Coming to my senses, I'm able to make out voices but all I can see is darkness. Who are the voices coming from? I listen to my surroundings as my world comes back together like puzzle pieces in my previously jumbled mind. I don't believe I recognize any of these sounds or voices. Suddenly, my last memories come cascading back to me, crashing into my head with a roar. Opening my eyes, I try to jolt up but my efforts are in vain. Where am I? What happened after I was picked up by that ugly brute on horseback?
Piece after piece, floats into place as the world builds in the darkness around me. My eyes seem to be covered with a dark cloth of sorts and my hands and ankles are bound by some kind of scratchy rope, though it feels more like thorns or barbed wire against what used to be my soft, delicate skin. I can only imagine what I must look like now, covered in sweat and dirt, bruises and blood. As my captors come to the realization that I've awoken, I hear footsteps coming in my direction and I tremble, curling into the fetal position and covering my head as best as I can.
"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party!", a man's voice says.
As the footsteps cease, the floor creaks beside me, and without notice, I'm yanked up onto my knees. The pain hits me like a ton of bricks and I let out a yelp. My head seems like it's going to explode and I feel myself go limp against my will. My entire body feels like I've fallen from a rooftop and none of my muscles can be convinced to work. The man in front of me lets go of my arms as I fall to the floor, the darkness spinning all around me. I feel as though I'm going to be sick!
"Alright, fine then! I suggest you take advantage of this time to rest now.", he says, almost whispering. "Tomorrow, you'll be auctioned off to the highest bidder. If I were your owner, you surely wouldn't be getting any rest in my company."
A grubby finger traces from my chin down my neck, across my collar bone and stops at the strap of my dress. The footsteps start again as the repulsive touch pulls away, this time sounding more rushed and heading away from me. I hear a door close, not far away. As soon as all the noises fade and the blackness stops whirling in my head, tears form in my eyes and the hot liquid falls over the bridge of my nose and down the side of my face, soaking the cloth that's covering my eyes. Why are they doing this to me? What exactly did I do to deserve this mistreatment? I just wish that someone would explain to me exactly what's going on.
None of this makes any sense at all. How could anyone treat their fellow humans in this manner? Do they not fear the wrath of the heavens? Even though we rarely met a visitor, I was still taught to treat people with hospitality. This room is so cold. I can't even tell whether it's day or night. How far am I from home, from the city, from where I was captured? How far did I run? My legs ache like never before and this deep hunger feels like it's eating my stomach from the inside out. The craving I have for water alone is nearly unbearable. I'm just so incredibly thirsty I can hardly stand it! But I can't even move.
The thought comes to me that maybe I should try to scream. Maybe someone will hear me and come to my rescue... Or maybe my captors will come back and beat me or kill me. No, I have to play my cards right and get through this if I ever want to see my father again. For now, I will just stay silent. The last thing I want to do is to anger the ones who hold my life in their filthy hands. I can get through this! I'm going to try to do whatever I can to stay alive. They have to give me water and feed me some time. I just have to hold on. Things will all work out in the end. They have to.
For hours, I lay there, unmoving. I keep myself occupied by thinking of happier times. Memories of growing up comfort me and I play through some of the most precious moments of my life in my head. Father has always raised me well. And he's never made me yearn for Mama. Not that I can even remember her. She died from pneumonia when I was only 2 years old. And since then, it's always just been me and my father and the animals on the farm. He taught me everything I know. When I wanted to learn something, he would sit right down and make sure to teach it to me. We're happy on our own. He works so hard to make sure I never miss out on having a mother.
And we've always kept to ourselves except for the occasions when we need supplies. Rarely do we mingle with any other farmers and we live so far from anyone else that we never have an accidental meeting. There have never been any cousins, no grandparents, no aunts, and certainly no uncle like the one that the brute man mentioned. Father and I are all each other have ever had! We're all we've ever needed. As long as we have each other, we'll be okay. However, I do have one desire. I've secretly dreamed of meeting a handsome man who works as hard as my father does to marry and take some of the load off of him. I've read books of romantic princes sweeping ladies away to castles, but I'd rather stay on the farm and be happy all together.
