1880 Britain

Spring in Reginaldland was always lovely. However this particular morning in May was breathtakingly beautiful. Fields were flowing with flowers. Bluebells were spread across the grass. The sloping banks of the river were carpeted in pink, blue and yellow. Bright sunshine was filtering through huge trees casting playful dappling shadows. Sunlight bounced off the azure blue water creating little diamonds dancing with the flow of water on the rocky river bed.

Whenever Jason was in Reginaldland he always got up at first light to ride and catch the first tentative calls of birds. This particular morning he had been riding for over an hour. The sun was now up high. Jason dismounted his horse 'Thor'. He decided to take a walk by the river in Bluebell Wood. He drew in a deep breath and inhaled the sweet fresh smells of spring which filled the air. A cool breeze blew softly against his face. The sound of the river humming along with the rustle of leaves in breeze was music to his ears. Thor was following Jason obediently. Jason was quite lost in his thoughts when he was startled out of his reverie by the sight of a naked woman lying under a huge Oak tree. Arrested by the sight, Jason stared in shocked disbelieve, not quite certain his eyes were seeing what lay before him. Blinking hard he looked again, there she lay inert, almost a lifeless figure carved in marble. Frowning, he cautiously moved towards the still curled up form. Closing the distance he approached slowly, noticing the woman was alive and shivering. He walked purposely towards her, curious as to the identity of the woman and why she was lying on his property. Jason was only a foot away when he noticed the blood. The woman was injured. Jason closed the distance in one stride and sank down on his knees. He carefully rolled the woman onto her back and was shaken by the sight. This was not a woman as Jason had anticipated, it was a young girl perhaps no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. She was covered in blood. Jason inspected for injuries. His fingers quickly moved to her neck, nothing broke; he moved to her chest. Three broken ribs, that needed to be bound up as quickly as Dr Moore the local apothecary could be brought to the house he observed. She had a huge cut on her forehead from which blood oozed steadily. Her left eye was a dark blue and swollen. Her lips were bruised and bleeding. Her legs were also covered in blood. There were cuts, bruises and marks all over her legs. It was an ugly sight. Jason closed his eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath. He then looked at Thor and commanded him to go get help. He whistled and the horse went hurtling away in obedience. The girl heard the whistle and struggled to open her eyes. She could only open her right eye fully. Her left eye could not comply. Jason stared into those terrified eyes. His heart sank. The girl had been attacked and probably raped, left there to die on his property. The thought made Jason's blood run cold in his veins. The local sergeant would have to be called in. As he stared at the petrified girl making soothing sounds he thought he had never seen eyes so vividly expressing pain and horror. Jason sat down, slid one arm under the girl's neck and other under her knees and lifted her up into his lap. He then noticed the back of her head was also bleeding, a head injury as well, he thought. The girl looked alarmed.

'It's alright' Jason whispered near her ear 'I'm not going to hurt you' His voice was soft and reassuring 'I have sent for help. You will be alright'. The girl who had been staring at Jason's face all this time shook her head ever so slightly. Jason gave her a reassuring squeeze and taking off his coat held her gently against his hard chest. Looking into those mesmerising eyes he said 'As soon as somebody gets here, I'll send for the best doctors. They will treat you and you will recover soon. I promise. Now you just relax and close your eyes'

'No, please' the girl murmured in such a soft voice that had Jason not been looking at her lips he wouldn't have understood what she had said. She shook her head again and Jason could see the great pain it caused her. 'Please' she said again. She had Jason's undivided attention 'let me die'. The words made Jason's heart ache for her pain and he watched as she slowly closed her eyes. Jason looked at her tenderly. He looked up to see if Thor was bringing anyone for help. There was no sign of help yet. He gazed at her face. She was cold but now she had stopped shaking. Jason knew it was not a good sign, it meant her body was becoming numb and soon she would lose consciousness.

'Open your eyes moppet' His voice was warm and comforting. 'Stay with me. Help is on the way' she opened her eyes and once again the agony in her eyes cut right through Jason's heart, melting it and filling it with even more warmth. He possessively held her close to him, his hand slid up and down her arm trying to comfort her as much as to warm her. She was falling asleep again. He had to wake her up and the best way was to talk to her 'what happened to you poppet' he asked

'Monsters' her lips moved. Her eyes were closed, her body numb, bruised and tortured. She was just a child. Jason felt rage run like blood through his veins.

