Caroline stared hard at the girl called Primrose. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she held her hand over her right cheek. After two minutes the pain of the hit was still fresh as it was seconds earlier. She was about to stand up from the ground when the slap came not giving a second to brace herself for it. Her shock knew no bounds.
" Primrose...". The girl's name rolled as a whisper off her lips. Her body shook with bewilderment, alarmed that the young Lady who never laid a finger on her had given her a skin-to-skin contact without her prior knowledge.
Caroline's hand moved to place them on her lap, but the girl's next action threw her off balance.
Primrose darted to the door with her blonde hair bouncing over her shoulders. " Mother!.. Mother!!..Mother!! '. Her voice resounded in the corridor which was followed seconds later by the shutting close of a door.
She held her body close.
The pain on her cheek was long gone with a new one feeling her bones. It was the inside pain. Her heart tightened and she felt her throat closing up. Hot tears streamed down her face.
Things she had to bear; anger was caged in, pains were drowned in tears left unshed. As she sat down on the cold floor with the oil lamp illuminating a part of the room, she released them all. Her lips quivered, glistening under the little portion of light that reached her.
For eleven years, she bore the torture, the harsh treatments, the whips, the screams, the lack of adequate meals, the absence of a comfortable place to lay her head, the tattered dresses, the worn-out shoes, the reproach, the embarrassment, list them all.... she bore them. Turned numb to the pains, paid no heed to the washing down of her person by others, but today--- it was different. Today, she had enough. Today, they crumbled. The deafness, the blindness, the bravery. They all crumbled as her emotions poured out endlessly.
" Mother ". She shook violently as tears gushed down. A memory came to mind and like no other day, Caroline let it stay, sniffling in between.
A little girl of seven ran in the meadows. Her white sleeveless gown danced in the wind with her red hair flying as she felt the white flowers under her fingers. Butterflies flapped their wings around her and on her face sat a bright smile. The flowers clung to the exposed parts of her body and hair with her sweat stream glistening under the blazing sun.
She ran happily and jumped over a fallen tree as she neared her home- a little cottage with faded paints, cracked walls, and no door. They were poor and could not afford the basic necessities. The little things that did not have for a standard living were out of the picture, yet she was happy. Satisfied as she was to be given a wonderful family that loved her.
" Mother! ". Her tiny melodious voice rang in the air when she eyed her mother washing their clothes from a distance. Her mother, an older version of her turned to her. Her eyes brightened as she saw the bundle of joy running towards her, before she could stand to embrace her, she jumped right at her. Falling backward, she caught her little one in the air.
" Mother. I missed you ". Rosella hummed as she patted her back. Her free hand tangled with the length of the little girl's hair, stretching it at the end. They needed comb, she noted, to comb her little one's hair.
" I missed you too little one ". She replied and tried looking at her face. Rosella was stunned when she saw the girl sleeping peacefully in her arms. She smiled and held her close to her chest while attempting to carry her.
The fullness of her hair hit at her face as she carried her inside. The weather had turned humid with the breeze carrying dust and sand particles in the air. The flowers in the meadow were not exempted as their petals flew in the wind. She laid her little one on the only available mat.
The wind blew at the curtain that was tied at the entrance to serve as a door. Her heart ached now as the rain poured heavily on the roof, she sighed and rushed to bring in her unwashed clothes, washed too, inside. A frown settled on her face when the splattering sound on the roof increased. She chuckled at the futility. Her washed clothes would not be hung to dry, the unwashed clothes would not be washed either.
The rainwater from outside, soaked the curtain, wetting the floor inside. Quickly, Rosella dragged in an abandoned roof sheet and placed it at the door before going to the side to pick up a blanket. Unfurling it, she laid it over her little one.
The day had turned dark with the rain. Clouds dissipated from the sky, bringing the white light of the moon to lit the grounds. It was around this time that Rosella stepped out of the house.
Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail and her satin dress hugged tightly to her body as she entered the cold night. In the cottage, the little girl laid innocently with an oil lamp brightening the room. The stack of burning words and the blanket gave her warmth.
The morning came as swiftly as the night did. The little girl woke up, her hands rubbed at her eyes as she stretched her body to full length. Like every other day, she was the least surprised when she noticed her mother's absence. Gathering her little self she took water from the well outside and washed her body. Her breakfast laid cold on the table, she warmed it with the leftover firewood.
She had just swallowed a spoonful of the wheat meal when her mother's terrifying voice sounded outside
" Caroline, Caroline. Little one where are you?. ". She dropped the spoon on the table and rushed outside.
The red satin dress she wore was torn all over. A patch of it, wet. Normally, she would be the one to run to her mother for a hug, but today her disheveled look made her stand still in confusion as her mother ran to her. The hug, she had expected never came as her mother cupped her from the ground, running eastwards It was not until they had gotten deeper into the forest with the house disappearing out of view, did she understand what was happening.
Some bad boys were pursuing them. They were with red eyes and long teeth. Their long nails cut through the air and branches in their path as they leaped from trees to trees like animals.