I want things to stay how they've always been. Since I was young, every morning, I would wake up, milk the cow, and make breakfast for the two of us while Father fed the animals and tended to other important matters. We'd eat together and he always tells me that I make the best biscuits this side of the Euroan River. In fact, I was named after that great blue river. On the day I was born, he told Mama that my name would be Euroah, because my eyes were the color of the river's beautiful, calm waters. I always loved it when Father would tell me that story as a little girl. Never have we double crossed anyone or caused any trouble. I just can't understand where things all went wrong.
The sound of a woman screaming shatters my happy thoughts like a stone barreling through the window into my past, breaking the glass forever. The horrific sound of wailing followed by moans and smacking goes on for what seems like an eternity, until she makes no more sound at all. All that remains is a faint grunting sound and a bumping on a distant wall. Is whatever happened to her going to happen to me? Am I going to be tortured like that too? Why am I even here? What is the point of all this? I remember that the man said something about a highest bidder. Am I going to be sold like livestock?
Father would send the merchants to auction with a list of our needs and maximum bid. Is someone going to buy me? Am I to be farm labor? If someone takes me far away, how will Father ever find me? How will he ever clear up this misunderstanding and how will I ever get home? I lay there wondering where my father is and why he hasn't yet come for me. Why isn't he here telling these thugs that they've got it all wrong? I just want to go home, back to the simple life I led before this nightmare invaded my sweet dreams. The tiny farm house I've lived my nearly 18 years in isn't much, but it's where I've always imagined I'd be forever. I's cozy... It's home.
I've always pictured my eternity there, building a home next to my father's. I thought of having my own little children running around and messing with the goats, just as I grew up doing. I'd envisioned growing old there with my own lover and we'd sit together under the willow tree while I sang sweet tunes to my little family. We'd live happy days together until the end of time and then be buried on the hillside overlooking the meadow, right next to Mama and Father, when it's time. It appears as though that has all been ripped away from me now. And I haven't even had a chance to find my love yet. This thought makes the pain so intense that the tears come even harder.
The death of all my sweetest childhood dreams is finally too much for me to bear. No longer do I have any control, nor any desire to hold back my devastation or put on a brave face. Taking a deep breath in, I let go of all my pent up emotions and sob unashamedly until any further tears refuse to fall. Though I'm fearful of what tomorrow will hold, I am only human. Eventually, fatigue creeps through my body like some kind of twisted lullaby and I give into the exhaustion. I slip into bitter sweet, much needed sleep.
Updated 3/31/23 Thank you so much for your patience. I'm doing my best to finish up book 1. I will do much better with book 2! I will try not to let pressure to update a certain amount of words daily get to me, and instead, I'll work to meet a weekly goal to update with a good quality chapter. -Sultry Sky
"Get up!", I hear as I'm being nudged in the side by a heavy boot. "We haven't got all day to wait on you to get ready! The stands are just full of stallions chomping at the bit for the chance to get at a fresh new pony." Stands and stallions and ponies? What is he talking about? I'm barely awake and we're already talking about animals? Ah, the auction. I guess I'm being sold with livestock. Have I been sold to a farmer? Perhaps he breeds horses. Before I'm even fully coherent, I'm taken by the arms and pulled up to a standing position. This time, I can feel that there is one person on each side of me. I do my best to gain an understanding of my situation. The hands on my arms aren't as large or rough as the brute man's. Perhaps they belong to women? And I sense another presence somewhere behind me, so there are at least four people here. "The knife.", the same voice calls out from his position in front of me. Knife? Wait, what knife? What's happening? He doesn't need a knife!