'You will be alright, little one and I will deal with the monsters .I promise' she looked at Jason with her bright eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks falling straight on Jason's heart. 'Hush now my child, don't cry. I'm here and I won't let those monsters come near you, ever' Jason gently pressed her against his hard chest. His heart was beating fast. The beating sound of his heart was comforting. She closed her eyes. His warmth seeped through her body, soothing her nerves, bringing back senses. 'Can you hear horses coming moppet? Help is almost here. Just try not to fall asleep.' Jason looked in the direction of the sound to assess the distance. He felt her tremble in his arms. He suddenly felt as though her weight was lifted from his arms and his lap was empty he looked down and was perplexed. She was not there. His lap and his arms were empty. There was no naked, injured little girl in his arms anymore. He was unable to understand. He heard the horses stop nearby. He heard his grooms dismounting their horses and running in his direction. He was still staring at his lap when they came close and sank down on their knees.

'My lord, are you alright?' one of them asked. Jason lifted his face. There was only one emotion registered on his handsome face, extreme shock. 'My lord' the groom stretched his arm to touch Jason to inquire. Jason held up his hand and his quiet command stopped groom's hand midway from touching him. Jason stared at his white shirt which had turned red. The grooms were also staring at his blood stained shirt. As he stood up so did his grooms. He inspected the ground and noticed the blood markings. He couldn't possibly been hallucinating. There were actual blood spots. He looked up to see his concerned grooms and said 'I fell off my horse and may have a slight scratch. There is nothing to worry about. Let's go' he led the way swiftly to his horse, mounted Thor and rode away with his concerned grooms following in his wake.

2005 USA

The phone was ringing. It was midnight. The whole Stanley house was asleep. Stanley Davidson got out of bed, shrugged into his dressing gown and went downstairs, cursing under his breath. By the time he got to the phone, whoever was calling had hung up. He stared at the phone annoyingly and turned around to go back up to his room. The phone rang again and held him in mid-stride. He picked up and the news he heard left him aggravated. His hands were balled into fists by his sides. After hanging up, he went back upstairs. His wife Ann was sound asleep. He woke her up. She stared at her husband's stiff face, inquiringly. 'it's Julie, we got to go' His voice was cold and detached. Ann jumped out of the bed. She hurriedly got dressed and went to her other daughters to inform them about their suddenly having to go away. She hadn't inquired about the concerned matter because she knew from her husband's stiff face and rigid posture that whatever it was, it was quite grave this time.

After half an hour, they both were in hospital. Police was there already. Stanley and Ann ignored the police officers and went to the doctor.

'I'm afraid I don't have good news to share with you' the doctor started. None of them spoke a word. 'your daughter's condition is critical right now. She has a head injury and she is still unconscious. She has broken ribs. She has been tortured and...' the doctor let a moment of silence pass between them, mentally searching for the best words to announce the agonizing news for he was aware the news was going to cause a great pain. Stanley Davidson arched his brow and stared at the doctor, bracing himself for the forthcoming humiliation. His face however didn't show any emotion. 'she is been sexually assaulted' he finally spoke out the words bluntly because there was no way to soften the blow. Ann burst out crying. The doctor noted that Stanley didn't show any emotion on hearing the news. Not a flicker of pain registered on his face. 'We believe, considering her inner bleeding and injuries that she has been assaulted several times, probably gang raped '

'Oh God. No.' Ann covered her mouth and shook her head. The doctor looked at her. He said nothing to comfort her. He looked at Stanley Davidson again and continued 'We hope we will be able to wake her up shortly. We will let you know when she gains consciousness.' He smiled briefly and left. After the doctor departed, the police officers who were waiting moved in their direction and started asking questions. They completed their inquiry. Stanley refused to register any report without talking to his daughter first. The police officers informed him that they would come back later to talk to Julie. They politely greeted them and left. Stanley's face was as hard as a granite and as cold as a glacier. His daughter was found in a raid. Police had raided the house of drug dealers and found her unconscious in one of the rooms. They had arrested three drug dealers from the house who were drugged and drunk. Doctors had run tests on Julie's blood it had come clean. She wasn't drugged or drunk so the police thought perhaps she was abducted and had been raped but Stanley knew better.

He was standing in the middle of the corridor his blood was hot with rage. His wife was sitting on one of the chairs. Her face wet with tears and eyes filled with pain. He felt no such thing, the more he thought about his reckless, disobedient daughter, more his anger grew.

