Lamplighter
Fiona Abernethy, born in Glasgow Scotland in 1960, received her mother’s personal artifacts after her death in 2010. She discovered Colette Madeline Bonnet’s diaries, which were both inspiring and terrifying. Colette shared her experiences during the French Revolution, including the Battle of Bastille, the Mount Vesuvius eruption, and battles as Napoleon attempted to rule the world.
Colette also shared their pilgrimage to the Isle of Lesvos and their adventures sailing in the Mediterranean Sea and even met a polite pirate.
They eventually moved to Connecticut to teach at an all-female school to help young women of special needs and slaves. Annette (Colette’s life mate) became the guardian of Fiona Rose Abernethy, who grew into a strong woman of intelligence, grace, and dignity. The diaries passed through the family through Fiona's marriage.
The diaries were criticized for hiding Colette’s love for another woman and hiding from the country she loved during the turbulent period of French history. Many pages were missing or damaged, and a few were damaged from spilled ink. The pages that were ripped from the diary are particularly intriguing, as we will never know what happened during those periods and what Colette and Annette was involved in.
The fictional story told through diary entries is based on true events in history; a story of strong and independently thinking women who believed their education and love for one another could benefit other women. This story was during a period when religion had biased opinions based on misinterpretations of religious texts.
