All Work and No Play

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

August 1, 2025

Vasilia was in over her head. Thoroughly. Sinking Fast. Drowning. Light fading. She'd taken over the Violet Hound Pub. Learning to run a pub had been a huge learning curve. Still going to culinary school. Helping out at the ice cream parlor every chance she got. She had little to no free time. Even then she didn't seem to have enough hours in the day. Not nearly enough. 


Four AM. Her alarm went off, announcing the start of a new day. Groaning, she sluggishly sat up.  Three hours. If that. But three hours was enough. She got up and dressed. Within ten minutes she as on her way to the ice cream parlor. She pulled her hair up out of her face as she started the days batch of fresh ice cream mixtures.

Eight AM. The first shift of employees arrived and started to set up the shop. She left, grabbing her bag and headed to class.

Ten AM. She was running back to Diagon Alley as fast as possible to the Violet Hound Pub to start opening up. Doing all the prep work and beginning the stews that would need hours to simmer.

Twelve PM. She was off to her parents house, taking them lunch.

One Pm. She was back off to class again.

Three PM. Back to the pub to start handle the first wave of customers.

Midnight. Back to the Parlor to get all the paperwork and balance the books. Running the payroll, checking inventory.

One AM. home, and finally in bed.

The next day, the same thing. Then the next... and the next... Each day the same. Each day Vasilia put on a smile and pretended everything was fine. Each day she thought she could handle it. Each day she failed to tell anyone that she was drowning and didn't know how to keep up with it all.

And each day she felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into the hole she'd dug.