Julie opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, her senses dull. There was somebody hovering over her. She couldn't recognize the face. She didn't feel any pain. She heard somebody say something to her but she was unable to comprehend the words. She closed her eyes. Next time when she opened her eyes, she looked around. She was in a hospital. Her vision was better. She could see and recognize things around her. Her senses were sharp. She felt enormous pain in the back of her head and in her ribs. It was even difficult to breathe. She looked around to search for a familiar face. There was no one there. Memories flashed back and caused more twinge. Tears came dashing down her cheeks. She closed her eyes but the images won't go away. She vibrantly remembered what had happened to her.

'Julie my love, you are awake' she heard her mother's meek voice. She opened her eyes and looked at her face it was bright with a smile. She picked up her tears with her fingers and kissed her forehead. 'Your dad wants to talk to you Julie. Please darling don't lie to him. No matter what he asks please tell him the truth. He is already very upset' Ann pleaded to her and left the room. Julie closed her eyes and thought about her spineless mother who had left her to face her father's wrath alone, as always. She thought about her father, he was not worried, not concerned, he was upset,. Upset with her? The thought troubled her. The room boomed with her father's booted feet but she kept her eyes closed. She was trying to gather strength to face her father and his questions. Her mother had asked her to tell the truth and that's exactly what she was going to do.

Julie spent few more days in the hospital. Her father after talking to her didn't return. Her three sisters didn't come to visit her, not even once. The doctor discharged her after a few days, with a long list of medicines. Her mother took her downstairs in a wheel chair. When her mother tried to take the wheel chair out the front door to the car, Julie protested and insisted on walking. She found the simple task of getting out of wheelchair extremely difficult .The car was parked near the front door and her father was in the driving seat waiting for them to get into the car. He had seen Julie struggling to get out of the wheelchair and walking towards the car but didn't get out and help. She reached the car and with the help of her mother she got into it. Walking only a few steps had drained her. Her face was pale. She was very weak. She found the ride more difficult than the few steps she had walked. With each jerk her ribs hurt so badly that she had to grind her teeth to stop herself from screaming. The ride after a few minutes became smooth and they reached their house pretty quickly. Her father parked his car, jumped out of it and went inside. Her mother helped her get out of the car and to ascend the first step of the five that led into their house, her father came back with a bag. He threw the bag on the floor next to Julie. Julie lifted her startled face and gazed at her father. 'I will not permit you to enter my house. You always bring shame on your family but this time you have reached your limit I can't tolerate you anymore' his face was as hard as a stone.

'What are you talking about Stanley' her mother cried 'how can you ask her to leave. She is only fourteen. Where do you think she will go?'

'That's none of my business. She can go to hell for all I care. I have nothing to do with her. She is dead to me'

'She is just a child Stanley. She can't go anywhere on her own. You are not in your senses' her mother cried in her meek voice.

'She certainly is old enough to defy her father and sneak out to spend the night with those drug dealers. Now, it's time she should be set free to go wherever she wishes. She had always been stubborn, headstrong and disobedient. She has defied me a number of times, always bringing shame on her family. I swear to God, I wished many times, she had never been born'

'Stanley let's go inside and we will talk to her. She will behave' Her mother's efforts were all futile.

'I have made up my mind Ann' He stared at Julie 'I want you to leave this house, never to return. I have three daughters who need to be protected from your bad influence and evil self. You are dead to us and we are dead to you. Now go' He took a step forward, held his wife's arm and dragged his crying wife inside. He closed the front door and left the startled Julie standing there. Julie stared at the closed door of her house, than she stared at the bag. She couldn't lift that heavy bag. It was difficult to drag her own self on her feet. She slowly turned. Her eyes were dry. Her face didn't show any emotion. She slowly walked toward the road. She didn't know where she was going. She had nowhere to go. She had no one to look after her. She was alone. She was wounded and heartbroken. She rounded the corner of her house. She didn't look back, not even once. Her face was pale, lips white and her senses reeling. She could hear nothing, say nothing. She could think nothing. She looked straight ahead, she never looked to her left or right.

'Julie' Paul suddenly came in front of her. 'I was calling your name. Where are you going?' Julie had stopped walking her gaze fixed on Paul's face. 'I came to visit you and I thought I saw you walking. I can always tell from the way you walk' He smiled. Julie didn't say a word. 'What's wrong Julie?' he finally noticed something was not right. 'Why are you walking out here? Why are you not home resting?' Julie kept staring at him as though she was unable to comprehend a single word which came out of his mouth. 'You look like a ghost Julie. Stop staring at me and tell me why you are not home?'

'Because I don't have a home Stanley Davidson has disowned me. He threw me out to protect his daughters from my bad influence' Julie said. Her voice was emotionless.

