To Kill A Mockingbird--School Assignment

Author's note: for an English progect in school. I chose to write an epilogue for Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. Enjoy!

The day began just as normally as any other day would for me. Wake up, eat a light breakfast, acquire the paper, and read it out on the front porch. Atticus slowly emerged from the house this morning to sit next to me. I was nineteen, but I still loved reading the paper with him, just as I had when I was six. People would wave and wish me a good day as they walked past the house, heading into town. It seemed like the entire town was up and about on that one day. I had a permanent smile on my face.

The air tasted fresh and the sun shone brightly on the ground, baking the dirt into a nice, firm cake, without making it dusty. A mourning dove sang in a tree near the house as Atticus and I discussed what was to happen that afternoon. Exciting events were ahead of me, and it seemed almost like time was passing too slowly.

I was getting married to my childhood sweetheart, something that was not so uncommon in Maycomb County. Dill had really lived up to his promise that he made to me when we were little, trying to sneak notes up to the Radley house, eating cake at Miss Maudie's place, and laughing all the while with my brother Jem at our side. Jem had grown up to be a very fine young man, as well. He was still very imaginative and fun, even if it was in less of a childish manner and more in an adult way. With the help of Atticus' fine teaching, he had written two whole manuscripts for novels, one of which was on its way to the publisher's office on that day.

After reading the front two pages of the paper, I headed inside, brushing off my overalls. Though I was technically a "lady," I still wore overalls just to remind people of who I still was. I'd always be little Scout Finch, and nothing could change that about me. That must have been what Dill liked so much; all of the other girls turned into young ladies, powdering their faces with strange things and starching up dresses and painting them with so much decoration that it made a boy think that they were some kind of living cupcake. Though cupcakes are delicious, it would be terrifying to be married to a living one (even one of Miss Maudie's would be bad).

I walked to my room, making floorboards creak as I walked past each room. I reached the last room, finally, to discover Aunt Alexandra sitting on my bed, looking at the full length mirror and the dress that was next to it. She looked barely two years older than she did those days back when she had just moved in with us. After a while, she had gone back to live with her husband, but when he died of a sudden heart-attack, she came back to live with us, pleased, almost, to be raising two growing children again. Though she tried, she never turned me into a pretty cupcake.

She rose from her seated position to smile at me, saying, "Today is the day, Jean."

"Sure is, Auntie," I said back, making her falter a little. She wished to be called Aunt Alexandra or simply Aunt, but I still did my best to bend the rules as far as they would go around her. I removed the dress from the stand that is was draped over.

"It's so beautiful," I said, swaying a little to let the skirt flow kindly. This would be one dress I might actually enjoy. I was nicely fitted without being tight and long enough for me to fit short pants under without them showing. Aunt Alexandra didn't know that I was thinking about that last part.

"I'm glad that you still like it," she said, taking the dress carefully from me, laying it out on the bed. "Now change out of those things and into it. I'll let you get changed. Call me back in once you have finished." With that, she left the room. My head was buzzing with excitement. Oh, what fun: I was getting hitched at last! So many people would be there…I only hoped I wouldn't forget what to say and when to say it. I slipped out of my overalls and into a pair of tightly-fitted shorts and the dress.

It truly fit like a glove. The neckline was low, but modest and the shoulders were about an inch and a half wide. The zipper in the back was easy enough for a flexible person to work out on their own and the skirt started half-way down the hips, letting a cascade of perfectly folded fabric flow down to my ankles where I would have flat shoes with beads sewn into them for decoration. Aunt Alexandra had helped me pick it out on a trip to a town in the next county over. She had wanted me to get a more elegant and over-the-top piece, but admitted near the end of the trip that it was my wedding and I had gotten a fairly nice dress in the end.

I only hoped that Dill would like it.

We still used each other's nicknames, no matter how silly it sounded sometimes. All the way through high school, we had sent letters back and forth, reading at the end, "Your friend, Scout" or "Love, Dill." Sometimes, things just never change.

"I'm done, Auntie!" Aunt Alexandra entered the room and couldn't help but unleash a bright, cheery smile.

"Oh, that's lovely, Jean. Now, here's something I want you to wear." She pulled out a drawer from my dresser and, from underneath an old nightgown, she drew a small box. Opening it up, she withdrew a silver, chain necklace with little pearl-like beads hanging from it.

I expressed my extreme pleasure at the piece of jewelry by showing her a big, pearly smile and thanking her greatly for letting me wear the piece.

"No, no," she says, "you can have it. I haven't worn it in years."

"Thank you so much, Aunt Alexandra!" I hugged her, then let her put the necklace around my neck. It looked beautiful in the mirror. She, then, commenced pinning my hair up in some arrangement that I had never seen before, but didn't complain because it looked complicated.

I took a good look at myself in the mirror: perfect Scout.

Alexandra and I walked back to the main room and showed my appearance off to Atticus, who smiled widely and marveled at how I wasn't wearing a pair of white slacks to the wedding instead. We got into the car, an unusual thing for simply heading into town, and drove to the church where we were greeted by Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie Crawford. Miss Stephanie oohed and awed at my appearance before rushing me into the church. Maudie winked at me and helped send me on my way. As I entered, I went into a Sunday school room to get my veil and flowers. There, I waited for a good half-hour before being directed to the lawn where everyone was seated in folding wooden chairs, talking amongst themselves. When Atticus took my arm, he pulled the lace veil over my face and smiled, walking towards the open aisle between the two parts of the small crowd.

People got quiet. The idea of an outdoor wedding had come from Atticus, who remembered not being able to do an outdoor ceremony with our mother. The rain had gotten in the way, sadly, but apparently the rain hadn't ruined the rest of their plans, saving the day. A smile flitted across my face at the thought of my mother and Atticus being together on their wedding day. Some of the people who were now watching the two of us walk down the short aisle were probably present for that wedding too.

My focus was pulled to Dill, standing up by the new head of the church, Jack Stevens. Jack had joined the church about three years ago when the town had started looking for a new priest. I looked at Dill, who had only been over during the summers when I was younger, and thought of the past year that he had spent up here, getting ready for college. He planned on going to a college in Georgia, where I would move as well, to learn about mechanics. Dill wanted to invent something real bad.

Atticus let go of my arm as we approached the front row of seats. I stood up with Dill, scanning the crowd from underneath my veil. There were all of the neighbors, the downtown folks, some of the colored families (who still were very kind to our family), and members of both my and Dill's families. Dill's mother smiled at me. I smiled back, but remembered that she couldn't see my face. I turned to face Dill, finally, but when my head was all of the way facing him, I had sworn that I had seen a tall, lean, pale figure leaning against one of the trees near the back of the crowd. I forced myself not to look back to make sure that I had seen him, as to not make myself look like a fool.

"Ready, Scout?" Dill asked under his breath so that only I could hear.

"Ready," I replied, grinning. Everything was quiet. The priest started the ceremony; a mockingbird sang in the tree in the back of the crowd.