The blood pulsing through me freezes upon seeing the ugly man in the doorway. Now is not the time to make a run for it, though the thought briefly flashes through my mind. As though somehow sensing the possibility of my resistence, the woman who had given me water and helped me to dress comes close to me. Her trembling hands reach out to tidy some stray hairs that the older woman seems to have missed before. Hardly audible even to my own ears, she leans in and whispers to me, her voice shaking with fear. "Go now. Don't fight back, whatever you do. It will only make things more difficult for you." She steps away, without another word, only giving me a nudge from behind to coax me forward. Having grown impatient, the gruff man huffs into the room and grabs me, clamping heavy metal cuffs onto my wrists. He yanks me so hard that I nearly fall into him but he stops me short and attaches a chain to the cuffs. They're so heavy I feel like I'm going to drop to the floor with a clank if h
People in the stands begin to get up and bustle about, off to meander until the next object of interest goes up for bid. The smell of something delicious lingering in the air is probably tempting them to go and spend their money for a taste of it. My stomach growls and I wish I had my father here to buy some food for us to eat together. The gruff man starts cranking a lever and the tension that had been pulling on my wrists lessens. An idea pops into my head and any thought of filling my stomach leaves me.My arms start to lower and I see my only possible opportunity for escape. If I jump off the stage, I can probably run. There's got to be a way out that's just out of sight to the right or left of the stage. Beyond the stands is an entrance somewhere, otherwise all of these people couldn't have gotten in. As soon as the pulley is low enough, I lower my wrists as low as I can and then, with all my might, I fling my arms up, lifting the chain just high enough to
A shorter man in an identical black suit to the one worn by the man carrying me opens a back door on the car while a third black suited man opens the door on the opposite side. I'm placed into the seat and I stare out at the wretched people walking to and fro like a person isnt being treated like swine over here. My tears are once again dried up and I can see black streaks down my face in the reflection of the tinted window.The black suit who carried me on his shoulder only moments ago bows to this new master of mine who then turns and walks around to the other side of the car, settling into the seat beside me. The door closes and the car begins to drive. I can feel his eyes on me but I have no more energy left to fight. There's no will left in my weakened, starved body. I dare not look back at him.Instead, I watch the road, trying to take my mind elsewhere. The trees are so green, sky so blue. The fields turn into rolling hills, and then,
A hint of satisfaction shows on his face and he asks his next question in a way that gives me shivers. As the sound of his deep voice vibrates in my ear drums, he lays his hand just below my belly button and proceeds to slide his fingers down to rest between my thighs. His firm grip engulfs the entirety of my most sensitive place and I tense up every muscle in my body. There's nothing I can do but hold my breath and close my eyes. "Tell me, Euroah... Have you ever been touched right here?" A warm sensation overcomes me and while it doesn't feel bad, it scares me. Nothing but a thin pair of white cotton panties stands between his hand and my flesh. My whole body trembles and shakes. Inhaling deeply, I attempt to regain my composure. With my fists clenched, I quietly cry "No, Master. I-I've never been t-touched there. Please don't... P-please." After a moment of silence, I open my eyes to see his face relax and his m
Two identical black cars pull up behind the one I'm in and more men in black suits get out. They stop in front of my master and bow. This time, I recognize one of the faces. The man who had carried me over his shoulder appears at my door and grabs me by the hips, pulling me so hard that I fall onto my back. With my legs now bent at the knees, my feet slam to the ground, What is he doing now? This can't be good!I gasp in shock when I see him pull out a folding knife and whip it open. Do I scream? Am I about to lose my clothing again? Anything but that! I'll just die of shame if all these people bear witness to that kind of humiliation. Suddenly, I feel a warm hand above my right knee. My master bends down to meet my gaze."Are you going to be a good little toy?", he asks me.Nodding my head vigorously, I reply, "Yes Master!"This causes him to grin and step forward, taking the place of the blac
Hearing whispers around me, I try to keep my focus. I can no longer move. one of the women in a blue dress is cupping my face but my eyes refuse to focus on her. Then a faceless man in a black suit leans down, cradling me in his arms. He scoops me up and continues down the corridor, following the women into a room."What happened?""I don't know, she just fell!""Are we going to be fired?""Shut up, Elise, we didn't do anything wrong!""Calm down, Anna. Akida will find out what happened and clear everything up.""Hurry up unless you all really do want to lose your jobs! Benny, you get out of here. Marie, get some water. Anna, towels. I'll get her clothes."A door closes and I feel myself being jerked around a bit. Though I can't comprehend what's happening, I feel like I should at least attempt to fight it. I try to lift my head but it fa
Micro... Micro means something very very small. Chip? I can't think of anything that makes sense so I tell her, 'No'. She digs in her case and pulls out a plastic tube with a needle at the end. It's sealed in a plastic wrapping of some sort. Walking over to me, she lays it on the bed and I sit up, pulling the blanket tightly around me. I scan the packaging with my eyes for a moment before looking at the words. "Micro-Claim" I read aloud. "Legally Acquired Slave Identification Device". "This is a micro chip. We call them LASIDs, for short. Until recently, we used to brand slaves with a tattoo.", she begins. "But in the cases where they escaped, it was difficult to track them down. Zio- I mean your master's company came up with a way to both mark and track slaves in one device. It's more humane, less painful, and a lot faster than tattooing." I turn it around in my hand, trying to figure out ho