The empty frame

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Florence dusted the mantelpiece and found the pale rectangle where the photograph had stood. Her sister had taken it that morning, packing it between two dresses. The room looked tidier without it. Florence moved a vase into the space, stepped back and moved it away again. Every arrangement made the absence more noticeable.

At supper, she began telling her sister about the neighbour’s new dog before remembering the empty chair. Her mother answered instead. Afterwards, Florence went to the writing desk and drew out a sheet of paper. She described the dog, the vase and the quiet room. When she folded the letter, the rectangle on the mantelpiece no longer seemed quite so empty.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to show Florence’s reaction to her sister’s departure. Support your answer with references to the passage.