him carriage rides but he never understood why. Now, he finally did. Walter was a loyal man. "Could you please tell Beth to meet me in the woods in 30 minutes?" Thomas asked Walter. "Sure thing, young master." Walter replied. Thomas just smiled and left. https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmfYdb34zh9mZEpta9D69YugDe1kBtSUoYH5JqKGB3jcxn/image.png ![nane line breaker.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmZsCs3hxbFYfB1naY8BRycxss8bpjyDARDk4U3xuf5Dry/nane%20line%20breaker.png) ##### The woods in Auburn. *** "Tommy! Tommy! Tommy!" Elizabeth called out in the woods. "YES MY SWEET BETH!" Thomas replied from behind a large oak. "I'm glad you came darling. We have something serious to talk about." Thomas continued. As Elizabeth stood there looking longingly at her to-be husband, Thomas walked straight past her and stood with their backs turned such that he didn't have to look her in the eyes while saying what he was about to say. "We can't do this anymore. You have to get rid of that baby in you. It is an atrocity and no one can ever find out! Do you understand me?!" Thomas said, with his voice deep and stern but tears streaming down his eyes. "But I don't understand Tommy. Why are you talking like this? I can't kill our baby. I love him." Beth replied with a cracking voice, her heart shattered into pieces. Just before Thomas could reply, a big old pine tree started making a cracking noise. The wind was blowing immensely like it was crying out of anger. Thomas turned and held Beth and said to her, "I do love you Beth, but we are blood cousins. Our baby is an incest baby and he must never be born. I'm sorry." With him saying those words, Beth replied. "I knew that last week but I don't care for that! After all Abraham and Sarah in the bible were relatives but still made a great nation. I love you Thomas and I will always love our unborn son." Then, the giant pine tree fell on them, and crushed their bones. After about 2 hours of impact, Elizabeth woke up and saw her beloved's crushed skull. His guts were everywhere and when she looked down, she saw blood every where, with branch in her abdomen and blood oozing down her thighs. She knew her baby was dead. She picked up a broken branch, and pierced it sharply inside her neck. After choking on her own blood for about 2 minutes, she gave up the ghost. #### THE END. https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmed6CwetsrkmAfWevuDDLpKuKavXyTSeB6fyfESZ1EiF4/20211014_202335.png Well that was the end of the tragedy guys. Hope you liked it and make sure to leave your comments so I know your thoughts and proposed endings to this fine story. I invite @majerius, @fonjougiresse, @wase1234, @b-naj, @rosita-nkefor, @chiabertrand, @iloveakuma, @trayckierra and @breeze.com to take part in this wonderful and creative contest. *** Thank you for reading and have a wonderful time.