'He said all this to you?' Paul was thunderstruck 'he is a spineless son of a bitch' Paul was furious. He softly held her hand and guided her to the only place he could take Julie to. Mr. Harrison's stable, where he had been living for last few years. Paul was an orphan. He preferred to work when he was only 10 then to get into the system. Mr. Harrison was a kind hearted person. He let him live in the room at the back of his stable. He had been working for Mr. Harrison ever since and living in the same room.

The room Paul took Julie to was, dark and small. He turned on the light which was not enough to light up the room. 'Lie down and rest a while Julie and I'll see what I can get you to eat' He commanded and Julie obeyed. Paul left to her to rustle up something to eat. He was five years older than her. He was her best friend. When Paul came back with some soup and bread Julie was fast asleep.

2005 Japan

Julie opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her vision. She was in a bright room. Curtains were pulled open. Bright sunlight was coming through a big window, making everything look inviting and warm. The room was small but elegant, clean and welcoming.

'Julie, my love' a soft voice reached her ears. She looked to her right and saw an old woman hovering over her. Her eyes were deep black, her face bright and her lips smiling. Julie couldn't tell who she was. The woman leaned over her and kissed her forehead. 'You are breaking my heart Julie' Her face was kind.

'Aika, move aside, she doesn't know who you are but she surely will recognize her grandfather' Matthew's cheerful voice shook her senses. She looked at the two kind faces leaning over her and her eyes were filled with tears. She tried to sit up but couldn't. Her grandmother propped two pillows against the headboard and helped Julie sit up. She sat to Julie's right side and Matthew sat to her left. Matthew pulled his granddaughter into a warm embrace and softly said 'Julie you are safe now. We are here for you. Your mother called us and told us everything. What happened my child was unfortunate, but what is done is done. If you want to talk about it we are here to listen but if you don't want to talk about it we will never say a word.' Tears began running down Julie's cheeks. She couldn't seem to control them any longer and with a cry like an animal in pain she sobbed aloud, weeping as if she would never stop; crying as if to wipe out the pain and wash away the dark memories. Matthew held her in his arms and let her cry. When she had spent all her tears he gently pulled her back, dried her swollen raw eyes and kissed her forehead gently. His own eyes were wet. Aika wrapped Julie into her arms and with a gentleness born of deep sympathy she tenderly began stroking her hand up and down Julie's back, crooning and soothing her much as if she were a baby. 'I don't want you to cry anymore Julie' she spoke, her voice strong enough so Julie's shuddering body calmed and heard each word. 'Whatever happened to you, happened because you were weak and couldn't defend yourself. Now, it's time to be strong' she pulled her back and looked into her eyes and said with a determined face. 'You

1880

Reginaldland

It was Friday morning. The church was empty, dark and quiet as the large heavy wooden door opened and fresh air filtered in along with a shaft of bright sunlight. The man entering the portal closed the door behind him, blocking out the air and light, enclosing himself in the cocoon of darkness as he stared at the the alter that was lit by the mellow light filtering thought the long stained glass windows. He didn't want to face any church goer or visitor who chanced to be sitting in the pews praying. He didn't want to be recognized by any one. He stared straight ahead. The heavy sound of his boots echoed loudly in the silent church. His head bent low, his dark brown hair shoved back as if his fingers had been running through them nervously, his eyes were heavy, his gait unsteady, and as he walked purposely forward his hands hanging by his sides, he lifted his head but not his eyes. He ascended the three stairs and stood before his Lord. He had come to confess his sins. His long black coat kept him in the shadowed in the dark church. He sank down on his knees before the alter. His tall frame shaking as he propped his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands tightly and resting his head in his clasped hands said the age old words 'Forgive me my Lord, for I have sinned.' his voice murmured in the empty church. Once again he repeated the words 'forgive me my Lord, for I have sinned.' His voice trembled as he confessed with head bent low 'You have punished me but I fear it is not enough for my sins are beyond redemption.' Tears began streaking down his face as he unburdened his soul with whispered words, 'My lord, I have run and run and run, now I am tired for I cannot run from my sins any longer, I am guilty' he lifted his wet face which was deeply etched with lines of strain and fatigue 'I am ready my Lord, forgive me or punish me but don't abandon me' he cried, his thin body racked with regret. His golden eyes dim, having lost the fire that once had burned in them. He had become part of the dark, his hair, his eyes, his clothes, his soul, all were dark for the guilt consuming him was the killing of an innocent soul.